Father Founded welcome you to the last update in 2011. The year had passed by like an rocket, leaving an tail of broken dreams, lost hopes and dead fathers but also happiness and an feeling for an better future. So how was 2011 really for us working with amerasians ? That the question, that is hard to answer.
The Vietnam war are long gone and so are the life of many Vietnam veterans too. What the war didn't do to them, time did. Slowly but steady they die out,one by one, something we can't change. So dies by age,some by sickness related to Vietnam and others again to life related issues. The clock are ticking down.
To many times we get the messages that the father had passed away, and an " Hard to understand" family eather rejected the idea that an loving but dead father had an child abroad or simply are very angry that it might been the truth and the whole picture of an honest family man are falling apart.
Amerasians are paying the price for past events in Vietnam and USA. No matter if they are living in USA or are still in Vietnam,they still stir up emotions among people. Its like an forgotten war that keeps coming back and keep hurting those been part of it.
Amerasians are still in Vietnam, my last trip in april 2011 show it in all ways. An sad sight, seing those old friends just living for survival not for happiness or for something better. Vietnam might be an country with an more tolerant view towards " The Children of dust", but its still not home and it won't ever be. We all getting older, us that had been part of the issue and the amerasians that been living though it. It takes an lot of energy to survive and do it all life. Vietnam veterans as an group hadn't show much effort in look for their own children in Vietnam, assisting in the search for other fathers or in general to been an part of healing the past. It seems like hitting an wall of silence, when we ask for help to look for an lost father, sad that old sence of brotherhood are robbing the chance to reunite an lost father with hes child.
Amerasians are still leaving Vietnam,not like an river but here and there amerasians are pulling out, leaving for their fatherland. But there will always be someone left, forgotten by their people and left from the past.
Heros of 2011
Like 2010, when Father Founded first time nominated an hero of the year,then we did the same for 2011.So what's an hero for Father Founded ? An hero for us, are an person that are ready to help others in need regarding the cost, means and outcome. An person that don't look for any personal gains, in terms of money, power or popularity. For me it had been difficult to find person/people that fit those ideals. Why ? Well in an time of economic hardship, realityshows and 15 minuts of fame, then there not an big selections left. Unusally 3 people had been selected as heros of 2011. Those are 3 dedicated people, that in their own way had made an diffence in the life of the amerasians and for Father Founded.
Hung:
My old friend, brother and partner in crime !!! We had been working together as an team since 1992. Even Hung getting older and had hes own family and life,then he still keeps on helping amerasians. He's always ready to give hes best, fighting every inches to save those in need. Amerasians,vietnamese, Americans they all love Hung and the energy he give them, Hung make things happend, that noone could belive would be possible. Without Hung Father Founded won't have an chance to make an diffence, in helping amerasians, and we all own him a lot.
James"Jim" Copeland
James are the only Vietnam vet with an amerasian daugther, that took up the responsibility as an father and as an citizen of the world. Father Founded first touch with James came early 2011, when he asked for help in look for hes lost amerasian child, he fathered in Bien Hoa,Vietnam during hes time of duty. Hes search took us to Vietnam, where we did an hardcore search, an search that ended back in USA, with the happy meeting of hes daugther Tiffany. James is an very special person, he never forgot the child left behind in Vietnam neather did he gave up looking for her, no lies, excuses or other reasons for doing nothing. In the end in paid up in meeting the one child he missed most in hes life. But behind the sun lies the shadow. The price of an new member of the family, had been huge. Part of hes own family went against him, due to the lack of under standing past events, in Vietnam. Not accepting the fact that an father cares for hes child, they took on an revenge rampage, trying to destroy the spirit of hope and love between father and child. But as an old soldier James had withstand the pressure and an good relations ship had have eveloped between him and hes new family. Besides fighting for hes child, james offer the best help for other amerasians and for Father Founded, been part in Tv shows, newspapers and internet based newsmedia he had told the world hes personal story. Had more Vietnam vets the same guts as James, to look for their lost kids, then our work would be much easier. Father Founded own James a lot for hes courage and open heart. For info on James life then look on " James" Jim" Copeland's case".
Jannie Oanh Nguyen
Among few, she's the only amerasian in USA and Vietnam too, that had done are doing an difference in helping her fellow amerasian breathens. Jannie are born in the old South Vietnam,as an child of an Vietnam women,working for the Americans, and an American soldier worked as an cook for the Airborne army. She liked many other Amerasians, were lucky enough to leave for the fatherland. Since then she her self became an mother, and an hardworking person, but she never forgot where she came from and who she was, and she had been using her sparetime and life in assisting other amerasians in Vietnam, for leaving for USA and to make the amerasians working as an group. Helping amerasians in USA are hardly an funny experience. Most had been spread around in the states and unity are slowly cease. People lives their life and Vietnam become past and those amerasians left their too. Jannie had tried hard in keep amerasians as an unit and had them to remember those left in Vietnam. We had only knew jannie for an short time, she likes many other amerasians in USA had hear about Father Founded, and like many other amerasians,then gossips are bigger than reality, what we had done or not done. But after knowing what we had been doing or not doing, she and Father Founded become friends, and she had done the uppermust in helping us in our work with amerasians. She pulled up an big meeting in Memphis, tn in support our work with amerasians, the money raised in that meeting she donate for our future work. jannie are decent person and an good friend of Father Founded and the amerasians and we are proud of knowing her. She's the one among them all, that cares for those amerasians who had no voice.
Vietnam "Recover the past" 2011
Once in an year, we try to head for Vietnam. We collect all the incoming cases from amerasians,that needs out help there, and from Vietnam vets that need to look for their lost kids too. This time we had an bunch of amerasian cases and one Vietnam vets looking for hes child in Bien Hoa.
So back on the old battlezone and ready to rock it !!! For an week, we had to cover an area from Ho Chi Minh City, to Ben Tre and up to Bien Hoa. Its not an easy task for 2 men, in the 40'ties, sitting on an motorbike down the way to Tra Vinh, Ben Tre and My Tho but we made it and met several new amerasians, and clear signal that amerasians are still in Vietnam.
In Ho Chi Minh City some new amerasians turned up and we had meetings with old amerasian friends too, happy to see them but sad to see them in Vietnam and not in USA.
The main drive for this trip to Vietnam, was James" jim" Copeland's case. He was looking for hes amerasian child in Bien Hoa, and Father Founded decided to take the case.
James case we an groundbreaking example in how to locate an lost child, of an Vietnam vets, inside Vietnam. Armed with an handdraw map ,old photos, informations and some luck we then headed for Bien Hoa and James place of duty..
Asking questions, compare an handmade map with local peoples information, based on events that happend 40 years ago are really pure luck, madness and hard work. But 2 days and the combinations of those 3 things took us to james daugther Tiffany, she had already left for USA.
Now James and hes daugther had met and the circle been closed, so for us in Father Founded, the trip had been succesfull in terms of making an difference.
More on our trip to Vietnam and James "Jim" Copeland's case:
Vietnam " Recover the past" 2011 Vietnam "Recover the past" Video 1 Vietnam "Recover the past" Video 2 Vietnam "Recover the past "Video 3 Vietnam "Recover the past" Video 4 James "Jim" Copeland's case
Donate now !!!!!!
Its nice to be importent, but also importent to be nice !!! Those means it all, Father Founded are not an huge powerfull organisation, rather its an group of dedicated people, that try help those in need.
Like every group we need economic means to run the searches, the homepage, phonecalls and othe issues related to the amerasians.
So make an difference !! Donate little, makes an big change for those that an voice in their life. Below here are some ways how to donate, or go to our donate page.
The sign "For sale" are up in many places around the world today, houses, shops, cars anything. The world wide economic crise, had forced people to sell up what they can, in order to make the days end, same goes with Father Founded. We depend on peoples goodwill and donations, but with an melting down in the economics, then the sources are drying out too. So for us to continue our work and come back to Vietnam and assist the amerasians, we had to put the sign "For Sale". In 1992, on my first trip to Vietnam,I brought 5 American Zippo lighers, left behind by the American soldiers, during the war. They means alot to me as wonderfull memories,but the amerasians needs the help too, so I decided to sell them on my homepage for the highest price. The goal are to raise 4000 usd to come back to Vietnam and assist the amerasians, might the zippos don't vavlue that much, but thet hope are that those paying the price, do it for the amerasians and Father Founded. Below here are the photos of the zippos and on the page "For sale" more info and enlarge photos of the zippos.:
Cases update:
2011 had seen fewer amerasian cases, from Vietnam. With an declined Amerasian community and with those left in Vietnam, had almost no info,mostly just gave up and moved on with their life. Fewer Amerasians in USA are hitting the application button for search for their fathers too,mostly had little or no info and many just moved on too, with their life.
Some Vietnam vets turned up too, in looking for their lost child, but its almost nothing and it doesn't really make an different, when it come to the amount of Amerasians looking for their fathers.
Many more relatives of Vietnam vets are turning up, wondering what happend to the child that their father,brother or uncle made in Vietnam. Its an positive sign that the family are looking for the relative in Vietnam.
Besides that we had amerasian cases from Philipines too, since Father Founded are steadly moving their search work to the Philipines, where many amerasians too are looking for their lost fathers.
Its hard to locate an lost person, and even harder to have the person admit having an child in an foreign country. An other hard to denied point of view, are that more and more of the father had passed away, so its mostly dealing with the family of the father. Finding people are not an easy task,its demanding but also worthy job and every person find alive and small victory for mankind.
Amerasians are not only in Vietnam, they are spread all over in asia, countries like Philipines,Taiwan, Japan (okinawa), Korea, Thailand and Laos. Besides that amerasians had moved to countries like France, Australia and Germany. Father Founded had started to move in to those countries, trying to assist amerasians there to find their fathers too. So we add in what ever news that exist special related to Father Founded, country by country.
Philipines:
Amerasians had existed in Philipines for more than 100 years, from the first Americans came to liberate the country from the Spanish colonialism, up though the world war II to the cold war, their present just ended in 1992, with the outbreak of the vulcano Pinatubo, that destroyed part of the military bases. After that USA didn't need Philipines anymore and left, and sametime left an population of 50 000 amerasians behind.
Amerasians in The Philipines are poor and without any chances to be equal the rest of the populations. They are the living in the streets,doing hard labour and in all means been treated as second ranked people.
Interest in the Philipino amerasians, are very little from the outside world, special in USA, their fatherland, unlike the fellow breathens in Vietnam. They had simply been forgotten by the world, no laws in USA are been passed to bring them home, no media storm, no veterans claim them and no fellow amerasians based in USA to lobby their issue among the American people.
Philipino amerasians had recently started to join together and make groups, to be aware of their sad situation. Rallies are been made, public meeting and video messages for youtube are some of the means used to gain attention.
Father Founded had been part of the Philipino amerasians for an while, on and off doing few cases here and there, but never anything like Vietnam, but with increased focus on the Philipine amerasians, then we had decided to move in to make an difference.
Those men, met local Vietnamese women and they got kids, that we named "Pinoy war kids". After the fathers left, the kids like the amerasians, had to fend for them self in an post war hostile invioment. Now growing up, they wanna find their fathers in the Philipines, and some made it. Father Founded had been succed in finding one father in the Philipines and hope to help more of those Pinoy war kids in future.
More on Father Founded in the Philipines, then look at :
Philipino amerasians ( English ) Philipino amerasians ( Tagalo ) Pinoy war kids ( English ) Pinoy war kids ( Tagalo ) Amerasians Philipines, submit your case
France:
France used to be the colonial mother of Vietnam, it occupied the country for almost 70 years. The French lifestyle and culture are still to been seen in Vietnam today, speciel though the food and churches. But France also host an Amerasian community, they came after the fall of Saigon in 1975. They came to France, with their adopted parents. The amerasians were adopted or stolen from orphanages, had new papers and the taken to France. Now growing up, they start to ask about their own past. Who are we ? Why are we in France ? What happend to our real parents ? Some try to look up their mothers in Vietnam and others their American fathers. Now Father Founded, starts to join with the amerasians of France, in their search for their lost fathers and past and we hope that together we can reclaim the past. More on Father Founded and the French amerasians:
Amerasians in France ( English ) Amerasians in France ( French ) Amerasians in France, submit your case
The newsmedia
The power of the newsmedia are as strong as the goverment or military. They are able to change peoples mind and heart, by their words and articles. But the newsmedia had been very silent, when it comes to cover the amerasian issue. It seems like other sad stories are taken the space, and the amerasians are way down on the news hit list.
Frustating are special the American newsmedia, in their lack off interest in their own kids left behind around the old military bases. So many empty promises, lies and waste of time from tv stations and news papers in USA.
No one knows what the future brings, but the fight for attention getting more rough. We can only tell the people to support the amerasians and Father Founded, by contacting their local newsmedia and had them cover the issue. Below here are some links of the newsmedia that covered the amerasians:
2011 are coming to an end, and soon 2012 will arrive. Father Founded would like to thank all those people, that helped us and the amerasians in this year, regarding what they did. We hope that people will turned up in 2012, and continue to help them amerasians and Father Founded.
Let 2012 be the year that brings the amerasians "Home", no matter if they lives in Vietnam, Philipines or any other asian countries. Let 2012, make more amerasians to find their lost fathers, so they too can feel the happines of having an loving, caring father.
Finally we wish everyone an Merry X-mas and an Happy New Year to every amerasian, Vietnam vet, Vietnamese, American and anyone that cares for the amerasians and their life.
