In 1972, during the height of the Vietnam War, a bomb was dropped on a small village near Ho Chi Minh City. Because of the sudden bombing, a nine-year-old girl at the time, Kim Phuc, suffered burns all over her body. After that, she had to undergo 17 surgeries, and because of the wounds she sustained, she could no longer even dream of living a normal life.
As time passed, in 1996, Kim Phuc was invited to a memorial event held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Sitting among the audience during her speech was the pilot of the plane that had dropped the bomb. Listening to her talk about the horrors of war, he suddenly stood up and shouted:
“I am truly sorry! I have lived in pain for a long time because of what happened. Please, forgive me.”
Then Kim Phuc embraced him and said,
“It’s alright. I forgive you.”
The people watching gave the two, who sincerely asked for and gave forgiveness, a tearful round of applause.