MISCHIEF ON THE MEKONG Part Two...CAI DAI CU CHI

Still laughing...
loved your blog, still making me chuckle

Great Cai Dai Pictures...
...the others were okay too and your tales of the tunnels were riveting. But how could anyone be serious about a religion which has saints like Joan of Arc and Victor Hugo - or Julius Caesar the Roman geezer, married three times, a dictator, and an invader (of my country no less!)? Okay, he was a direct descendant of the goddess Venus, he invented our calendar and gave us the month of July - but a Saint? Nah!

Yes, Nick...come here!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful time together. As for memories, I also remember that my draft number was 107...not a number one ever forgets in a life time. I went to school in Dalat, Vietnam from 1956 to 1964, and didn't want to go back to fight for something that was a total mistake. I eventually did go back to my school, taking my son there in 2009. We were received very warmly. Not only are the Vietnamese very resourceful and determined, they are also very forgiving.

Dalat in 1968
That was the year I graduated from high school in Malaysia...and then had a student deferment while in college until I graduated in 1972. By then the war was winding down and they didn't get to my draft number. However, I returned to Vietnam in 1973 as a civilian, as head of design for all U.S. construction in Vietnam. Now, back to 1968 and the Tet offensive in February. We received word that six missionaries had been killed in Ban Me Tout...hiding in a ditch and the NVA just tossed grenades into the ditch. Their children were informed at our school so that was a pretty terrible time for all of us. We also heard that the NVA had gone to our former school in Dalat to kill the missionaries there...Hanoi Radio had even made the announcement that the mission was successful. However, The missionaries and their small children...39 total...had hidden in the storage room behind the gymnasium/chapel...the door of which was covered by purple drapes that extended the length of the wall. Everyone, even the babies, were quiet while they heard the NVA searching for them outside. One of my former math teachers, a Canadian named Mrs. Hall, was eight months pregnant and soon started contractions. Anyway, the NVA left and Mrs. Hall's contractions stopped. Back to Ban Me Thout...the sole survivor in the ditch was Mrs. Ziemer. Her son was a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He eventually became an admiral and commander of the Norfolk Naval Base. He recently served as both President Bush's and President Obama's lead for the eradication of malaria around the world. Another surviving son of the Thompsons who were both killed, David, became a medical missionary in Gabon, Africa. I could go on and on...perhaps when we get together again!

Connections...
I wrote my previous response to you just before going to church. During the greeting part of the service I introduced myself to the couple sitting next to me. Her name was Penny. I said that I had just posted something on the internet about a Penny...Mrs. Hall's first name is Penny...regarding Vietnam. They said they knew a missionary there...last name Heffer...did I know them? I said yes...I went to college with their daughter, Janice. It went on from there. You would think the odds of this happening are very small, but I have these kinds of experiences all the time. As a traveler, and one who doesn't mind starting conversations with total strangers, the odds become greater that one can make such connections.

Construction projects in Vietnam.
Yes, most U.S. and allied troops were out of Vietnam by 1973. The projects were for the Vietnamese military...and I was glad when the funds were finally cut off in 1975, because we were wasting taxpayer money. Every time we would put in a utility system, they would rip it out and sell the materials. I remember having designed a fire system water intake at Cam Ranh Bay that went out a 25 meter long pier and then into the water. When we went to build, the pier was missing. I also stopped many over designs...to many window air conditioners. I knew that once the air conditioners landed in country, they would be stolen.

''We miss you guys''
Hi girls! Can we all be girls, instead of all guys?

Guys -v- girls
I come from a strong feminist tradition & pepper my speech regularly with the word "guys" - like many words their meaning evolves with time & need to be read in context- I never for a moment imply male supremacy or female lack thereof- just like the use of slang - just saying...