This next incident was another opportunity i had to help someone that turned out better than the two previous ones. I wish i could remember the exact day and year but unfortunately age takes its toll on someones memory along with other things. George may recall the year but this was when the first Vietnam refugees were brought to the states. One of the large groups was brought to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas.

One Sunday Morning around 6:oo am, i received a phone call from my son George who lived in Mount Dora Florida. He ask me to meet a Delta Flight arriving in Little Rock abouy 8:30 am that morning. On the flight would be a young Vietnamese who would need to be carried to Camp Chaffee to get his mother and two sisters that would be brought there. This young man as i recall was living in Florida through the sponsorship of an American Military person.

We left the airport around 9:am that morning for the three hour journey to Fort Smith. Arriving at Camp Chaffee around noon we were directed to the processing center to begin the paper work process. What we thought would be a rather speedy process would in fact take hours. Amid a lot of chaos and confusion the afternoon passed rather slowly due to the paper work and the typical government red tape. Afterall this was not a common occurance so patience was required. This young man could not see his folks until all the details were worked out. Finally, just before midnight Sunday, the final details were worked out and this would be the first people to be released to go. We were asked to wait until the National TV networks got there to cover this first families release. During the meantime i was interviewed by Arkansas's two leading newspapers. I requested to only be identified as a spokesman and my name not used. The reason for this was because of one of my neighbors and my knowing how he felt about the whole refuee situation. Also, i would be taking them to my home. I felt good about this effort especially after getting to meet the mother and daughters.

We finally left the camp around 1:00 am to head back to No. Little Rock. The drive back home was an experience i'll never forget. With the four passengers all speaking Vietnamese language at the same time and as fast as they could, it was quiet an experience. I believe they spoke at speeds of about 60 to 70 miles an hour with gust up to about 100 every few minutes.

We arrived at my home around 4: am Monday morning. My wife got up and prepared breakfast for the guest and everyone had a meal. I was ask to contact Delta Airlines and see when they could get a flight out of Little Rock. Around 6:00 am Delta had seats available on a flight to Atlanta at around 7:30 am and they would not have any problems getting out of Atlanta to Florida. We loaded and headed to the airport. I helped them get everything done at the airport and got them to the gate. We said our goodbyes and i headed to my job. Monday was a long day since i had not slept any since Saturday night. However when i think back over this event, whatever time i spent helping this family was well worth it and the tiredness never mattered. I don't have any idea what this young man would have encountered had i not been there to help. It seems as if everything fit into place and the mission was accomplished. I have mentioned several times over the years to people about my help in getting the first Vietnamese family placed and they look at me and wonder what i am talking about. It is not what i have done but what God has done that matters in this and any other situation when we reach out to help.
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