After 46 Years...a Trip Back in Time, Part 7

by Glenn N. Holliman

A Tour of Vietnam, an old Soldier returns....

My series on a March 2015 tour of Vietnam continues with more on the medical conference in Ha Long, Vietnam, chaired by my cousin, Dr. Jim Holliman, president of an international emergency medical association.  Thanks to an invitation from Jim and his wife, Karen, my daughter, Grace, and I took advantage of the situation and traveled with them.  For me, it was my first return to Southeast Asia since leaving South Vietnam as a young soldier in January, 1970 after a year with the 1st Infantry Division.  I continue to wrestle with memories of that anguished time in my life....

Jim, below right, speaks at the opening of the Ha Long conference and medical workshops. He is the author of numerous books on trauma and the treatment of emergency situations. He is family; I am allowed to brag about him. 

Below left, Jim and speakers fine tune their headphones for the simultaneous translation from Vietnamese to English.

 

 While Jim was working, I visited the exhibits and made friends with some 22 year old translators studying to be nurses.  They likened me to their grandfather, and enjoyed practicing their English.  In this culture, the old are venerated which felt good. 

At evening, we were bused to another hotel, and the Gala Dinner occurred – perhaps dinner for 400, mostly Vietnamese.  Sat at round table for ten, and again the Lazy Susan.  Twelve courses, delightful groans when the meal of crab, pork, rice, vegetables, noodles, fish, bread, and on and on, washed down with French wine.  A Vietnamese dance and singing groups put on a continuous show….delicate dances and native songs and costumes.  Remarkable, a demonstration of their Asian cultural arts.  Magnificent.

Another banquet and more folk music and dance.  

The instrument is made of bamboo.

During the dinner, the five translators saw me and ran up and treated me like a rock star much to Grace’s amusement.  I gave the girls my social card.  Did my ego a bit of good.

A Senior Moment

And that was good because I had a lapse in attention while checking my email back in my bedroom. Struck by irritated  skin, I fumbled for a tube and squeezed some lotion on my reddened ankle.  I noticed the cream was thicker than usual, but thought no more about it.  The next morning, no itch, great I thought, and then I noticed a tube of Colgate tooth paste on the desk, next to the computer.  Hmmm…maybe I will use more tooth paste in the future.  Fortunately I did not brush my teeth with hydrocortisone!

I am posting this latest article at Christmas time 2015.  The memory of that 1969 December in South Vietnam comes back to me.  Here is a few photo of a young G.I. in a time far away.

It is Christmas Eve day, and I am typing letters of condolences from the chaplain to the parents and loved ones of Americans who have died recently in combat with our brigade, the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry, Lai Khe, Vietnam, 40 miles or so north of Saigon.  

Why the helmet and flack jacket?  A note on the picture says we were having a raid at the time, rockets fired from outside the perimeter into the base.  Yes, it was a manual typewriter.  Make a typo and one was required to start over from the beginning.  I typed very, very slowly and concentrated. Even with 'incoming'.

More observations of both new and ancient Vietnam (and aging) in the next post!

************************************************************************************

THE CHRISTOPHER HOLLYMAN, SR.

 HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Executive Committee

Tina Peddie (California) Jeanette Holiman Stewart (Texas), Allen Holleman (North Carolina), Glenn N. Holliman (Pennsylvania), Lynn Holliman (Texas) Glenda Norris (Alabama), Sue Jones (Wyoming), Joseph Parker (Texas), Denise Goff (Virginia) and Sandra Torbert French (Florida)

CORDIALLY INVITE YOU

to

The Inaugural Meeting of the Society

at

SMITHFIELD

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY

VIRGINIA

MARCH 31- APRIL 2, 2016

FOR

A ONCE IN A LIFETIME TOUR TO THE CHRISTOPHER HOLLYMAN'S PLANTATION CA 1682

AND

OTHER HISTORIC HOLLYMAN SITES

AND

TWO DAYS OF SEMINARS

and Round Table Discussions

ON

THE HOLLYMANS of ENGLAND

AND

SUBSEQUENT MIGRATIONS

THROUGH OUT THE USA

PLUS

SESSIONS ON HOW TO TRACE YOUR HOLLYMAN DNA, THE MASSIVE FAMILY TREE (at www.Ancestry.com), HOLLYMAN WEB SITES, THE JAMESTOWN SOCIETY AND THE NEW HOLLIMAN ARCHIVES FOR HOLLYMANS (ALL SPELLINGS) AND ASSOCIATED FAMILIES!

For information and a complete schedule of the program and times, email Allen Holleman, Program Reservations, at jallen.holleman2@gmail.com or call (919-210-6862).