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Returning to Vietnam: MHS grad, Air Force veteran reflects on trip back to country where he once served

Shannon and Bill stand in front of Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum.

It started with a flyer in the mail late last year. My favorite travel company was practically giving away a trip to Vietnam, but you had to travel by the end of 2024. At the same time, my husband, Bill, a Vietnam veteran, was reading a book on the “conflict.” He had sworn to never take a long trip again, but decided it might be cathartic to see what Vietnam was like after all these years. So, we booked the trip before we changed our minds and were off! I was interested to see Bill’s reactions to returning to a country where he had been during what Vietnamese call the “American War.”

Bill, a 1961 graduate of Marshalltown High School, distinguished himself as a member of the track team, set the Iowa state record in the 880, and was captain of the track team his senior year. After graduation, he attended Drake University on a track scholarship. After 2 ½ years, he left Drake to enlist in the Air Force in December 1963.

After basic training, Bill spent three months studying Morse code and speed typing. He was stationed in the Philippines where he intercepted North Vietnam and Chinese transmissions. After about 15 months, rather than returning to the U.S. for a desk job, he volunteered to go to Vietnam “to see what was going on over there.” Tours of duty were one year.

In late December 1965, Bill flew to Saigon and then to Da Nang Air Force Base (AFB). He lived on base, but was transported to a marine base, about 5 miles outside Da Nang, to work as a radar interceptor. He lived in a tent and worked seven days a week for shifts of 12 hours on and 12 hours off for the first three months as they were shorthanded. At the end of that time, they built barracks and moved out of the tents. He had one week of leave during that time which he spent in Bangkok with an Air Force buddy. At the end of his 365 days in Vietnam, he returned to the U.S. on leave and then finished his enlistment at NSA in Fort Meade, Maryland.

Fast forward 59 years to our trip. We flew into Hanoi and toured the city. At Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, we met a number of retired North Vietnamese soldiers, both men and women. There was a celebration, and they were dressed in uniform, many with multiple medals. We spoke with a few of them and said a Vietnam Vet was in our group. One of the men said he was sorry for our military because “We were here as volunteers, but you were sent here.”

Bill and a soldier who worked for the U.S. Army saluting each other.

We visited Hoa Lo Prison (the infamous “Hanoi Hilton”), where pilots, including John McCain, were prisoners. We saw some of the inhumane ways prisoners were treated. We also stopped at the lake where McCain landed when he ejected from his plane. Both arms and his right leg were broken. He was pulled out of the water by the North Vietnamese, received minimal treatment, and spent 5 ½ years in prison, a horrible ordeal.

After Hanoi, we drove south through Da Nang. In 1966, Bill said it was a village with small houses, French built stores, churches, and a good library. He found the complete set of books on the Napoleonic Wars and determined to learn French and read them. After a mortar attack, Da Nang became off limits, so he was unable to fulfill his plan. Da Nang is now the third largest city in Vietnam with high rises, hotels, and casinos. On his return, Bill didn’t recognize the city and couldn’t identify where his former base had been located.

Over the years, Bill has described China Beach as the most beautiful beach he had ever seen. During our trip, we stopped at the beach twice, walked in the sand, and Bill got his feet wet. It is a beautiful beach but is no longer called China Beach, however it is still much as Bill remembered it.

We drove on to Halong Bay and spent one night on a ship. We cruised around some of the many limestone islands and learned that “King Kong” was filmed there. The next day we flew to Huê. We had a dragon boat ride on the Huong River, then drove on to Hoi An, a beautiful village.

It rained for the first ten days of our journey. Hoi An is on a river and the water started rising. By the end of the evening, streets were flooded, and a few of us took a boat ride down a street to the river. Others were in a restaurant and the water came to the door, so they took off their shoes and walked out.

Bill demonstrates how the Viet Cong hid in the Cu Chi tunnels.

In Nha Trang, we rode scooters (behind a driver) out into the country. After a visit to a pagoda, we visited with the chief of the village. He had worked for the U.S. Army. When the army left, he and others were left behind. He was quite angry about it at the time but has since reconciled with the idea. However, he is sad that he is referred to as a loser. He and Bill exchanged salutes.

We flew on to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and visited a War Remnants Museum containing amazing photographs by news photographers. U.S. airplanes, tanks, and guns were outside around the museum. We drove on to the Mekong Delta and rode in a boat to an island. We visited the Cu Chi tunnels (there are 140 miles of them) and were able to go down inside a few. We saw booby traps, operating rooms, and meeting rooms. Later we had lunch in a private home where two retired Viet Cong soldiers were also guests. They shook hands with Bill and inquired if he had had a Vietnamese girlfriend! (His company was confined to base after the mortar attack and had no opportunity to meet any Vietnamese.)

It was a wonderful trip with a great guide, compatible travel companions, and an opportunity to visit many cities in North and South Vietnam. Bill saw how the country had changed, revisited a great beach, and met some of the “enemy” who were very welcoming. His parting thought was, “Now, I don’t need to remember.” It was an exhausting but healing journey.

Viet Cong officers shaking hands with Bill Perry during his return trip to the country.

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