Go back to Nam
With Memorial Day’s arrival I wanted to send a letter to my Vietnam Veteran brothers. It’s been 50 years since our service, but for many the memories of those days remain clear. That’s why in 2006 my friend, Felix, and I decided to join a group of vets who returned. MilSpec. Tours saw to it that each man was returned to a site of their choosing. For me it was An Khe, home of the 1st Cav. Division.
In 2008, we again returned to Vietnam. We started our visit in Hanoi, continued to Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Saigon. It was a great adventure, and we found this Vietnam to be a beautiful country. We were always well received and many of the young Vietnamese would gather around us and ask us questions about the war. It was a wonderful, healing experience.
In 2012, my wife agreed to a Southeast Asia cruise so I had a chance to share with her this land that I once feared and hated. You to can go back. It’s OK for you to find that old battle site and maybe shed a tear.
Kent Manchester, Clovis
This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Go back to Nam."