As a Sentry employee, I was at the same time a Recruiting Officer for Eastern Company, Inc. (ECOI), for ex-Army or P.C. officers desiring to go to Vietnam as Civilian Community Development Officers during the war in that country. I recruited myself first, because the pay in dollars was good — $300 take-home pay and $300 per diem in Vietnam as Liaison Officer of USOM (U.S. Operations Mission). (CIA money)
If I wrote all my experiences during my three (3) years (1965, 1966, and 1967) in Vietnam, this book wouldn’t be sufficient. I’ve filled up one roll of tape relating my experiences there.
My World War II experiences have taught me that wherever you are, any time your time is up according to God’s plan, you’ll “kick the bucket.” I could see that God wanted me to be there as His vessel of LOVE.
As Liaison Action Officer in the Province of Baclieu, I went to the Villages and Hamlets with an interpreter, encouraging the people to decide on any self-help project for community development, such as roads, bridges, school buildings, dispensaries, markets, wharves, sidewalks, water pumps, public toilets, refugee homes, orphanages, poultry and swine raising, etc.
Once I got the approval of the Provincial Representative, as Civilian American USOM employee, who in turn gets the okay of the American Military Advisory Chief, also concurred in by the Vietnamese Provincial Governor, on any community project, I opened the U.S. Warehouse under my charge for the people to get sacks of cement, aluminum roofing, nails, bulgur wheat, powdered milk, cooking oil, rebar, and wheat flour, to support the project. A ceremony was held for every project completed to turn over the project to the people’s civilian local government or to the people themselves.
Relief goods such as donated clothes, garden tools, etc., were stored in my warehouse and I made the distribution to the needy people, all for FREE!
I helped many war victims and poor people there!
December 5, 1995
Leave a Reply