Interviewer, A
Nguyen Thi Te
559 Take 1.
Clap stick. Interview with Nguyen Thi Te.
What was life in the village like before August 1965? Were
there many guerrilla fighters and things like that in the village?
At that time there was no guerrilla fighters in the village.
On August 2, 1965 the Americans dispatched a lot of troops into this area.
They came in, in amphibious tanks and burnt down the houses. They forced the
village inhabitants to get out of the houses so that they could burn them
down. When the Americans came to my house with the interpreters they pushed
us out of the house and refused to let us take any belonging with us at
all. They did not allow us to take anything out of the house at all. They
burnt everything. They just closed the door and burnt everything. Then they
arrested the villagers and raped them and beat them up. When I tried to drag
some of the belongings out of the house, the interpreter said that I was
carrying out political struggle and did not allow me to take out anything at
all. They arrested me and other inhabitants and took us to a very large
banyan tree. When the villagers saw that I was dragged to the banyan tree
they all yelled out loud, asking the Americans not to arrest me. The
Americans said that we were carrying out political struggles and ordered
that we be roughed up. So they beat us profusely and chased everybody away
except for me. Then four Americans put a dynamo on my body here, attached a
wire to my tongue and my two nipples and then they churned the dynamo. I was
knocked down to the ground by the shock. After I fell to the ground, they
stripped me completely naked. And then the four Americans took turns to rape
me. After they were through raping me, they took this bottle here and shoved
it up my vagina. When they pulled the bottle out, I also passed out and did
not know what happened next. When I came to again because my neighbors threw
water on me, I saw that two-thirds of this bottle was smeared with blood.
This left a deep imprint in my mind. And my outrage is profound. I am now a
cripple and have not been able to do much as a result. Blood keeps on coming
out of me continually ever since.
Please continue and give us some more detail on that
day.
On August 2, 1965 they came in droves and arrested me and
raped me. They caused injury to me. I passed out at that time and did not
know anything after that. I am still outraged by the whole thing. I am now
still sick and crippled and cannot do anything physical at all. I can only
depend on the cooperative for my food since I cannot do anything at all. I
just sit at home like this. They gave me electric shock on the head and so I
still have headaches. Then blood keep on oozing from my body. So I cannot do
anything at all.
Do you know whether the Americans raped anyone else on that
day?
Yes, but they were raped and killed.
There were many others but they were killed?
Yes. They all died.
Were there many people injured that day as a result of the
American shelling?
Yes, there were many wounded and killed. After they burnt
down all the houses they moved the people to the soccer field in Yen Ne. At
that time there was a school there. And about 400 persons were taken there.
561, Take 1.
Clap stick.
We want to ask you two questions: How many people was raped
that day and how many people killed? And how can you be sure that your facts
are correct? Did you see all these things with your own eyes?
I saw with my own eyes the killing of a seventeen-year-old
girl and many people who were injured and maimed and these people are still
alive. They roughed these people up and broke their arms and legs. And those
crippled people are just sitting around today, unable to do anything at
all.
How many persons were raped in all? Do you know the
number?
There were that young girl, an older woman, and I. (Pause)
I was really frightened and then I passed out, so how could I know what
happened after that? When I came to, the Americans had all left.
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
United States--History--1945-
United States--Politics and government
Vietnam--Politics and government
Vietnam--History--1945-1975
Vietnam (Democratic Republic)
Vietnam (Republic)
Civilian war casualties
Rape as a weapon of war
Torture victims
Women and war
People with disabilities
Nguyen Thi Te's rape and torture by soldiers