WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

It's like 65. What was life like when. I was in Thailand for almost a year and alive is there. They depend on people I mean that if you are rich you get money with you and you can live a little more comfortable than all those who are in. Spain. So it's a six. I was a cam in the river just came in Thailand for almost a year. And. Last year is. Better. If you have money. Last minute if you have money you can buy things with. You. We are we receive food twice a week from the United Nations. And a lot of rice enough rice to feed our own family.

It's been like 67. There in the revisions can we receive food from the United Nations. Twice a week. Fresh. Fish eatables meat fish. Sometimes chicken. And we receive a lot of rice too. Talking about security in the camp. Because sometime we we have a little problem with villagers who live nearby and sometimes they went in the camp to steal things from us. Some of them got drunk and tried to shoot the women and to try to do some bad things like a weapon something like that.

So that we. Spent. 68. Talking. Talking about the security in the camp we still got. Some trouble from the villagers who live nearby. And sometimes from the police who took the guard around or came to. Some time during the night some of the villagers tried to invade India came to rob to steal to proceed after the women. To do the bad things like just like grabbing something like that. And therefore we try to organize a small defensive force. What say you the young people in the camp just go around the camp. If

some stranger came into the camp. We just try to make as much noise as possible in order to let people a whack. Off the invasion and ignore it or let the police who guard the camp know about it so they cannot say that they don't know anything. And it's very useful. And they. Keep. TV shows our outcome. And later only. The authorities put a fence around a camp. But defends it that is an odd thing. It doesn't mean anything because it just. Caused by the candid fans anyway. Have you found a sponsor and you were told that you were going to be able to come to America. How did you feel when what happened. I got a new nose. Some sometime in August that I

my family was accepted to go to the states. We were very happy. Because I had seen that. I can manage to be there to give my children opportunity to grow. And. In December 0 7 78 four months later. I got the news that I got a sponsor. So. I ams. I know that I am ripe and ready to go. And. Something will happen but. I think that this would thing not a bad thing anymore. What do you think America would be like before you came. And what surprised you most when you when you. Really it doesn't mean it doesn't surprise me too much when I arrived this country because I I was here once in

1974 for four months military training in. Which human vision Yeah. So. Is there life in America like a machine is just to go by like a clock. You had just time to do this at that time to do that and so forth. I am not surprised but my wife and my children have a surprise. When they first see the snow when they get off from the plant. And that the first surprise and it. Is very hard for him. To see something cold sticking in your skin something like that. And besides after all why they get a little problem of communication my children at school and my wife go in to buy a grocery something but I was be I on was behind her to help her with. So she got along quite well.

If you discriminate or hostility. From Americans. Since I came here for my family I didn't see any hostilities any discrimination so far. What kind of work have you found to do in this area. How do you feel about your career as an Army officer and as an Army officer in Vietnam and I was specialized in petroleum. But in my area as there is any petroleum installation I know it and I know that I have to drop it and find some job to do in order to. Survive. And the first shop I took was. Was a labor job in this month's factory in my town. Two

weeks three weeks after I arrived in this country. And the second job I took six months later was a case worker for you cut a leg so so sure this is in Lancaster. And a third job. And. Which was my actual job is right now in the laboratory of comment and technology operated. Under what circumstances if any would you go back. It's my hope. That. My the regime in my country will change. That's mean that my country is not coming to us anymore. It isn't in my heart that I hope that that day will happen so that I can return to my country. Because. Our people in general or in the Vietnamese in particular who were very

tied to where we were born. We were very we we sell to ourselves all the time. We wanted to be Billy where we were born. You see prospects at all or any kind of reconciliation between the Thai Communist Vietnamese and the regime. I. I don't follow too much too close. Too closely. About what happen right now in my country. I just know. Something happen. Through the television. Through the vinum news magazines. OK. Pics 35. Say 69.

I don't know exactly what happened in my country right now between the communist regime and what they called the resistance. Because it's very hard to know what happened. Behind the communist countries. But I do know something happened. Through the television through the villainies press. That they always there are some. Some persons. Who fought against the communists. In order to. Install another regime. That's all what I know about it. You believe this is going on now or something that happened in the recent past. I. In the recent past I saw one series for one television

show. Lately about last year. And recently I really didn't even know been in these magazine talking about it about a fight. To. Get the freedom for our country. What about that you think that that's the only possible way to go about that. There has to be another war. In Vietnam. I think that. It should be it will be a not a war. Because the eyes thing to do to talk was the communism. You have to be at least on the same level. On. Differing points of view. I mean strong you have to be strong enough you know to talk to them and to talk to them if you are not strong and then you know you will always. Say it's everything.

And the left wing I'd like to do at in this interview is that I am here today. As a person. Yes and the video. I mean by that. I don't represent any organization of. The Vietnamese or. In the Chinese community in this country. Thank you.