Your feedback is welcome. Please send your comments through the email address below.

Our reply will be posted on this page. Thank you for your interest.

Comment received from Mr. Tommy “Nero” Sullivan

Mr. Hoi B. Tran,

Thank you for providing your website on the contributions of South Vietnamese military as well as the current Vietnamese-American contributions to the USA.

 
Greetings,

On May 1, 2010, a news article was released ''Vietnamese-American Army Captain Builds Military Base in Iraq'', highlighting the U.S. Asian Pacific American Heritage month of May Vietnamese-American U.S. Army Captain James Van Thach was awarded the Joint Service Achievement Medal for establishing a base called Combat Outpost Shocker in Iraq.

I would like to provide to you the article, so that you may use it in your newspaper, to provide the Vietnamese-American community of the contributions of a fellow Vietnamese-American.

News article: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/05/prweb3923274.htm

Respectfully,

Tommy "Nero" Sullivan
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Ventures International Promotions
VIP Promotions/NYC
718-894-3119 (Office)

Official Website: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/03/prweb358001.htm

Administrator’s reply

Thank you so much for your interest and for sending us the great news regarding Capt. James Van Thach achievement in Iraq. We are so proud to see the younger Vietnamese American generation showing their gratitude toward their adopted country by actively fulfilling the call of duty.

Comment received from Mick Stewart

I just discovered it today during lunch ... and while munching away on a salad, I literally spent the past three hours reading articles. 

Incredible.  WHAT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR to read about our comrades in the ARVN and how they sacrifice everything.

This past weekend I attended an ARVN Memorial Service in Houston, Texas. It was truly moving to see these now retired warriors in uniform, with their medals parading, saluting and singing the anthem of a nation that does not exist.

We would like to link you to our website if this is ok.

All the best.

Regards,

Mick Stewart

Allied Forces Cold War Association / AFCWA

WE SERVED IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM
-------------------------------
Michael W. "Mick" Stewart
AFCWA Post 1 Commander
ALLIED FORCES COLD WAR ASSOCIATION - AFCWA
AFCWA Address: 1230 Gardenia Drive * Houston TX 77018-4212
AFCWA Website: www.alliedcoldwarvets.com
AFCWA Forum: http://coldwarvets.proboards.com
AFCWA Email: alliedcoldwarveterans@yahoo.com

Administrator’s reply

Hello Mick,

It was truly great talking with you this afternoon.  Once again, thanks so much for your kind words regarding my Website, and especially, your understanding of what the government of the Republic of Viet Nam and the Republic of Viet Nam Armed Forces (RVNAF) had to suffer during and, even after the war came to a painful end.

Admittedly, the government of Viet Nam as well as the RVNAF was not perfect as we, like all other nations, had our share of corrupt officials and incompetent generals. However, by and large, we conscientiously and perseveringly tried to defend our way of life, our freedom and democracy for our people in the South only to succumb to complex global politics.

It has been over three decades since the war came to an end.  It was evident that the so-called liberators from the North had failed to bring what they had propagated,  Freedom – Democracy and Happiness, to the liberated in the South.  On the contrary, political, religious and media oppression went unopposed.  Economically, the so-called victors dragged both North and South Viet Nam to become the poorest nation on earth.  If we, the United States of America, did not lift the embargo in 1996, Viet Nam would not have become what it is today.  And with abundant foreign investments pouring in to revive Viet Nam dire economy, Hanoi’s Politburo and their Communist party members showed their true color.  Corruption went rampant from the top level throughout their system.  Illiterate peasants have become Red Capitalists.  It is unfortunate for the 85 million ill-fated Vietnamese inside Viet Nam.

I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for your free membership offer and, I must say, I am most honored to be a part of AFCWA.  But let me send my membership due to AFCWA like everyone else as we have operating expenses to run our operation.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend.

Best regards,

Hoi B. Tran

Comment received from Bill Morris

Hoi Ba Tran:

Yes, Hoi Ba Tran, politics dictated the outcome of the Vietnam war.  I salute YOU for providing the truth to young Vietnamese Americans born in America. I read your essay at your page entitled "To My Younger Generation: Grasp the Past to Pave the Future."  It is excellent. In addition, the photos are excellent too that you have linked from your page to:

http://members.fortunecity.com/billmorris1/billmorrisvietnamveteran/                
USAF Security Police Vietnam Veteran, 1969-1970
Phan Rang
Binh Thuy
Cam Ranh Bay

Administrator’s reply

Hi Bill,

Thank you for your kind compliment. I am honored and, you make my day Bill. I am particularly pleased knowing you had served in the USAF and were at Binh Thuy, Can Tho and also Cam Ranh. It is a small world Bill. In 1966, I was the VNAF 74^th Combat Group Commander at Binh Thuy until I was transferred to the 33^rd Tactical Wing in Tan Son Nhat, Saigon in early 1967. Pictures you posted on your site sure bring back lots of memories.

I agree with you time waits for no one. I came to America in May 1975 at the age of 40. After 28 consecutive years working to reconstruct my life, I retired in 2003 at the age of 68. Thirty-three years flashed by since I came here turning me into a 73-year old senior citizen. At this stage of my life, am thankful to have been blessed all along. I have no regret except one. And my only regret is we were not allowed to finish the job wiping out the communist in Viet Nam.

I feel pity for my compatriots inside Viet Nam. Over eighty millions of them are dragging their miserable lives under a despotic and corrupt regime of the so-called liberators from the north. Only the high-ranking members of the communist party (aka the Red Mafia of Viet Nam) benefited from the deal between the U.S. and Red China. Thanks to the U.S., they were victorious and the majority of them became billionaires or at least multi-millionaires in a relatively short time.

Once again, thanks Bill for your kind words. Take care and keep in touch.

All the best,

Hoi Ba Tran

Comment from Ed Cottrell

HELLO MR TRAN,

ED COTTRELL MISSION, TX 

Administrator’s reply

Dear Ed,

Thank you for yours of Thursday April 3, 2008. Here is the Link to access my essay posted on my site:

http://www.vietamericanvets.com/Page-Records-GraspPast.htm. If my stated goals suit your ideal or political aspiration, please spread the word.

Through this link, yesterday I ran into an USAF-SP who was also stationed at Binh Thuy, Can Tho in 1967.  I was also stationed at Binh Thuy in 1966 with VNAF 74^th Tactical Wing until early 1967. Small world my friend. I am glad knowing you had found your best friend Nguyen Van Chat in Texas. You two must have lots of wartime memories to reminisce at reunion.

You take care of yourself. Have a great day and a wonderful weekend and keep in touch Ed.

All the best,

Hoi B. Tran

Comment from an ARVN officer

Dear Editors,

I was very surprised when receiving the announcement about your magazine through my e-mail, especially its wonderful volume. After reading some of the articles, I felt very released and happy because the truth about the Fall of Saigon, somehow, had been justified again by several honorable witnesses. For so many years, I have been living in a nightmare of the Fall. Although I have read some books and saw some films about Vietnam War, I still have some feelings that the real war was ignored. Several V.I.P. try not to disclose the truth due to their personal interests in the war.

I was once the graduate of Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1968. My colleagues, if still serve the Army, would make at least Colonel, or General. Of course, many died in Vietnam. Now, I am a free-lance writer who writes social articles for several daily newspapers and magazines (in Vietnamese,) I had some books published. The newest one is "The Struggle" (You may view it on amazon.com (books, Tien Chu). This book is about a love story happened in the war time between an American Journalist and a Vietnamese Ranger Officer. This is based on a true story. I just like to contribute something to the Death of my friends who lost their lives for that war. Also, I would like to praise a wonderful American lady who devotes herself for her lover. If you had a chance, please read it and find something very truthful.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude, my admiration, and my deep thanks for all of your effort in establishing the magazine.

Sincerely,
Tien Chu

Administrator's reply

Dear Mr. Chu,

It sure was a great pleasure to have received a “Feedback” with nice compliments from a brother in arms.  Thank you so much for your interest in our website, your time spent reading the contents and, more importantly, thank you for sharing the same concerns.

We agree with you wholeheartedly that the Vietnam War and the collapse of the RVN were not honestly portrayed.  The biased media, the defeatist left and misguided writers, concertedly, not only distorted the truth about the war but also unjustly blamed the RVN as the sole cause for the failure. And that was one of the reasons that prompted us to launch this website on the Internet for those who fought on the battlefield to speak up so as to rectify distortions and unjust slandering.  Admittedly, our Armed Forces were far from perfect. Like any other country or military establishment, we did have some incompetent leaders and military commanders and some cowardly soldiers but was that a legitimate justification for generalization?

Fortunately, in recent years, many declassified materials as well as reputable authors, historians and research scholars have shed different light on the true account of the war. On the occasion of the 25^th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on Vietnam, Dr. Stephen J. Morris, a scholar and author, an historian, one of the first to have reviewed the Soviet and Bulgarian archives concluded his presentation as follows: "I think that, finally, it’s very clear that the North Vietnamese were not as resilient, not only as they projected themselves, but as many in our culture projected them. They were, in fact, riven by factionalism. They were fearful of the United States. And, in fact, at a certain point, willing to compromise, at least on the methods that they were going to use to pursue their goals, if not on their ultimate objective. And, unfortunately, I can say, the greatest regret I have in making this speech is that I was not able to present this information to Dr. Kissinger in September of 1972. Thank you."

Late last year, former Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird wrote an article in Foreign Affairs titled “Iraq: Learning the Lessons from Vietnam”. In this article, he asserted: "I believed then and still believe today that given enough outside resources, South Vietnam was capable of defending itself, just as I believe Iraq can do the same now. From the Tet offensive in 1968 up to the fall of Saigon in 1975, South Vietnam never lost a major battle. The Tet offensive itself was a victory for South Vietnam and devastated the North Vietnamese army, which lost 289,000 men in 1968 alone. Yet the overriding media portrayal of the Tet offensive and the war thereafter was that of defeat for the United States and the Saigon government."

You can review the complete article by clicking the link below:

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20051101faessay84604/melvin-r-laird/iraq-learning-the-lessons-of-vietnam.html

Aside from trying to undo past and existing defamation, we shall strive to maintain this website to counter all attempts from the treacherous, totalitarian regime of Vietnam to distort and alter our history.  Together, we will prevail.  Once again, thanks for visiting our site.

All the best,

Hoi B. Tran

Website Administrator 

Comment received from Ed Cathcart, Lt.Col. USMC, Ret.

Mr. Hoi B. Tran

You may reproduce on your site any story and pictures of mine that you consider worthy of display on your site. 

I have always had the greatest admiration and respect for the South Vietnamese People.  I have always regretted that the Democrat controlled Congress of the United States ceased financial aid to the South Vietnamese Government and forced the American Soldiers to abandon our Brothers in Arms to a most certain defeat and much death and destruction.  Many nights I cried out in my sleep from the remorseful dreams I had about leaving the free South Vietnamese to suffer the invasion, defeat and terrible reprisals that would follow our refusal to honor our commitments to our Friends.

Forgive us for our disloyal, selfish and destructive short sightedness.

The current American conflict has similar pro and con patterns at this time.  The more liberal of our society would have us cease our efforts at democratization of Iraq and Afghanistan and leave the Arab people to the harsh dictators and terrorists that proliferate the Middle East.  Hopefully we can win this War before the US leftists can change our foreign policy.

Thanks for visiting my site.  I will visit yours.

Semper Fi

Ed Cathcart

Mofak
Back to Back We Face the Past
http://mofak.com

Administrator’s reply

Dear Col. Cathcart,

Thank you so much for granting us permission to reproduce your great articles on our site.  And we deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness and kind words.

Over thirty years have gone by after the sad, painful chapter of April 1975. The majority of the refugees in 1975 have become productive, tax paying American citizens. The resentment and bitterness have, by and large, noticeably subsided.  However, for many of our unfortunate Brothers in Arms and their families who were inhumanly incarcerated in communist re-education camps for many years, many of whom died of starvation and cruel treatment, the psychological and physical wound will not heal easily. 

We, the South Vietnamese, thank you and the many thousands others in uniform that had come to Vietnam to help us fight for our liberty and freedom.  Along with us Vietnamese, you all had done your utmost best under the circumstance but, unfortunately, it was the politicians that had the final say over the fate of our former country, the Republic of Vietnam.  We will remain deeply grateful to America and the American people for their generosity and humanitarianism.  They opened their hearts, their doors and their check books to welcome, to care and to help us when we needed most in April 1975.  America and the American people have offered us a second chance to reconstruct our lives and our families.

Once again, thank you for your understanding, your kind heart and your honesty.

Semper Fi,

Hoi B. Tran

Comment received from Harry F. Noyes.

By the way, I saw a letter in the Washington Post today that got me hot under the collar. More nonsense about the Vietnam War. The more people compare Iraq and Vietnam, the more baloney they come up with about Vietnam. Anyway, I wrote a retort and e-mailed it to the editor. Maybe it will get in. But sometimes I wonder if it even does any good to get the truth out there, when so many people are determined to believe the falsehoods.

Harry F. Noyes

Administrator’s reply

Dear Harry:

I have read the article “A Vietnam Lesson on Commitment” by Robert H. Nooter published on Washington Post on November 9, 2005.  It is really sad to see some people, 30 years after the war ended, continue to deceive themselves and mislead the public with their idiotically distorted stories.

As you know, the ARVN has long been the defenseless scapegoat taking all kinds of unjust insults from the biased news media and unfair, narrow-minded critics.  Fortunately, there are people like you, Lewis Sorley, James Webb and John G. Miller to name a few, who are knowledgeable about the real situation in Vietnam and who are honest and fair to speak out in our defense.

In this particular article, aside from omitting important facts with deceptive intent, Mr. Nooter exposed his personal lack of direct military experience and his unfamiliarity with the correct facts in saying: "Gen. Abrams assigned South Vietnamese troops to attack the Ho Chi Minh trail near the border with North Vietnam, supported by U.S. air cover but with no U.S. ground troops involved". Of course, those who understand the military chain of command and diplomatic protocol would never believe an American Field Commander gave direct orders to the South Vietnamese troops, an ally Armed Forces not under his direct command.

Having cited false information regarding Vietnam, Mr. Nooter's attempt to link his "conclusions" to Iraq consequently lacks any credibility whatsoever.

Thank you for your understanding, your honesty and your fairness.  Have a wonderful day.

Best regards,

Hoi B. Tran

First email from Charles McCoy

Hello, Hoi Ba Tran,

Thank you for the surprise email and the memories from my past. I was shocked to see Luu Duyen's name in the subject line.

Yes, I do remember him and the visits to his home. I had several meals there. One lunch he also had his brother Luu Kim Cuong there. We ate together and made light talk. I was made aware that Cuong was a Colonel and a pilot. I can't remember if I knew he was the commander of the 33rd Tactical Wing. I was impressed.

Your training and service to your country is impressive to me. Thank you for the photo. I will treasure it and give it to my wife and grown son. I have always had respect for your country, its people and the cause of freedom that you and your country fought so hard for.

Most of the Americans were oblivious to your true patriotism and sacrifices. So many that you were exposed were too young and stupidly arrogant and self centered. But many Americans did understand and respect the Vietnamese people and the cause for freedom.

As you know even we American vets were not thought much of by the "public" in general for many years after the war. Now a few more people are beginning to see it differently, a little.

I have seen in the past few years TV documentaries on our "History" channel that showed the struggle of the American and Vietnamese fighters and situations at that time. I was impressed by the commitment and suffering by the Vietnamese and Americans.

I was there for a year, mid 1965 to mid 1966. But I served at Tan Son Nhut AFB. I was a photo interpreter, as you probably read. So my job was not life threatening and I lived in a decent room on base and then down town. I was befriended by several great people and families in town.

I think you saw a few of the photos I took while there, from my www.mccoy38.com website.

Yes, Cuong does resemble Duyen. It has been so long. I have to look at the photos to refresh my failing mind, these days. I am 67 and my health is very bad.

I tried accessing your website  http://www.vietamericansvets.com  but got a error message. "Website could not be found".  I am using Mozilla foxfire browser. I will try it in Windows Explorer.

Thank you for sharing with me.

Sincerely,

Charles McCoy

Administrator’s reply

Good morning Charles,

Thank you for taking the time to read my email and to write to me. Even though we haven’t met, I do treasure the friendship between you and Cuong's brother Luu Duyen. I also appreciate your understanding of our difficult fight on two fronts; one against the treacherous communists in South VN, and one against the US internal politics at the time.

I am sorry I made a typo error on the website link sent to you with my email. This is the correct one: http://www.vietamericanvets.com    

I hope and pray for your health to get better Charles. Take care of yourself and be optimistic. Keep in touch. God bless you and your family.

Warmest regards,

Hoi B. Tran

Second email from Charles McCoy

Hello Hoi Ba Tran,

I do sympathize with your cause to get out the "truth" about your country and military comrades. I wish all Americans could be made aware of the real struggle your countries political and military endured to do its best in the fight for freedom.

America helped but as you and others point out, in your outstanding articles, and now available in political and military records, they could not do their best to help your country win the war against communism.

Your contributors were well informed and did a great job of explaining what really took place. I was really informed, too. Like most Americans that served, I did not know the real story and haven’t learned much in the past 30 or so years.

I do know that your fighting forces did their very best with the resources and help they had. They were definitely out gunned for most of the war.

I do know that all our fighting forces did their very best and fought hard.

All of us that served did our best for America and South Vietnam.

I have always been proud of serving my country. I am even more so, as the years have gone by and learned more about our participation and the real loss of life and pain that our fighting forces endured (your country and mine).

I am sorry I can't contribute more. My brain and concentration is about gone.

I thank your for your thoughts and prayers.

Charles McCoy

Email from Mike McCoy, brother of Charles McCoy

Mr. Hoi B. Tran,

My name is Mike McCoy.  My brother, Charles McCoy, sent me a copy of your emails.  He was proud of his service in Vietnam as am I.  I only wish we could have done more.

My brother passed away on Monday morning, December 19, 2005.  He was a good man!

Best Regards,

Mike McCoy

Administrator’s reply

Mr. Mike McCoy,

Please accept my apology for the slow reply. I am extremely saddened receiving your email informing me about the passing of your brother Charles. It is difficult for me to adequately express my heartfelt sympathies in words but you and Charles’ loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers during this sad time.

Although Charles and I have not met and we knew each other only through cyberspace not too long ago, Charles has earned lots of respects from me through his patriotism, his point of view in life, his generosity and his frankness, to name a few.  I salute him for his service to his country, and I admire him for his dedication to help the Republic of Vietnam in the fight for freedom. Please accept my sincerest condolences on the loss of your brother. We will all miss this great, good man.

Warmest regards,

Hoi B. Tran  

©Vietnamese & American Veterans of the Vietnam War, 2005-2006 All Rights Reserved