Khmer is my mother tongue language and yet I struggle to this day, to read and write frequently. I remembered a time when I had to speak in front of our Khmer Krom community. I remembered the fear of not finding the right word or being able to translate from English To Khmer in time or even correctly. The times that didn’t know the words, I would just use the English term and hope that our elders would understand.

One day, I had just finished giving a speech in Khmer. It didn’t pan out the way I wanted and felt ashamed that I knew so little. I remembered talking to Om Reap about it.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed that you don’t know Khmer. It’s not your fault that you were forced out of our motherland and your parents had to flee in order to provide a better life for you.”

His words of kindness and understanding made me realize that it was true. We live in a society that is not Khmer and to maintain our culture and identity is difficult. But not impossible. Imagine how hard it is for our Khmer Krom youth back in Kampuchea Krom to maintain their identity and culture within their own homeland? And yet they do, with pride and unrelenting persistence to keep their Khmer identity alive.

I also realized that the message was more important than how uncomfortable I felt. That it took courage to do so.

Om Reap, I am honored to continue to work alongside you with KKF. You are truly a man of honor, of dignity and a great role model for every Khmer to follow. The best presents that we could give Om is embrace our Khmer Krom identity and help continue Khmer Krom’s mission to self determination.

If you are interested in reading about his life in army during the war in Vietnam, read “Lost Crusade: America’s Secret Cambodian Mercenaries” by Peter Scott