Vicky is FIVE

Escape to Freedom by Hung Dong Huynh (unedited)

This is the unedited story of my father's escape from Communist Vietnam after the Vietnam War. Somehow, I have found this on one of his websites after he had passed away which had been deleted long ago. Due to the historical nature, I feel that it is important to share his story with the world so that people can read about the experience of what it was like to escape to Freedom!

Boat people
During the late '70 and '80 Vietnamese who fled Vietnam by boat after the communist victory in 1975, travelling to Australia,Hongkong,Japan and several other parts of south east Asia. Many died on the long voyages or were killed,raped by Thailand pirates.

Boat people who were the term has since been applied to other groups who try to flee from a country using small craft

Nov 7-1978 4am someone comein knock the door and scream whole family wake up,the jeep waiting for,after we all out the house, has one officer ready to locked the door.the jeep take we went to Mr Banh Vinh Thanh house who were leader, about 12 a.m. 3 GMC military truck comein take everybody to Tà Niên, Rach So²i, Rach Giá.

1 P.M. Nov 7-1978 the officer call everybody name went to 23m long fishing wooding boat. This week weather is very bed but we still need to arrived, if not the officer change mind we will lost all the gold we paid and may be go to jail too ??? we stay 1 night at Hòn Ròng and other night at Hòn Cái, next day total 8 boat go together, frist boat is police boat and last boat is police boat too, next day after police boat told everybody bye, 8 boat start running full speed, only few hours later my boat is alone with ocean, becaused some boat go north to Hong Kong or Japan, Taiwan. My boat plan to go Australia.

The perfect weather didn't last long enough, on the third day, dark clouds were hovering over our heads and strong winds started to blow heavily and heavily against our tiny wooden boat. The calm ocean became increasingly violent with heavy waves rocking our boat, heavy rain started to pour down , the gloomy weather had brought terror to every soul on that small wooden boat, people started to vomit heavily,I vomited too but not as bad as other. Every time the heavy waves rocking our boat I heard"ki ki kit kit" and I see little big water leaking inside the boat but I still ....

Next day when I woke up the weather is clear,anything is ok. Occasionally, we saw ships passed by and we signaled for help. However, that was all did passing by without the mercy of looking back. Afternoon we saw one more ships passed by, we do the same thing signaled for help, this time we do only few minute, becaused we saw the skull flag, Thai pirates saw we boat too many people they scare and we scare too, but we ready to fight, they passing by without looking back....

After 3 day one Malaysia navy boat comein stop my boat they don't let we closed to land, they order we need go far away get out Malaysia, so we need runing other side, few more hours later, we reached the other beach, we jumped off the boat and began swim in, I couldn't stand up and fell down on the sand, I was exhausted, but I was safe now, we used hammer broked the wooden boat and breaked down the engine so Malaysian can't tell we go any where.

2 hours later policeman come in do security checking, 2 more hours later The Red Cross come in give we hot meal by rice with sadin fish, that day is Nov 17-1978, we sleep in a old broken military building

Nov 25-1978 the military truck took us moving in Bengarak camp, Kuantan. We started went up the hill cut down some straight tree builded us own house, each family was build a small barrack to live, we got water from a small well to take shower and cooking


Jan 9-1979 do security paper work, my boat name KG0338, everybody tried to learn a second language where they're going to live, most studied English

Jan 29-1979 the USA Delegation comein just interviewed some people who applied to get into the USA, and for some people who live in this camp too long , not for my boat becaused my boat just come in few week ago.

Feb 25-1979 the Canada Delegation come in.

Mar 12-1979 one more time we moving to Salatin camp, this camp biger and lot more refugee here, we stayed there for few more months, before settling in the USA.

Apr 30-1979 The USA Delegation come in doing interviewed and accept me and my wife,becaused my brother was VN NAVY went to USA 1975 and I am South VN sodier.

May 31-1979 pledge.

July 27-1979 I and my wife has names on the list to leave camp to go to USA, but we need moving to Kula Lumpur frist, do some more security paper and sign up paper do a loan for air plane ticket from Malaysia to USA.

Aug 5-1979 fly to USA , Sanfrancisco by DC10 one time liked that over 400 VN refugee, we were surrounded by white and black people who was speaking a different language that was a strange to me, but we are safe and real safe now, untill now, I still feel guilly every time I think back, even though it has been over 20 years in the USA.

Arizona Pictures

First night at a hotel in Phoenix, Arizona

We got hungry so we went to Chick-Fil-A. They played with all the little kids and at the end, I was stopped and praised at how wonderful my children are.

At the Biosphere 2. A place now managed by University of Arizona. They do environmental research and learn about the effects of what our garbage has on the environment. They are also currently learning about farming on a slope. Here, Nayeli fell pretty hard during the tour scraping her knee. Luckily, I had my first-aid kit with me in the car.

This is Wild Bill. A fossil of a crocodile.

Rock Climbers!

Anyone want some Raptor Eggs?

Petrified Log

Geronimo

What? A bison roaming the middle of the road?

Paint Job

Today, I had the opportunity to learn how to paint a car.  Last weekend, I was hit by a bicyclist on the rear driver's side door.  The result was a nasty scratch and dent.  Painting was always something that I have always wanted to learn, but never had the chance to do it.  So I figured that this was the perfect opportunity to hire someone to come over and show me how to paint it.

Carbon Fiber Bowtie Project

 

Today, I stopped by the local Pep Boys store and picked up a roll of carbon fiber for 10 bucks.  This is a simple mod that doesn't cost much and darkens the look of your manufacturer emblem for that midnight racer look.

Visiting the Port of San Diego

We went to visit the Port of San Diego.  On our way there, we stopped at Panda Express for some grub.

 

At the San Diego Pier.  Vicky was a bit too scared to get on any boats or submarines.

 

Kids fooling around in front of the Hotel in Downtown San Diego.

 

Later that night, we made Pizza Bagels!  Nayeli likes to put lots of cheese on hers and Vicky only likes pepperoni.

Trip to the ER

Vicky did her usual thing of jumping up and down and slipping and falling.  This time, she slipped and fell back and hit her head on the brick fireplace.  She has a gash in her head about 3/4ths of an inch long and she bled out quite a bit.  She got 6 staples in the back of her head and is on antibiotics to fight off infection.

2012 Camaro Convertible

Being a typical American, I decided to blow my hard-earned deployment coin on a brand new, shiny red convertible.  My reasoning?  I need to take the kids to school with class.

Disney California Adventure and Disneyland

Why does the Press know more than I do?

Attackers in Afghanistan wore US uniforms

Associated Press – 35 mins ago

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Coalition military authorities in Afghanistan say the insurgents who attacked a British airfield in southwestern Afghanistan on Friday, killing two U.S. Marines, wore U.S. Army uniforms and destroyed six Harrier fighter jets.

They said in a statement Saturday that about 15 insurgents carried out the attack, describing the attack as well coordinated by insurgents who were "well equipped, trained and rehearsed." Fourteen of the 15 were killed. One was captured.

They said attackers penetrated the base's perimeter and were armed with automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and suicide vests. Besides destroying six planes, they destroyed three refueling stations on the base and damaged six aircraft hangars.

Coalition authorities have not yet identified the two Marines killed. Eight military members and one civilian contractor were also injured in the assault.

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Break*  Break*

Why the heck does the press know more than I do?  Well anyways, everyone here that I know is okay.  Outside the normal conveniences of being able to shower and do laundry, everything else is pretty much business as usual because the base here is so freak'in huge this tiny little attack by the Taliban literally has little or no effect to daily operations.  The Taliban is extremely dumb if you ask me.  Attack a well-armed military base?  Stupid.  Is the press making some of this stuff up?  Harrier fighter jets???  Haha!

Leadership put to the Test

Being out here, I started out at the bottom.  I was just a technician.  I flew out on a business trip, and came back and my boss was promoted to the Staff Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) and then that guy had to leave.  Then one of my peers got bumped up into that position.  Then he left.  Now guess who's next in line?  Ah hem...  me.

One of the most challenging questions that came across me was this.  A junior Marine had come to me asked me why all the lazy douchebags who did the bare minimum get to be rewarded with an early ticket home.  He told me that he has given me 110% and has busted his ass everyday to get the mission done, so why does the hard working and the smart people have to hang back to pick up the slack?

Hmm...

After much thought, he was absolutely correct.

We are the A-Team.

Silences of Glum

Camp Leatherneck is a big transient hotel of some sort.  People here have came and went.   Some people don’t make it back to the states.  I hate the instance when the dead need to return government issue goods.  When this has to happen, there is this unspoken silence filled with sadness and glum when teammates came to Supply to return gear for a fallen Sailor killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).  Clearly, we are close like family and the entire unit has to suffer the consequences of this loss.  It is hard physically and mentally.  Physically, being that there is one less team member and the rest of the team must pick up the slack for an ongoing mission that doesn’t seem to slow down.  Mentally, being that there was a slight possibly that it could’ve been them that stepped on that bomb.  Some of us is thanking the Lord that they didn't die.  The rest of us is wishing that they did.

Music Preference Says This

I tried this little experiment.

Hit Shuffle on your Ipod or music player.

Song #1 is what other people think of you.

Song #2 is what you really are.
Song #3 is your future/present/past spouse.
Song #4 is what sex is like.
Song #5 is how you will die.

Here are my results.

1. J. Geils Band - Centerfold

2. Dragonette - Hello
3. Eminem – Till I Collapse (Explicit)
4. Darude – Calm before the Storm
5.  Sean Kingston – Fire Burning


Hahaha!

I Still Don't Know What I Want to Do When I Grow Up

Dear Universe,

Being that I'm in the military and that I joined right out of high school, it still feels like I never left.  New kids are always enlisting with the usual conversation about high school tits, rebellious banter and general immaturity.  In reality, we are all kids at heart, no matter how senior we are within the ranks.  We insert morbid quotes by General James Mattis under our e-mail signatures and we frequently tell each other to go fuck ourselves.  We curse at business meetings, we say "kill" after every sentence, we watch seasons of "Dexter" for therapy purposes and most importantly, we all love to shoot guns and blow shit up.

Well, that is what it's like right now and sometimes I wonder what I'll be doing in the next 6 years when I retire.  One thing is for sure, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. 

Best Regards,
IncrediblyX
America Fuck Yeah
Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan
(123)456-7890

"I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all." General James Mattis