VOICES

President Clinton’s decision to lift the trade embargo against Vietnam hit home with Vietnam war veterans, business leaders and members of Orange County’s Vietnamese community. The news brought anger, jubilation and hopeful talk of future cooperation. On Thursday, several people offered their thoughts on the decision.

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Larry Silveira, 40, is a Rancho Santa Margarita resident who served in Vietnam from 1973 to 1975. He is president of American Veterans Assistance Corp., a Tustin center that gives free shelter to homeless veterans and grants last wishes to dying veterans.

“There is just one question I have: There are 2,000 people unaccounted for. What about them? Do we just sweep it under the rug and start business like it never happened? These people committed more atrocities than Saddam Hussein ever thought of doing. I’d rather see us open trade with Saddam Hussein before we open trade with Vietnam.

“There are too many hurt feelings to say ‘Let’s forgive all and resume trade.’ I spent a year and a half in a Southeast Asian theater (of war), and it wasn’t a good time. It’s still too fresh.

“It seems like everyone forgot so fast. There are a lot of vets my age dying from rare types of cancer. The inhumane treatment that we received at the hands of the North Vietnamese people 20 years ago--it’s too soon to expect us to try to resume normal trade with these people. The nightmares are too fresh. I have only one recurring nightmare; I’m lucky. The nightmare I have is I’m back overseas and they’ve lost my orders to come home. I can’t go home. I get that dream whenever I am stressed out and I fear things are beyond control. The last time I had it was a few months ago when things were out of control work-wise.

“They’re not breaking in on the other channels. CNN is the only news channel to carry (President Clinton’s announcement Thursday afternoon) because it’s just another normal daily news event, it seems. For President Clinton, it’s, you know, typical. The next thing we’re going to hear is that he’s going to tear down the Vietnam Memorial and build these Vietnam businessmen offices in its place--not realistically, of course, but . . . it’s just going to be another news bite in the 5 o’clock news. For those of us who are old enough to remember Vietnam, we know it’s much more than that.”