Wednesday, March 27, 2013

5-star Review From Amazon Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars A new way to see the same questions, January 17, 2013


Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: After the Hanoi Hilton: An Accounting (Kindle Edition)
It is about a new point of view, much more optimistic than I had read before. It is also full of fresh information, which contributes to the enrichment of pow/mia issues. Great Job. Despite I just dont buy 100% of the content.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

You Buy Me Tea?

The last Vietnam War-era bar, just off Tu Do Street. The Lan Thanh Bar, 17 years after American ground troops had left. No GIs. No money. No honey. Located on a side street connecting Tu Do and Nguyen Hue. Saigon, c. 1990. Fredericksen

Monday, March 18, 2013

Remembering Haing Ngor

THIS WEEK, Haing Ngor would have been 73 years old. The Cambodian doctor, Khmer Rouge survivor, and Oscar winner for his role in "The Killing Fields," was murdered in a random robbery in LA, ten years after he came to my home in Thailand for an interview. — Bangkok, 1986.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Anniversary: Symbol of America's Vietnam Tragedy

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO the iconic U.S. Embassy in Saigon was torn down. The rooftop helipad was one of several departure points during the 1975 evacuation when Saigon fell. The ladder that so many Americans and Vietnamese climbed to freedom is on display at the Gerald Ford Museum. Today, the old embassy property is a park, adjacent to the U.S. Consulate. Some of the circular planters remain; they were used as cover by Viet Cong sappers when they blasted their way into the compound during Tet of '68. — at Ho Chi Minh City, 1993. Fredericksen

Friday, March 1, 2013

The General's Last Moments in Vietnam

The day after Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was laid to rest brings back memories of his last trip to Vietnam, as a commentator for CBS News. (He earlier served two tours in the Army) I was the CBS Bureau Chief in Bangkok and helped organize the 1993 trip, which included Dan Rather, two camera crews, assorted producers, and a ton of equipment. In Ho Chi Minh City, our delegation was threatened with bloodshed in a series of threatening letters, demanding gold and US Dollars. The story has never been told. But I will, in my upcoming book.  The photo is at Ton Son Nhut Airport in '93, and is the last picture of Gen. Schwarzkoph in Vietnam.