By ZOOM

Charles Percy was a US Senator from the State of Illinois in 1967. Vietnam war was then escalating. Percy came to Saigon in a Senator’s responsibility. In such commitment Percy flew to a village northwest of Saigon to investigate the sufferings of the local people. He was pressed down by fierce shelling to an underground shelter just after the helicopter landing. Fifteen minutes under heavy fighting and shelling was a century for that brave and proud Senator. Percy survived with living memory about war astrocity and that would be presented later to the Senate hearings in efforts to end the war.

Roger Dickerson Percy and his wife & son landed at Tan Son Nhut airport earlier this month in their father and grandfather’s utmost wish from across the ocean. Former US Senator Percy is very old now; he cannot come back to Vietnam; therefore, his next generation has that commitment. The special request had been delivered to Saigontourist long time before and a senior guide who is specialized in Vietnam war history has been reserved.

Dak Son, that was all given to Tri Dung, Saigontourist guide in preparation for such an excursion. The family arrived with no military map and relied all on Dung. That late night he burnt the midnight oil in search for the location of the geographic name. Even the telephone operator of Binh Phuoc province failed to pinpoint it as the guide tried earlier. Anyhow, Dung browsed the internet as well as reviewing his memory and at last, he found it. One mile from Phuoc Binh town, Binh Phuoc province. The clients burst out happy laughing in knowing that and early next morning they headed northwest with Dung sitting briefing on all events related to the situation from the Geneva Accords to the Paris Peace Agreement and the ending of the war.

The town of Phuoc Binh is 150 km from Saigon. Upon arrival, the group had a late lunch at TMT café on a red-soil road winding in immense rubber trees. Two young men there were earger to show the way. Five kilometers more on the way from Phuoc Binh to Buon Me Thuot the Percy saw an ethnic people village of the S’tieng and that was the place.

In a peaceful environment families were sitting outside, peeling off the cashew skin. Cameron Percy, the grandson, took a lot of photos as his parents bumped their hands onto the children’s in a greeting manner, Roger Percy was more curious on an old man who said he was born in 1931 and spent his time with the villagers. He nodded his head on hearing Roger’ s memory from his Senator father’s stories. Roger then shook Dung’s shoulders , “ You are fantastic. Your kindness will be remembered by our family”.

It rained on the way back but the clients did not care. They just waited for a stop. And that stop would be at a café with free wifi internet at town of Thu Dau Mot. A message was sent to the family briefing on the day’s itineraries. That evening, Loraine Percy, the former Senator’s wife called the young Percy congratulating on finding the place.

The visiting time at Dak Son village was only an hour but that gave pleasure to the family. It is an act of keeping the family’s fire of encountering hardships. They did come and they did win. His grandfather and now his parents showed the spirits, Cameron will be well educated by those shining examples. In serving the requests related to veterans and hardship-encountering and overcoming, Vietnam is an ideal destination. The return of Percy family is also in the scope of a hardship tour. Its success meets the utmost desire across the ocean and the need to show the next generation how difficult and challenging it has been with their predecessors. Fulfilling their jobs that way, the local travel agent is proud in being serviceable to top-notched clients who visit the country with nostalgia.