Kim Phuc in the award-winning photograph 'Napalm Girl' (© Nick Ut/AP)

Girl in iconic Vietnam photo speaks out 40 years later

6/1/2012

One of the most iconic images of the Vietnam War turns 40 and, finally, the terrified girl pictured has found peace. Kim Phuc was 9 years old on June 8, 1972, running naked from her napalm-blasted village. Huynh Cong "Nick" Ut didn't just photograph her -- he used his American press badge to get her medical treatment, and she was hospitalized for 13 months.

 

After a lifetime of "anger and bitterness" at her unwanted fame, Phuc was finally able to tell her side of the story through personal essays. She became a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador and started the Kim Foundation International to help other young victims of war. "I can accept the picture as a powerful gift," she said.

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What would you tell Phuc if you could?