Hello from Saigon everyone. With arrival late yesterday morning, I'm still adjusting and trying to get in the groove. My room wasn't ready upon arrival at the hotel at noon, so I ended up walking around in the heat for a couple hours in Levi's just to kill some time. To my serious dismay, the little restaurant that I frequented last year for cheap food and drink is gone. A collection of food stalls has taken its place. After being in the air for so long, with flights of 3.5 hours, 3.5 hours, 15 hours, and 2.5 hours, sleep enveloped me early last eve. But, that placed me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 0300 hours. The normal uneventful shower rapidly transformed into quite the adventure when a fitting broke while the water was being shut off. What a gusher. Sparing the details, I'll allow your imagination to follow my frantic rushing around, calling the front desk, back to the shower in an attempt to slow the flow, answering a knock at the door, and so on. Embarrassment could have been avoided by showering clad in swim trunks. Finally, a ceiling tile was removed, allowing the water to be shut off. So, until it's repaired, I'm waterless. Good thing beer is cheap here.
A major alteration to the events of this journey is cancellation of the ceremony in Nha Trang whereat Major Tha was to give me the razor that he removed from a KIA Lt. William Kimball's shirt pocket after our May 6, 1968 engagement with the Major's battalion. You can refer to "Meeting the Enemy" in last year's blog for more details...neilhannan.blogspot.com. Anyway, the Kimball family and I agreed that the upcoming event transitioning the razor from Major Tha to me had become a public display with which we weren't comfortable. Our united position is that, if Major Tha's intent is to simply return the razor to the Kimball family, then that goal is easily accomplished by simply giving it to me. A formal, public display isn't necessary and, quite frankly, is felt to be excessive. Tomorrow Thong (my good friend) and I will take a bus to Nha Trang with the hope of being able to engage in an informal meeting with Major Tha. If he chooses to hand over the razor, that's good. If not, so be it. That is the unanimous feeling of Mrs. Kimball and relatives with whom I've been in contact. Of course, my hope is that the Major gives me the razor, soldier-to-soldier, with no "fanfare". I am most appreciative of Khanh's effort in serving as interpreter and facilitator between Tha and me during the last year. The decision to cancel, therefore, is unfortunate....yet necessary in keeping with the wishes of the family of Lt. Kimball. I'll fill you in as events unfold in Nha Trang. I have gifts for Major Tha, including very neat 196th Light Infantry patches and pins provided by the 196th LIB Organization.
I'll keep you posted as events unfold. Visits to Lady The, Duong, and Thua are set. With the invaluable support of Khanh of Hearts for Hue, the wheels are turning for humanitarian efforts for disabled people in the Hue area. And I do mean "disabled". Recall Thoung, the man with stubs for hands and Ms. Hanh, the lady with no arms. We have helped Thoung with 50 ducks and a water system and have provided a pig for Ms. Hanh. They'll receive a visit from me, for sure, and a little boost, the nature of which has yet to be determined.
OK, this was just going to be a quick "hi from Saigon", but I got carried away. Thong will arrive within an hour and it will be nice to see my good friend again. Off to Nha Trang tomorrow...the stage is set.
Neil
A major alteration to the events of this journey is cancellation of the ceremony in Nha Trang whereat Major Tha was to give me the razor that he removed from a KIA Lt. William Kimball's shirt pocket after our May 6, 1968 engagement with the Major's battalion. You can refer to "Meeting the Enemy" in last year's blog for more details...neilhannan.blogspot.com. Anyway, the Kimball family and I agreed that the upcoming event transitioning the razor from Major Tha to me had become a public display with which we weren't comfortable. Our united position is that, if Major Tha's intent is to simply return the razor to the Kimball family, then that goal is easily accomplished by simply giving it to me. A formal, public display isn't necessary and, quite frankly, is felt to be excessive. Tomorrow Thong (my good friend) and I will take a bus to Nha Trang with the hope of being able to engage in an informal meeting with Major Tha. If he chooses to hand over the razor, that's good. If not, so be it. That is the unanimous feeling of Mrs. Kimball and relatives with whom I've been in contact. Of course, my hope is that the Major gives me the razor, soldier-to-soldier, with no "fanfare". I am most appreciative of Khanh's effort in serving as interpreter and facilitator between Tha and me during the last year. The decision to cancel, therefore, is unfortunate....yet necessary in keeping with the wishes of the family of Lt. Kimball. I'll fill you in as events unfold in Nha Trang. I have gifts for Major Tha, including very neat 196th Light Infantry patches and pins provided by the 196th LIB Organization.
I'll keep you posted as events unfold. Visits to Lady The, Duong, and Thua are set. With the invaluable support of Khanh of Hearts for Hue, the wheels are turning for humanitarian efforts for disabled people in the Hue area. And I do mean "disabled". Recall Thoung, the man with stubs for hands and Ms. Hanh, the lady with no arms. We have helped Thoung with 50 ducks and a water system and have provided a pig for Ms. Hanh. They'll receive a visit from me, for sure, and a little boost, the nature of which has yet to be determined.
OK, this was just going to be a quick "hi from Saigon", but I got carried away. Thong will arrive within an hour and it will be nice to see my good friend again. Off to Nha Trang tomorrow...the stage is set.
Neil
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