Vietnam veteran reunion on the Mekong Delta
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- November
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Including my father, there are 14 Vietnam veterans and one non-Vietnam veteran in our Rockland-based humanitarian tour group of 31 people traveling through Vietnam. Several of veterans once served together, including a helicopter pilot who rescued two of the other soldiers in the group. Check back for that story later – it’s a good one.
Ed Frank, of Congers, NY, has reunited with Tom Phelps, of San Diego, Calif. They served together in the U.S. Navy on a Tango boat on the Mekong Delta in 1969. Here’s a photo of Tom (left) and Ed (right) then:
And now:
Check back later to hear their thoughts on cruising the Mekong River, then and now. In the meantime, here’s a quick video clip of one of the boats we rode on the river today.
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Wow…I wasn’t aware of the fact that Tommy was along on this trip. He was with us when we returned in 2005 as well…ask him if he is back to retrieve his lost flip-flop. I’m anxious to see everyone tomorrow as you pull in to Tra Vinh. Normally, I wear tennis shoes there because it is a dump and dirty. The garbage dump will soon be moved a little further from town, which will make traveling back and forth more difficult for the ones who live away from the dump. I’m sure that this will only increase the number of kids who will just erect a cardboard shelter and live atop the piles of trash. I don’t know how much rain they’ve received in recent weeks, but if it’s like here, it will be muddy there as well. Tra Vinh is certainly not as nice as HCMC, or Can Tho, but I believe the people are wonderful and warm. Many of the kids, though, are quite shy—more than they are in the larger cities. Another thing for you to know is that most people in this area are former Khmer Rouge immigrants and none of them have an education…which is why we are there. See you soon!