Vietnam War in Cambodia

Timeline Cambodia dragged into the Vietnam War because of their geographic location 1965 Cambodian government under Norodom Sihanouk allowed North Vietnamese troops to move supplies through Cambodia Five years later General Lon Nol takes over and US enter Cambodia to destroy N. Vietnamese supply lines and storage facilities

Timeline In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge forces led by Pol Pot take over Cambodia and rename it Kampuchea. Move all urban citizens to the countryside and destroy all Cambodians affiliated with the American supported Lon Nol government.

Timeline Doctors, lawyers, teachers, were killed Anyone suspected of being tainted with capitalism was targeted Establish a purely agrarian society 2 million people died (1/3 of the entire country’s population) from starvation and disease Children separated from parents taught torture methods with animals

Refugees – Many fled to Thailand when Vietnamese troops invade to overthrow Pol Pot in 1979 – Sent to the US were farmers from rural areas with little to no education women who lost their husbands came with children. Refugees had seen war and mass exterminations; suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder Experienced recurring nightmares, emotional numbness, loss of appetite, and withdrawal.

The Younger Cambodians still remember and want to maintain their identities but America provides so many opportunities. They feel as though they are being stretched between 2 cultures.