Hello,
My name is Emily Ng, and I'm currently a high school student in the US studying vietnamese refugees this summer. I'm compiling interviews from various Vietnamese refugees all over the world, and I would thoroughly appreciate it if you would do me the kind favor of putting up a quick blog post about my compilations this summer. The process is more thoroughly explained on my blog here: http://thechaotomjournal.wordpress.com/tell-me-your-story/. I know this is a hasty request, but I would really love to hear from the audience that loyally reads your blog. Thank you in the meantime!
From,
Emily
Victoria's PenPal
I had planned to do my review of the riotous and heartwarming “Regrets Only” at the Circle Bar B on Friday, along with another SB blog to pitch to lifestyle publications, with some 40 pictures, but after seeing the YouTube story of my new pen pal through Cup of Joe for a Joe, I’m not in a “lifestyle” sort of mood...
...The 8 minute YouTube clip is beautifully done, apart from the moving and inspirational content it presents, because Major Dalat (U.S. Army) was a professional photographer in Orange County before he entered the service as my father always calls the military. The music and narration is perfect as he recounts the story of his family, Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon. The family is thriving, not just in America but Switzerland and Korea, and his sister survived the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. She was on the 22nd floor as you can see in the clip.
Read the rest of the story at Victorian Chick
...The 8 minute YouTube clip is beautifully done, apart from the moving and inspirational content it presents, because Major Dalat (U.S. Army) was a professional photographer in Orange County before he entered the service as my father always calls the military. The music and narration is perfect as he recounts the story of his family, Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon. The family is thriving, not just in America but Switzerland and Korea, and his sister survived the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. She was on the 22nd floor as you can see in the clip.
Read the rest of the story at Victorian Chick
The Lucky Few Event
by Major Lan T. Dalat
It is not too often that an Army soldier and the former Top Gun commander of the Navy share a common bond in history. But in an event in Garden Grove, Calif., I finally got to thank the Naval officers and crew members who saved my life 31 years ago on the other side of the world.
On April 21, 2012 Vice Adm. (Retired) Adam M. Robinson, Jr. addressed a crowd of nearly 2,000 people inside Crystal Cathedral at the beginning of a ceremony that highlighted the achievements of the "Lucky Few" during Operation Frequent Wind.
Robinson brought to light the efforts of U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS Kirk, a destroyer with a mission to escort air craft carrier. It took on a new role April 30, 1975, when the USS Kirk and its crew took on the mission to rescue more than 30,000 Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea.
Along with Robinson were other former commanding officers of the USS Kirk and the USS Ranger, who shared stories of their efforts in rescuing refugees. Retired Navy Capt. Dan A. Pedersen, who commanded the USS Ranger CV-61 "Top Gun," spoke about rescuing these starved and dehydrated people floating in a barely seaworthy 35-foot wooden boat.
During his speech, he asked a woman in the audience to stand up for recognition. That woman was my mother, Cam Quy, who took extreme risk when she put all of her four children into that wooden boat, seeking freedom outside of the communist Vietnam.
Captain (Ret.) Pedersen told the story of my mother. "Cam Quy went on raised four wonderful children and turned them into active contributing members of the United States. They all graduated from college and now one of them is serving in the military."
Pedersen then called for me to stand up in the audience. As I stood there, I thought about how a decision that was made some 31 years ago on the South China Sea had made such a profound impact in my life today.
When I was a young boy growing up in Orange County, I forgot about my status as a refugee. I was busy training with the cross country team to earn a varsity letter and working after school to help my struggling mother with the bills.
One day, I went to a surplus store to look for cheap camping equipment, I discovered a navy blue baseball cap with the bold print USS Ranger CV-61 along with a silhouette of the ship. Immediately, I was fascinated by that discovery and began my effort to find members of this ship to thank them for saving my life. (My search was short, since the ship was decommissioned.)
Then, I thought to myself, "What would I say when I actually find the member of that ship?"
That brainstorming session led me to a decision of joining the military after my high school graduation. I enlisted in the Army Reserve.
As a reservist, I had to find a full-time job to support myself and to help my family. I attended a junior college at night and worked full time during the day. I did this for several years until I was "let go" from my civilian job for deploying with the Army Reserve on a long training mission in Korea. Returning home without a job, I decided to focus on my education and applied for the Army ROTC program at California State University, Fullerton.
With the support of my cousin, Becky Nguyen, I attended the university full time. I was desperate to find someone from the USS Ranger to thank. Fortunately for me, the Internet allowed me to expand my search worldwide. Within weeks of moving my quest online, the U.S. Navy responded.
Prior to my graduation from college, I was reunited with Pedersen, who commanded the ship that rescued my family. My effort paid off. I had the opportunity to thank the skipper in person for saving my life and the lives of so many boat people on that hot day of March 20, 1981 from the deadly South China Sea.
In 1997, I graduated with a bachelor degree and earned a active duty commission in the US Army.
Today, we met again in a place where thousands of Vietnamese Americans (who had once been refugees, "the boat people") had come to share their success stories and thanking the Navy and the United States of America for the freedom and the opportunity to live the American Dream.
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| US Army Major Lan T. Dalat (right) talks with US Navy Captain (Ret.) Pedersen and his wife Beth after the event in Garden Grove, California. |
Robinson brought to light the efforts of U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS Kirk, a destroyer with a mission to escort air craft carrier. It took on a new role April 30, 1975, when the USS Kirk and its crew took on the mission to rescue more than 30,000 Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea.
Along with Robinson were other former commanding officers of the USS Kirk and the USS Ranger, who shared stories of their efforts in rescuing refugees. Retired Navy Capt. Dan A. Pedersen, who commanded the USS Ranger CV-61 "Top Gun," spoke about rescuing these starved and dehydrated people floating in a barely seaworthy 35-foot wooden boat.
During his speech, he asked a woman in the audience to stand up for recognition. That woman was my mother, Cam Quy, who took extreme risk when she put all of her four children into that wooden boat, seeking freedom outside of the communist Vietnam.
Captain (Ret.) Pedersen told the story of my mother. "Cam Quy went on raised four wonderful children and turned them into active contributing members of the United States. They all graduated from college and now one of them is serving in the military."
Pedersen then called for me to stand up in the audience. As I stood there, I thought about how a decision that was made some 31 years ago on the South China Sea had made such a profound impact in my life today.
When I was a young boy growing up in Orange County, I forgot about my status as a refugee. I was busy training with the cross country team to earn a varsity letter and working after school to help my struggling mother with the bills.
One day, I went to a surplus store to look for cheap camping equipment, I discovered a navy blue baseball cap with the bold print USS Ranger CV-61 along with a silhouette of the ship. Immediately, I was fascinated by that discovery and began my effort to find members of this ship to thank them for saving my life. (My search was short, since the ship was decommissioned.)
Then, I thought to myself, "What would I say when I actually find the member of that ship?"
That brainstorming session led me to a decision of joining the military after my high school graduation. I enlisted in the Army Reserve.
As a reservist, I had to find a full-time job to support myself and to help my family. I attended a junior college at night and worked full time during the day. I did this for several years until I was "let go" from my civilian job for deploying with the Army Reserve on a long training mission in Korea. Returning home without a job, I decided to focus on my education and applied for the Army ROTC program at California State University, Fullerton.
With the support of my cousin, Becky Nguyen, I attended the university full time. I was desperate to find someone from the USS Ranger to thank. Fortunately for me, the Internet allowed me to expand my search worldwide. Within weeks of moving my quest online, the U.S. Navy responded.
Prior to my graduation from college, I was reunited with Pedersen, who commanded the ship that rescued my family. My effort paid off. I had the opportunity to thank the skipper in person for saving my life and the lives of so many boat people on that hot day of March 20, 1981 from the deadly South China Sea.
In 1997, I graduated with a bachelor degree and earned a active duty commission in the US Army.
Today, we met again in a place where thousands of Vietnamese Americans (who had once been refugees, "the boat people") had come to share their success stories and thanking the Navy and the United States of America for the freedom and the opportunity to live the American Dream.
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| Army Major Dalat and his mother attending the event in Garden Grove, California on 21 April 2012 |
Former Refugee to Serve as Guest Speaker
Recently, a former refugee who immigrated to the United States after being rescued by the US Navy is invited to serve as a guest speaker for the National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
See the invitation below.
"Dear MAJ Dalat, Lan.
We would like to invite you as our guest speaker in celebrating the National
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The national theme for 2012,
"Striving for Excellence in Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion", the
program is called, "The Lucky Few Reunion" event. Purposes of this event
are:
Honor the heroes of the US Navy veterans, who had served in one of 50 US
Navy ships under Operation Frequent Wind, saved two hundred thousands
(200,000) of Vietnamese-American refugees in 1975.
Reunite more Vietnamese-Americans with the US Navy Veterans who helped them
on their journey to the United State, 37 years ago, in 1975.
Untold stories and witnesses of the Lucky Few
This is also the history of courage and of the human spirit, of the survival
tenacity of the Vietnamese people, of exceptional display of human kindness,
which of profiles are remarkable humanitarian effort of the United States
Navy.
The Observance schedule will be at 1930, on Saturday, April 21, 2012..."
See the invitation below.
"Dear MAJ Dalat, Lan.
We would like to invite you as our guest speaker in celebrating the National
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The national theme for 2012,
"Striving for Excellence in Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion", the
program is called, "The Lucky Few Reunion" event. Purposes of this event
are:
Honor the heroes of the US Navy veterans, who had served in one of 50 US
Navy ships under Operation Frequent Wind, saved two hundred thousands
(200,000) of Vietnamese-American refugees in 1975.
Reunite more Vietnamese-Americans with the US Navy Veterans who helped them
on their journey to the United State, 37 years ago, in 1975.
Untold stories and witnesses of the Lucky Few
This is also the history of courage and of the human spirit, of the survival
tenacity of the Vietnamese people, of exceptional display of human kindness,
which of profiles are remarkable humanitarian effort of the United States
Navy.
The Observance schedule will be at 1930, on Saturday, April 21, 2012..."
You Are Invited to USN and VN Refugees Reunion
Please join us in celebrating the National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The national theme for 2012, "Striving for Excellence in Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion", the program is called, "The Lucky Few Reunion" event. Purposes of this event are:
Honor the heroes of the US Navy veterans, who had served in one of 50 US Navy ships under Operation Frequent Wind, saved two hundred thousands (200,000) of Vietnamese-American refugees in 1975.
Reunite more Vietnamese-Americans with the US Navy Veterans who helped them on their journey to the United State, 37 years ago, in 1975.
In attendance: VADM Adam M. Robinson, Jr. MC, USN Retired, the Navy Surgeon General; the former Captains and crew members of US Navy Seventh Fleet, Operation Frequent Wind, VIET NAM NAVY RESCUE 1975; Mr. Jan Herman, Navy Historian and Producer of "The Lucky Few" movie.
Untold stories and witnesses of the Lucky Few
This is also the history of courage and of the human spirit, of the survival tenacity of the Vietnamese people, of exceptional display of human kindness, which of profiles are remarkable humanitarian effort of the United States Navy.
The Observance schedule will be at 1500, on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at Crystal Cathedral, located at: 12141 Lewis St., Garden Grove, CA 92840.
We are looking forward to meet you, your family and friends joining us on April 21, 2012.
Best Regards,
Ms Sharon Nicholas
Chief Executive Officer
FEDERAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COUNCIL SOUTHWEST (FAPACSW)
951.273.4792(o)
949. 306.7287(m)
P.O. BOX 710843
San Diego, CA 92171
http://www.fapac-sw.org
sharon.nicholas@navy.mil
Honor the heroes of the US Navy veterans, who had served in one of 50 US Navy ships under Operation Frequent Wind, saved two hundred thousands (200,000) of Vietnamese-American refugees in 1975.
Reunite more Vietnamese-Americans with the US Navy Veterans who helped them on their journey to the United State, 37 years ago, in 1975.
In attendance: VADM Adam M. Robinson, Jr. MC, USN Retired, the Navy Surgeon General; the former Captains and crew members of US Navy Seventh Fleet, Operation Frequent Wind, VIET NAM NAVY RESCUE 1975; Mr. Jan Herman, Navy Historian and Producer of "The Lucky Few" movie.
Untold stories and witnesses of the Lucky Few
This is also the history of courage and of the human spirit, of the survival tenacity of the Vietnamese people, of exceptional display of human kindness, which of profiles are remarkable humanitarian effort of the United States Navy.
The Observance schedule will be at 1500, on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at Crystal Cathedral, located at: 12141 Lewis St., Garden Grove, CA 92840.
We are looking forward to meet you, your family and friends joining us on April 21, 2012.
Best Regards,
Ms Sharon Nicholas
Chief Executive Officer
FEDERAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COUNCIL SOUTHWEST (FAPACSW)
951.273.4792(o)
949. 306.7287(m)
P.O. BOX 710843
San Diego, CA 92171
http://www.fapac-sw.org
sharon.nicholas@navy.mil
Wellpark Rescue Painting
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Wellpark rescue painting
A painting of the rescue by A. Cumming of Lenzie, Scotland. As someone who was there I am amazed at how accurately the artist (who was not there) portrayed the scene. The following is the story of this scene:
PART 1:
My mind drifted for a moment, drawn to the glass of ice cold water sat on my desk. The water tilted within the glass and then shuddered as the ship around it rolled on the wave and vibrated to the cavitation of the propeller. I glanced towards the black porthole. I had tightened the dogs on it earlier when the roll of the ship coincided with a high wave and momentarily our cabin view looked underwater, down into the ocean. I was a little weary. With the warm air and physical nature of our work I knew I should get some sleep before my duty watch started on the ship’s navigation bridge at midnight.
But I had to finish my Correspondence course. As only a second trip deck cadet, training as a Navigation Officer, I was almost the lowest of the low, and it was important my study at sea was completed on time. Our ship, “Wellpark”, was only three days from arrival in Kaohsiung in Taiwan and my work would have to be posted back to Nautical College in Glasgow on the other side of the world for marking. As luck would have it, we had speeded up a few days earlier from our normal cruising speed to our maximum of 15 knots, so that the ship could meet its dry-dock slot in Korea and still connect into a lucrative string of cargo charters thereafter. Dammit: I had even less time to finish my studies!
I could have excused myself. As I had just written in a letter to my mother it had already been a very eventful trip, a real experience for a young man keen to see the world. The journey itself from my home in the extreme north of Scotland to the south of Argentina had involved no less than seven separate flights over three days. And the weeks at sea crossing the lower latitudes of the South Atlantic, watching the albatross glide for days, before we moved into the warmer Indian Ocean and relaxed in its sunshine, had made it seem more like a cruise. After the mountainous waves we endured around South Africa we had time for fun after work, playing games on deck and organising our Crossing the Line Ceremony. Later we had passed through the Sunda Straits, passing tropical islands on both sides. Here we watched brightly coloured sailing boats dart between the islands, flying fish, and plumes of smoke erupt from a huge volcano. We were a happy ship and we were on a journey that had now taken us into the South China Sea.
Read the full story here
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Vietnamese boat people After three decades of separation the Vietnamese boat people tell their stories
On 01 October 1978, a group of over 300 Vietnamese refugees were dramatically rescued from stormy seas by a British merchant ship, the Wellpark.
This group, who became known as the ‘Vietnamese Boat People’, fled Vietnam in the mid-1970s because they felt that life was going to be untenable under the new communist government there.
Many had used their entire life savings to secure a place on one of the boats headed for neighbouring countries.
Troubled voyage
The group had set sail under the cover of darkness and soon ran into trouble in rough waters.
Vietnamese refugee on the Wellpark.
The engines and pumps stopped working properly, and the makeshift vessels started sinking. Panic set in, and the Boat People became certain that they would drown.
Diep Quan recalls “I had heard that we were going to sink quite soon, and that we probably had a few hours.
"And I did not swim, didn’t know how to swim. I couldn’t imagine […] what it’s like if water goes over your head. I didn’t know what it’s like to go underwater."
Another refugee, Huy, recalls that, "It was very dangerous, because the waves were very big, and a few people fell into the sea, including my mum.
"She’s a non-swimmer, but luckily someone grabbed her and pulled her up."
Wellpark to the rescue
In desperation, they set off their last flare, which amazingly attracted the attention of the Wellpark.
The Boat People were hauled up onto the merchant vessel, some being lifted up in nets.
Aboard the Wellpark.
For two weeks, the refugees lived on the Wellpark while world governments decided their fate. It was then decided that they would be brought to England.
The survivors were flown there and temporarily housed at Kensington Army Barracks, before being offered council homes across the capital.
Emotional reunion
In the intervening decades, the Boat People have dispersed to many different parts of the world.
Now, 30 years on from their dramatic rescue, the group have just had an emotional reunion in Los Angeles, USA.
There, they had the chance to meet some of the Wellpark crew and express their profound gratitude for the rescue that saved their lives.
Trưừng Xuân's Last Voyage
I handed to Thanh my communiqué to leaders and the presses of the free world:
“Truong Xuan ship carried more than 3,000 Vietnamese fleeing Saigon after the Communists invasion. The engine room is deep in water. The ship will likely sink. We were lucky to be rescued by the Clara Maersk ship, of Denmark. On behalf of all the refugees on board, I hereby appeal to all the countries of the free world to accept and save my fellow refugees.”
Signed: Captain Pham Ngoc Luy
Truong-Xuan.pdf
BOLINAO 52
Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, millions refugees took the perilous escape across South China Sea to find freedom. Many died of drowning or starvation and thirst. Other lost at sea for days while some were pillaged, robbed and raped by pirates. However, more than 30 years after, no major film or television program tells their stories. Bolinao 52 is a long-silenced voice, an unspoken legacy of the Vietnam War - the story of the Vietnamese Boat People.
When Tung Trinh, a survivor of the Bolinao 52, stepped foot onto a crowded boat one night in May 1988, she did not know it was a trip that forever changed her life. After leaving Vietnam the Bolinao 52 engine died. They were ignored by passing ships. 19 days later, a US Navy ship stopped. But the captain refused to pick up the dying refugees. Facing death, they resorted to cannibalism. After 37 days at sea, 52 of 110 survived. Two decades later, this Bolinao 52 survivor returned to her past to close off the unresolved chapters.
MOVIE TRAILER
2010 Ranger Reunion San Antonio, Texas
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| Major Dalat poses with members of the USS Ranger Reunion Association in San Antonio, Texas |
Major Dalat explained that in 1981, as a 14 year old boy, he fled Vietnam with his mother, sisters and brother, in a boat that obviously was not prepared to handle the 138 refugees onboard. Major Dalat said that after 15 days at sea, people were dehydrating and starving. Imminent death is all around him.
He explained that hope was dwindling for him and his family’s survival, when a tremendously large “boat” rescued them. All of the surviving refugees were taken aboard this “boat” and immediately taken below decks, and provided care.
It wasn’t until days later, when this “boat” arrived at Subic Bay, Philippines that the refugees were allowed on deck (air operations were obviously over). At that point, Lan could not see the name of this “boat”, but did see a large number (61) painted on the “side”. (As we all know, carrier hull numbers are painted on both sides of the carriers “island”) He explained that this “number” was forever embedded in his memory.
Lan and his family spent 6 months on an island called Palawan, in the Philippines, at a refugee camp until they was processed, and eventually immigrated to Orange County in California.
Some time later, Lan remembers going into an army navy surplus store, and discovering a blue baseball cap with a ship on it with the number 61!!! It was at that time, that Lan discovered that the “boat” that rescued he and his family and the surviving refugees was, in fact, the ship the USS RANGER!!! He bought that hat and has it to this day! That Ranger hat has been the key to unlocking many mysteries in Lan’s life.
(We’ve got to keep in mind that in the mid 80’s there was no such thing as the internet, and Goggle, and “search engines” that today, open our eyes to the world and can provide the answer to any and all of our questions!)
Lan went on to say, that he completed High School in Orange County, and decided that since this country had been so good to him and his family that he wanted to do his duty to help “pay back” for the freedom that this country gave him. He said, jokingly, that he joined the Army “because I never wanted to be at sea again!” For the first time, the silence was broken, when the Ranger attendees roared with laughter!
Lan explained that he served his time as an enlisted man and was ready to further improve himself and enhance his opportunities, he needed to go to college, and did so. While in college, he was accepted to the Army ROTC program. He was determined to find the commanding officer of the USS RANGER that rescued him back in 1981 to commission him. (Again, without the Internet, what would you have done to find this out??) Lan contacted the Navy Department in Washington, D.C. He communicated by letter with Public Affairs Officer, Navy Ensign Wendy Snyder. He explained to her, the need to first: find out who that Captain was, and second: to locate him today!
Evidently, some real big “buttons” were pushed, as Lan said that the next thing he knew was that he was on ABC’s “The Good Morning America Show”, and he met Captain Dan Pedersen, for the first time, in front of million of television viewers!!! Captain Pedersen was thrilled to meet up with someone that had touched his life, and all those aboard the USS RANGER back in 1981. He quickly agreed to do the “pinning” and at some point that was accomplished.
Major Lan Dalat served in Korea where he met his wife, now a US citizen. They were married, and as part of an Army assignment, they were stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Landstuhl, Germany, Naples, Italy where his youngest daughter was born.
While serving in Germany, a Navy Officer came into Major Dalat’s office and noticed the baseball cap that said “USS RANGER”. He demanded to know why an Army Officer would have such an item prominently displayed in his office. After the Major told the Navy officer about his rescue by the USS Ranger he received a remarkable story, in return, from the Navy officer. That officer told him that he was aboard the Ranger in 1981 as a helicopter pilot, and was flying the actual “chopper” that was hovering over Major Dalat’s boat the day he was rescued.
To further test the limits of remarkable coincidences, this same Navy officer went on to tell Major Dalat that he was married to an Army officer of Major Dalat’s current command.
At the end of Major Dalat’s talk to our group that night, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the audience --- (I probably couldn’t have seen one, for the “moisture” in mine).
He profusely thanked all of us, for he and his families rescue. He thanked us for giving him the opportunity to become a citizen of this country. He thanked us for helping him become what he has become today. He thanked us for listening to his needed acknowledgement of our heretofore-unknown involvement in his life.
The truth be known, it was we, the Ranger shipmates and families that were so grateful that he came forward to tell one more reason for us to be so proud of the ship with whom we served or were associated! At the end of his “Thank you”, practically all of the people in attendance either came up to shake his hand, or give him a hug or have their picture taken with him.
My wife and I were lucky enough to sit next to Major Dalat during the BBQ and she asked him if he’d ever been back to Vietnam since escaping. He said that he has been back to his village twice, with his son Dan, who was named after the Skipper and two daughters Daisy and Hanna! He joked, that since he was Vietnamese, his wife Korean, and his daughter’s being born in Italy, he wanted them to see their “roots”.
My wife explained that she has been to Vietnam twice, and before the first visit was told all kind of tales that she wouldn’t be treated O.K. and that the Vietnamese would hate her for being an American. Major Dalat smiled and asked her about her experience with the Vietnamese people. (He seemed to already know the answer). She was treated wonderfully, and that’s what prompted her second trip back.
As my wife learned, 75% of the people today, alive in Vietnam, were not around during the “American War” ----as they call it.
What a night! I’m sure, like me, anybody connected with the Ranger will never forget that truly amazing story. I believe all of us cherish our experiences we shared aboard Ranger, throughout her career from 1957 to 1993. Major Dalat added another heretofore unknown chapter in Rangers final history, and gives us one more reason to try to keep her memory alive. We were all so grateful for Major Lan Dalat coming forward to share his story with us.
Joe Maxwell (1961-62)
At the end of Major Dalat’s talk to our group that night, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the audience --- (I probably couldn’t have seen one, for the “moisture” in mine).
He profusely thanked all of us, for he and his families rescue. He thanked us for giving him the opportunity to become a citizen of this country. He thanked us for helping him become what he has become today. He thanked us for listening to his needed acknowledgement of our heretofore-unknown involvement in his life.
The truth be known, it was we, the Ranger shipmates and families that were so grateful that he came forward to tell one more reason for us to be so proud of the ship with whom we served or were associated! At the end of his “Thank you”, practically all of the people in attendance either came up to shake his hand, or give him a hug or have their picture taken with him.
My wife and I were lucky enough to sit next to Major Dalat during the BBQ and she asked him if he’d ever been back to Vietnam since escaping. He said that he has been back to his village twice, with his son Dan, who was named after the Skipper and two daughters Daisy and Hanna! He joked, that since he was Vietnamese, his wife Korean, and his daughter’s being born in Italy, he wanted them to see their “roots”.
My wife explained that she has been to Vietnam twice, and before the first visit was told all kind of tales that she wouldn’t be treated O.K. and that the Vietnamese would hate her for being an American. Major Dalat smiled and asked her about her experience with the Vietnamese people. (He seemed to already know the answer). She was treated wonderfully, and that’s what prompted her second trip back.
As my wife learned, 75% of the people today, alive in Vietnam, were not around during the “American War” ----as they call it.
What a night! I’m sure, like me, anybody connected with the Ranger will never forget that truly amazing story. I believe all of us cherish our experiences we shared aboard Ranger, throughout her career from 1957 to 1993. Major Dalat added another heretofore unknown chapter in Rangers final history, and gives us one more reason to try to keep her memory alive. We were all so grateful for Major Lan Dalat coming forward to share his story with us.
Joe Maxwell (1961-62)
Not Only A Refugee (book) by Eleanor Stewart
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| http://notonlyarefugee.blogspot.com/ |
"It's high roof makes it look cool, but actually, it's one of the hottest houses in the camp. I've been in refugee houses near the ocean which are much cooler. The kitchen is only a counter with a gas hot plate and a few tins of food, but the bedroom has one of the most comfortable beds in the world. Split bamboo, when raised on a platform and covered with a foam rubber mattress has the right amount of "give" to support and yet not fight one's back. . . .During the time that I lived in my house, I learned to do without a refrigerator and to know how long any food could keep in the heat. (Eggs, coconuts and butter kept the longest.) I learned. . . to go to sleep and wake up to the sounds of Buddhists ringing a gong and chanting at the nearby pagoda, people practicing English, the loudspeaker playing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" as wake-up music in the morning and classical Vietnamese music at curfew. I learned to suffer the afternoon heat and love the sound of tropical rain on the nipa-leaf roof. My small yellow and white cat and I lived there alone, but not lonely. When my door was open, students and friends would walk in. When it was closed, they would not. The night was always alive, soft and natural, I could see the sky through the tiny holes in the roof, although it kept out the rain well enough. My house did not close life out, but let it flow around me."
That was where NOT ONLY A REFUGEE was born.
Written by Eleanor Grogg Stewart
Source: http://notonlyarefugee.blogspot.com/
UK History Learning of Vietnamese Boat People
The ‘Boat People of Vietnam’ seemed to encapsulate all the suffering Vietnam had suffered from 1965 to 1975. Despite the end of the Vietnam War, tragedy for the people of Vietnam continued into 1978-79. The term ‘Boat People’ not only applies to the refugees who fled Vietnam but also to the people of Cambodia and Laos who did the same but tend to come under the same umbrella term. The term ‘Vietnamese Boat People’ tends to be associated with only those in the former South who fled the new Communist government. However, people in what was North Vietnam who had an ethnic Chinese background fled to Hong Kong at the same time fearing some form of retribution from the government in Hanoi.
Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam_boat_people.htm
The ‘Boat People of Vietnam’ seemed to encapsulate all the suffering Vietnam had suffered from 1965 to 1975. Despite the end of the Vietnam War, tragedy for the people of Vietnam continued into 1978-79. The term ‘Boat People’ not only applies to the refugees who fled Vietnam but also to the people of Cambodia and Laos who did the same but tend to come under the same umbrella term. The term ‘Vietnamese Boat People’ tends to be associated with only those in the former South who fled the new Communist government. However, people in what was North Vietnam who had an ethnic Chinese background fled to Hong Kong at the same time fearing some form of retribution from the government in Hanoi.
Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam_boat_people.htm
Finding a New Home
In 1975 Vietnam was taken over by Communist from the north. Since that day many people who worked for the South Vietnam government were in jail. Every thing was changed, the life became miserable, and we had no religion and no freedom. From 1975 to 1990 many people left Vietnam by boat and they became Vietnamese refugees or boat people. Though just about 60% of the boat people got lucky to come to the country they liked. Another 40% died on the sea or were killed by Thailand's pirates.
Most people who escaped from Vietnam have accepted that anything can happen to them, and bartered their property and their life. Many people were jailed by cheaters or chased by policemen, but they did not lose their spirit and they tried to leave if they have the chance. Therefore, there are many Vietnamese people living around the world now, and the following is my dad's story.
I was living with my family with eleven people; I had eight brothers and one sister. We worked in a grocery store, the family's business, so my family were middle class. Life was hard when the Communist came. My family could not do business and we had to live with worry and fear whit the local government watching, because I had two brothers who worked for the South Vietnamese government.
One day my father told us to try to leave Vietnam and we started planning for that. Ever since my life has had a big change. All my brothers escaped one at a time, all except me. I was unlucky, I had escaped seven times and I was jailed two times. The first time was for six months, the second time was for one year and I paid corruption money to get out of jail. Despite the fact, that my escape was a failure, but I did not give up or get weary.
So the following summer in the year 1984 I escaped again and after seven days I arrived in Malaysia. Every trip has a different pitiable story; my trip had a story too. When I left Vietnam on a small boat with fifty other people, my boat was unseaworthy because it was very small, just about 8metres long and 3metres wide but it carried fifty people.
The people looked like sardines in a can. The engine was very old and it did not have a hooded cover on top. The owner told us that a bigger ship would be waiting out in the sea, but we could not see one, we had been tricked. We realised now how important escaping was, it was too late for us to return. In that situation we had a hazardous voyage, so we decided to keep going with hope for any ship on the sea to save us, because the weather was very good and we just hoped and prayed together.
When we had been out to sea for about ten hours, the engine had broke down. We did not have any sails or paddles to keep the boat going, so the boat kept moving without any control or guidance. The food was scarce and can only last for two days. The third day we jus drank water when it rained. We saw some ships on the way, and we signaled S.O.S, but they did not stop to help.
We were desperate and exhausted. Suddenly on the seventh day at night, my boat came to shore. We did not know where this place was until the police came and we knew we had arrived in Malaysia. After that, they took us to Pulau Bidong Refugee Camp; it was a small island of Malaysia. Now I thought that my story was too good to be true. I stayed at a refugee camp for about nine months, then I came to Australia under my brother's sponsorship. I arrived in Melbourne in the spring of 1985. I felt very strange when I got the bus from Melbourne airport to the Midway Hostel, I saw many things. The traffic, the houses, the life were all different to my country and many gardens filled with beautiful flowers. I started to learn about the Australian way of life.
I was very worried about my new life here, and whether I would be able to find a job, because my English was very poor. Sometimes I felt very upset because of my language problem, and I got very homesick.
I stayed at the Midway Hostel for about one month, then I moved out because I had some friends who found a job for me. I worked as a jewellery manufacturer, because I was a jeweller in Vietnam and I felt a bit happier then.
I worked in this factory in Melbourne for about three years, where I learnt many interesting things about my job.
In 1999 I moved to Sydney because the weather in Melbourne was not suitable for my wife and my children, they were always getting sick.
At the momoent, my children like living in Sydney and they have a very good school too. I feel very lucky that my family is living here and the education is very good for my children. I also think that, Australia is a lucky country for everyone so I love Australia, the country my family is living in.
That is my father's story and he told me that Australia is his second native country, but he will never forget Vietnam. He also told me that I am very lucky to be born here. Many children in Vietnam are unlucky because they are very poor, they work hard and they cannot go to school.
Now I come to school to learn the Vietnamese language every Saturday, because I was born here so I don't know much about Vietnam.
I thank my Vietnamese teacher for teaching me about Vietnamese culture. Whenever I come to Vietnamese class, it always reminds me of my roots.
Author: Vuong Thanh Loc
Source: http://www.vietka.com/Vietnamese_Boat_People/AnotherHomeland.htm
US Navy Rescues Vietnamese Refugees on South China Sea
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On March 20, 1981, some of the 138 Vietnamese boat people wave at a US Navy rescue helicopter hovering over the unseaworthy wooden boat on South China Sea during a rescue operation.
Inset: Lan's mother, Cam Quy Ton peers out the port hole taking a glimpse of her rescuers.
Photo courtesy of the US Navy
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Story by Lan Dalat
The bright Southeast Asian sun had not broken the still of the night when my mother, my three siblings and I crept along the edge of the Saigon River. My father remained behind to ensure our safe passage. We left everything behind for a perilous journey searching for freedom and opportunities.
In tense silence we waited at a prearranged spot on the bank of the river. After what seemed like forever, we slipped unnoticed into a fisher- man’s canoe.
As the sun began to break the horizon and illuminate the gray water, we crept smoothly along the river, flowing past the bank like a big bamboo reed pulled along with the slow moving current. It was a dull, monotonous trip. A few days later, our canoe reached the pickup point.
Out of the fog-shrouded darkness, a fishing boat eased to a crawl. Once again we slipped through the twilight, climbed out of the small canoe and onto a larger boat that was packed with others.
At that moment my family and I unknowingly joined a new and growing demographic called “boat people.” We were among thousands of Vietnamese who crammed onto small wooden fishing boats and fled Vietnam. Not knowing the actual outcome or destination we set off in an unseaworthy wooden boat hoping to land on a peaceful shore somewhere in the world.
From the relatively still river we pushed off into the sea. It was rough going. Day and night, the waves lifted the tiny boat and crashed it down again and again. The engine sputtered and the boat shuddered with each wave it survived. Day after day, the sea seemed determined to end our journey. Yet we plowed forward—our past certain, our destination unknown.
After enduring five days of the pounding waves, the small boat’s engine protested one last time and stopped. We were without power and adrift on the open sea.
Soon the food and water supply ran low. In cloistered circles people began quietly, seriously discussing the implications of cannibalism for our ultimate survival. The remaining water was rationed down to one soft drink capful a day. Even with this severe rationing the water supply ran out two days later. Dehydration and severe hunger caused massive hallucinations among the boat people.
“Mommy, can you buy me some water? I’m so thirsty,” my little brother desperately asked my mom. “Son, I will buy you all the water you want when we get to shore. Don’t worry, we will be there soon,” my mother said, attempting to comfort my little brother.
It was here on the boat that I first learned about line-of- sight communications from my mother’s compact mirror.
It wasn’t clear if she actually saw an airplane flying above or was just hallucinating. Nonetheless, she said she saw something and pulled out her mirror attempting to communicate with the plane using the reflection of the sunlight. Nothing happened.
For the next seven days, the boat carrying 138 people remained adrift on the South China Sea. Hope for survival dwindled. Now there was no wind, no waves and no land anywhere around our boat. Fear was palpable throughout the boat. It was the dread of a painfully slow death that everyone wanted to avoid. Facing a critical juncture, some openly discussed suicide as a better alternative to dying of starvation and exposure.
Early on the morning of March 20, 1981, we were awakened by a deafening noise.
Two low-flying jets roused everyone from our miserable sleep.
Those who could speak uttered the questions aloud that some were too weak to muster. Was it a mass hallucination? From what country are those jets? Are they Russian or Chinese?
Suddenly three shots rang out from the boat’s bow. A defecting soldier had fired three rounds into the sky from his rifle. He attempted to signal the aircraft to return with his SOS message.
“They are definitely real,” a man shouted confidently. “Those are Americans and we are saved!” The pronouncement sparked a wild excited cheer. The hidden energy from being near death suddenly emerged and triggered the impulse for survival.
The jets disappeared over the horizon and never returned. Anxiety quickly set in as everyone waited for the jets to return.
I forgot about the hunger. I forgot about the thirst. I was so excited about the possibility of being rescued. On that very hot and dry day on the surface of the calm sea, I vigorously scanned the horizon for any sign of the planes. The sun began to lower toward the horizon. The adrenalin rush was consumed. Our hopes for rescue faded and our morale diminished. Most of us stared blankly toward the horizon with disbelief and disappointment.
One by one we sank lower into a deep pit of hopelessness. Suddenly, a voice cried out “I can see the ships. Over there! Over there!” It was on the opposite side from where I sat. I could not see what was causing the commotion. Everyone craned their necks trying to spot the ships. Noise inside the boat began to increase as excitement once again filled the air. In the port hole across from me I was able to see for a brief second a fleet of ships sailing slowly on the horizon. Pure excitement rushed through my body as I screamed out while looking at my mother and siblings. “I can see the ships!”
Early that evening, U.S. Navy Captain Dan A. Pedersen, USS Ranger CV-61 commanding officer, ordered his crew to rescue all 138 of us from the dilapidated wooden boat drifting on the South China Sea.
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| USS Ranger CV-61 prepares to receive 138 refugees on March 20, 1981 Photo courtesy of the US Navy |
This is an excerpt from the original published article from the Army Communicator. READ MORE The Next 150 Years, 2010 Vol35 No3.
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