The following narrative comes from Giving it back To the Kids, our Distribution Partner in Viet Nam:

It is obvious from just looking at Nguyen Van Tien that he has endured more than most people ever will. He lost his leg and the hearing in his left ear, and uses a hearing aid for the right ear. Tien is very talkative, and clearly proud of his battle scars, listing them off easily.

"I entered the army in 1971 and was wounded four times. In 1972 when I rushed a hill the height of 601 meters in the northeast of Tay Ninh, a bomb exploded close to me, which took my hearing." When he was serving in the hills of Trung Nghia in 1973, he was shot and subsequently lost use of his knee. That same year in the 8th station of Xa Mat - Tay Ninh, he suffered a serious head injury, which resulted in the removal of two pieces of cranial bone from his head. A few years later, he was wounded again, suffering a broken hand and the loss of his left leg.

Tien finds it very difficult to walk using his wooden crutches; many handicapped Vietnamese go through several pairs because bamboo or wood crutches simply aren't structurally strong enough to bear the repeated stress. Tien had gone through more than ten pairs before he managed to get a pair of metal crutches.

"The government promised they would donate a wheelchair to me, but when it arrived, it was already broken." It's clear that the disappointment of that first wheelchair has not entirely gone away, as Tien segued into a memory of his younger self, reminiscing:.

 "When I first entered the army, I was the alpha dog, a "number one" kind of guy. I was a tall and big man, but afterwards I came home with just the one leg. I feel shamed that now I cause more trouble for my wife and my children because they have to carry me. See, there's a certain kind of man that goes into the army. Lots of young men were eager to lay down their lives for their country, and so we didn't care if we might be affected by Agent Orange. We didn't think it would matter because there was a good chance we would not live to have children. I regret being so careless, because it has affected my children. I love them, but I know their intelligence has been slowed by Agent Orange. There have been a number of things that I'm very sorry for or upset about."

"It's so heartening to receive a wheelchair because now I can carry my grandchild or just go around by myself. Daily tasks will be easier for me and my family now that we have a wheelchair. Normally I have stayed at home. I receive a small pension from the government, so I don't need to work. I am rich in time; I love to go out with my friends."