Hiep Doc

     On Friday March 16th our Director Professor Ken Herrman canceled our morning class and decided he would take us to Hiep Duc.  This was the where Ken lived from May 68 to May 69.  He was assigned this duty by the US Army to "win the hearts and minds" of the displaced Vietnamese who were sent there.  Until 3/16/12 Ken thought he had found the old site of the village.  What he discovered that Friday morning standing in the trees above the river is he finally found his home of 44 years ago.  I felt honored to stand beside another veteran as he recounted what was where and what happened there.  The pictures of Ken pointing or making sweeping gestures may mean nothing to most people but to me I was included in a very small special homecoming ceremony for one US Army veteran.  We cannot say it enough....welcome home brother.

                                           Here Ken points across the river.

                              This is a lovely place...unfortunately there was a war when Ken lived here

                                                        Explaining LZ Ross (landing zone).

                                                   ....and LZ West...

                                          Delta company was coming down that ravine there...

                                          ....there were main force VC coming through here....

                                          ....and Charlie company was cut off over there.

                    That was a hell of a night.  This mans memory is amazing.  After 44 years the village is now about 3/4 of a mile from the 1968 location.  What were wood and thatch houses are now brick and concrete with a nice village market.

                        This is the land of amazing people, awesome beauty, incredible paradise and inconceivable paradox.  Next vacation visit beautiful Viet Nam
Hen gap lai
Jim