HANOI, Feb 22, 2004 - Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong announced in Hanoi today that Socialist Republic of Vietnam has approved the awarding of the Friendship Decoration for US Senator John Forbes Kerry.
General Secretary Nong Duc Manh stated, "This award is long overdue and the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam wishes to express it's heartfelt gratitude for then Lt. John Kerry's hard work and dedication to halting Yankee Imperial aggression against the peace loving people of Vietnam".
President Tran Duc Luong and General Secretary Nong Duc expressed the gratitude of the Vietnamese people for Senator Kerry's brave stand in pointing out that, "At times they (US Forces) had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country."
(JOHN KERRY'S TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE, APRIL 22,1971
"These brave statements listing the atrocities committed against the peace loving people of Vietnam by the Yankee Imperialist aggressors of the United States helped raise the morale of our dispirited troops after the military defeats of Tet 1968. They also provided us with information which we were able to broadcast to the US Air Pirates and Criminals in our care at the time, pointing out that even their fellow Countrymen recognized their criminal behavior.
As Colonel Bui Tin wrote: "Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9AM to follow the growth of the antiwar movement.
Visits to Hanoi by Jane Fonda and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and ministers gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses. We were elated when Jane Fonda, wearing a red Vietnamese dress, said at a press conference that she was ashamed of American actions in the war and would struggle along with us .... those people represented the conscience of America .... part of it's war- making capability, and we turned that power in our favor"
Colonel Bui Tin, served on the general staff of the NVA
Instituted on June 20, 1960, the Friendship Decoration was awarded to foreigners, who supported and helped the Vietnamese in the defense of their country. It is a 30mm round disk. The obverse depicts two hands shaking with the North Vietnamese flag in the background. The inscription reads, DOAN KET CHIEN THANG GIAC MY (Solidarity against American Aggression).
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam hopes the Senator Kerry accepts this award and will not throw it back over the wall at our Embassy at a later date.