In November 2006, the Vietnam Veterans of Diablo Valley, California, traveled to the eastern coast of the Indochina Peninsula, ready to begin a new operation in the country where they had once been deployed. This time, however, it was a mission of peace and good will, instead of war and destruction. Their return to Vietnam was as much an opportunity to aid to those in need as it was to mend part of themselves – a chance to find closure, create new memories, and replace enemies with friends.
The dedicated group of former military members spent two years collecting donations to purchase wheelchairs for Vietnam and met their fundraising goal with the help of a matching grant by the Wheelchair Foundation.
Veterans attend David Behring’s 2011 fundraiser for Vietnam.
The veterans then embarked on an emotional journey to heal the past and deliver hope for the future. During their 13-day distribution trip, vets and volunteers handed out 560 wheelchairs to disabled Vietnamese who welcomed them with warmth and happiness.
Now back in America, these war heroes continue to raise money in an effort to provide wheelchairs to the thousands of Vietnamese still in need. The Vietnam Veterans of Diablo Valley, California are currently planning to distribute more wheelchairs in November, 2012.
The gift of a new wheelchair is a win over the daily battle that recipients and their families once faced, but the war against suffering and indignity is far from over. Keeping its commitment to go wherever there is need, the Wheelchair Foundation is set to help those in Vietnam who are immobile and unable to afford a wheelchair.
Wheelchairs Win Hearts, Form Lasting Friendships
Tran Thi Nghia was a 17-year-old Vietnamese girl disabled by polio. With no money for a wheelchair, she was dependent on her mother and father to carry her everywhere she went. Her dream was to become a doctor, but her inability to move about freely made it difficult to attend college.
In March of 2003, David Behring, president of the Wheelchair Foundation, led a wheelchair distribution in the city of Hanoi. It was there where Nghia would receive the life-changing gift of mobility and the uplifting gift of friendship. Overwhelmed with love and gratitude, she wrote a letter to David Behring thanking him and the Foundation for giving her freedom – in the form of a new wheelchair.
Nghia and David Behring continued to remain friends and kept in contact with each other. Nghia wrote again in 2008, five years after receiving her wheelchair, with an update that inspired us all.
I received a wheelchair from Wheelchair Foundation in 2003. I am now a student at Hanoi University of Technology in my third year. My parents are very proud of me. I have been able to accomplish more than they ever thought I could, but I believe that I can do much more. My wheelchair is the most wonderful gift I have ever received.
Even today, Nghia and David Behring still keep in touch. She has since graduated from college and is now working as a translator – a “hard but interesting job,” according to her. Nghia hopes to catch up with David again when he visits Vietnam in 2012 and is enjoying a life made possible through the help of the Wheelchair Foundation.