I am so tickled to hear stories like this.

When I was young, and we were stationed in Subic, they brought a lot of the refugees through Grande island to process them before taking them to the states. Even though they were just following orders, the treatment of the refugees was quite rough - they weren't allowed to bring any jewelry or anything like that with them. We saw one marine dump the ashes belonging to the parents of a young lady while searching for anything that they weren't allowed to take stateside.

So I am just so glad to hear stories like this one. :)

I can't even imagine having to flee your country.

Having to learn a new language and be surrounded by people that don't look like you or appreciate those that do.

Running from the place you grew up, where everybody knew your name, and where you felt connected to everything from the flora to the fragrance.

Reading about people that not only survived but flourished under these conditions is both heartwarming and sobering.

Hold on, I've got something to say, but it just got dusty in here, just a sec...

Wow. Great story.

"I'm proud to be an American, but I'm also very proud of my Vietnamese heritage"

And we are proud of you.

Dancin_In_Anson: Wow. Great story.

"I'm proud to be an American, but I'm also very proud of my Vietnamese heritage"

And we are proud of you.

And we actually live in a place where this can and does happen. I poop on America from time to time, but it is still a remarkable experiment in human history that a child of war can come home in peace on a warship and be welcomed. We've got our problems these days, but things such as this give me hope for a better tomorrow.

Ennuipoet: And we actually live in a place where this can and does happen.

I grew up in Houston and witnessed the influx of Vietnamese "boat people" first hand. They expected little in the way of handouts and went out of their way to become productive members of their new home's society.

Dancin_In_Anson:
I grew up in Houston and witnessed the influx of Vietnamese "boat people" first hand. They expected little in the way of handouts and went out of their way to become productive members of their new home's society.

Same here. Lots of refugees in Sunnyslope (a Phoenix suburb) in the mid 70's. One of my best friends in grade school was Vu Tran, born in 1968. His family made it out on a rickety boat and were also rescued. I distinctly recall even as a kid wondering what it must have been like to go through that. We're worried about making the softball team, or what we're getting for Christmas, he's spending a week and a half at sea constantly bailing out water with a rusty bucket.

He was lucky because his dad did some work at the US embassy, and taught all his kids english early on (maybe he thought the US would win or something, don't know). But Vu spoke pretty good english and picked up more quickly, and that really helped him.

I always had a hell of a lot of respect for people like him and his family. And a lot of love for the US as a result. This was the Promised Land to them, and they helped me see it for what it is. Learn well, work hard and you can be whatever you want to be.

Oh no! Not only have the Muslims infiltrated the Army, Communists have infiltrated the Navy.

And his dick grew ten sizes big.. LOL..ya know like the Grinch but different..

"I'm proud to be an American, but I'm also very proud of my Vietnamese heritage," said Le, who spoke a few halting words in Vietnamese."


Quite a difference from the Illegals here and even the Legals who still speak fluent Spanish, but halting English.


/Take notice, learn English and you too can get your Degree, join the navy and Rule the seas...

Man, not everything has a connection to Vietnam, man!

limeyfellow: Oh no! Not only have the Muslims infiltrated the Army, Communists have infiltrated the Navy.

I would take a Communist over a Mooslim any day.

/Communists are atheists.
//No religious bullshiat to fight about.

"Boy who left Vietnam as a 5-year-old refugee crammed onto a fishing trawler returns 34 years later with his own boat. FARK: As the commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer"
..AND HE IS LOOKING FOR PAYBACK!!!

-A new movie from steven segal.

hero tag should have been deployed.

Well, not a /literal/ connection, Dude...

try fect taa daa: hero tag should have been deployed.

Came here to say that

/35 seconds too late

Dancin_In_Anson: Ennuipoet: And we actually live in a place where this can and does happen.

I grew up in Houston and witnessed the influx of Vietnamese "boat people" first hand. They expected little in the way of handouts and went out of their way to become productive members of their new home's society.

And thirty years later a group of American "refugees" came to Houston and took much, demanded more, and were responsible for a crime wave.

"To what avail
Through strifes and storms,
Athwart the Sea that bellows and booms
In the ear
With the threatening of dire dooms,
Strove I once alone
In the starless vast of the night of fear"

- 'The Quest of Merlin' by Richard Hovey (1891)

Freakin' overachieving immigrants are always making us natives look like slackers.

I think the cool tag is more appopriate than the unlikely tag subby...
Good job commander. You make this nation proud and you certainly did your Vietnamese heritage proud!


..Now if only the mehikanos can assimilate like this gook did we will not have immigration problems at all!
ok just kidding!!

Unlikely tag?

Change to , please.

This type of success story reinforces the pride I feel for my country.
Yes I am biased, 20 years active duty USN.

backseatdriver: I can't even imagine having to flee your country.

Having to learn a new language and be surrounded by people that don't look like you or appreciate those that do.

Running from the place you grew up, where everybody knew your name, and where you felt connected to everything from the flora to the fragrance.

Reading about people that not only survived but flourished under these conditions is both heartwarming and sobering.

My family sort of did that. We didn't cram ourselves on a fishing boat or anything though. We took a jet to America and legally immigrated. And we didn't need to learn a new language. We were kind of in a tough spot being in Irish nationals in Belfast. Either we could stay in Northern Ireland and be harassed everyday, or we could move back to The Republic of Ireland where my uncles said we were not welcome as we were considered traitors, or we could go with option C.

He's looking for a custom made suit and one of those biatchin' plaques with all the cool mini-knives mounted on it...

/or was that the Philippines...

Farkin'round: limeyfellow: Oh no! Not only have the Muslims infiltrated the Army, Communists have infiltrated the Navy.

I would take a Communist over a Mooslim any day.

/Communists are atheists.
//No religious bullshiat to fight about.

Accepting communists over muslims? You may be a communist (new window)!.

try fect taa daa: hero tag should have been deployed.

What did he do that was heroic? Did he put his life on the line while navigating treacherous waters and save babies on the trip to Viet Nam or something?

orat-on-a-stick: Quite a difference from the Illegals here and even the Legals who still speak fluent Spanish, but halting English.

To be fair, he started learning English when he was 5. Learning a new language when you're an adult is much more difficult due to how your brain is less open to new information.

Cool story

relcec: And thirty years later a group of American "refugees" came to Houston and took much, demanded more, and were responsible for a crime wave.



/the same thing in Atlanta.

Unknown_Poltroon: "Boy who left Vietnam as a 5-year-old refugee crammed onto a fishing trawler returns 34 years later with his own boat. FARK: As the commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer"
..AND HE IS LOOKING FOR PAYBACK!!!

-A new movie from steven segal.

+1

orat-on-a-stick: "I'm proud to be an American, but I'm also very proud of my Vietnamese heritage," said Le, who spoke a few halting words in Vietnamese."


Quite a difference from the Illegals here and even the Legals who still speak fluent Spanish, but halting English.


/Take notice, learn English and you too can get your Degree, join the navy and Rule the seas...

Way to be a douchebag in a relatively harmonious thread.

/"If only thems spanish would learn to talk good Amurican..."

Out of curiosity, did subby just pick a random tag?
or is unlikely the default.

/I mean. It did happen.

his name isn't Nguyen?

most strange.

Why the Unlikely tag? A Cool or Spiffy tag would have been appropriate.

We are not a perfect country by any means, but this is America at its best. This man can hold his head up high anywhere in the world, and be proud of his native and adopted countries....and they can be proud of him.

Inspiring story. Thank you subby.

Farkin'round: limeyfellow: Oh no! Not only have the Muslims infiltrated the Army, Communists have infiltrated the Navy.

I would take a Communist over a Mooslim any day.

/Communists are atheists.
//No religious bullshiat to fight about.

commies have religion. their deity is the state. lots of people have died in the name of not-god in china and the soviet union. of course, you're correct in that it wasn't much of a fight as it was a slaughter. athiests aren't as high and mighty as they would have us believe.

backseatdriver: Having to learn a new language and be surrounded by people that don't look like you or appreciate those that do.

Sounds like my freshman year.

I think an Awesome tag would be appropriate here.

jonnypeh: his name isn't Nguyen?

most strange.

Or Tran, or Pham. Le is pretty common though.

i work with a woman who has a similar escape story. it took her family several years before they were all reunited here. while she has accomplished a lot given where she started from she doesn't command a naval ship :)

in the mid 60s i worked with an Italian and a German who were turned out of the POW camp in Georgia after WWll. how they got to southern california and ended up owning a couple of apartment buildings says a lot for their drive. and the opportunities people have here if they are willing to work.

PeppaJack: orat-on-a-stick: "I'm proud to be an American, but I'm also very proud of my Vietnamese heritage," said Le, who spoke a few halting words in Vietnamese."


Quite a difference from the Illegals here and even the Legals who still speak fluent Spanish, but halting English.


/Take notice, learn English and you too can get your Degree, join the navy and Rule the seas...

Way to be a douchebag in a relatively harmonious thread.

/"If only thems spanish would learn to talk good Amurican..."

I don't see the douchbagginess in the comment you quoted. If you moved to Mexico, or Sweden, or Japan, wouldn't you make an effort to learn the language? Especially if fluency had a direct effect on what kind of education or work you could get?

What is so awful about expecting people to be fully conversant in the language of the country in which they're living? Especially if they come to that country looking for a better life?

. Thirty-four years later, he made an unlikely homecoming - as the commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer.

GOD DANANG

What a story.

Nogale: I don't see the douchbagginess in the comment you quoted. If you moved to Mexico, or Sweden, or Japan, wouldn't you make an effort to learn the language? Especially if fluency had a direct effect on what kind of education or work you could get?

What is so awful about expecting people to be fully conversant in the language of the country in which they're living? Especially if they come to that country looking for a better life?

I think the comment comes from some people that simply will not only will not help you, but actively seek to harm you, because you speak a different language/look different/etc.

flogging_malarky: Farkin'round: limeyfellow: Oh no! Not only have the Muslims infiltrated the Army, Communists have infiltrated the Navy.

I would take a Communist over a Mooslim any day.

/Communists are atheists.
//No religious bullshiat to fight about.

commies have religion. their deity is the state. lots of people have died in the name of not-god in china and the soviet union. of course, you're correct in that it wasn't much of a fight as it was a slaughter. athiests aren't as high and mighty as they would have us believe.

You do realize that religion is freely practised in Communist countries such as Vietnam, China, and Cuba.

/not sure about NK
//in China's case, Fa Long Gong the Scientology of China. Just a bullshiat cult all together

Very cool story.

Nogale: What is so awful about expecting people to be fully conversant in the language of the country in which they're living?

Fallout Boy: flogging_malarky: Farkin'round: limeyfellow: Oh no! Not only have the Muslims infiltrated the Army, Communists have infiltrated the Navy.

I would take a Communist over a Mooslim any day.

/Communists are atheists.
//No religious bullshiat to fight about.

commies have religion. their deity is the state. lots of people have died in the name of not-god in china and the soviet union. of course, you're correct in that it wasn't much of a fight as it was a slaughter. athiests aren't as high and mighty as they would have us believe.

You do realize that religion is [relatively] freely practised in Communist countries such as Vietnam, China, and Cuba.

/not sure about NK
//in China's case, Fa Long Gong the Scientology of China. Just a bullshiat cult all together

FTFY

If I recall, the Chinese govt gets very 'uncomfortable' about religions, especially if they're weird. Christianity, for example.

Dancin_In_Anson: I grew up in Houston and witnessed the influx of Vietnamese "boat people" first hand. They expected little in the way of handouts and went out of their way to become productive members of their new home's society.

When the boat people first started to arrive on US soil my dad worked as an interpreter to help these folks get settled in. Oddly enough he was meeting with a family - a huge extended family - that settled in our town when he got this strange look on his face. Turns out the "grandfather" of the family he knew as he was stationed in their village as an advisor in the mid to late 50s.

It was funny that after 6 month in our town these folks had a place to live, started a business and were getting the hang of it. THey would accept help in form of assistance from interpreters (teaching them English, etc) but rarely financial. I remember Dad bringing over a 50# bag of rice one day and the guy getting mad because Dad said he wouldn't accept payment for it. We ended up hanging out until the guy prepared a meal for us...pho and something else.