Merle Evelyn Ratner was born into a Jewish-American family in New York City in 1956. At the age of 13, she actively took part in the anti-war movement and showed her support for the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam. After the re-unification of Vietnam in 1975, with her stronger love for Vietnam, Ratner campaigned for the normalization of the Vietnam - US relations and supported many international activities of Vietnam. Notably, she worked tirelessly to support Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange. Ratner was awarded many orders, insignias in recognition of her enormous contributions to Vietnam. She passed away in a traffic accident in New York on February 5 evening. Vietnamese leaders and people always bear in their mind Ratner’s love for the country – her second homeland, and her devotion to the struggle for the nation’s independence, reunification, development and international integration. The country is waiting to welcome Ratner home./.