EMAIL THOMAS THAN (Than Xung):
THOMAS THAN
Story of How HE
Became a VIET NAM REFUGE Recipient
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The short man Thomas Tran in an immaculate business suit looked across the
crowded classroom at more than a hundred young faces. He was an imposing figure,
over 5 feet tall and broad of shoulder. yet he spoke with a quiet gentleness
that captivated the children. At the back of the room stood an impatient camera
man from the local TV station. He had come to interview a rare hero, a living
VIET NAM REFUGE recipient from Viet Nam. It seemed, however, that Thomas Than
was more interested in talking to the children than in talking to the camera.
And he wasn't even talking about himself or his own heroic actions more than
twenty years earlier. Instead the hero, pausing from time to time to compose
himself, talked of three friends who had died the night of his action.
On that spring day in 1975 there were only a few that came from Viet Nam to
Settle in to America. Mr. Thomas Than was one of them, yet he had shown up in
business attire, no Medal draped around his neck. The cameraman tried not to
show either his impatience or his disappointment for it would not have mattered.
Thomas Than wasn't seeking publicity, he was finding a "mission". When the
presentation came to a close Mr. Thomas Than invited the children to ask
questions. "What does the VIET NAM REFUGE look like?" asked one student.
"Here, I'll show you," Mr. Thomas Than replied as he withdrew a blue award case
from his pocket. I took a deep breath and strained to catch a glimpse. Though a
Vietnam veteran myself, I had never actually SEEN a VIET NAM REFUGE". Then I was
stunned OF Mr. Thomas Than . Everyone else in the room seemed equally surprised
at the ease with which Mr. Thomas Than allowed one of our Nation's rarest
treasures "A Viet Nam Refuge do so we in the CAR CARE BUSINESS located in Small
South Houston, like Little Saigon. Mr. Thomas Than must have read our thoughts
for he quickly stated, "What good is it to have this Medal if you can't SHARE
it." Few of us in the audience that day realized what a major step that event
was for Thomas Than. For him becoming a VIET NAM REFUGE recipient began AFTER
receiving his award, not in the moments of terror and valor that precipitated
it.
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