Photo By Tech. Sgt. Donald Hudson | U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Quoc Bao Lam, lead linguist, right, translates for...... read more read more
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As the sun rises over the jungle canopy, the workers are already on the move. They take in the crisp scent of the morning air as they head up the rocky mountain path, slipping between the trees of a wet, dew covered forest in Vietnam. At the top of the green mountain ridge is U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Quoc Bao Lam, waiting to greet them with a smile and a handshake before getting started on the day’s work.
On a normal day, Lam is a master-at-arms in the military police at Naval Station Everett, Washington, but today Lam is part of a unique assignment. He is acting as the lead linguist for a recovery team deployed by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) on their fourth mission to Vietnam.
Lam works at an excavation site found on a remote mountain peak in one of the Vietnamese jungle’s most austere locations. The site is only accessible by helicopter, and the nearest village is nine kilometers away, down a long steep rocky trail on the brink of being overgrown by the jungle. Being at a site so removed, a linguist is a necessity for a successful recovery mission.
“Nothing in this mission could be accomplished without the skill sets and abilities of an experienced linguist on the team,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Mark Strickert, DPAA senior recovery team leader. “Linguists translate intent, interpret body language, serve as cultural advisors, facilitate negotiations, and build camaraderie with the local community and government officials we work with so closely every day. Linguists are the underlining glue in the tireless steps we take to fulfill our nation’s promise to bring our fallen home.”
The mission of DPAA is to provide the fullest possible accounting for missing service members to their families and the nation from past conflicts.
The total number of service members unaccounted for from the Vietnam War was 2,646, but through the work of DPAA, 1,052 of those missing have been found, identified and repatriated. The work of DPAA is continually ongoing to find the reaming 1,594 missing U.S. service members from the Vietnam War era.
The work to recover missing service members starts with intense analyzing of historical records from all sides of a conflict surrounding the missing individuals. This is followed by interviewing eye witnesses, gathering local accounts, and pinpointing and evaluating possible dig sites. Once all the data has been compiled and strongly suggests a specific area, recovery teams are brought in to dig and sift the soil, looking for remains of the missing individuals.
When Lam first learned about DPAA and their missions to Vietnam to recover fallen troops he felt an instant connection and he knew he had to find a way to contribute.
“I wanted to be a part of this important work,” said Lam. “To have an opportunity to help my fellow service members and their families find closure, and possibly help to find some of the lost or fallen friends of my father.”
Lam moved to America at eight-years-old with his mother and siblings. His father, Ouang Lam, had left five years prior to escape prosecution and possible execution after the North Vietnamese Army won the war.
From the start of the conflict, Ouang fought in the Southern Vietnamese Army. As U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War increased, the U.S. Army began seeking out locals who could speak English, Chinese and Vietnamese to help U.S. troops better navigate the region.
After applying to train with the U.S., Ouang tested high enough and was sent to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to get a better grip on the English language and military terminology. Once proficient in English, he was sent to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, where he was taught how to fly medical helicopters before going back to his country and the war.
For the rest of the war, Ouang delivered supplies and wounded U.S. and South Vietnamese troops by helicopter. He regularly came under fire and, throughout the conflict, lost fellow aircrew, friends and family. Ouang made it to the rank of chief warrant officer 3 before the U.S. pulled out of the war.
Not long after the exit of U.S. troops, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) took South Vietnam and reunified the country. Those who had worked with the Americans were soon sought after by the NVA. Ouang had to leave his country to save his and his family’s lives.
Ouang began building a new life for his family in Chicago, thanks to a religious group that sponsored individuals who had fought alongside U.S. troops during the war. They brought foreign veterans and their families to the U.S. to ensure they were not harmed by the new Vietnamese government.
After all he experienced during the war, Ouang was against war for the rest of his life. Ouang urged his children to go to school and not join any military service, but Lam wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Luckily before his father passed away, Lam was able to explain why he chose to serve in the military after realizing school was not for him.
“My father was incredibly upset and did not talk to me for some time,” said Lam. “After a few years I sat down with him and talked about why I joined the Navy. While he still did not like the idea of me being in the armed forces, over time came to be very proud of my service to the country that has given his family so much.”
If it wasn’t for Ouang's close work with the U.S. during the war, he may never have gotten out of Vietnam after the country’s reunification and would have never had the chance to provide his family with the American dream.
“Lam’s father is always watching from above and he would be proud of Lam working to find his lost friends from so long ago,” said Lam’s mother. “We have been proud of everything that he has done so far in life, to give back to the U.S. for all the U.S. has done for our family. We are extremely proud.”
After weeks of facilitating countless negotiations, advising on cultural differences and interpreting body language, the Vietnam mission came to a close. From his site on top of the mountain, Lam took a last look over the green valley bellow as the setting sun cast the sky in hazy blues and purples. Taking in a breath of the fresh, cool evening air, Lam recalls his role as a linguist, calling it a more deeply rewarding experience than he ever imagined.
“One of the most rewarding parts of this mission is helping people from my two nations understand their differences and similarities in culture, so they can better work and connect with each other,” said Lam. “Helping build those relationships and seeing the friendships people make while working is amazing. I like to think these are the same types of friendships my father helped to make during his time working between the people of our two nations.”
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2018 00:14 |
| Story ID: | 294562 |
| Location: | YOKOTA AIR BASE, TOKYO, JP |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Translating To Find the Fallen, by TSgt Donald Hudson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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