Khe Sanh Veterans Association Inc.

Red Clay
Newsletter of the Veterans who served at Khe Sanh Combat Base,
Hill 950, Hill 881, Hill 861, Hill 861-A, Hill 558
Lang-Vei and Surrounding Area

Issue 47 Fall 2000

Health Matters

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In This Issue
Notes from Editor & Board   Incoming   Short Rounds   Memoirs  
 In Memoriam   Email   A Sprinkling of Your Poetry

Dear Editor,

My husband Richard (Dick) was diagnosed with cancer resulting from exposure to Agent Orange. Had it not been for his colleague who persuaded me to permit an autopsy, it would have been impossible to prove since Richard also suffered from another type of cancer. The cancer in his spine, which caused his hospitalization, radical treatment, and subsequent death, had settled there from an unknown origin. The results of the autopsy permitted his colleague to submit a successful claim in my behalf for DIC.

Richard was an employee of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and he was its appointed representative to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA). His colleague and dear friend, Robert Rhodes was, and continues to serve, as the MOPH appointed representative to the Court of Veterans' Appeals.

I hope that this will be persuasive in convincing other wives of veterans of the benefits from having an autopsy performed, where there is reason to believe death resulted from a service connected illness. By the way, both my husband and I come from Fond du Lac, WI, where most of our family members continue to reside.

Sincerely,

Ines S. Kerch
1918 Storm Dr
Falls Church, VA 22043-1413

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May 18, 2000

From mid-January through early April of 1968, I was the commanding officer of a surgical team in Khe Sanh. We were known as Charlie Med and occupied a small piece of red clay in the middle of the base just next to the airstrip. Over the years, very little has been written about Charlie Med. There were three other physicians with me, Ed Feldman, Joe Wolfe, and Donald J. Magilligan, Jr., who amazingly was listed on page five of your Spring issue in the Remembrances section. Unfortunately, the individual who submitted his name preferred to remain anonymous. There were also twenty-six corpsmen assigned to Charlie Med. During the siege, we all lived under nearly constant incoming barrages of artillery and mortar fire. One of the most difficult aspects of providing care for the Marine casualties during that siege was the need to move the wounded, after they had been stabilized and treated from the Charlie Med bunkers out to the helipad where they could be medivaced. The helicopters were always magnets for additional incoming and many of the corpsman and physicians who were wounded at Charlie Med sustained their wounds while loading and unloading choppers.

On page twelve of your Spring issue, there is a remarkable (to me) article about PFC Spicer written by Earl Clark. Jonathon Spicer was indeed a conscientious objector and was indeed assigned to me at Charlie Med. He was a very brave young man and as Earl Clark points out, he was severely wounded while moving wounded Marines to a helicopter. The corpsmen brought him back into our bunker and Don Magilligan ( the same Donald J. Magilligan, Jr. mentioned on page five of your Spring issue) and I operated on Private Jonathon Spicer, repaired the hole in his heart, stabilized him and put him on the next available helicopter out of Khe Sanh. I never knew what happened to him until I saw his name on the Vietnam wall a few years ago. I was fascinated to learn from Earl Clark's article that he apparently made it to Japan but died of an infection. I do not have any verification of this but like Earl Clark, I am deeply saddened to learn that information.

PFC Jonathon Spicer was very special to all of us at Charlie Med. Even though he refused to bear arms, he was nonetheless a true hero. He constantly ran out under enemy fire to move Marine casualties with no regard whatsoever for his own personal safety. When he took a piece of shrapnel in the heart, it seemed for a little while as though all of us had been wounded. Don Magilligan and I were overjoyed when we were able to repair that heart wound and send him on his way and prayed fervently that he would survive. It was not to be.

After leaving Vietnam in September of 1968, I spent approximately thirty "quiet" years practicing surgery in the greater Philadelphia area. Aside from a close personal friendship with Ed Feldman, it seemed that there was very little other discussion about Vietnam or Khe Sanh in particular. About a year ago, things began to change. I discovered that LaSalle University here in Philadelphia has a very special Vietnam collection, which contains many volumes of poetry, books, movies, scripts and artwork all describing personal recollections of Vietnam. it is a fascinating collection, which I recommend to anyone who can get to see it.

I also became aware of the fact that there were three or four men in my age group who work in my health system who were all Vietnam vets and we now get together three or four times a year to have a beer and reminisce.

LaSalle University actually has a senior honors course devoted to discussions of Vietnam and I have been privileged to sit in on a small portion of that. It amazes me how senior college students who average about twenty-one years of age are so vitally interested in what happened in that tiny country thirty years ago. I believe that the process of vindication for all of our Vietnam veterans is happening as we speak.

The appearance of the remembrance of Don Magilligan and the article by Earl Clark on PFC Jonathon Spicer in the same issue of the Khe Sanh Veterans' Red Clay has evoked an energy that I think has been dormant for many, many years. I have started writing the history of Charlie Med in Khe Sanh. I know nothing of military strategy and less about combat statistics. I do know that the physicians and surgeons of Charlie Med cared for nearly three thousand casualties during that siege. I think it is time that their story is told.

Dear Editor,

In June 2000, Sons and Daughters In Touch celebrated its 10th anniversary as the nation's first organization formed to locate, unite and assist the children of fallen American servicemen. In the 1960s and 70s, an estimated 20,000 children lost their fathers in the Vietnam War. Today, SDIT has grown to have active members in every state, it reaches new members every day, it has an all-volunteer staff, and it has forged a lasting emotional bond with America's Veterans.

In 1990, SDIT was formed by the grown-children of two American servicemen lost in the war in Southeast Asia. In uniting these sons and daughters, SDIT was committed to honoring the legacies of their fathers; teaching the public about the true cost of war and providing educational assistance to its members. SDIT has given the United States a shining example of the resilience that this generation of young Americans offers.

SDIT celebrated its 10th anniversary by holding a four-day National Father's Day convention in Washington, DC. More than 1000 sons and daughters attended, along with an equal number of supportive military veterans. Throughout the weekend, themes of honor, respect, education and optimism were spread among attendees. In keeping with tradition, the convention culminated with the highly visible SDIT Father's Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Capitol Mall. Should you have questions please me at 858-271-6312. Your time, attention and consideration are greatly appreciated.

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I was contacted by Paul Knight a few months ago before he made his return trip with fellow Marines to Khe Sanh. I finally met him and the others at their hotel lobby in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) during July. Paul asked me if I could write up a short introduction about what I've been doing over here.

Like some of you, I started having a strong desire to return to Vietnam and stand on the same ground where the war existed many years ago (I was a Seabee). I came back over two years ago and after I updated some of my personal memories and sorted things out as best I could, I decided I wanted to do something for the kids in need over here. After a lot of thinking, planning, and effort SEACAP (S.E. Asian Children's Assistance Project) was born. SEACAP was registered in the State of Washington as a nonprofit corporation in April, 1999. We are also an IRS, tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) organization. If any of you have access to the Internet you can view our website at www. seacap.org

I spend most of my time here in Vietnam with a few folks holding down the fort back in Ellensburg, WA. We have several Vietnamese volunteers helping out here; I couldn't do it without their big-hearted assistance.

Our main project is near Can Gio, just across the bay, to the west from Vung Tau. We are taking care of all the basic needs of over 65 poor kids there, over 20 are orphans. These kids come from very poor and isolated homes out in the mangrove swamps in this tidal marsh area. The kids spend weeks at a time at the shelter because it is too difficult and time consuming to get them home on a regular basis. We've been helping these kids since September, 1999. They are very respectful and actually bow to older visitors (you would be hard-pressed to find that in the U.S.). They're good kids and we are doing our best to give them a helping hand to succeed in life.

They all work together like a big family, several are brothers and sisters from the same family. Because they spend so much time together-even if they are not related--they tend to teach and help the younger ones whenever there's a need.

We have several other projects going. If any of you would like to help us out financially or if you are coming back to Vietnam for your first time, here is the contact information:

Contributions can be sent to:
SEACAP
503 N. Sampson Street
Ellensburg, WA 98926
www.seacap.org

Mailing address in Vietnam:

Dennis Koselke, president
68/14 Huynh Thuc Khang St.
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam

Vietnam Coordinator
Lam Hoang Thi Oanh,
Same office address as above
E-mail [email protected]

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Sometimes we can make a very big difference in someone's life for a small amount of money. Here's Oanh's report:

Thanh (our volunteer SEACAP Project Manager) and her group of volunteer university students have started a new project to assist older children, 14 years and above, with vocational training and other supplemental needs. The volunteers (some with a solid background of social work) will approach street children in the evenings with advice and assistance. These young people will be given directions to first-aid stations, flee hospital care, contacts for safe shelter and protection when needed and many other basic needs. The primary goal is to find young people who are genuinely striving for a better life and

are stuck in a cycle of poverty and sometimes a dangerous life on the street.

After years of social work and teaching experience, Ms.Thanh is very good at interviewing these young people to determine their most important and pressing needs, and their particular circumstances (how they came to be in a difficult situation). Thanh is also skilled at understanding the attitude and intent of the young person in need and their determination to work for a better life, and follows up on their progress.

Here is an example of how this program works. Two sisters, aged 14 and 17 were struggling to go to school and also work part-time. They had virtually nothing. They were selling lottery tickets on the streets (a very common practice here to make a little money, it is considered respectable compared to some alternatives). They had no transportation in this city of millions. One of the girls said "she did not even dare to dream of a bicycle." When Thanh was able to present them with a new bicycle she must have looked like an angel as she handed the "miracle gift" to them. The poor girls were shaken by emotion when they first touched the bicycle. And you know how much it cost SEACAP? About US$22.

We will keep track of their school records and as they make progress we will be helping them more, especially for this coming school year-starting in September. SEACAP will not cover full expenses, they will have to work to earn their way--but we will cover what they cannot afford. It is our policy to help the young people to achieve independence without them knowing too much about our "safety net" in the background.

Others are being helped by this new project; the two sisters are only the beginning. Ms. Thanh has also assisted a young lady in a similar situation with a good, used sewing machine that allows the girl to earn extra money by doing part-time sewing and tailoring work. Additionally, Ms. Thanh has found a very inexpensive room for five young men (older boys) all about 17 years old (the older kids about 14 years old and up tend to "fall through the cracks" of the charitable support systems, because they are no longer cute little kids and are transitioning into adulthood.) These five teenagers are working hard with their studies and vocational training. They are close to making it on their own, but they had need of a safe place to live. The room costs 300,000 VN Dong, about US$22 per month. They sleep on mats on the floor, cook in their room, and share bathroom facilities with a few other families. But they are safe and are progressing toward living independently and becoming contributors to their society. More about them later.

Many of you are aware of little Thao's story. During October of last year, about ten months ago, he was found near Can Gio close to death and had lost both his parents. Ms.Thanh and Ms. Oanh intervened and brought him up to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Since that time he had had several ups and downs in his short life. He was placed in a government boarding school and had recurring severe health problems. I will only say that it was extremely difficult for him and many days he would have preferred not to live any longer.

I am happy to report that he has been out of that "school" thanks to the diligent efforts of Ms. Thanh and others. He is living with his new foster family, Mr. Xe and Mrs. Nam. They have one child of their own, a daughter, and are proving to be just what Thao needed. They love him, have nursed him back to health and Mrs. Nam's renowned cooking is putting some weight on his young bones. I saw him a few days ago at their little home. You can see life in his face now, a little sparkle in his eyes, and a shy smile. In the recent past--during his severe ordeal of losing both parents, and nearly dying on more than one occasion--he had a "thousand-mile stare." He had a blank, hopeless, and lifeless look, as if he were just waiting to die and be released from the emotional and physical pain of life. NOW he is alive and thriving! What a change! His hair is even beginning to grow out and his skin disease is nearly cleared up. He is making excellent progress with the love and care of his new family. A BIG THANKS to all of you who have shown an interest in this boy's life and progress.

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Joseph Olszewski,

Being a below-the-knee amputee is generally not a serious mobility problem. I've written previous articles about playing handball, running 10Ks and going on hikes. However, there's one sport where being a leg amputee is a problem, swimming. While you can have a prosthesis with a fin attachment made for swimming, they are expensive (typical below-the knee prosthesis will cost between $2,500 to $5,000) and I don't believe Uncle Sam will pay for one for veterans. When you swim without a prosthesis and with just your stump, it's similar to rowing a boat with one oar and not switching the oar to either side of the boat. In other words, you start to drift to the side of the amputation. In my case, me left foot was amputated and, therefore, as I swim I start drifting to my left. In open water this is not a major problem. Where it is a problem is in swimming pools, particularly those you find in health clubs with those floating lane dividers. When I swim in one of those I can never make it from one end of the pool to the other without hitting one of those dividers or turning over and swimming on my back to compensate for the drift. It's a great sight for bystanders to see me flipping from my stomach to my back and zigzagging my way through a swimming lane. Once in Hawaii, I swam the Maui surf late at night so nobody would see me taking off my prosthesis and jumping into the surf. The problem with swimming in Hawaii is that the surf and undercurrents are so strong that it's difficult to stay in open water. The surf just tosses you back on the beach and, in my case, it's hard to stand up on one leg and get out of the water. The few times I've tried this I had my wife holding my prosthesis and running up and down the beach to meet me when I run out of water to swim in. This is another great scene to watch and I'm telling you only a great wife like mine would put up with this.

Joseph Olszewski
Golf, 2/26 Third Platoon Commander

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The Cedar Point Foundation was established for the funding and provision of medical, educational and other humanitarian assistance to the Bru Montagnard tribesmen of Vietnam.

Our objectives are to provide medical assistance, agricultural aid and improvements on educational facilities and opportunities to improve their quality of life.

The Cedar Point Foundation raises funds by various means including grants, foundation and individual support and periodic fund-raising activities.

Donations can be sent to:
Cedar Point Foundation
2 Cedar Point Rd.
Durham, New Hampshire 03824

The Cedar Point Foundation continues to provide the Bru with assistance as we have in the past; improving water production, increasing farming efficiency, expanding educational programs and continuing to work with the Huong Hoa Health Center.

In January, I contacted by email a Vietnamese man named Doan Quang Hien, who lived in Saigon and had contacts with the security police. It was at this time that he suggested that we send him and his friend, Nguyen Van Hoai, whose father was connected with the Quang Tri Province government, up to Dong Ha during the Tet holiday to present some gifts and make clear our plans for our upcoming trip. Hien emailed me an itinerary which we approved and he was given the go ahead to begin negotiations on our plans.

Within a month I had received my visa approval number and a tentative okay to prepare to make the trip. Reservations were made on Korean Airlines and letters were sent out to members on our mailing list requesting donations. One week before we departed, Cedar Point sent me a check for $6,000 USD. This was the usable amount that we had collected since trip number 8 in 1999.

David "Bulldog" Smith and I departed JFK International Airport, New York, New York on 14 March 2000 aboard Korean Airlines to Seoul, Korea. The Boeing 747-400 was only half full so we had 3 seats each to stretch out on for the long 16-hour flight. In Seoul there was a 2-hour layover before our flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. This leg of the journey was on an Airbus A320, which took a little over 5 hours.

We arrived at Saigon's Tan San Nhut Airport at 11:45 PM. Over the past few years the Vietnamese have been continuing to improve this airport. On this trip the big change was that there are now jetways to serve the international flights. Gone are the days of deplaning the aircraft, getting on buses and then getting off the bus after a one minute trip. The terminal building is now air-conditioned and there is a new security checkpoint that will be opening shortly. Our friend Nguyen Van Loi met us outside the terminal building and we were soon on our way to Mogambo's, a mini hotel operated by Lani and Mike Ahlmark, at 20 Thi Sach, in District On the 20 th of March David "Bulldog" Smith and I flew on Vietnam Airlines from Saigon to the Hue/Phu Bai airport. Our Fokker 70 was one of two owned and operated by the airlines. The twin-engine jet aircraft was full for the flight, which lasted one hour and twenty minutes. We were met at the terminal entrance by Doan Kim Cuong, who was to be our driver for the next six days. In Saigon we had called Hue and contracted to rent a van from the same company that we used last year, ATC. From the airport at Phu Bai we drove past the old FOB-1 compound and drove to Dong Ha in Quang Tri Province. The trip took two and a half hours traveling up Highway One. We departed Dong Ha early in the morning and headed west on Highway 9. Construction on the new and improved road is completed on the Eastern part of the road. From Dong Ha to Cam Lo the road is almost 4 lanes wide. From Cam Lo to Khe Sanh the road narrows to 2 lanes. Shoulder work is still being improved however all the bridges and curve straightening has been completed. The stretch from Khe Sanh to Lang Vei has not been worked on lately. The rest of the road from Lang Vei to the border post of Lao Bao was unobserved, as the area is closed to foreigners.

We arrived in Khe Sanh approximately 12 noon on Tuesday, March 21, 2000 from Dong Ha. A construction boom was continuing with new buildings going up throughout the town. A very large cultural building had just been completed and a new district headquarters building was in the middle of being constructed. Most if not all of the work were government buildings.

There is only one place to stay over night in Khe Sanh now and that is the government guesthouse that has been there since our earliest trip in 1992. There are nine rooms that have ceiling fans. The rooms are small but adequate. After checking in, Hien called the People's Committee for Huong Hoa District to set up a meeting for us. We were asked to come over to the office where we met with Secretary Thanh of the People's Committee for Huong Hoa District (Khe Sanh). We outlined our proposal after which he agreed to set up a meeting on Wednesday with the People's Committee of Huong Hoa's Vice Chairman, Nguyen Thi Ninh.

Wednesday's 9 AM meeting was attended by Nguyen Thi Ninh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Huong Hoa; Vo Thanh, Deputy Chief of Office of the People's Committee; Phan Trong Dai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee for Tan Lien village; Ho Vi, Assistant Leader for the Bru community of Thon Cheng. In addition, Doan Quang Hien, Coordinator for this trip, Nguyen Van Hoai, son of influential government official in Quang Tri Province; Nguyen Van Loi, volunteer assistant; David "Bulldog" Smith and Bob Donoghue.

Presented during this meeting was our proposal to provide the following financial assistance to the Bru community of Thon Cheng and the Huong Hoa Health Center: $1,000 USD for coffee tree seedlings; $1,000 USD for hospital equipment (10 blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, and a microscope); $3,000 USD for house repairs Thon Cheng; $350 USD for school equipment; $60 USD for volleyball equipment and 10 uniforms; $25 USD for school supplies (paper, pens).

Madam Chairman Ninh accepted our assistance. We also presented two sets of blood pressure cuffs designed especially for children along with a stethoscope with each kit. We discussed getting approval and how best to carry out these trips.

During our discussion for continuing our assistance to the Bru, Madam Chairman Ninh stated that there were 14 Bru communities within Huong Hoa District and that they all were in need of various types of assistance. She also felt that if only we assisted Thon Cheng there would develop bad feelings within the different communities, as their standard of living would rise while others stayed stagnant. We agreed with her and pointed out that we were trying hard to increase our fund raising efforts and that with the Committee's guidance we would gladly help any community that need our help. We also pointed out that if the district gives us a "Request for Assistance" that it would help with obtaining visas and getting supplies and equipment through customs. She agreed to work with the province in trying to obtain that document for us. Xa Lun

In the Bru community of Thon Cheng lives Ho Xa Lun. She is the 16-year-old daughter of Ho Tu, who was my interpreter/squad leader at Khe Sanh in 1968. It was during our 1996 trip that it was brought to our attention that she was having medical problems. She was complaining of dizziness, headaches, and ear problems. Robert Shippen and Bruce Johnston, both ex-Special Forces medics, examined her in '96 but without proper equipment they could not make a proper diagnosis. Now, four years later she is still having the same problems. Last year after only a few months of being married her husband returned her to her family because he didn't want a sick wife on his hands. This brought dishonor to their family. To have her properly examined she needs to travel to Hue where there is a large hospital with all the necessary equipment to examine her. The cost for her and her father to travel by bus to Hue stay in Hue for a week, and the week long stay at the hospital while they conduct all the tests is expected to cost up to $1,000 USD. It has been decided to fund this with leftover money from trip number 8 and hope that we can put some closure to the episode.

During a lull in our meetings with the government officials we decided to visit the old site of the Special Forces camp at Lang Vei (A-101). On the South side of Highway 9, about 5 kilometers from Khe Sanh, The Vietnamese have recently added a small monument there that has a PT-76 tank located on the top. Most of the site is now covered with banana trees. While taking pictures of the tank, three Bru children approached us on their bicycles. They told us that they lived in the Bru community of Lang Vei and that their families were living there in 1968, relocated to Cua valley (Mai Loc) by Special Forces during the siege, and then resettled back to Lang Vei after the war. This is one of the 14 communities that we have been asked to help.

The old Khe Sanh Combat Base has had a few changes since we last visited there. A new monument has replaced the frequently vandalized old one. A small building now houses a little museum, which has pictures on the walls and two small piles of weapons on the floor. Outside there are several beat up pieces of military equipment. An M-48 tank, 155 MM howitzer and the propeller from a C-130.

Cedar Point Foundation was contacted by Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Dennis Thompson, (1968 Lang Vei) POW 61 months, to see if we would be able to assist him in his desire to return to Lang Vei and visit the POW sites where he was held.. Charles Berg contacted Jim Hetrick (MSG-SOG OP 35&34) (1966 to 1972) for his return visit to Khe Sanh also.

CSM Thompson was returned to US Army control with the other POWs and after the necessary medical processing set about to restart his military career. He attended college to get his degree and then went back into the military school system to "catch up" and after all the standard schools, attended US Army Ranger School and was the first former POW to attend and complete the school. After his completion and attendance at the Sergeant Majors Academy he was assigned to 2nd BN, 75th Ranger Regiment and became 1st SGT HHC, then, CSM before retiring. Dennis spent many long nights on the email discussing his return trip with both Charles Berg and Jim Hetrick.

The trip started in Saigon and went to Hanoi and visited the "Hanoi Hilton" and the "Plantation" and a full day trip to locate the camp at Dao Tru (Farnsworth) (D-'I). The lodging arrangements were made via a friend in California and they stayed at the Hanoi Towers ($350.00 per night) and it was like a bit of America. Incidentally, the luxury facilities are located on the old grounds of the "Hanoi Hilton" and a bit of the old POW compound remains as a museum. Dennis Thompson and Jim Hetrick were clearly grateful, for the assistance of Cedar Point Foundation for the logistical coordination.

Everyone returned to the village of Khe Sanh and Lang Vei for the emotional returning to the site of his point of capture by CSM Thompson. Jim Hetrick's last trip to Khe Sanh was in 1968 and everyone was amazed at the physical, social and cultural changes in the area. Charles Berg reported that the return trip was as fulfilling as the initial trip with Cedar Point Foundation, and felt that this was a unique opportunity for CPF to provide assistance to a fellow warrior that experienced the trauma of Khe Sanh and Lang Vei.

We rose early on Friday and packed our bags and loaded the van in preparation for our departure from Khe Sanh. In the Guest House office we paid our lodging bill and our passports were returned to us. At 08:00AM we arrived at the People's Committee building to inform them that we were leaving and to leave word with Madam Chairman Ninh that we would call her from Saigon referencing our contract paperwork. Our last stop before heading down Highway 9 was to say goodbye to Miss Mai, the lady that had lost her legs in 1968. We gave her $100 and told her to continue to help the Bru who stop at her shop but might be a little short of cash. She promised to provide assistance this she can and to write Loi in Saigon regularly to keep him informed. With that task done we all got in the van and headed east, to Dong Ha. We arrived in Dong Ha about an hour and a half after leaving Khe Sanh. After we dropped Hoai off at his parent's house, the driver gassed up the van for our 2-hour plus drive to the Imperial City of Hue.

Immediately upon returning to Saigon we set up a meeting with PACCOM and also contacted the US Embassy to inform them of our progress. Charles Ray, the Consul General in Saigon was out of the country so we emailed a report to Hanoi and agreed to send copies of the trip report to those whom we are in contact with.

On Monday afternoon we had a meeting with the People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM). Their Project Coordinator at the Saigon office is Mai Phuc Tien. Tien had accompanied us on our 1998 trip to Khe Sanh to inspect our projects and assist in obtaining NGO status.

The next day we meet with Hien again to outline our goals for the next trip and to try and clear up some of the barriers that we kept running into with the security police. In addition we had a critique of the trip and reviewed every detail to see where we could improve our performance for later trips.

The final task that had to be done before leaving Vietnam was to deliver a package to a family in Nha Trang, whose son lives in Springfield, Massachusetts. In addition, since Dennis Thompson, Jim Hetrick and Charles Berg would be returning to Nha Trang from their trip to Kontum, we all decided to meet again. Loi and I took Vietnam Airlines, on the afternoon of Thursday, March 30th. The ATR 72 turboprop was one of 6 owned by the airline. The flight from Saigon to Nha Trang took about an hour. After landing and collecting our bags we headed over to the Sailing Club at 72-74 Tran Phu where we met with Charles and the others.

On Sunday afternoon, David "Bulldog" Smith, Charles Berg, and I decided that we would spend the afternoon in Charles' hotel room at the Saigon Hotel working on part of this trip report. During this work period there was a knock on the door, which Charles answered. It was the maid that was assigned to Charley's room. She was frantic as she tried to explain in broken English and Vietnamese that she had lost some of Charley's laundry. She explained that she had searched the entire floor of the hotel and the laundry room looking for the lost clothing items. She continued to explain that she had lost or misplaced one of Charley's socks. It was at this time that Charles explained that since he only has one leg that he would only have one sock. The maid looked down at Charley's leg and then a sign of relief swept across her face. David and I were laughing so hard we had to sit down.

This trip was a lot more rewarding than last year's. For one, the Vietnamese government, especially in Khe Sanh, seemed a lot more appreciative of our assistance. That made it easier to sit through numerous meetings and lengthy negotiations. Being able to assist Dennis Thompson and Jim Hetrick return to Vietnam for the first time since the war and to share their adventurous experience with them was priceless.

Cedar Point's Vietnamese contacts are continuing to work with the People's Committee of Huong Hoa District and Quang Tri Province to get a 3 year contract signed that would allow us easier access into the 14 Bru communities and government approval to continue with our projects. Fund raising for this phase has already begun. In addition, Cedar Point has put into place a plan to obtain a large shipping container that will be filled with medical equipment and supplies in Detroit and shipped from the West Coast to Da Nang harbor in Vietnam. The oceangoing transportation is being paid for by an NGO in Hanoi called Counterparts.

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