I'm not a Vietnam veteran, so I admit I've never fully understood what all the fuse was about over Jane Fonda's visit to N. Vietnam or the photos that were taken of her amongst the N. VC troops. Part of me understands the impression she left, certainly. But there's another side that always believed perhaps there was another side to the story folks either didn't know, didn't want to know (because of their hatred for the war along with their personal emotional investment in the war, i.e., they fought in it, knew someone who went over their or lost a friend or loved one).
Now, call me a liberal if you wish, but as I said since I'm not of that era nor am I a Vietnam vet I don't claim to fully understand the emotional fall out that resonates with Vietnam vets to this day. Nonetheless, I have tried to learn about this moment in time and seek to understand from the Vietnam vet's point of view why her visit and subsequent photo shot still leaves a bitter taste in their mouths. And with that in mind, I did a quick online search on the matter and found Jane Fonda's website which contains a blog entry from 2011 where she recounts events of that day and as Paul Harvey was famous for saying (paraphrasing), tells her side of the story.
I'm in no way taking her side or saying folks should forgive her. But what I am saying is read her words, try to see things from her perspective and understand where she was coming from at the time and maybe some perspectives will change. Then again, maybe some won't because the mental and emotional wounds are just too great. And that's okay. But as my mentor, Stephen A. Covey, is fond of saying, "Seek first to understand and then to be understood". That's all I'm saying.
The Truth About My Trip To Hanoi | Jane Fonda