I have just received two notes from a lady.
One ended with the words, “Without the freedom of this nation and top leaders to take care of us, I would not be here today to enjoy the freedom that I have today.”
The other contained the words: “Every year on July 4th, people celebrate the holiday with bar-b-que, as for me, I remember how good it feels to be an American.”
I was very touched by the two notes and will share them with you, not only because we are about to celebrate our 234th Independence Day, but also because I know for a fact that there are millions of Americans out there who came to America by whatever means and for whatever reason and are now grateful and proud to live in America, to be Americans.
From 1892 through 1954, millions of immigrants arrived in New York Harbor aboard crowded ocean vessels from the “Old World” and from other parts and were “processed” at Ellis Island and other locations. I arrived in America in 1957 in a comfortable KLM aircraft from Amsterdam. Mylan, a 7-year-old girl at the time, arrived at Eglin Air force Base in 1975 “strapped in a Boeing 747.”
The notes I mentioned were written by Mylan, “35 years and 2 months” later.
Before I share them with you, a little bit of context.
As I have written here and here, one of the most rewarding assignments during my military career was that of “Senior Refugee Liaison Officer” at the Eglin Air Force Base Vietnamese Refugee Center during “Operation New Arrivals” in 1975. I and other military and civilian volunteers were responsible for the reception, housing, health and welfare and assistance with the resettlement of several thousand South Vietnamese refugees—part of the more than 125,000 Vietnamese who were greeted over an eight-month-period after the “fall of Saigon” at several “Operation New Arrivals” camps such as the one at Eglin. ”My section” housed around 600 refugees.
I don’t know if 7-year-old Mylan was in my section, and it doesn’t matter. Her words, minimally edited here, evoked some powerful memories, brought tears to the eyes of this “senior” and, most of all, an intense feeling of gratitude towards Mylan for still so fondly and vividly remembering Eglin—after 35 years:
Hello Mr. Dorian, today is exactly 35 years and 2 months after the Fall of Saigon.
For some reason most of today on the internet looking for the American Volunteer family who helped our family when we first landed in Eglin Air Force Refugee camp back in 1975. I did not realize that it has been 35 years and 2 months since the anniversary until I read your article.
With the power of the internet, I believe I have found them but not sure if they are the correct people. I also looked up the history of Vietnamese refugees in Eglin Air Force Base just for pleasure reading and came across your article written for the Moderate Voice entitled, Vietnamese and Iraq Refugees: The same, different or indifferent. What a fascinating article.
My urge to read more landed me to this one, The Fall of Saigon and Those who fled. Your journal during that day really put me in a perspective of how we were observed when we landed.
Mr. Dorian, I was a 7 years old girl when I left Vietnam to America. I remember that day when I was strapped in a Boeing 747 and landed to Eglin Refugee camp. There are many vivid memories of that first day. I remember the wonderful volunteers such as yourself welcoming us with open arms and each family is assigned a sponsor to take care of us.
It was at night and we had to find our assigned tents. We were lost not knowing what section and which tent belongs to us. Eventually we found our assigned tent. My family ended up sharing our tent with two other families. That did not matter, it was clean and I can still remember the smell of the wood from the tent and the cots. The next morning, we stood in line to get breakfast, then lunch and dinner. Every meal was always so good. It was this place that I tasted my first sweetened tea. Every evening we had outdoor movies and English classes to attend. Every month we were given opportunities to pick a toy from a toy tent.
Mr. Dorian, because of great volunteers such as yourself and the heart warm welcome gestures you gave to the Vietnamese refugees such as my family, those memories are the best part of my life and will never be forgotten. I would relive those days again.
Over the years perhaps many of us have not taken the time to say, “Thank You”. I want to take this moment to personally, Thank You and the volunteers at Eglin Air Force Base for housing us during those refugee camp days back in 1975. It must have been tough for you but it was very well organized.
Without the freedom of this nation and top leaders to take care of us, I would not be here today to enjoy the freedom that I have today.
Thank you for sharing your article.
Mylan
Upon leaving the Eglin camp, Mylan resided in New Orleans for a few years. She currently lives in Maryland where she works in the information technology field.
From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of all those who had a role in Operation New Arrivals (I hope some of them will get to read this), thank you, Mylan. I wish you and your loved ones the happiest Independence Day, ever.
CODA:
My wife (center in the photo above, with a family of South Vietnamese refugees) took several pictures at the Eglin camp, especially of the children. I will share them with Mylan. Perhaps she is one of them.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.