By Line search: By JAMES LOMASTRO
By JAMES LOMASTRO
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War’s conclusion in 2025, we confront anew the enduring questions that follow in the conflict’s wake. How do societies move forward while honoring the truth of what occurred? The answer lies not in convenient forgetting but in the difficult practice of remembrance. There exists a fundamental distinction between forgiveness and amnesty and an even sharper distinction between amnesty and amnesia. While societies may grant legal pardons or establish reconciliation processes, these mechanisms cannot and should not erase the collective memory of suffering.
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