Le’s grandparents. Photo provided.
(Editor’s note: this is the second installment of a story of one family’s efforts to escape Vietnam. The edition of July 29 told of their journey to Thailand, and of pirates twice boarding their boat seeking valuables. This picks up with the family on the sea in the Gulf of Thailand.—eeb.
By Tim Le
PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. | On the third night at sea headed to Thailand, we encountered a storm which knocked out the engine. We had to set up a sail that night and let the wind take us. The following morning, the men worked on the Yarma engine and adjusted the valves to generate engine compression and got it going. The remainder of the trip took about a day and was peaceful and uneventful. I remember my uncle making his prayers asking for safety and blessings.
Le
As we reached Songkhla coast of Thailand, there were many ships around. A few of our adults knew some English, and asked passerby ships for guidance. One ship towed us and delivered us to the port authority. We disembarked our boat and sat on the lawn not realizing the impact of the journey. (The feeling of still being on the water remained, as I imagined that the earth surface was moving beneath my feet.)
My uncle took out some incense sticks and approached the boat to send a prayer. He stuck the incense sticks into the tip of the wooden bow and lit them. Not more than 15 minutes later, the boat on fire yielded to the incoming water and rested on the bottom. It was a regular occurrence at this specific port. I can imagine the stories of each journey. Those who made it to port are all blessed.
We were admitted to Thailand for three months and lived at three different refugee camps. I went to school there and learned English. I was ranked second in the class of 20 students.
A cousin birthing a daughter delayed our leaving for the United States. She had her daughter in Pulau Galang in the fall of 1981. This caused a two month delay from being admitted to the U.S. Every afternoon, my family would gather at the center of the camp to listen to the public announcements, and we all cheered with joy as names were called to go to the USA. When our family was finally called, that was the happiest day of our journey.
We temporarily were held over in Singapore for a week. The next stop was in Hong Kong for just one night before flying to Seattle, Wash. and then transferred to Chicago, Ill. on Jan 19, 1982.
I completed San Bernardino high school in 1990, before going to college at California Polytech Pomona, where I graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1995. Since then, I have worked as a Senior Equipment Engineer for NEC Electronics USA and eventually became an entrepreneur and real estate investor.
I have offices in Peachtree Corners and Duluth and have been on the Gateway Community Improvement District board since 2012. I am also a member of the Gwinnett Rotary Club and also involved with the Vietnamese community and with activities of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders. I am also on the board for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the Peachtree Corners Downtown Development Authority, Leadership Gwinnett and the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.
My wife, Amy, is in property management. We have one daughter, Tiffany, who is 20, is a student at the University of Georgia.
My family had lost our share of dignity trying to search for freedom. My parents lived in Rialto, Calif., where my father was in the landscape and later water purification business. My parents in 2005 moved to Norcross. We are blessed to have them in Georgia.
I am grateful for the Americans that fought for democracy and freedom throughout the world. I am also grateful for America helping and admitting all of the Vietnamese refugees into the United States and giving us the platform to build our foundation to prosper and thrive.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us