Jumping Jack: The M16 Mines
In standing position
with arms to the side,
jump while
spreading the legs
and lift arms
above the head.
Jump back into
standing position
and up again,
spreading the legs
and lifting the arms
above the head.
Repeat
When a M16 landmine
is triggered, it will
spring into the air
and explode with
a capacity to level
everything in a
150 metre radius.
Deadly shrapnel
spreading
a further 350 metres.
Metal casings
from an unexploded
bomb can fetch
25,000 Vietnamese dong
or $1
for a poor family
in Vietnam.
Men comb
the forests
and beaches
of Quang Tri
looking for the metal
that will feed their family,
risking their lives.
Children working
in the fields think it’s
a toy they’ve found.
Nguyen was hoeing
a small piece of land
his parents gave him
when an unexploded
U.S. military bomb
was triggered
and blew off both
his hands.
Teresa Mei Chuc, "Jumping Jack: The M16 Mines" from Keeper of the Winds. Copyright © 2014 by Teresa Mei Chuc. Reprinted by permission of Foothills Publishing.
