My fellow Royal Rosarians and I will be marching in the Veterans Day Parade on Sunday, November 11, 2007 in the Hollywood District.I requested the honor to carry the Oregon flag in the parade. I am delighted that my request is honored. This means a great deal to me for the following reason:
My personal experience with the Khmer Rouge genocide destroyed my religious faith and nearly eradicated my faith in humanity. Oregon is a special place to me. Many Oregonians have been a part of a force that rebuilt my faith in humanity. My carrying the Oregon flag will be a symbol of my profound gratitude toward those who helped ease my journey from the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields to the Royal Rosaria.
I want to publicly thank Portland Mayor Tom Potter and his wife Karin for introducing me to the Royal Rosarians. I want to thank Sir Knight Raymond Hanson for sponsoring me into the Royal Rosarians. I want to thank all the Royal Rosarians for including me as a part of a force that makes the world a better place, one person at a time.
I want to thank all the U.S. veterans who sacrificed to keep us safe, keep our friends as our friends, inspire our enemies to be our friends, and promote world peace.
Last but not least, I want to thank the Khmer veterans who fought against the Khmer Rouge before 1975 and those who liberated me and my fellow Cambodians in 1979 from the Khmer Rouge's communist regime.
Rain or shine, I will carry the Oregon flag above my heart with tears and smile!
Please come and celebrate with me the Veterans Day Parade.
