My name is Richard Chan, and I am a Vietnam Veteran.

I served in the US Navy from 1968 to 1971. My deployment to Vietnam was from 1969 to 1970 at Naval Support Activity Saigon, Detachment Dong Tam. I was an Engineman Petty Officer 3rd Class while in Vietnam working on River Assault Craft maintenance and was also assigned to harbor patrol for 3 months. I am only 19 years old in this picture taken on the Song My Tho, the upper branch of the Mekong River in 1969. Dad and I never really talked about my time in Vietnam, but my he told me a few stories. My father was in the Army Air Corps during WWII. The picture with my mom and dad is after war and holding me as a baby. I had one uncle that served in Vietnam who was a pilot in the Air Force. There were four other relatives who served in the US Army in Germany. My dad was an excellent cook when he was drafted into the Army but he did not want to do that in the service. He somehow got into the Army Air Corps band playing the drums and was stationed in Miami Beach! He learned how to play the drums in China during his Kung Fu lessons and took advantage of it. He would drum out the beat of the exercises as well as participate himself in Kung Fu. After he got out, he eventually opened up a Chinese restaurant with my grandfather in Rockville Centre on Long Island. His Sargent came to the restaurant about 10 years after my dad left the service. They stared at each other for a while, and realized they served together in the Army. They became very good friends, and he was one of the regular customers.

I was subjected to discrimination, being called a “gook” or VC and got into many fist fights, some I won, some I lost. On my very first day in Vietnam, the Master at Arms at the mess hall would not let me in and said that Vietnamese sailors had to come back at 2 PM. I told the Master at Arms to read what it said on my shirt, and he apologized and let me in. Another time an Army Lt. would not let me in the Army PX and said it was for US Soldiers only. I had to pull out my ID to show him I was US Navy. I was fuming to say the least. I had a Navy Captain say to me that I spoke English very well one time, when I had to deliver paperwork to the Administration hootch. I told him that I was in his Navy and scooted out of there! You should have seen his jaw drop to the floor when I said that!

I got into a fight with a South Vietnamese sailor, who I almost knocked out after he kicked me. He picked up my loaded rifle, and I thought I was gonna die at his hands when my friend broke his rifle butt across his face and knocked him out again. We dragged him to the brig. The very next day, I got cornered by 7 South Vietnamese sailors who were his friends and backed me up to the showers with them yelling at me for beating up their friend. They were going to get even. I was lucky, when 2 US sailors in the showers heard the commotion and asked if I needed help. The South Vietnamese sailors disbursed quickly. My lesson was never to walk around in Vietnam, no matter where I was without a weapon! To this day, I am never without at least a knife on me.

When it was time to come back to the states, we flew into San Francisco Airport in civilian clothing, so we would not be singled out by the protesters. I never got spit on but did go through the heckling. The guys on my plane all took a vow to back each other up in case it did happen to one of us. These were the same guys I flew to Vietnam and worked with for a year. We had each “others” backs. Once I got home, it was totally different. My friends were glad I made it home in mostly one piece. My mom was the happiest of all. She told me that one day, a gentleman in a suit rang the doorbell and handed her a letter. She almost fainted, but the gentleman told her that the letter from me was delivered to his home in error, and he wanted to make sure she got it. I never had any problems in my hometown. Even in the bars, lots of guys bought me drinks welcoming me back home. I had a lot of my friends from high school also serve in Vietnam. All made it home, but not all in one piece… I felt very lucky to be one of the ones who physically made it home.

I felt my war experience has caused me a lot of anger, anxiety, and nightmares. I suffer from PTSD, and I am 100% service connected disabled. This is me and my wife, Louise. The group picture are with me and members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 72, and from left to right is Barry Berger, Steve Placanica, Mark Ginsberg and me. I keep busy as a DAV Dept. Service Officer to keep my PTSD symptoms to a minimum. The satisfaction that I get from helping my fellow Veterans has eased my pain and helped me continue on. I am the Treasurer for Disabled American Veterans Brooklyn Chapter 28. I am also a Disabled American Veterans Dept. of NY Dept. Service Officers helping Veterans file their service connected claims for disability. I am also Treasurer, Membership Chairman, Newsletter Editor and Website Editor for the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 72.
~Richard Chan, Vietnam Veteran

We wish to thank Richard Lee Chan for his service and for sharing his story with Comes A Soldier’s Whisper, where we are all connected…

God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.

Vietnam Letters: www.VietnamAndBeyond.com

‪#‎FamiliesServeToo‬ ‪#‎SupportOurTroops‬ ‪#‎ComesASoldiersWhisper‬