Notes
[1] Philippians 4:7. All Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, King James Version.
[2] 1 Peter 4:12-13
[3] See caodai.org.
[5] See John 14:6.
[6] Anh pointed to two Bible verses as proof: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5); “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).
[7] See Romans 10:17.
[8] “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).
[9] “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
[10] See Ephesians 5:25.
[11] Based on Psalm 26:11-12: “But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.”
[12] A reference to the fact that Jesus’ birth came to mark time: BC meaning “before Christ,” and AD, Latin for Anno Domino, or, literally, “in the year of our Lord.”
[13] See 1 Corinthians 10:27-28.
[14] “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).
[15] Matthew 6:34
[16] Psalm 46:1; Psalm 9:9; and Isaiah 41:10, respectively.
[17] See 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.
[18] See Romans 8:28.
[19] See Hebrews 10:16.
[20] “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:12-13).
[21] Matthew 5:6
[22] Uncle Ut was correct in his assessment! Across his five-decade-long career with the Associated Press, he took many, many “good pictures,” including photos of actor Robert Blake, actress Joan Collins, singer Michael Jackson, and media personality Paris Hilton. When Uncle announced his retirement on March 13, 2017, he summed up his accomplishments in four words posted to his social-media accounts: “From hell to Hollywood.” I regret that my picture falls under the first place mentioned, even as I acknowledge that of the many scenes dear Uncle captured for posterity, mine was the most famous of them all.
[23] 1 Thessalonians 5:17
[24] See Romans 8:15.
[25] Luke 6:27-28
[26] See Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 18:34-35; Romans 12:19; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 3:9.
[27] Matthew 18:21-22
[28] When several questions were subsequently raised about Captain Plummer’s statements about his involvement on some level with the bombing of Trang Bang, he still maintained his culpability, and I believe him. At the end of his military service, he received a Bronze Star for Service with the accompanying citation that stated he “assisted in the coordination of a tremendous number of air strikes and support activities” during the Vietnam War. What is most important to me is that Captain Plummer was the first person I had the opportunity to forgive face-to-face, which began the healing in my heart.
[29] Jeremiah 33:3
[30] See Joel 2:25.
[31] See Matthew 19:26.
[32] See Luke 18:1-5.
[33] Over the years, there have been several artists who have created different pieces depicting me in some way, but only one—“Robert” (whose identity remains undisclosed)—was involved in this part of my story.
[34] Isaiah 55:9 reads, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
[35] See Jeremiah 33:3.
[36] See Joshua 4:1-7.
[37] See the history of the Hippocratic Oath at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html.
[38] See 2 Kings 5:1-14.