THE LIFE OF A SEAMAN DURING THE VIETNAM WAR

My name is Thuan Chau An Le.  I was born in a small town in Vietnam on September 2nd, 1941.  I began my journey through life.  I was the eldest son of a farmer Nau Van Le and my mother Dang Thi Nguyen.  My father, a hard workingman, raised his eight children in a very disciplined way.  It was from here that I learned much of my punctuality.
My parents sent me to my uncle family at age 6 to attend the elementary school in Saigon. Leaving home from a small town to a big city, Saigon, capital of former Republic of South Vietnam, I decided to learn hard.  At age 21, I became a junior high school teacher for a year.  I enjoyed my job, like my father, I was a very hard working man, but I yearned to get a college education, I enrolled at the Phu Tho National Technical Center.  From there I quickly realized that I loved to work on a ship. Soon, I made my decision that I was going to study to become a merchant marine deck officer.  The year after I graduated from the Merchant Marine College, I got a job as a deck cadet training on a tanker, M/T Cyprea with Shell Company in Saigon.  I gained the knowledge and skills of a merchant marine deck officer such as navigation and weather skills, running and supplying a ship, laws of the sea, safety rules and methods, radio and communications, environmental regulations and working with cargo, ballast and fuel skills. I was happy working on the bridge of a big ship and had a good life.  I am married to my wife Tien Thanh Ngo, we have one daughter, Tuyen Thanh Chau Le and two sons, Quoc Thanh Chau Le and Su Thanh Chau Le.

Unfortunately, the war was raging in Vietnam. Hanoi realized that it could not conquer the South through a democratic, fair and transparent  election, so it decided to use force. Starting with sporadic guerilla activities in the countryside, the war began to spread across the whole country five years later.  While the north received the overwhelming support of the communist bloc, the south had no other choice except to rely on the aid of the free world such as Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, and especially the USA to protect its territory.  I was called up by the Defense Department to serve the armed forces of South Vietnam in the war against the communists from the North. After I graduated from the Thu Duc Military Academy, I joined the navy as a midshipman. In my nine years in the service, I was a Lieutenant, Commanding Officer on a YOG HQ. 472.  I gained useful experience on the job.  I also attended training and correspondence courses to keep my skills up to date.

For internal political reasons, the U.S. pulled out and stopped providing aid to the South Vietnamese armed forces.  The South’s supplies slowly dried up and it fell into the hands of the communist at the end of April 1975.  I thought peace would now last forever in my country.  We would stand shoulder to shoulder to rebuild the country and a permanent peace.  But as the winner, the communist regime sent hundreds of thousands of key military and government personnel in the ex-nationalist regime to concentration camps, which the communists called re-education camps, but which were in fact nothing but prison camps.  From the camps in the north, deep in the jungle and mountains near the Chinese border, to the camp scattered in isolated areas in the south.  I was imprisoned in North Vietnam for 6 years.  Due to the hard labor and lack of medical treatment, three of my best friends died of hunger and illness.  But even after all that had happened, I still love my home country because it is mine.  After my release, in 1982, I got a job as a teacher with the Merchant Marine College in Saigon.

In the late 1980s, in the U.S., the Vietnamese American community prepared for the arrival of the H.O. group.  This group is composed of the former officials of the armed forces and government of the Republic of Vietnam.  The communists imprisoned these officials for many years after 1975 because of their ties to the South Vietnamese government and the Americans during the Vietnam War.  After more than a de­cade, the U.S. government decided to admit them into the U.S. for political asylum. On 1/5/1990, the first group of 150 H.Os (former political detainees) left Vietnam for America.

In the Ngay Nay Minnesota newspaper, the 1/15/1990 issue, there was an article covering my family’s arrival at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: “On the afternoon of Jan. 16, 1990, a crowd of relatives, friends and representatives of Vietnamese organizations gathered at Gate 45 of the Blue Con­course of Minneapolis International Airport to wel­come the arrival of lieutenant Le Chau An Thuan and his family.  He is among the first H.Os to come to America.
At 7:19 pm, the Boeing 757 of United Airlines landed. A few minutes later, Thuan and his family walked out and was welcomed by his brother and other relatives. Thuan came with his wife and three children.

Although he has been through a long journey, Thuan looked well and was happy.  Mrs. Thuan burst out crying when she saw her brother.  Others came to talk to the children.  It was a touching moment.
After the relatives have had a chance to wel­come Thuan and his family, the representatives of the Fellowship of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces in Minnesota came to officially welcome their brother-in-arms to America.  Thuan was introduced to others in the Association and it was a surprise when he recognized Tho, a member of the Association. Both had served in the same Navy unit back in Vietnam. From there, memories and stories were shared and laughter burst out.  Thuan says that when they landed in San Francisco earlier, a group of other Vietnamese organizations came to warmly welcome them to America also.  He says he is touched by the welcom­ing reception.”

Our first 3 months in the Twin Cities was difficult for us, as we had to adjust to a new environment, a new life, and a new society.  My brothers and sisters who came here in 1975 helped us enroll our children in school, and also helped us with transportation, finding jobs and navigating grocery stores and other essential shops.  After 4 months in the U.S. and after 3 weeks of searching, I got work at Hitchcock Industries, Inc. in Bloomington and my wife took a job at Caterair International in Richfield.  We were glad to be able to support ourselves and were willing to sacrifice for our children.  We didn’t worry about our future but only the future of our children. I was laid-off after 1 year working for Hitchcock Industries, Inc. I got a part-time job with Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota as employment counselor on October 1st, 1991 and I also was able to find a second job at Seagate Technology in Normandale.  Meanwhile, my wife got a job with Saint Jude Medical, Daig Division in Minnetonka.  Now my wife has been with this company for almost 14 years.  We were able to save for a house in the suburbs, and the three children were all in college.  I worked two jobs for more than 4 years and in 1997, I quit Seagate Technology and devoted more time to Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota/Self-Sufficiency Program.  I became a program manager and, since then, have helped more than 3,500 refugees and immigrants resettle in Minnesota.

My children have also done well in their academic careers. The eldest, Thanh Tuyen has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.  Thanh Quoc, my first son has a master degree in civil engineering with high distinction at the University of Minnesota.  Our youngest son, Thanh Su is an architect.

As a volunteer, I am active in helping others in the com­munity.  I was one of the founding members of the Former Political Detainee Association and served as its president during 1993-1995.  In that capacity, my friends and I helped with the resettlement and the sponsoring of the new arrivals into Minnesota. Another aspect of our activities was advocating for the admission of those H.Os who did not pass their visa interview.  With my help, the H.O. organization was able to successfully help a denied former detainee and his family in being re-interviewed and subsequently given political 
asylum in the U.S. I am happy to be among the first to come through the H.O. program and I felt I had the responsibility to help others.  My actions for the past several years have proven my dedication to others.

I never forget all those Americans who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam for the freedom and the independence of the Vietnamese people they did not know.  I also would like to thank America, the great nation that has opened to us the wide doors of its peaceful and prosperous home.  We live in the most democratic and free country of the planet.  We have rebuilt our lives, have raised and educated our children, and have been given the opportunity for success.