The Girl in the Picture

June 8, 1972 - It was on this day near the Vietnamese village of Trang Bang that photographer Nick Ut snapped one of the most powerful images of the war.

Moments after a South Vietnamese plane dropped a napalm bomb, civilians began to emerge from the flaming homes and fields. One of these fleeing survivors was a 9-year-old girl named Phan Thi Kim Phúc. She was naked and her back was severely burned.

The image of the little girl served as a brutal reminder to the American public about the horrific events that were happening every day in the faraway war. The photograph would win a Pulitzer Prize.

Amazingly, Phan Thi Kim Phúc survived her injuries and she continued to live in post-war Vietnam until 1992 when she sought and was granted asylum in Canada.

For the last 18 years she has been speaking out about the horrors of war and the quest for world peace.

Here's an excerpt from an appearance on NPR:

Forgiveness made me free from hatred. I still have many scars on my body and severe pain most days but my heart is cleansed. Napalm is very powerful, but faith, forgiveness, and love are much more powerful. We would not have war at all if everyone could learn how to live with true love, hope, and forgiveness. If that little girl in the picture can do it, ask yourself: Can you?