Ripples #91

Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck

Ex-POW and Former U.S. Ambassador
To Vietnam Teaches Its Kids to Swim

In what can only be described as an amazing turn of events, Douglas “Pete” Peterson, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than six years, returned to his erstwhile enemy in 1997 as America’s first post-war ambassador to the country. Even before that, he had become, in the words of an article on bbc.com, “a voice for reconciliation.”

The description is particularly noteworthy because Peterson — an F-4C Phantom pilot when he was shot down over North Vietnam — was “stripped, bound and paraded through countless Vietnamese villages”; he was held at several infamous prisons, including “the Zoo” and the “Hanoi Hilton.”

During his four-year stint as ambassador, Peterson became very interested in, and devoted to, the cause of child safety in Vietnam and other Asian countries — an interest sparked by numerous visits he made to Vietnam’s overcrowded hospitals.

Later, Peterson and his Vietnamese-Australian wife (his American wife of many years passed away in 1995) set up an NGO called The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC). Among other things, the group focuses on making sure children learn how to swim.

Recalls Peterson: “We started to look at drowning prevention specifically, because drowning in our statistics was the biggest killer of children in the countries where we had conducted surveys — it was the biggest killer by far.”

Indeed, the BBC article notes:

TASC estimates one child drowns every hour in Vietnam. In Bangladesh it’s one every 25 minutes. Across Asia, the group estimates the death toll to be between 200,000 and 280,000 children per year — around the same as the total number of deaths from the Asian tsunami in 2004. Nearly half of these victims are toddlers.

To date, the BBC reports, more than 300,000 children in Vietnam and Bangladesh have completed a program called Swimsafe, which was jointly created by TASC and Australia’s Royal Life Saving Society.

Again, from the BBC:

Years ago, [Peterson] said that he had no intention of becoming a “career POW” and that God had not saved his life for him to be angry: “My life was preserved to do something constructive.”

To learn more about the remarkable twists and turns Pete Peterson’s life has taken (including his four terms as a U.S. congressman from Florida), click here. To learn more about The Alliance for Safe Children, click here. (Note: Some Web sites may open behind this page.)

Ripples Classic: July 13, 2011

Ex-Kansas City Chiefs Star Leonard Pope
Saves Child, Promotes Water Safety

A hearty “Bravo!” goes to Leonard Pope, former tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

According to chiefsblog.kansascity.com:

Pope was attending a youngster’s pool party June 11 when 6-year-old Bryson Moore slipped into the deep end. His mother, Joann, called to other patrons for help, and Pope reacted, running through the house and jumping into the pool. Pope handed the youngster back to his mother, and after a smack between his shoulders to clear any water from his airways, young Bryson was fine.

Following the rescue, Pope decided to redirect some of the efforts of his C.H.A.M.P. Foundation, which works primarily with children, to the cause of water safety. Pope reportedly said that “his own mother emphasized water safety when he and his brother were children, and they were eventually given a medallion when they learned to swim.”

Video: To watch a heartwarming news report about Leonard Pope — including his reunion with the young boy he rescued — click here.

And with that, Ripples once again says…
Until next time, happy watershaping to you!