March 25 Taipei

Well, I'm getting there.  Presently I'm in the midst of a 10-hour layover in Taipei with 4 hours to go before a 3-hour flight to DaNang. Then, if all goes according to plan, I'll shuttle straight to Hue. I expect to be at my hotel by 10 PM. When I shipped out for 'Nam in early Feb '68 on a C-141 out of McChord AFB, there were no layovers. It was a couple refueling stops en route, then we touched down in 'Nam at Chu Lai Combat Base. I sat beside Bill Baird, of Wooster, Ohio, on that flight. He was in my infantry platoon, was captured at Nhi Ha May 6, 1968, and was a POW for 5 1/2 years in Hanoi. I could write a book about that day, but I ain't gonna.

Tomorrow is a "settling in" day. I'll exchange US dollars for Vietnamese Dong, get my ducks in a row, and maybe get caught up on sleep. 

Neil

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Visit to 196th Infantry Comrade Thua-Mar 28

Image
 It was an early morning, as Khanh picked me up at 6 AM to head south to Quang Nam province. His wife, Dr. Trang, and her father, Ha, made up our group. We veered off of Highway 1 to drop Trang off at Ni Hgnia Hospital, where she was giving a lecture. Then Khanh, Ha, and I continued on course to Thua's house, which was a couple more hours of driving. Living quite remote, his place is tough to find. Thua, as you may recall, fought with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade during the war. We surprised him with our visit, as we didn't have a means of giving advance notice. Other than failing vision, Thua is in exceptional shape for his age. As is customary, I provided vitamins and ibuprofen for my comrade and his wife.   Vitamins & Ibuprofen     Plus Some Treats, Of Course!     With Khanh interpreting, Thua was asked if he has any medical issues, other than vision, or specific needs. He responded that he's OK. I noted that chickens replaced the pigs in his liv...
Read more

March 31- Surprise Encounter at Nhi Ha

Image
After completing the mission and departing the NVA cemetery at Nhi Ha, Nhung and I had started back to Dong Ha. Then, about midway on our drive, Nhung received a call from the cemetery caretaker. She wanted to inform us that, just after we had left, an organized group had arrived from quite a distance north via bus. And they wanted to meet with me. These folks were sons and daughters of NVA troops killed at Nhi Ha, all of whom are buried at that cemetery. Of course, we turned around and headed back. As we arrived  I was surrounded by 20 men and women, all who had lost their father in battle at Nhi Ha.   Pham Hong Thinh Killed in Action May 6, 1968 They scoured over my Nhi Ha photos from May '68. I was tugged here and there as everyone wanted a photo with their father's enemy soldier. What they didn't care for is the 196th Infantry hat on my head. Before each photo, someone would snatch it from me. But, they were a very friendly bunch of folks who had come a long way from th...
Read more

April 17- Back to Alaska

Image
Well, it was a long journey home at 46 hours, but I eventually arrived in Anchorage at 1 AM on Sunday, April 13. On arrival, I shuttled to my car, checked into a hotel, and grabbed a few hours sleep before heading for home.  Thanks to your support, 2025 marked another successful Vietnam humanitarian program. We distributed 1,500 chickens and feed to 30 families in two villages on the outskirts of Hue.    368 students at Nhi Ha school received 5 writing tablets each for a total of 1,840 tablets.    Nhi Ha kindergarten was given 2 large-screen TVs and 2 computers to serve as classroom aids.     And this year we initiated a goat program. In Hong Ha and A 'Luoi we distributed 30 female goats, 15 at each village.    Khanh, Chairman of Hearts For Hue , coordinated our effort in the Hue/Hong Ha/A 'Luoi area. And Nhung of D.O.V.E Fund facilitated our work at Nhi Ha. Both are instrumental in the success of our program.    With Khanh at...
Read more