You Must Live

The Vietnam War ended over three decades ago, but no one has heard the story from the perspective of a South Vietnamese soldier who lived it from birth to age twenty-three. I served and witnessed the turmoil in that deadly, political war. In the chaos at the war’s conclusion, I escaped by helicopter and unknowingly became a lonely, Vietnamese Refugee in the USA. I overcame many obstacles, rebuilt my life, sponsored my family and reunited with them. YOU MUST LIVE-my story, is a memoir. It gives personal insight into Vietnam’s history, culture, education, military, government and politics and how they affected my life. During the war years, I sadly lost my father to a chronic, treatable disease because we didn’t have money for treatment. My mother, struggling to feed seven small children, was wounded by shrapnel entering our home one night in cross fire. I experienced a chilling journey collecting my brother-in-law’s corpse during the Tet Offensive. Heartbreakingly, I lost my beloved sister as she miscarried due to curfew laws. I faced multiple near death experiences during the War. I came to America with sixteen cents, handed down from an American soldier. Overcoming the language barrier, I built my home with my own hands and sent my two children to college. I brought fifteen members of my family to America. When my Mom passed away, I carried her body back to her homeland for burial beside my Dad. I got stranded there during the 9/11 crisis with my American wife on her first trip to a third world country. Imagine her reaction! Then, the NAFTA/GATT trade collapsed my special career and a massive heart attack followed. People who love to read stories that touch on war, history, culture, politics and perhaps foremost survival, would, I believe, appreciate You Must Live. Above all, it’s a story of human resilience from a country so many Americans died trying to protect. The story has only been told by the American Media and the Communists. Shouldn’t the world also have the opportunity to experience the story through the eyes of one member of the South Vietnamese military, America’s ally?