◆ SpookStack

eae eee RELIC BET ELEN TIERS te “fy Laie acannon ent nmin: eaten OE BE He is now undergoing therepy exercises on a regular besis and comes each dey from the forgotten werd to the rehabilitetion center for his treatment. Nost of the amputations have been done not by doctors but by "surgical techniciens" who are totally unfarilier with proper amputation techniques for Subsequent fitting of prosthetic devices. The result is the bones are often.cut leaving sharp points and the flep of the skin is sewn together at the end of the bone rather than being pulled over the stump and sewn at the back of the limb. _This makes fitting of prosthetic devices more difficult and painful for the patient and in some cases additional surgery is sought by our prosthetic director and the nurses. However, in an overloaded hospitel it is difficult to find free time on the part of the surgeons for this type of repair surgery. a ’ The case histories which the Quakers ere now compiling indicate that the overwhelming majority of these civilian victims were injured by mortar end canon fire and by sn2ll arms fire, often from unknown sources. Many of the victims were in what were regarded as friendly and secure villages but who received wounds from Harassment and Interdiction Fire which is mortar fire initiated by the Americans to "keep the VC on the move and awake". during the night. Some victims were caught in mortar engagements between Vietnamese and American military groups but any accurate tabulation of the cause of the casualties is extremely difficult. One can only say that these are the victims of war end that it is a profoundly moving Quaker service of human compassion that carries a great message of love and reconciliation in the midst of the horror. ‘The Dey Care Center for children who have lost at least one parent in the war has settled down into a program typical for that of a nursery school. The children ere given rudimentary reading and writing skills as well as number recognition and participzte in collective exercise and games as well as receiving two snacks during the day and a hot meal at noon. The over-crowded schools of Qua Ngai “will not accept students into the first grade who cannot at least read and write. The result is that the children from the Quaker Day Care Center are being admitted into the publid school system. Advanced classes for older refugee girls continue in sewing and diet and an active Social work training program is proceeding under the direction of two Quaker social workers not only in conjunctio with the families associated with the Day Care Center but also with the prosthetic and physical therapy center. Three Vietnamese are now engaged din social work training, a much needed skill in Vietnan. . . In the VISA program the ten young people currently in South Vietnam eontinue to function in a variety of service assignments in which they mainly work under Vietnamese direction and within Vietnamese organizations. The VISA program has at its heart an attempt to relate to the real‘concerns and cares of the Vietnamese and carries with it, I feel, an “important contribution in “indicating that there are Americans who do not share the methods or objectives of the present American military effort. Rather, it shows there are Americans who are prepared to express support and concern to the Vietnamese that they be given the freedom to find their own way. VISA personnel are now engaged in teaching automobile mechanics to young boys. One VW works in a Catholic hostel operated for boys between the ages of 12 and 17 who are "shoeshine boys", meaning that they have come adrift and are without family and who scrounge a living by. whatever means they can.