The price of American abandonment

By John Eidson

When the U.S. abruptly withdrew from Vietnam, Khmer Rouge communists were searching for Sirik Matak, a close American ally in Cambodia. Matak was offered safe passage out of his country, but refused to leave. Here is his reply to the American ambassador:

“Dear Excellency and Friend, I thank you very sincerely for your letter and your offer to transport me towards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion. As for you, and in particular for your great country, I never believed for a moment that you would have this sentiment of abandoning a people which has chosen liberty. You have refused us your protection, and we can do nothing about it. You leave, and my wish is that you and your country will find happiness under this sky. But, mark it well, that if I shall die here on the spot and in my country that I love, it is too bad, because we are all born and must die one day. I have committed this mistake of believing in you, the Americans. Please accept, Excellency, my dear friend, my faithful and friendly sentiments.”

A month after his reply was sent, Matak was found, shot in the stomach, and left to die on the roadside. Three long days later, he finally succumbed to his untreated wounds.

Sirik Matak was not alone. Millions of innocent people paid a heavy price when we abandoned Vietnam. Hanoi’s communist regime imprisoned 900,000 South Vietnamese in "re-education" camps, including 165,000 who were executed.

Laos and Cambodia also fell shortly after Congress cut off funding for the war. Over 40,000 Laotians were imprisoned without trial, including many who disappeared forever. On Cambodia's infamous killing fields, two million men, women and children were murdered. Tens of thousands of desperate people fled the violence in small boats. Many perished at sea, along with their entire families.

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Bush has made many mistakes in Iraq, but the surge strategy has reduced violence substantially, allowing the Iraqi government to finally begin living up to its end of the bargain. If we pull out before the political situation is stabilized, the Iraqis who helped us will be left to the mercy of a ruthless enemy that televises beheadings.