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Time Frame: 1975

Former US Ambassador to Cambodia Kenneth M. Quinn discusses the resettlement of Tai Dam refugees in Iowa in 1975.

A Promise Called Iowa

I think it said that people from Iowa were incredibly grateful for all that they have and some sense of, “Gosh, you know, we've got more than our share and we need to be willing then to share that with people. We've been so blessed that when times come when people need help that we should be willing to do that.” Secondly, the governor presented this compelling question to people and he said, “We have suffering human beings and we have two choices: We can turn our backs, or we can reach out a hand to help.” And I think put in those simple but powerful, moral terms that Iowans responded in an amazing way in urban areas, in rural areas and were prepared to take on things that had great risk, great difficulty, things that probably instinctively they wouldn't be so inclined to do.