Growing up is life’s hardest journey. When that long march begins without parents, with death and hunger your constant companions, that road is not just steep: it’s a mountain without passes. The reward for survival is another day filled with terror and uncertainty. For an orphan in a war zone, there is no victory—just a prayer that you find peace before the grave.
The only surviving picture of me, Quang, with Papa and his siblings taken shortly before he left for Hong Ngu assignment
Grandmother, Thuy and Van -- at Saigon Zoo with Aunt Que, her cousin, her children, Ngoc, Lien, Duc, Thang
Bubba and his new barking toy - stucco home, Phu Nhuan 1967
My adopted parents Uncle Al, my mother's sister Aunt Thu, and her son little Bubba, 1968
Uncle Al & Aunt Thu behind the register counter at Albert's restaurant, Philippines - 1969
Don't cry Sissy, this song is for you... your little brother, Bubba
Quang, cousin Ngoc, Bubba and fish farm hired hands
at work butchering a pig
Quang 1973
My two best friends from the 3rd and 5th grades - Thom (left) and Cuc (right)
The reason why Uncle Hai's uniform is so white is because I was not allowed to touch it
Beautiful Mo Nga, Uncle Hai's wife before their marriage
Uncle Chieu - 1991
Grandma Mau smoking her favorite cigarette at Vung Tau Beach - 1991
Mother and little Quang
Papa and Uncle Thanh as young men
My dearest Grandpa Phan and Grandma Mau
"Sisters"... Mama and Aunt Thu
Office of the People (Town Hall), Hong Ngu - 2011
Papa's old post located at the border of Hong Ngu and Cambodia. This bridge connects the two countries
Home of an old soldier, whom I was told was a survivor of the 1964 battle at Hong Ngu. Which side? It no longer matters. Today it is one Vietnam
Back in 1964, this place was the the aid station
Home along Saigon river
Hong Ngu Market established in 1962
Ronnie Choat
The only soldier with a gun that didn't scare me. Oh, I can still fit into these clothes by the way.
