THE MAN FROM VIETNAM

I met a very interesting man today. He was from Vietnam. He has lived in America for some 35 years...coming here after the end of American troop involvement in Vietnam. Remember those scenes at the end of the Vietnam War...of the large number of people trying to board the helicopters on top of the American Embassy? He was one of those people.

The need for him to get out of the country...stemmed from his involvement with America. He was a Navy Seal...a special ops force. He and his team were told by the CIA and American Command...where to go, what to do, and get the hell back out of there.

He showed me photos of him in his uniform. He showed me his document stating he was a Navy Seal...and the statement on the card that says if he is captured...he is not to be held or questioned...and if he is killed or injured...a specific agency was to be notified. He shared that on his actual missions...he carried no ID...so there would be no link to him and his profession and employer.

He was brought to the United States with the clothes he was wearing, a uniform in his duffel bag, and $5. I asked if he knew the English language well at the time (he still speaks pretty 'broken' English) and he said he knew the basics...'hello', 'how are you'...but didn't know the slang terms he would come to hear.

A painful story he shared was hearing that his parents were murdered after he left the country. He never told his parents what he was and what he was doing...he was never allowed to. But someone found out after he left...and they were killed for it.

He was also hurt...for awhile...by the ridicule he received in America. He was accused of being an illegal entrant into the country. Little did his accusers know...he was a recipient of 'The Purple Heart' and 'The Silver Star'...both awarded for gallantry...and for wounds incurred...for action against an enemy of the United States.

He was a very interesting man. A very proud man.


Dan