swash plate march 2011
DESCRIPTION
CHPA newsletter for March 2011TRANSCRIPT
Volume 6, Issue 1 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
• “Annual Meeting Update”
Rick Roll
• “The Man in the Doorway”
Michael J. Davis
• “CH-47 Replacement Plans”
Stew Magnuson
“Welcome Chris Fecher”
“Freedom”
Quang Nguyen
and much much more!
Just a brief report on HAI‟s (Helicopter
Association International) Heli-Expo, the annual civilian trade show held this year in Orlando. I attended for two days in order to assist Lynn and
Rusty Bourgoyne, who attended for the full four-day show, along with other CHPA member volunteers
who ran the booth, attempted to increase membership, and generally showed the CHPA flag.
The major industry players were there: Bell, Sikorsky, Eurocopter, Erikson Air Crane, FLIR, Robinson, Columbia Helicopters and hundreds of component suppliers, all showing their latest gear. The airspace
outside the cavernous Orlando Convention Center was filled with helicopters flying interested corporate customers in their newest models.
According to official Bell numbers, they sold 13 aircraft on Day 1, so perhaps recent projections for a firming economic environment are real.
Among the interested pilots and crew members in attendance, a 93 year-old Coastie from WWII, the 2nd USCG pilot ever (he soloed in 1943), picked up an application along with others representing a range of current aviation specialties from special ops to corporate. We all enjoyed talking with CHPA
members who dropped by the booth to touch base. Major kudos go to Rusty and Lynn, our stalwart trade show duo, who do the heavy load-in/load-out, setup, sales, and general representation. Thanks also to Al
Major for his presentation on CHPA at the Affiliate Meeting, thoughtfully made in my absence. I take great pleasure in formally welcoming Bill Wallace to the CHPA Board of Directors.
Considering that Bill‟s military service in Vietnam was illuminated by the CIB, Silver Star, and two Purple Hearts, he is to be forgiven for also being qualified to jump out of perfectly good aircraft for no apparent
reason. CHPA is indeed fortunate to enjoy the voluntary service of such a highly qualified and
experienced hand. Last month, my article ran too long for a timely and proper introduction, so I hope Bill will forgive this tardy “Welcome aboard!”
Plans and activities for our 2011 Reunion and Business Meeting at Ft. Rucker (October 20th – 23rd) continue at a pace well ahead of previous years, thanks to the energy and organization of Rick Roll,
your dynamic Reunion Chair. Mark your calendars now. Fort Rucker is rolling out the red carpet for us; don‟t miss this one!
Also, plan to come by our booth, number 3328, at AAAA (April 17th – 20th) in Nashville at the
Gaylord Opryland Convention Center. Proximity to Fort Campbell should insure that plenty of current 160th SOAR birds will be present and open for inspection, along with a plethora of manufacturers who
will show the latest and greatest components, systems, and related military products.
Duty, Honor, Courage ... Never Forget
Presenting! President’s Message Rhea Rippey
March 2011
Volume 6, Issue 3 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
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Submit Your Photos!
CHPA has a growing collection of photos, from flight school class
pictures to action photos to helicopter shots from around the
world …
If you would like to contribute to the collection please click here to upload!
Your reunion committee has returned from our planning trip to Fort Rucker
and is pleased to report that all is in place for a very informative and fun gathering. In the “informative” category, we have tours arranged of four high tech and
fascinating training venues. One of these facilities is the Goodhand simulator complex where student pilots can fly all the Army‟s aircraft only a few inches off of the ground
and in a building no less; the ultimate “nap-of-the-earth flying.” To my surprise, I learned that of the approximately two hundred and ten flight hours a student needs to log in order to graduate; over half of them are now flown in simulators. We will also have the opportunity, thanks to
CHPA member Randy Welch, to get “up close and personal” with several of the aircraft currently based at Rucker such as the UH-60 Black Hawk.
In the “fun” category, we will have lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday on the base itself and Rucker will supply interesting speakers for several of these meals. For example, our lunch on Saturday
will be held in the Army Aviation Museum where we will be surrounded, while we dine on a buffet lunch, with historical and fascinating helicopters and airplanes. Our dinners will be held in a different room each
evening at “The Landing,” Fort Rucker‟s all-rank service club, and the dinners will be served right after we finish our afternoon activities. The reason for this early evening dining is that we plan, as much as possible, to limit our consumption of adult beverages to the hospitality rooms at the Hampton Inn. The
cops and MPs are very much tougher than they were years ago when a lot of us trained/partied there. The hospitality rooms are large and will be well stocked with snacks, mixers, and ice. Adult beverages are
BYO and the county surrounding Rucker is no longer dry. The hospitality room will be a great place to get to know your fellow CHPA members and to relive those times when we flew in harm‟s way. We‟re
even working on some live background piano playing that can turn into a sing-a-long for those of you who might want to practice some old flying/fighting songs. “Fun” is what we make it and there is no doubt in my mind that we‟ll have a great deal of it!!
Please remember to actively recruit your flying buddies to join our fine association and to attend our reunion and if you have any comments, suggestions, and/or, perhaps, a willingness to join our
reunion committee, please e-mail me at [email protected].
Annual Meeting Update Rick Roll
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Concluded on Page 4
Editor‟s note. Many of you may have read the poem “The Man in the Doorway” by Michael Ryerson, USMC. I‟ve
included the poem for those of you who have not read it, followed by a memory provided by Michael J. Davis of one of his
exceptional men in the doorway.
They came in low and hot, close to the trees and dropped their tail in a flare, rocked forward and
we raced for the open doorways. This was always the worst for us, we couldn't hear anything and our
backs were turned to the tree line. The best you could hope for was a sign on the face of the man in the
doorway, leaning out waiting to help with a tug or to lay down some lead. Sometimes you could glance
quickly at his face and pick up a clue as to what was about to happen. We would pitch ourselves in
headfirst and tumble against the scuffed riveted aluminum, grab for a handhold and will that son-of-a-
bitch into the air. Sometimes the deck was slick with blood or worse, sometimes something had been left
in the shadows under the web seats, sometimes they landed in a shallow river to wash them out.
Sometimes they were late, sometimes ... they were parked in some other LZ with their rotors turning a
lazy arc, a ghost crew strapped in once too often, motionless, waiting for their own lift, their own bags,
once too often into the margins. The getting on and the getting off were the worst for us but this was all he
knew, the man in the doorway, he was always standing there in the noise, watching, urging ... swinging
out with his gun, grabbing the black plastic and heaving, leaning out and spitting, spitting the taste away,
as though it would go away.
They came in low and hot, close to the trees and dropped their tail in a flare, rocked forward and began to kick the boxes out, bouncing against the skids, piling up on each other, food and water, and
bullets ... a thousand pounds of C's, warm water and rounds, 7.62mm, half a ton of life and death. And when the deck was clear, we would pile the bags, swing them against their weight and throw them through the doorway, his doorway, onto his deck and nod and he'd speak into that little mic and they'd go
nose down and lift into their last flight, their last extraction. Sometimes he'd raise a thumb or perhaps a fist or sometimes just a sly, knowing smile, knowing we were staying and he was going but also knowing
he'd be back, he'd be back in a blink, standing in the swirling noise and the rotor wash, back to let us rush through his door and skid across his deck and will that son-of-a-bitch into the air.
They came in low and hot, close to the trees and dropped their tail in a flare, rocked forward, kicked out the boxes and slipped the litter across the deck and sometimes he'd lean down and hold the IV and brush the dirt off of a bloodless face, or hold back the flailing arms and the tears, a thumbs-up to the
right seat and you're only minutes away from the white sheets and the saws and the plasma. They came in low and hot, close to the trees and dropped their tail in a flare, rocked forward and
we'd never hear that sound again without feeling our stomachs go just a bit weightless, listen just a bit closer for the gunfire and look up for the man in the doorway.
Thinking back on how very much credit they truly deserved and how little we pilots actually gave them, I'm reminded of one particular day on which, at least in the eyes of one Army general grade officer,
our "Men in the Doorway" got a well-deserved "Atta' Boy." On that particular day, elements of the UTT/68th/197th Armed Helicopter Company‟s 1st
Platoon “Playboys” had been held back from tactical missions and told to “set up a „static display‟ for a visiting general” on
The Man in the Doorway Michael J. Davis
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our ramp at Hotel 2 at the north side of Saigon‟s Tan Son Nhut Air Base.
Then CPT Richard S. Jarrett directed the assigned crew to set up an armed UH-1B Huey with a “complete spread” of ordnance; including the aircraft‟s full compliment of 2.75 inch folding fin aerial rockets, four mounted and two hand-held M-60 machine guns, one M-14 rifle with several magazines of
7.62mm ammo, one M-79 grenade launcher with several bandoleers of 40mm grenade rounds, and “half a bazillion” rounds of linked 7.62mm ammo laid out on the tarmac in neat columns and rows.
I don't recall who the other crewmen were but when the general arrived, SPC Coombs was standing at attention, next to his door, with his M-60 at port arms.
CPT Jarrett saluted and reported to the general and proceeded with giving him a “standard, visiting fireman‟s” walk-around briefing. As they came abreast of SPC Coombs‟ position and CPT Jarrett began describing a crew chief‟s duties, the general interrupted the briefing, addressed SPC Coombs directly,
pointed at his M-60 and, in a clearly sarcastic tone asked, “Son, ya know how to use that damned thing or do ya just stand around holdin‟ it an‟ lookin' purty?”
Without missing a beat, SPC Coombs boomed out, “SIR, this is my M-60, general purpose, seventeen point five pound, air cooled, gas operated, belt fed, fully automatic, seven point six two
millimeter machine gun. It has a maximum effective range of three thousand seven hundred fifty meters and a cyclic rate of fire of five hundred and fifty rounds per minute. It fires when I pull the trigger in the
open-bolt position, at which time multiple things occur, both simultaneously and sequentially, including: with release and advancement of this bolt, a metal belt link is de-linked and ejected as the bolt simultaneously begins to chamber the de-linked round. This is immediately followed, sequentially, with
operating rod and bolt advancement and initiation of the bolt‟s locking sequence. When the bolt is fully locked, the sear releases the firing pin which strikes the primer. As the projectile approaches the muzzle, a
portion of the ignited powder‟s expanding gasses enter this gas port, actuating the buffer and operating rod group, compressing the driving spring and driving the operating rod to the rear, unlocking the bolt and ...
“all while griping the M-60 by its stock group with his left hand, Coombs field strips the M-60 with his right hand, displaying each part for the general to view at the precise moment that he is making verbal reference to that part, and lays each part, in sequential order and at “dress right dress” on his outstretched
left forearm. When the M-60 was fully disassembled, Coombs began reassembling it while continuing the
staccato delivery of his spiel, deftly shifting its focus, "... As crew chief, my duty position is here in the left cargo compartment door. My field of fire extends from three five niner degrees to one eight zero degrees,
which is my sector of responsibility at all times. My instantaneously initiated, sustained and accurate application of suppressive fire is most critical at times when our aircraft is receiving hostile fire from my sector of responsibility and when my aircraft commander is making a “right break” from a fire mission,
during which time my side of the aircraft is exposed to the target area ..." and, as he snapped the feed tray cover closed and returned to port arms, he wrapped up his impromptu briefing with "That concludes my
formal presentation. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have, SIR!" The general, mouth agape and slowly shaking his head and with a “deer in the headlights” look of
near-total disbelief at what he had just witnessed, looked to CPT Jarrett and asked, "Damn Captain, are they ALL like that?" In response to which, CPT Jarrett leaned over and with his mouth near the general‟s ear, in a “stage whisper” that Coombs could evidently hear said, "Every f#@%!ng one of them, general."
© 1964~2011 Michael J. Davis & Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd.; VET-NET
Volume 6, Issue 3 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
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CHPA‟s Corporate Sponsors
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Robertson Aviation
M1 Support Services
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Thank you
Sponsors!
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The Swash! [Got a story to share?]
We hope you enjoy your newsletter! We work to find articles of interest for our very diverse
membership, ranging from human interest to humor and wonderful war stories of helicopter pilots’
and crewmembers’ daring do. Our most entertaining and informative stories come from you, our
membership but I know there are more stores waiting to be told. The story can be about anything
from flight school to real life, TINS, or there-I-was stories. We’ve published several stories over the
years ranging from tales of flight school a long, long time ago to real life “war stories” that we’re sure
most of you can identify with.
I know there are a lot of stories out there that have not been heard by our membership so, take a
moment to lay fingers on keyboard or just put pen to paper and send in those stories. You can email
them to [email protected] or through the US Post Office to:
CHPA • PO Box 15852 • Washington, DC 20003
Now is the time to get your nominations
in for this prestigious award. We have received two nominations to date. The
requirements for nomination can be found
on your website at www.chpa-us.org.
Announcement of the selection will be
made in the July issue of The Swash Plate.
Robert N. Tredway Award
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CHPA invites you to join us at the 2011 Quad A Annual Professional Forum and Exposition in Nashville, TN and we hope you all drop by booth 3328 for a visit and bring a friend. As always, Quad A will have available military equipment currently in use and information on the future of Army Aviation.
And then, there are the parties. If you‟re going to be in the neighborhood, plan on stopping by for a chat. We always enjoy meeting our members and talking about our great programs.
A Co, 25th Avn Bn, 25th ID, Little Bears will hold their Annual reunion April 27th, 2011 to May
1st, 2011 at Branson, MO. For information contact:
Ron Hall Secretary, Little Bear Association
6161 Saufley Pines Road Pensacola, FL 32526 850•458•2504
CHPA is building quite a collection of patches from our members for display at our venues at HAI, Quad A, and VHPA. Several of our members have given us patches, including those shown here which we put on display when we set up our booth. So dig through your old patches and if you have some you’d like to share send them to us at:
CHPA • PO Box 15852 • Washington, DC 20003
Got Patches?
The Legacy Continues Jay Brown
Reunions and Gatherings
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Continued on Page 8
The CH-47 Chinook, the helicopter that has, in one version or another,
transported troops and cargo on battlefields for almost 50 years, may not end its production run until the end of the decade. And the F-models, which are
produced at Boeing‟s Philadelphia factory, may be in service until 2040, or beyond. Yet the Army believes the time is now to begin looking at its future
replacement. “I used to kid all my Air Force buddies that we were going to keep the
Chinook in service longer than the B-52,” said BG William T. Crosby,
program executive officer for Army Aviation. “We‟re flying 70-year-old technology airframes and sustaining them effectively. That‟s a credit to the
soldiers. But are we going to continue to sustain that for another 20 to 30 to 40 years? Or are we going to look for some new technology?” he asked at the Association of the United States Army aviation
conference. While the Chinook first entered service in 1962, the twin-engine, twin-rotor design has its roots in
World War II when the Navy was developing a tandem-rotor anti-submarine helicopter. The airframe of the current models looks about the same as the first iterations of the aircraft
introduced 49 years ago. Like the Air Force‟s long-range bomber the B-52, which has been flying since
1955, there have been several models with significant upgrades, though. Improvements continue to be planned for the Chinook even though it is still in the middle of its production run. Boeing has produced
115 F-models as of February, which is about halfway through its current contract, Pat Donnelly, Boeing‟s CH-47 domestic program manager, told National Defense.
A change in the way the airframe is put together may make them much more durable than the preceding models. The machined aluminum structure, which involves creating the fuselage out of a block of the metal, means there are roughly half the number of pieces and parts of previous models. This will
result in less fatigue on the airframe, he said. “It should be getting us a longer life,” Donnelly said.
All the evidence is anecdotal so far, but reports from the field suggest that there is considerably less cracking and wear on the new airframes, he said. One unit has flown its F-models for more than 10,000
total hours, and has not reported any problems, he added. “It‟s clearly more efficient from our perspective to assemble,” Donnelly said. “But it‟s pretty much
a wash as far as manufacturing costs. As for the Army, it will certainly gain savings in terms of life-cycle
costs because the aircraft will last longer,” he added. One of the other improvements is the digital automatic flight control (DAFC) system, which
mimics many of the capabilities of a fly-by-wire system. Fly by wire helps pilots operate an aircraft through electrical impulses sent by a computer rather than hydraulic, mechanical systems that are directly
controlled by its operator. The F-model still features a hydraulic control system, but the DAFC box can perform many of the
tasks through the digital Rockwell Collins common avionics architecture system cockpit.
“It is not fly by wire, but it has a significant amount of capability that reduces the pilot‟s workload,” Donnelly said. For example, in brownout conditions, where pilots have a difficult time
landing a Chinook in heavy dust, the push of a button automates the landing process by letting the aircraft descend one foot at a time until it gently touches ground.
The DAFC system has about 80 percent of the capability of a fly-by-wire system, but at about 20 percent of the
Army Ponders CH-47 Replacement Stew Magnuson
BG William T. Crosby
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Concluded on Page 9
cost, Boeing officials claim.
Fly by wire takes the burden off pilots, and swapping out a hydraulic system with wires reduces an aircraft‟s weight, but it is costly to install, Army aviation officials said at the AUSA conference. The service is still studying whether it is worth the extra cost.
Boeing is also under contract to develop new rotor blades that will give the Chinook additional lift capability without degrading forward performance.
“That‟s always a challenge,” Donnelly said. “Typically, if you add more lift, you add more twist, but if you add more twist, it typically gives you more drag. It‟s always kind of hard to go faster and lift
more at the same time.” The company is wrapping up wind tunnel tests for new blade configurations. The goal is to add
about 2,000 pounds of lift capability, he said.
Boeing officials interview the members of every unit returning from overseas deployments to garner feedback on how the aircraft is performing. Overwhelmingly, they want an improved cargo handling
system. To move pallets on and off the aircraft, technicians must install a kit, which soldiers are not entirely happy with, he said. Boeing is spending its own research-and-development funds to come up with
a cargo loading system that would be inherent in the aircraft, and is hoping that the Army will pay for the added feature in the second half of the current production run.
Self-diagnostics that can monitor the health of aircraft components, and a counter-infrared missile system that is built into the aircraft during production instead of being added afterwards are two other features Boeing would like to add to the Chinook.
The Chinook, by all measures, has been a wildly successful aircraft for Boeing, which in 1960 acquired the Vertol Aircraft Company founded by legendary helicopter designer Frank Piasecki. More
than 800 remain in service worldwide, according to a December 2010 World Military and Civil Aircraft Briefing on the Chinook produced by the Teal Group, an aerospace and defense consultancy. Eighteen
nations purchased the earlier C- and D-models. Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, Turkey and United Arab Emirates have ordered F-models. The Teal Group report notes that India, Singapore, South Korea, Greece and Malaysia have also expressed interest. A major purchase by the United Kingdom is on hold
because of budget concerns in the Ministry of Defence, Donnelly said. The US Special Operations Command also converts Chinooks to a G-model, which is designed to
fit its mission requirements. Nonmilitary variants produced in the late 1970s are still being used in Oregon by the logging industry.
Boeing also has contracts to export airframes to Japan and Italy, where local manufacturers integrate their own systems into the aircraft.
The Philadelphia plant where they are manufactured is undergoing a major refurbishing in order to
double the number of Chinooks produced from three to six per month, Donnelly said. The need for increased capacity is not being driven by the Army, Donnelly noted, but rather
foreign military sales. Boeing is incorporating lean manufacturing practices learned from its V-22 Osprey and commercial
aircraft operations to gain the increased efficiencies, he said. The factory will also be “green.” It will employ ambient lighting and better environmental controls to save energy, he added.
But what does the Army want next?
“In the discussions we‟ve had, they want more of everything. They want more lift. They want to go faster. They‟d like to have more internal capacity,” Donnelly said.
“If you want to go faster, you start limiting yourself on how fast you can drag what you hang underneath the aircraft in the air,” he noted.
This is still all in the “fantasy stage,” he said. “They really haven‟t laid out what they want yet. But as technologies
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mature, let‟s put them on the aircraft and keep them going longer than the B-52.”
BG Anthony G. Crutchfield, Commanding General of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence, said at the conference that the time to begin planning for new helicopters is now. The service should aim for new airframes for all its classes of rotary-wing aircraft by 2030, he said.
Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of Analysis at the Teal Group, said in the briefing that the CH-47 is “essential.”
After the F-model ends its production run, it will remain in service for decades. He estimated 2035, or beyond. Army aviation officials at the conference said 2040.
No matter what the Army needs to do in the future, from peacekeeping, counterinsurgency, disaster relief or regular warfare, the CH-47 is vital to all these missions, Aboulafia said. The Office of the Secretary of Defense would like to fold all its requirements into a joint heavy lift aircraft shared by the
Army and Marine Corps, but that won‟t happen for another 20 years, he predicted. Even that projection could slip further, he noted.
“The future depends on the Army‟s needs, but there‟s a great chance of another CH-47X upgrade,” he said, referring to model that may follow the F.
“All armies need something to move a platoon, and while the [Marine Corps‟] CH-53K represents some competition, Boeing will capture almost all of the market,” Aboulafia predicted.
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The Combat Helicopter Pilots Trust Foundation
The Trust Foundation is up and running and in need of one more director for the CHPTF Board of Directors. The Board is made up of the CHPA Chairman of the
Board, CHPA President, CHPA Treasurer, Chairman of the Presidents Committee and
three members of CHPA, one Pilot, Crew and Legacy Member. Grateful appreciation goes to Robert Woodruff and Susan Jimison, the Pilot and Legacy directors,
respectively. So we need one CHPA Crew Member to complete the Board and begin the
process of directing the activities of the Trust Foundation. The only requirements are that you are a Crew Member of CHPA in good standing and have a desire to see CHPA
and the Trust Foundation succeed. If you meet these requirements, we have an
opportunity for you. If you have any questions give our HQ a call at 800•832•5144 or
drop them an email at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Volume 6, Issue 3 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
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Chris Fecher was among the initial founding members of
CHPA and was involved with its initial concept, organization and funding. Chris strongly embraces the concept of continuing our
helicopter combat legacy and proudly served on the first CHPA Board of Directors. He attended Artillery OCS, graduated as Distinguished
Military Graduate and was commissioned at Fort Sill, OK in July 1967. After a temporary assignment, he attended USAAVNS and graduated with class 68-514 at Savannah, GA in Oct 1968. He served
with the 192nd AHC, 10th BN, 1st Aviation Brigade from November 1968 through October 1969 at Phan Thiet, RVN and was assigned as
second flight (slick) platoon leader. During Chris‟ RVN service he received the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal with “V” device
and sixteen Air medals. Upon returning stateside, CPT Fecher was stationed at Fort Stewart, GA, of the Hunter AAF/Ft.
Stewart US Army Aviation School (rotary wing), and was assigned duty as Committee Chief for the Department of Tactics, Academics Division for Airmobile Operations and Tactics. This team was responsible for the tactical education and training for all students at the complex. In addition to updating
instructional materials based on combat “lessons learned” for USAAVNS, Chris‟ committee was directly responsible for designing, developing and implementing special instructional recorded and visual aids for
RVN Air Force students participating in our government‟s “Vietnamization Program.” The Airmobile Operations Committee was recognized multiple times for excellence under Chris‟ leadership and he
received personnel recognition as the School‟s Outstanding Instructor during 1970. Chris voluntarily left active duty in October 1971 and began a 30 year career in the computer
software engineering, services and telecommunications industries. He was employed by EDS and Perot
Systems for a total of eighteen years and earned significant corporate executive responsibilities at both while supporting the automobile, healthcare and “commercial electronics distribution” industries and
serving many of our nation‟s largest firms. Chris also served as CEO, President and Board member of start-up and turn-around software companies as well as a Partner, Senior VP, CTO and CIO positions for
multiple major global corporations. Chris retired in 2001 and presently resides in Las Vegas, NV with his spouse of 39 years, Billie.
Chris completed his BBA following his return to civilian life through night school education. His passions
include firearms, golf, cooking and navigating the financial morass of our economy. He is an active member of VHPA and DAV and the Fechers host an annual Christmas function for Vietnam helicopter
pilots and their families.
Welcome Chris Fecher
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Concluded on Page 12
On Saturday, July 24th 2010, the town of Prescott Valley, AZ hosted a Freedom Rally. Mr. Quang
Nguyen was asked to speak on his experience of coming to America and what it means. He spoke the following in dedication to all Vietnam veterans. I thought you might enjoy hearing what he had to say,
Thirty-five years ago, if you were to tell me that I am going to stand up here speaking to a couple
thousand patriots, in English, I‟d laugh at you. Man, every morning I wake up thanking God for putting me and my family in the greatest country on earth.
I just want you all to know that the American dream does exist and I am living the American
dream. I was asked to speak to you about my experience as a first generation Vietnamese-American, but I rather speak to you as an American.
If you hadn‟t noticed, I am not white and I feel pretty comfortable with my people. I am a proud US citizen and here is my proof. It took me eight years to get it, waiting in endless
lines, but I got it and I am very proud of it. Guess what, I did it legally and it ain‟t from the state of Hawaii.
I still remember the images of the Tet Offensive in 1968, I was six years old. Now you might want to question how a six year old boy could remember anything. Trust me; those images can never be erased. I can‟t even imagine what it was like for young American soldiers, 10,000 miles away from home, fighting
on my behalf. Thirty five years ago, I left South Vietnam for political asylum. The war had ended. At the age of
13, I left with the understanding that I may or may not ever get to see my parents or siblings again. I was one of the first lucky 100,000 Vietnamese allowed to come to the US. Somehow, my family and I were
reunited five months later, amazingly, in California. It was a miracle from God. If you haven‟t heard lately that this is the greatest country on earth, I am telling you that right now.
It is the freedom and the opportunities presented to me that put me here with all of you tonight. I also
remember the barriers that I had to overcome every step of the way. My high school counselor told me that I cannot make it to college due to my poor communication skills. I proved him wrong. I finished
college. You see, all you have to do is give this little boy an opportunity and encourage him to take and run with it. Well, I took the opportunity and here I am. This person standing tonight in front of you
could not exist under a socialist/communist environment. By the way, if you think socialism is the way to go, I am sure many people here will chip in to get you a one-way ticket out of here. And if you didn‟t know, the only difference between socialism and communism is an AK-47 aiming at your head. That was
my experience. In 1982, I stood with a thousand new immigrants, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and listening to
the National Anthem for the first time as an American. To this day, I can‟t remember anything sweeter and more patriotic than that moment in my life.
Fast forwarding, somehow I finished high school, finished college, and like any other goofball 21 year old kid, I was having a great time with my life. I had a nice job and a nice apartment in Southern California. In someway and somehow, I had forgotten how I got here and why I am here.
One day I was at a gas station, I saw a veteran pumping gas on the other side of the island. I don‟t know what made me do it, but I walked over and asked if he had served in Vietnam. He smiled and said,
“Yes.” I shook and held his hand. The grown man began to well up. I walked away as fast as I could and at that very moment, I was emotionally rocked. This was a profound moment in life. I knew
something had to change in my life. It was time for me to learn how to be a good citizen. It was time for me to give
Freedom Quang Nguyen
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Buzz Covington [email protected]
back.
You see, America is not a place on the map, it isn‟t a physical location. It is an ideal, a concept. And if you are an American, you must understand the concept, you must buy into this concept, and most importantly, you have to fight and defend this concept. This is about Freedom and not free stuff. And
that is why I am standing up here. Brothers and sisters, to be a real American, the very least you must do is to learn English and understand it well. In my humble opinion, you cannot be a faithful patriotic citizen
if you can‟t speak the language of the country you live in. Take this document of 46 pages – last I looked on the internet, there wasn‟t a Vietnamese translation of the US Constitution. It took me a long time to
get to the point of being able to converse and until this day, I still struggle to come up with words. It‟s not easy, but if it‟s too easy, it‟s not worth doing.
Before I knew this 46 page document, I learned of the 500,000 Americans who fought for this little
boy. I learned of the 58,000 names scribed on the black wall at the Vietnam Memorial. You are my heroes. You are my founders.
At this time, I would like to ask all the Vietnam veterans to please stand. I thank you for my life. I thank you for your sacrifices, and I thank you for giving me the freedom and liberty I have today. I now
ask all veterans, fire fighters and police officers to please stand. On behalf of all first generation immigrants, I thank you for your services and may God bless you all.