2. The touching stories behind the returns
The predestined relationship of US veterans with Vietnam from the "repatriation" of the diaries began to attract special attention from the public through the story of returning from the United States of the diary. Frederic Whitehurst – a former US military intelligence officer captured at Duc Pho battlefield, Quang Ngai in 1970. When he got them, Frederic Whitehurst tried to set them on fire, but his interpreter stopped him: “Don't burn them. It has fire by itself,” the American soldier did not set it on fire. It is the diary of a female soldier, a doctor with a beautiful name: Dang Thuy Tram. The fiery words in the diary deeply moved Frideric - even though he had only heard the hasty translation. That diary followed Frederic to leave Vietnam for the United States when he finished serving here. Over the next 30 years, Frederic has always kept a close eye on the diary. It's a "fire" diary. And it was that "fire" that led Fredric and his brother, Robert Whitehurst (also an American veteran who fought in the Vietnam war) to make a journey across the ocean, bringing the diary back to families of martyrs: “We are haunted by those diaries, but it's a good obsession… We need to leave our memories behind to fulfill our duty… The diary must be returned to Vietnam… The most important thing I want is for the world to know Dang Thuy Tram”. In 2005, after 35 years in the US, the diary of doctor and martyr Dang Thuy Tram returned to Vietnam in the loving arms of relatives and friends.
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Frederic Whitehurst and his brother Robert Whitehurst visit the family of Dr. Dang Thuy Tram when he arrived in Vietnam in 2005.
Source:https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-gin-giu-cuon-nhat-ky-co-lua-da-den-vn-92501.htm
The emotional story above seems to have inspired the "return" of other diaries. In recent years, a number of battlefield diaries kept by those on the other side of the front line have returned to their motherland by diplomatic means. In it, can mention the diary of veteran Le Duc Tuan and two martyrs Vu Dinh Doan and Nguyen Van Nam.
The diary of veteran Le Duc Tuan is a very special diary because it is painted with pictures. The diary includes 112 sketch paintings drawn by soldier Le Duc Tuan, who was a student at Hanoi Fine Arts University, along the way to march into the southern battlefield from 1967 - 1968. In 1968, during the battle fighting in Kon Tum, soldier Le Duc Tuan's backpack, including a sketchbook, was seized by US Army Major Robert B. Simpson (combat officer of 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment, 4th Division infantry of the US army). Holding the diary in hand, Simpson was really surprised by the pictures so beautiful, giving him a vibe, so Simpson decided to keep it, which as Robert B. Simpson later confessed: “Usually, the Soldiers of any warring side understand that beauty and sensibility do not seem to exist in war. But the author of these paintings is different, he is not only a brave soldier but also an artist who paints beautiful pictures. Major Robert B. Simpson took 3 of the best paintings to send to his wife in the US, the remaining 109 pictures he gave to General William R. Peers as a war booty. In 2009, the sketchbook was returned by Mrs. Hicks - daughter of General William R. Peers to the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense. This is a very meaningful gesture that, according to Mrs. Hicks, "everyone was amazed at the pure, innocent and talented soul of the young artist. Because of that, it prompted me to return it to Vietnam… I burst into tears when I learned that painter Le Duc Tuan, the author of the painting, was still alive”. Knowing the news, Mr. Robert B. Simpson found and sent 3 paintings that he had sent to his wife, asking the US Ambassador to Vietnam to return painter Le Duc Tuan. Responding to the sentiments of Robert B. Simpson, veteran Le Duc Tuan had very emotional shares: “Holding a gun is a soldier's duty to his country and people. Culture is in the heart and soul of each person. I am truly touched and grateful to Mr. Robert B. Simpson for preserving three of my paintings over the past 42 years.” Thus, after 42 years of wandering in a foreign land, the diary with pictures has returned to Vietnam, the diary has had a wonderful journey back, intact, burning like the soul of a soldier.
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US Ambassador Michael Michalak presented three paintings to Mr. Le Duc Tuan, after 42 years of wandering in the US on the afternoon of September 18, 2010. Photo: Hong Vinh
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Three returned watercolor paintings painted by Le Duc Tuan in 1967.
Source:https://tienphong.vn/ba-manh-ghep-cuoi-cua-mot-so-phan-post512830.tpo
In March 1966, in the area of Chop Non hill (Son Tinh, Quang Ngai) took place an extremely fierce battle between the Liberation Army and the US army. After the battle, an American soldier, Robert Frazure, saw a small red notebook on the chest of a fallen soldier on the other side of the front line. Without thinking, Robert put the diary in his pocket, intending to keep it as a sad memory of this battle. Returning home, the diary obtained from the enemy soldier who died in battle always haunts Robert. Because of those unrelenting torments, he always had a wish to find the family of the soldier who died to return the diary. That wish became even more burning when Robert entered the last years of his life. Thanks to the help of friends, the diary was transferred to the US Department of Defense and finally, appeared in the luggage to visit Vietnam in early June 2012 of US Secretary of Defense Panetta. In September 2012, the family of Mr. Vu Dinh Son (son of martyr Vu Dinh Doan) received back the diary of his father who died in the old battle.
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The representative of the US Embassy in Hanoi congratulated Mr. Vu Dinh Son's family on finally receiving the martyr's memento.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/ky-la-so-phan-nhat-ky-chien-tranh-post390624.html
During his visit to Vietnam from May 31 to June 2, 2015, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter handed over to the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense a number of relics of Vietnamese soldiers that the US military had recovered. in war. Among those relics was a diary. Called a diary, but the notebook just fits in the palm of your hand, the middle few pages have blood stains on the lines of poetry. The diary does not mention much about bombs, fierce sacrifices or ambitions of a man going to war, but mainly flowers, the moon, and sweet confiding lines to the girl called “em”:
Tạm dịch : Far away from you, I have not forgotten
Far away from you, I have the moon by my side
Looking at the moon, I feel refreshed
Looking at the moon, I thought when I was sitting next to you.
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A page in the diary of martyr Nguyen Van Nam.
Source: Hoang Phuong - vnexpress.net/cuoc-doi-liet-si-trong-cuon-nhat-ky-tro-ve-tu-nuoc-my-3253649.html
The blood-soaked pages began to yellow, but information such as “Nguyen Van Nam, Xuan Truong, Minh Nghia, Nong Cong, Thanh Hoa… Dear Ha Thi Rot, Hau Loc Agricultural Intermediate School; Pham Thi Lich, teacher at Middle School 1, Minh Nghia, Nong Cong, Thanh Hoa". The diary was later confirmed to belong to martyr Nguyen Van Nam, from Xuan Truong village, Minh Nghia commune, Nong Cong district, Thanh Hoa province and was handed over to the martyr's family. For the relatives of martyr Nguyen Van Nam, nothing is more surprising and emotional than receiving the relics of their loved ones back from halfway around the world. The diary was handed over to the Vietnamese side by the US Secretary of Defense after 43 years of wandering on June 1, 2015 - the day the mother of martyr Nguyen Van Nam took her last breath - “A coincidence. difficult to explain but very special".
In addition to diplomacy, many US veterans have helped bring the diaries of Vietnamese soldiers back to their homeland with their personal efforts. In 1969, during a battle in the Bay Nui area, An Giang province, a US commando, Denver Shannon, obtained a bag belonging to a Liberation Army medical soldier, Le Van Tanh (real name) is Le Van Hard). When returning home, Denver Shannon carried a flag of the liberation army and the bag of martyr Tanh. Later, Denver opened the bag and discovered in it a diary and a nurse's certificate.
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War memorabilia brought to the US by Denver Shannon after participating in the war in Vietnam.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/la-co-giai-phong-tham-mau-dao-tro-ve-tu-ben-kia-chien-tuyen-20170130103205564.htm
Later, female writer Lady Borton, very fluent in Vietnamese, happened to read the diary of martyr Le Van Tanh during her visit to Denver's house. With the connection of Lady Borton and the help of many other individuals and organizations, the memorabilia of martyr Le Van Tanh was finally returned to his family in the last days of 2015. From here, Denver Shannon's wish was fulfilled, and his worries about this war were gradually relieved as he said in his own confession: "From myself, I think, any Vietnamese person is wish to keep mementos of their loved ones who died in battle".
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Mr. Denver (second from left) returns the memento of martyr Le Van Hard to his family. Photo: Ha An
In recent days, a story is causing strong emotions in public opinion at home and abroad, which is the return of the diary of a soldier of the liberation army after more than 56 years of wandering in the United States. The diary was found by soldier Peter Mathews in his backpack at the foot of hill 724, during the battle of Dak To, Central Highlands in November 1967. The diary made a strong impression on him and some others with its artistic and romantic nature: “When I took the diary back, I showed it to some people and everyone was surprised by it because it has many beautiful poems, music, drawings”. Although he did not understand the content, he felt the optimism of Vietnamese soldiers in the fierce battlefield. After a long time trying not to remember it, Peter Mathews decided to face the past to overcome the obsessions he still had: “I tried not to think about Vietnam for a long time. Now the diary brings back unforgettable memories and emotions. But maybe that's good, because now I can talk about Vietnam, about the war. I have a sadness, but no hatred”. He decided to share his story with everyone and wanted to find the author of that diary. His story was published in the North Jersey Newspaper on January 27, 2023 and was quickly shared. The authorities in Vietnam also quickly grasped the information and urgently conducted a search and verification of information about the owner of that diary. After only a short time, the owner of this diary was identified martyr Cao Van Tuat, born in Ky Xuan commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh. On March 5, 2023, the above diary was handed over by veteran Peter Mathews to the family members of martyr Cao Van Tuat, ending the diary's more than 65 years of wandering journey with a meaningful conclusion: “Today I have fulfilled my wish. Returning the diary to the family of martyr Cao Van Tuat, for me, is my mission and also my responsibility".
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Veteran Peter Mathews hands over the diary to relatives of martyr Cao Van Tuat.
Source:thanhnien.vn/cuu-binh-my-trao-tra-cuon-nhat-ky-cho-nguoi-than-liet-si-cao-van-tuat-18523030601030522.htm
For veterans like Peter Mathews, a grueling journey through the psychological sequela of the war can end here, leading to a fresher perspective for this veteran: “From Today, the story about the family of martyr Cao Van Tuat will help me no longer obsessively talk about the war".