Child refugees
Look into the eyes of child refugees
To this day, I remember the eyes of the children of the Vietnam War – haunting, huge and hungry for love and safety. The blood, agony and gore of that war haunt those of us who served there, but also are part of the fabric of those who experienced this convulsive chaos as civilians in that time and place.
All these years later, many of us look at the eyes of the children of Syrian refugees and feel that shock of recognition and ask: How can we turn our backs on those beautiful eyes? How can we consign these children to despair, misery and possible death?
In the name of humanity, our government must embrace the overwhelming human need in the chaos that Syria and Europe are facing; we must do our part and save those who seek refuge.
Somehow, our elected officials must find the courage to do what is right and embrace these children and their families. After all, immigration has long been the life-blood of America. Party lines and dogma should not matter. If we cannot agree on the essence of humanity, our “grand experiment in democracy” has failed.
Stephen R. Hoover,
Sacramento
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This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Child refugees."