“Go back to Vietnam on your boat” was something I’d heard a few times growing up by some kids I went to school with. And those who didn’t know or were curious would ask or say, “You’re a boat person?” Because of some teasing for being different, I’d deny coming to America on a boat.
I denied being a boat person so the kids would stop teasing me. I wanted to fit in at my school, in my class, and in the new world. For the most part, the kids I went to school with were kind and gracious; but there are always a few that like to bully and tease and capitalize on your weakness. As we adjusted to our new town and new country, I’ve developed wonderful friends whom many I’m still close with today.
Since I’ve come to understand the history of my country, The Vietnam War, the Fall of Saigon and the thousands of soldiers who died, the hundreds and thousands of Vietnamese who fled their land to seek freedom, it brings such great appreciation for what my parents went through abandoning their home and country and fled to America by boat on April 29th, 1975.
I no longer deny that I’m a boat person. Remembering my heritage, my roots, and what it took my parents to experience freedom makes me proud and unashamed…proud of them for being so brave and risking death at sea because they wanted nothing more than to give their children a brighter future.
Today, April 30th, 35 years since the Fall of Saigon, I want to honor all the soldiers who left their country to come fight in ours and sacrificed their lives in this war. I want to remember the families who suffered such great loss, the families and friends who weren’t able to get out of Vietnam and for all the “boat people” who perished at sea seeking for a chance at freedom.
America opened her borders and welcomed millions of boat people who made it across the ocean. Churches and organizations who sponsored the countless of refugees and gave us the chance to start new beginning…because of your compassion, you will always be cherished and appreciated.
Below is a video sharing images captured of boat people who fled Vietnam. I was a boat person…
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