‘The napalm girl’ escorts Ukrainian flight to Regina

When 230 Ukrainians got on the plane that brought them to Regina on Monday night, they were greeted by a small woman in a white and blue dress — the same woman whose photo was plastered on the side of that plane.

Kim Phuc Phan Thi is the girl in the picture — also known as “the napalm girl.” She was the little nude girl running from a napalm attack in Vietnam in 1972, photographed by Nick Ut.

Phan Thi has a foundation now, the Kim Foundation, which helps child victims of war. She went to Poland and escorted these displaced Ukrainians to Canada.

“From the bottom of my heart, I’m so thankful for Canada to open a door for all the people to come and settle their lives here,” Phan Thi said after the plane landed in Regina.

“Fifty years ago, I was a victim of war and I survived and I am so thankful for all the people who found a way to help that little girl and here I am. And I’m so thankful for being a part of this trip, to receive all the Ukraine refugee people to Canada.”

A plane filled with 230 displaced Ukrainians unloads on the tarmac at the Regina Airport. It was the first flight with the plane bearing the famous photo from 1972 of a little girl fleeing a napalm attack in Vietnam. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

Phan Thi said she wanted to send a message to the Ukrainians coming here: Their lives are difficult right now but she’s encouraging them to hang on and not give up hope.

She met a little Ukrainian girl on the plane, Sofia, who was nine years old. Phan Thi said it was special for her because she was nine when she became a refugee.

“I gave her my picture and I explained to her what happened to that little girl and now she is me. (Sofia) speaks a little bit of English and she understands and she just couldn’t believe it,” said Phan Thi.

“When I was nine years old, I had been there, leaving my town and suffering with a lot of pain. It seemed like no hope, but you see right now I have hope.”

This was the first flight taken with the photo on the plane’s fuselage. Phan Thi and her foundation were approached by Enrique Pineyro, an Argentine philanthropist and founder of the NGO Solidaire. Pineyro also pilots the flights.

“Since that photograph, (Phan Thi) has become a symbol of the anti-war activism and she leads a foundation called the Kim Foundation who assists war victims … so I thought it would be nice to have her picture there,” said Pineyro.

“Some people say that picture did stop a war. Maybe it won’t stop this one but at last it will (remind) us that it’s an anti-war flag.”

This was the 10th flight Pineyro has flown for displaced Ukrainians; all of the flights have been free to the Ukrainians. He said they’ll take the people wherever they will be accepted.

“Hospitality in Canada is legendary. I mean, there are even Broadway plays about Canadian hospitality … and besides, you’re one of the less-populated countries in the world so we decided to help you out (and) repopulate Canada,” he joked.

Pineyro said he hopes there will be many flights to come.