This is a photo of the winner of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Journalism, titled "Girl in the Fire", which shows the famous accidental bombing incident that occurred a year ago on the outskirts of Zhan Phuong County, Vietnam.
On June 8, 1972, the north and south Vietnamese engaged in fierce fighting on the outskirts of Zhan Peng County, and the Vietnamese af "air raider" bombers who were ordered to rush to support mistakenly dropped napalm and gelatinized white phosphorus bombs that had been dropped on the North Vietnamese positions into the former residential area of GaotaiJiao Temple outside Zhan Peng, and the explosion caused many civilian casualties. After the napalm bombing, many people were ignited, and the terrified children took off their burned clothes and fled along Highway 1 near Zhanpeng, the most shocking thing was the cries of the in the middle of the photo.
The scene of the children running away was captured by a photojournalist named Huang Gongwu, which became an important historical moment in the 20th century. The scene in the photo suddenly shocked the world. It was the publication of that photograph that brought the anti-war campaign to a climax, prompting the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam six months in advance.
The girl in the photo who was running wildly in tears, named Pan Jinshu, was only 9 years old at the time, which was the age of innocence, but suffered such a huge air disaster. The incident occurred exactly 46 years ago, after the air crash, what life changes did Pan Jinshu encounter?
The girl was eventually taken to the local hospital by photojournalist Huang Gongwu, but because the burns were too serious, the hospital initially refused to accept her, and Huang Gongwu, as an Associated Press reporter, wanted to continue to report on the matter, and the hospital was forced to admit Xiao Jinshu. After 14 months of long and painful treatment, 17 large and small surgeries before and after, her body slowly recovered. Although his life was saved, Pan Jinshu's back, neck and arms left terrible burn marks, which was shocking.
After the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam, South Vietnam quickly collapsed under the blows of North Vietnam. The new regime was also interested in Pan Jinshu's personal plight, believing her to be a good anti-war and anti-American textbook, a rare example of the new regime, so that she could continue to enjoy many preferential treatments - good medical care and quality education. In return, Pan Jinshu often appeared on television and even in movies to complain to the world about the cruelty of Americans.
As she grew older, her beauty-loving nature made Pan Jinshu very disgusted by showing her scars to the world again and again. In order to deliberately hide her scars, even in the hot summer, she only wears a long-sleeved shirt, never wears a skirt, and covers herself tightly before going out. However, when there is a need for propaganda, she has to take off her tight coat and show her "pain" to the world, which makes her resist from the inside.
Later, at her constant request, she applied for the opportunity to study in East Germany in 1986. At the age of 19, Pan Jinshu left the country that gave her nightmares to go to East Germany, and at the age of 23, she went to Cuba. In Cuba, Phan Kim Sook met Bae Hui Quan, a Vietnamese diplomat in Cuba. The two young men slowly develop into lovers. Pan Jinshu and Pei Hui are all young people with overseas life experience, who have long been tired of the living environment in Vietnam, and hope to change the environment and live a different life in the future. In 1992, Pan Jinshu and her husband married in Cuba, and on their honeymoon, the two took the opportunity to flee to Canada and seek political asylum.
In Toronto, Canada, Mr. and Mrs. Pan Jinshu live in a low-key manner, never proclaiming their identity. It wasn't until 3 years later, when the British media reported On Kim Sook, that they were known to the outside world.
In November 1997, Pan Kim Sook became UNESCO's "Goodwill Ambassador for Peace". Subsequently, the family moved to the United States. Today, Pan Jinshu's family has her own happy little family in the United States, but the pain caused by the war has accompanied her for the rest of her life. Until now, she still spends a lot of time every year undergoing laser surgery to relieve the pain.
Physical pain was secondary, but the experience of that day became the dream of her life. Pan Jinshu once said: "In my dreams, I don't know how many times I have returned to that fiery hell. I sincerely hope that all children will never be away from war! ”
(Image from the Internet)