A U.S. policy that would prohibit the use of South Vietnamese symbols on federal property has killed a commemoration ceremony at Camp Pendleton for the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
The decision to scrap the location has sent organizers scrambling for new options in the Little Saigon area – with two weeks left until the planned event at which 5,000 to 10,000 were expected to attend.
“We call it a banner of freedom and heritage and not having it would be a big deal,” Kenneth Nguyen, the spokesman for the commemoration’s organizing committee, said of the South Vietnamese flag. “We’re looking at other possibilities, but we won’t know until Monday.”
Monday is when the various county, municipal and school district offices reopen and can be reached by organizers.
The all-day event, scheduled for April 25, has been in the planning for more than a year. Camp Pendleton was chosen for its significance as the first base on U.S. soil to house Vietnamese refugees after they fled their homeland.
To many in Little Saigon, Pendleton represents the refugees’ first step in becoming a successful American community.
In March, the organizing committee met with base officials to go over final plans for the commemoration. The officials liked the plans, said Pendleton spokesman Jason Johnston, but needed approval from their higher ups.
Last week, organizers learned about a Defense Department policy prohibiting at federal facilities the flying of flags – or the singing of any national anthems – representing countries the United States does not recognize.
That includes the South Vietnam flag – the yellow banner with the three red stripes so iconic in Orange County.
“Since 1995, the U.S. has normalized relations with Vietnam,” said Lt. Col. John Caldwell, spokesman for the United States Marines Corps based in Washington, “and formally recognizes this entity as the legitimate government of Vietnam.”
Organizers had quietly held out hope they could receive an exemption. But after a Thursday meeting at Pendleton, the organizing committee decided to move the location. They did so, members said, because even if the Pentagon granted the exemption, it would likely come with too little time to pull off the ceremony.
Plans call for a re-creation of one of the tent cities, several entertainers, speeches, food and photo exhibits. At the opening and closing ceremonies – as typical with Little Saigon events – the U.S. and South Vietnamese flags and national anthems would be prominent.
“The whole program will still be there, the entertainers, the exhibits,“ said Theresa Wright, manager of Little Saigon TV, which spearheaded the effort to hold a commemoration at Pendleton. “We even invite a Marine marching band or something to participate.
“We are still very thankful for everything the Marines did for us,” she said about the work the corps did to house the refugees.
She conceded most alternative locations would not allow the same audience size they had been hoping for. The event has been advertised in other Vietnamese enclaves, including San Jose and Houston.
As news of the cancellation swept through Little Saigon, the reaction was one of disappointment and sadness – and disapproval of the U.S. policy.
“It is true that the flag is the flag of South Vietnam as a nation and that nation is no longer recognized,” Garden Grove Councilman Phat Bui said. “But it is also a symbol for the Vietnamese community worldwide. It is a symbol of the refugees and of freedom. It’s a mistake not to allow it.”
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), whose district includes Little Saigon, said he has asked the State Department and the Defense Department for more information on their reason for not allowing the South Vietnam flag on the base.
“The 40th anniversary commemoration of the fall of Saigon is meant to be a celebration of survival,” he said, “a remembrance of tremendous loss, and hopeful reminder of what the Vietnamese community has built in America.”
Not everyone, though, agreed with the decision to move the ceremony away from the Marine base.
“It’s unfortunate, but I understand. If I was in the U.S. government’s position, I would have done what I had to, even if I regretted it,” said Leslie Le, a former colonel in the South Vietnamese Army. “But as a community, we don’t recognize the government of Vietnam as really representing the people. … We could have still held it at Camp Pendleton and asked everyone to wear the color of the flag. That wouldn’t have been prohibited.”
Contact the writer: 714-704-3707 or chaire@ocregister.com
