quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
I suspect that there is a whole generation of missing stories of heroism like your father's.

My parents speak very little of their escape from Vietnam. My grandmother even less so. Both my grandfathers passed long before I understood the concept of grandfathers.

Perhaps one day my Dad will recount his story to us. All I know was that he and my mom/brother were separated when they escaped, my mom heading to Thailand and my Dad to the Philippines, and that gunfire and fatalities were involved on the beach in the Philippines.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
Mr. Nen, my friend with the chicken farm that I go rat hunting with told me how he escaped Vietnam after a night of heavy drinking and rat killing. He NEVER talks about it.

He was 12 when Saigon fell and the soldiers came.

The NVA murdered his family in front of the village for owning the small farm.

Nen was soon captured after he ran away and sent to re-education and put into a NVA regiment. He and several others shot their way across to Cambodia and swapped uniforms until they reached the coast to hijack a boat. Nen said he killed many men on his way to freedom.

The boat ran out of fuel trying to get to Thailand and was adrift for days. There was no food or water. The other men died from exposure, dehydration and they were already malnourished.

A patrol boat found him and took him to a refugee camp Malaysia.

There, the Catholic Church sponsored his trip to America. He had NOTHING. No money, no skills, didn't speak English and no family. Nothing. However, he had his wits and incredible ability to adapt.

His sponsor gave him a job washing dishes and worked his way up to cooking hamburgers, glorious American hamburgers, the thing of legends back home. He slowly learned English from his sponsor's restaurant's staff. He had earned his citizenship along the way, but hel felt something was missing. He saved his money and bought himself a Camaro. He was NOW an American!

He set out across the country to see what America was all about.

He got lost in Atlanta and stopped to ask for directions when a Vietnam vet Marine Major where he stopped, now businessman asked him if he could help him out for some days to get a project finished. His problem solving ability and now extremely valuable translating ability landed him a position that he's been at for over 35 years. Just some random chance encounter or fate perhaps. The story of how he was hired is told by the Marine Vet owner often.

Nen still is the manager of fabrication/assembly, has the chicken farm, over two million dollars in the bank and two nail salons that his kids run.

Of all the people here he chose to call friend, I was the one he chose. I don't even feel worthy of his friendship. He said he likes that I grew up in "the jungle" like he did and we have so much in common. He likes my positive attitude. I often come to him for advice because he as this zen about him. He likes when in a meeting that I will just blurt out what everyone else is thinking and will stand up for doing something the right way. He values my honesty.

Whenever we shoot the rats, I can see the boy killing VC but can't save his family rattling about in his head.

quote:

Originally posted by Patriot:
A great story...very inspiring...


Reminded me on this scene...LOL