Hud's Corner

The two day holiday has stretched into a 3 day holiday. The tour places that I wanted to check out and the banks are still closed. Maybe that’s a sign to go to the beach with the other folks. But it will provide the time for a few items that deserve note.

First off, the traffic in Vietnam has earned a special note. While the traffic in Hue and Da Nang is much less than in Hanoi, they all seem to follow the same rules. Rule number one is that there are no rules. I’ve learned that the center line is a guide rather than a rule. Also, there’s hardly any cell-phone using drivers, because one hand drives and the other honks. A cyclo really is the way to go. That’s an open chair in front with the driver pedaling in the rear. There have been moments that I’ve approached the on-coming traffic with the same courage I did with my first five jumps at Bennings…with my eyes shut!

Now, I’ve been blessed with the finest wife & mother-in-law combination in the USA. But the two of them get scared to death when I drive, even in the driveway. I pray that Father God may yet bless me with the opportunity to bring my wife, mother-in-law, and oldest daughter to Vietnam some time in the future. I just can’t wait to put them into a cyclo at about 0800 in the morning and watch their eyes. From that moment on they will think that I’m Barney Oldfield’s wiser big brother.

I want to also share my experiences at the Cathedral last night and this morning. Mass last evening was at 1700 and it was celebrated outside. The altar was placed inside of a stone grotto and small stools were placed in rows the length of the church with a center aisle. What I was about to enjoy deserves another kudo to Pope John XXIII. The procession began with the echo of the dong and the priest stopped numerous times. In the grotto preparing for the Mass, was a youthful chorale-movement group singing a swinging praises of joy and thanksgiving. The teen boys were dressed in white and the young ladies all wore the traitional au dais of white and blue. With the Mass, the language and music reflected the culture of Vietnam, but the rite was universal and welcoming. It brought tears and thanks to an old man with his petitions.

This morning, I started with a good breakfast. I don’t know if I have ever mentioned it before, but most of the hotels serve a complimentary breakfast of fresh rolls, eggs of choice and great fruit. I’ very glad for that, because I usually forget completely about lunch while visiting. But having seen my picture, you know that I don’t ever miss the dinner bell. Last night, I have to admit that I passed on the delicious cuisine of Vietnam and fell happily into the menu of my roots. After a bowl of crab-asparagus soup, I dug into a plate of beef steak and spuds. Pure joy.

Mass this morning was inside the Cathedral with all of the side doors open and fans strategically placed high on the pillars. The first 3/4 of the church was filled with the children with the youngest in front. I got a seat in the rear and noticed that the stools of last night were placed just outside of the opened doors for the parents and grandparents. During the homily, the young priest grabbed his microphone and spoke to the kids walking up and down the center aisle. He was asking the children questions. They jumped up and down with their hands held high and when chosen, they would speak hesitently into the mic. If they were wrong, they received a gentle thank you from the priest for their courage. If they were correct, they received a reward of a brand new pencil. The participation was wonderful. The gentleness of the celebrants last night and this morning reminded me of Father Tom O’Donnell of St Cyril’s and Methodius in East Helena. I was blessed by your peers a long way away, good priest. It makes me miss all of you a little less today, but miss you I do.

I hope that all of my brothers and sisters of the paddies who would like to return here do. Start by getting a copy of the Vietnam version of “The Lonely Planet.” Discuss it with your support groups and your families and begin the planning. On the internet, you can get the instructions and download an application for obtaining a visa from the Vietnam government. With your self-addressed envelope, my visa came back inside of two weeks. Then, using the planet, send messages over the internet to the e-mail addresses of hotels, travel bureaus and cities enclosed. It was their answers and questions that made my excitement and determination grow. You will be welcomed if you say hello. Sure, there are some that want the dollar, just like we in Montana want Californian’s dollars. But they are welcoming and graceful by culture and peace is here. With all of the cities noises, I sleep good.

There was Huong in Hue and now there’s Pho. He’s put Marine decals on his cyclo as he moves me about. This afternoon, Pho and I are going to the beach.

S’lan,

Tom

I already know that this has all been for good. I also know that I’m not alone here.
This afternoon, I will probably go past Marble Mountain and head to China Beach to burn the daylights out of my Celtic skin, but I will smile a lot. Tomorrow, I head south for a short trip to Hoi An. I loved this town in my youth and I’ve been excited about going there since all of this started to take shape.

Every day here requires some flexibility. I had forgotten that this would be a “two day” holiday here in Vietnam. Last night, the city was alive and junping with holiday fervor. There were thousands of young teens all about. On some corners, you saw rock bands performing to enthusiastic audiences…sort of their version of Oriental heavy metal. Sorry, not my choice, but I couldn’t find any “oldies” or “folk groups.” It was strange to be in the midst of a celebration of “Liberation Day” knowing I’m what they were liberated from.

Until you look at their faces. To the citizens in DaNang out in strength last night, this is their 4th of July. Absent, noticeably, were the faces of my age and older. When I did see them, they were subdued. To them, like me, it’s a day filled with memories. Thoughts filled with longings and sighs of resignation.

This day is a continuem of their celebration. This is May Day, a moment to celebrate the workers and the values of their achievements. This is a day for most of the population, the workers, and China Beach is full of families. This is a world-wide holiday, except in the U.S. It’s not celebrated at home due to the lasting odors of Senator Joe McCarthy and his gang of miscreants. That prompts me to speak about one of my “why’s” of April 30th. If it hadn’t been for the “stink of pink” after WWII, my life and the lives of so many others would have followed different paths.

During the war, while Japan invaded China and bombed Pearl Harbor, IndoChina and the Phillipines were next. The allies were fighting to hold India and Burma, but were losing ground. We desparately needed pressure put on the Japanese in IndoChina to allow for the Marines to begin the long road back, first in the Solomons and then for MacCarthur to return to Manila. So the OSS made contact with Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam and made an agreement. We would send arms and supplies to the Viet Minh for them to fight against the Japanese in IndoChinca. In return, we would support Vietnam’s Independence after the war and not support the return of the Colonial French. They did and we didn’t. Hence, Dien Bien Phu and April 30, 1975 and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and March 5, 1965.

But you know, as soon as a Marine, Sailor, Soldier or Airman stepped on Vietnam’s ground or sailed her waterways, politics had no scent. From the first moment, the Brotherhood of the Paddies ruled and rolled over the other “reals.” The rally cry was, “I got your back, bro!” and “It don’t mean nothing!” I miss that kind of “tight.”

I have found today that it will be easier to get to Hill 55 from Hoi An, so that’s what I’ll do. For the rest of the day, I’ll sit along the river and next to the port and watch the people and the country. Tonight, I’ll go to Mass at the old Cathedral and swim in China Beach tomorrow.

S’lan,

Tom