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A Reunion 50 Years Later
May 25, 2018 Grunt.com Admin

A Reunion 50 Years Later

I returned to Vietnam May 1st with my wife to walk the ground again and heal old wounds. We journeyed north from DaNang to the DMZ and back through Hue. In 1968 I was in a CAG compound for 4 months just south of Hue during the Tet offensive. While interacting with the villagers in our area I became friends with a young boy named “Jim-mie”. A nickname we had given him. I had a photo and a memory of where the village was and with the help of our guide I was able to find him. We hugged, We cried, and I met his wife and 2 sons. It was truly a guided moment that we will never forget.
Filed in: Marine Corps Stories
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Comments

Bill Seiber - May 11, 2020

I would love to go back to Vietnam ,but because of health issues I can’t. I often think about the kids and wonder how and where they are. On my first tour I was at Quang Tri in 67 and 68 not a lot of good memoirs of TET ,but I would not take a million dollars for it or give 10 cents to do it again.After TET we were picking up bodies we were sent to an orphanage where there were about 30 VC piled up and when we went into the building to search it we found 26 kids the VC had killed .I called my company co and said I could not bury those kids with the people who did this and he came to the site and sent back to camp for a backhoe and ponchos we wrapped those children and tied them with cord and I dug 26 little graves along the river in a nice little field . I would like to go back and visit their graves ,most had american fathers and vietnamese mother .We marked their graves and i often wonder are they still marked.i just don’t believe anyone who picks up a rifle and goes into combat ever comes back the same. I know i will never be the same person I was.To all who served remember those who gave their tomorrows so we could have ours .

Harry - May 11, 2020

I sometimes remember some of the little kids i met and, wonder what became of them. good story! i often thought of returning to vietnam but never did. Harry

artymgysgt - May 11, 2020

I sometimes think about some of the Vietnamese I knew while serving in country especially those who were working on U.S. bases or in the ARNV or Kit Carson Scouts . I hope they all survived after our government abandoned them.

MGySgt. Jim Mackin 1964 – 1987 - May 11, 2020

I’ve been back over a dozen times since ’06…It’s good to put the old ghosts to rest finally, and there are some great golf courses to play nowadays !!

BRENDAN MCCARRON - May 11, 2020

YOUR A BRAVE MAN TO GO BACK MENTALLY. I WAS STATIONED AT DENANG DURING THE TET OFFENSIVE. 1ST MAW. SURE WAS NOT A GOOD DAY OR NIGHT THAT DAY. GLAD YOUR BUDDY WAS NOT ONE OF THOSE WHO TRIED TO KILL ME.. HOPE IT ALL HELPS YOU SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT. SEMPER FI MY FRIEND. BRENDAN

Richard lynch - May 11, 2020

I like your story, I was CAG unit at Chi Lai 68 to 70

Robert Waldheim - May 11, 2020

Thank you for putting this story on grunt.com. I don’t know how or when you got it but, if any Marines from that time and area read it, post a message so we can chat.

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