It’s one of the most iconic photographs of the Vietnam War: A nine-year-old girl running from a napalm attack, naked and screaming.
On Sunday, that girl was in Kitchener.
Kim Phuc told an audience at Kitchener Baptist Church about subjects ranging from the photograph itself to how she became a Christian to her non-profit organization The Kim Foundation International, which helps children affected by war.
Afterwards, in an interview with CTV Kitchener, she recalled how she and the other people living in the village had been hiding in a temple for three days when soldiers spotted signs that the building was about to be bombed, then started yelling for the children to run.
“I just stood there and looked at the bombs,” she said. “I was so terrified.”
The attack caused a fire which burned off Phuc’s clothes, and left her with scars on her back, neck and hairline that she recently started seeking laser treatment for.
“I cried out ‘Too hot, too hot,’ and some of the soldiers … gave me some water to drink, and they poured the water over me,” she said.
Initially, Phuc says, she was embarrassed by the Associated Press photograph because it showed her naked.
Only later in life did she realize the impact it had in ending the Vietnam War – and the impact it had on photographer Nick Ut, who put his camera down moments later.
“I’m so thankful that he not only took the picture, but he rushed me to the nearest hospital,” she said. “He saved my life.”
Phuc’s photo was back in the news in recent weeks, when Facebook announced it would no longer remove it anytime it appeared on its website.
Facebook officials had argued that the website does not allowed any naked photographs of children, and it would be difficult to make an exception for the picture of Phuc.
The social media giant backed down in the face of protests that sprung up in Norway, noting the “history and global importance” of the photo.
With reporting by Leena Latafat
