Support a trailblazer! and Legacies of War's work to remove UXO from Laos
Julia Brennan is a good friend of mine and a textile genius: textile conservation consultant to the Smithsonian (she restored the ORIGINAL American Flag), to the Valentine History Museum in Richmond, to the Genocide Museum in Cambodia, to the King and Queen of Bhutan and to the Royal Textile Collection of Madagascar ….. and masses of other places. Let her post speak for itself, and maybe it will inspire you to buy a bangle for charity ….. to help pay for removing American bombs from Laos.
You probably don’t even know that Kissinger and Nixon dropped tens of thousands of tons of bombs onto Laos an Cambodia during the Vietnam War: after all, America was not at war with either Laos of Cambodia. That is why Henry Kissinger is considered by millions of people (including me) to be a war criminal.
And that is why we still need to help Laos clean up Kissinger’s mess. Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) can kill a child or blow the legs off her mother.
But Julia is not in there for the politics: only for the humanitarian removal of the Legacies of War. WANT TO HELP?
Here is Julia in her own words:
As you may know, I was recognized by Legacies of War as a trailblazer. What an honor!
Legacies work focuses on the removal of UXO from Laos, remaining from the US Vietnam War and Secret War which bombed Laos for 8 years. It is a legacy I feel strongly about having grown up in Northern Thailand during the bombings. And it remains a sad and lethal legacy that we must clean up.
The Trailblazer concept was born to inspire a new generation of advocacy. Made by artisans from aluminum bomb shrapnel and other materials safely collected in Laos with the assistance of demining teams, this unique bangle tells the story of decades of history, healing, and hope — the pillars upon which Legacies of War’s mission is constructed.
The word Trailblazer in Lao translates to “one who creates a clearer and brighter path forward for others.” And so I continue in my own small ways, blazing the trail for a brighter future in order to make a positive impact in the world today.
I hope you will purchase a couple of bangles for yourself or dear ones. The holidays are coming, and without being able to see our loved ones, send them an inspirational and charming, and easy to wear bangle. I haven't taken my off for months! It's become part of me, working, cooking, paddling.
https://article22.com/collections/bracelets/products/trailblazer-bangle
Buy a 3 bangle bundle, or a 10 bangle bundle. Make it a trailblazer bangle 2020!
Thank you for your support, as always! Julia
Available in Paperback and on Kindle on Amazon
Naturally, this is exactly the same work that we were doing in Cambodia, where the Colonel on my team who was destroying weapons, was also leading teams to destroy landmines.
You can read my small part of the peace story in this short book: