This Story is about my good friend Lan.
Lan
Lan was born in Ha Noi, North Vietnam; she is now 75-years-old. When she was five years old, her family moved to South Vietnam to escape communism.
Her husband was in the army when they married. They had two daughters when North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. Her husband was captured and taken to a concentration camp but it was referred to as a re-education camp. They were told that he would remain there for eight days, but he would not be released until six years later.
The South Vietnamese soldiers were indoctrinated to sing worship songs to honor Ho Chi Minh.
There was only a scheduled time to visit so Lan’s husband would write her to inform her when she could travel for the appointment.
The Visits
To prepare for the visit with her husband, Lan and a group of other wives had to take a bus and travel 18 hours. Once they reached the edge of the forest they had to hire motor cyclists to transport them deeper into the jungle. From there came another group of people to help them carry the supplies they brought for the visit. Those helpers could only travel so far because they were afraid of getting caught by the communist soldiers. So the rest of the way they carried their supplies. By the time she reached her husband it was a day in and half later.
The Meeting
The room was furnished with a long table, maybe eight feet. When her husband came out, they could only reach to touch each other’s hands. A watchful communist guard listened to their entire conversation. After 15 minutes the visit was over. As much as Lan wanted to cry she was warned against it. If any of the women cried the men would be punished by more intense labor.
Homecoming
There was no announcement of the release of her husband; but one day, after six years in the “re-education” camp, he was home. He had to report to the local police once a week.
The Exodus
To leave a communist country an underground network had to take place. In Lan’s case they used gold leafs (a form of currency) to pay for their freedom. By this time Lan and her husband had given birth to another child, a son. The asking price per person was three gold leafs. They paid the price and prayed, but they had to wait a full year before they were notified that their passage out of Vietnam was available. Lan’s daughters were eight and six years old when they departed. They could not bring their newborn son because it was too dangerous. They could not risk him crying and getting caught. He remained with Lan’s parents.
The Boat
They took a bus and were transported to the shore. Their tiny fishing boat, loaded with 50 people, embarked on the dark waters of the China Sea. .
By the time they reached the ocean they realized that the compass on the boat was broken. So they used the North Star for navigation. By the fifth day the boat was sinking; the men worked feverishly all night to get the water out, but to no avail. By 7:00 a.m. the men were worn out from all the work and did not have the strength to continue bailing the water from the sinking boat. So together the Catholics and Buddhists prayed for their souls and prepared to die. Suddenly a young man on the boat saw a small speck in the sky. It was an airplane. They tried to start a fire but could not because everything on the boat was wet. The captain’s wife had a mirror, so they used it to signal the plane.
The plane circled over them and dropped a large bag with some type of beacon device to locate the boat. Three hours later a huge ship appeared, the USS Bainbridge. 
Two soldiers reached them by dinghy to ask if they needed help. They were rescued! First the women and the children then the men.
The USS Bainbridge took them to a refugee camp in Singapore. After approval to reside in the U.S., they were scrutinized by a Singapore judge. Under penalty of perjury they had to swear that all the information they were claiming was true; this was a grueling process. They were interviewed by U.S. officers and were sponsored by a Catholic organization and UNHCR (United Nations High Commission of Refugees). The UNHCR organization has been in existence for over 70 years working to protect and advocate for people forced to flee war-torn countries. Lan and her family stayed in Singapore for three months to prepare for their new life. The next five months were spent in the Philippines, where they were taught a series of orientations to acclimate them to their new life in the United States.
The Payback
Lan and her family signed loan documents for their airline tickets to the United States. While in the states another program was required; because they were legal refugees they received a stipend of 500 dollars a month plus food stamps. This was a government program; the assistance was for a maximum of 18 months. Lan’s family got out of that program in 13 months because her husband found employment. He also took a graveyard shift so he could send money back home to bring their son to the United States.
Though Lan had three years of law school and an accounting degree, because she could not speak English she could not find work. So she applied for a loan to become a cosmetologist. She worked at this job for three years. She felt a strong calling to social services. For twenty-three years she worked for the Social Services Agency of Orange County to give back to people in need.
Lan and her husband paid back every penny for the airline tickets. After five years she and her family became American citizens.
It took eight years for her son to get sponsored into the United States. Lan remembers crying and having nightmares because she could not be with him. He is now grown, an engineer with a family of his own. Her oldest daughter works for the government and her younger daughter is a pharmacist.
The Patriot
Despite great duress and persecution, Lan and her family entered this country legally. They never took advantage of our system. She is a true patriot who loves her country.
We pray for all those confused protestors who continue to divide our country. We are a free country, but if you are going to wave any flag other than U.S. flag, you do not belong here. You’ve got to be living under a rock not to understand the that majority of these “Woke” protesters are fueled by Antifa communist propaganda, and, for the most part, are citizens of this great land. One more thing, please do not sing our National Anthem in any other language than English. It’s disrespectful!
Lan and I met at daily Mass, so our love for God and country rings the same, plus we both teach First Holy Communion classes. We pray for our families and for peace to reign on this hollowed ground.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, I pray for Lan and all that she had to endure to become a United States citizen. Every sacrifice was done through much prayer and her faith in You kept her focused. She wanted to live in a land free of communism, and, through much prayer, she continues to thank You, Lord, for bringing her and her family here. Amen.
