My Vietnam experience
My Vietnam experience |
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Please! let me start out by expressing my personal thoughts and feeling about Ngoc Nguyen in Hanoi, Vietnam. Miss Ngoc became my local tour specialist in November 2006. After a long list of tour agients & companies. I made a decision to work with Ngoc on quest my tour to Vietnam.
Sending many emails back and forth to each other. I quickly became quite comfortable with her. Always giving me answers straigt & forward. If she did not have answers right then. Ngoc soon gathered them within a day or two, always getting back to me.
As you will read ahead the reasons I has to be so picky & needed perfection. My brother - John Wayne Roberts U.S.M.C was K.I.A back on October 14, 1967 some where in the Quang Tri province. Wondering for over 40 years where in that province he was laid to rest and why?
Back here in the United State, the Vietnam 3/4 scale traveling Dignity Memorial Wall arrived at Springpoint, South Portland Maine on August 12, 2006. John being one of 12 killed in Vietnam from South Portland. At this time the family as asked if my brothers Purple Heart Medal could placed under the apex of the WALL on its stay here for 3 days. A tradition that is used in every town the Wall visits, giving the Wall a Heart along with the Hearts of 58,000 men & woman who sadly gave their lives in the Vietnam conflict. Five million Vietnamese lives were lost. With all this going on motivated me to research more into John's death. That week I was interviewed by the Portland Press Herald on my story of me being a "Soul Surving Son" (The last one standing to carry the family name on). Also my willingness to research my brother death. Plus, my involvement on building the Wall.
Getting the Wall ready to present to the some 10,000 people who paid their respects, visiting such a scenic ocean view. Needless to say that much of these news reports was being read across the country. At this point, phone calls, emails and U.S mail connected me with several U.S Marines knowing or served with Johnny & spoke to him prior to his death. Also, how he lost his life? Most contacts were Marines involved in "Operations Medina" making them the "Lions of Medina". All so overwhelming for me.
To be continued...
Published on 10/21/08

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