It's been quite some time since I've posted anything on this blog, but I figured I would write about my trip to Vietnam on blogger vs. facebook because it will be long, and I can post pictures!
So here goes:
We arrived in Hanoi and were met at the airport by my Dad's connection and liaison in Vietnam, Doug Reese. Doug is married to a Vietnamese woman, and has the travel connections to help Dad out with finding his shoot-down site. He had a van and driver arranged, so they took us to our hotel in central Hanoi. We unloaded our luggage and set out to find some Pho! Dad couldn't wait to have it, it's one of his favorite foods in Vietnam. Doug took us to a bustling Pho joint just a couple blocks from our hotel. Smashing! It was very good, and very busy!
After lunch we browsed some shops around the hotel briefly and met up with our Vietnamese guide and translator, Quan, who briefed us on the arranged afternoon meeting with Mr. Minh (retired Army Colonel) and Mr. Thien, a policeman. We then drove to pick up Mr. Thien and then drove to Mr. Minh's house in Tuyen Quang, a small provincial town about 2 hours from Hanoi (near where Dad was shot down). We arrive at Mr. Minh's house and are introduced to him. He is the vice-director of the Tuyen Quang Veteran's Association. They serve tea as is customary, and you can't refuse it. It is considered an insult if you do. I sipped a little bit of the tea, it is very bitter, but I sipped some anyway.
Mr. Minh had been asking around to see if there was anyone in the area who may have been present at the time my dad's F-4 jet went down. He received a letter from Mr. Que, who stated in the letter certain facts that led us to believe it may be the site. Dad was very excited to see the letter and asked to keep it, which Mr. Minh agreed after making a copy for himself.
After about 1.5hrs at Mr. Minh's house, we all board the van to drive to a restaurant, one of Mr. Minh's favorites for "Hot Pot". When we arrive, the owner and his wife are introduced to us and everyone begins to take shots of the house rice liquor...very potent! Think of very strong everclear. After a few of these, everyone is in a party mood, and the food is very very tasty. We all eat heaping plates and end the meal with a few more shots. Then Dad and a few others retire to a table where our van driver is having an after meal toke on some kind of long pipe. They pass the pipe to Dad, and he obliges...go Dad! Everyone is laughing and having a riotous good time.
Once lunch ended, we load back in to the van for the drive to the countryside. This takes us about three hours. Lots of dirt roads, and not very well maintained. We arrive at Mr. Que's house (the man who wrote the letter about witnessing the capture of my dad) and walk inside. His wife serves tea in the main room. We are assuming it's a two room house as the bed is pretty much beside the living room sofa. But no kitchen was in site. Again, there is no refusing the tea, which is very very bitter. We drink and Mr. Que begins to tell his story with the help of our interpreter. He gives details about the day which causes great excitement with my dad. He (Mr. Que) was about 17 at the time.
Here I will end the story for now, as I can't figure out how to post pictures in between lines of text, and this post is getting rather long to drag photos to the bottom.
He tells of the American soldier throwing his gun as far as he could, which my dad did. And of a vietnamese soldier retrieving the gun and walking behind my dad while intermittently shooting the gun, causing my dad (blindfolded) to jump with each shot, which my dad remembered upon telling. And then he told of the capters taking a picture out of dad's pocket of a woman with two children, which really sealed the deal on this being the precise location. My dad carried a picture of my mom and my brother and me in his flight suit at all times. So after hearing all of his story, we were so excited to have Mr. Que lead us to the place where my dad was captured. We got back in the van and drove for about 20 minutes and then had to get out and walk on foot and the site was in the middle of rice paddies...lots and lots of paddies!
