The trips I’ve made back to Vietnam with Jason, Paul and Andy brought back many memories – some good and some not so good – but one gemstone has been our times at the Caravelle Hotel in Saigon. I was introduced to the Caravelle and its rooftop bar during my first tour in Vietnam. While …
Da Lat, Vietnam April, 2017 My “one night in Da Lat” was a pleasant reprieve from the war and normal combat operations that we had been conducting. I’d heard of the city, but never believed all of the stories I’d heard. Stories about the beautiful architecture, the green and lush gardens, cool weather, and about …
Dak Lak Montagnard Museum, Buon Ma Thuot April, 2017 When I attended Special Forces training at Fort Bragg, NC I learned that one of the primary tenants was something called Foreign Internal Defense (FID). What this was based on was learning how to work with people indigenous to the area we were operating in, helping …
As we made our way from Saigon to Buon Ma Thuot (or as I knew it, Ban Me Thuot) the low lying farm lands turned into gently rolling foothills covered with coffee fields being tended by local farmers living along the edges, just as the rubber plantations had been during my time before. Night …
The Central Highlands of Vietnam Leaving the sights and sounds of modern day Saigon, we began our journey to the Central Highlands of Vietnam. As we left the city that I had come to feel comfortable in and approached the outlying rural areas, I felt a heightened sense of awareness. Even though I knew …
The one thing that seems to be a constant in Saigon is the delicious smell of food cooking – from the street vendors, open air cafes, coffee shops and bakeries – it was that way in the late 60’s and remains so today. The first time I came to the city I remember walking to …
