Mother Reads Daughter's Vietnam Diaries... 35 Years Later

KCBD NewsChannel 11 ^ | 6 October 2005 | Staff

[Army Air Corps]

A personal diary can be powerful reading and Wednesday at Texas Tech, the Tram family was moved to tears. A U.S. soldier saved Doctor Dang Thuy Tram's diaries after she was killed in the Vietnam War and, after all these years, her family read them for the first time Wednesday. Thuy's Sister Kim describes her sister saying, "My sister was a very gentle girl and liked music and painting."

Thuy was a Vietnamese physician in her late twenties when she left for her country's war-torn jungles in winter of 1966. Her sister Phuong recalls it was a very cold winter in the war. "My family was very worried about my sister."

Thuy wrote of her haunting experiences in two diaries. In may of 1968 she wrote "Death still happens everyday, every minute, every second as easily as turning over your hand." And in August she wrote "The pages of this small notebook continue to fill with blood." In 1970 Thuy's own blood would spill. Phuong says, "The day my sister died, my mother had a bad dream. She saw my sister with a tear and her hair flying in the wind."

The U.S. soldier that found Thuy's diaries spent 30 years trying to find her family. He finally gave the diaries to Texas Tech's Vietnam Center. Tech found the Tram family. They flew to the U.S. and Thuy's mother held her daughter's words to her chest for the first time in Lubbock, Texas. Kim says, "I can tell you my mother never cried and this is the first time she's cried. I've never seen her cry."

Beneath the tears is a thread of happiness to feel close to a loved one again... and to feel that an old enemy is now a friend. Kim says, "I feel something very holy."

Thuy's family will now travel to North Carolina to meet with Fred Whitehurst, the soldier that saved her diaries all these years. They have officially adopted him as a son into their family.

Thuy's journal entries will be translated soon and placed on the Vietnam Center's Website: ( vietnam.ttu.edu).

[Army Air Corps]

This was a fairly big event for little ol' Lubbock. The Vietnam Archive has an excellent reputation as a premiere facility for anyone interested in the study of the Vietnam War.

[Army Air Corps]

You may wish to read this story. This caused quite a buzz in all the local news outlets.

[Victoria Delsoul]

The U.S. soldier that found Thuy's diaries spent 30 years trying to find her family. He finally gave the diaries to Texas Tech's Vietnam Center. Tech found the Tram family. They flew to the U.S. and Thuy's mother held her daughter's words to her chest for the first time in Lubbock, Texas. Kim says, "I can tell you my mother never cried and this is the first time she's cried. I've never seen her cry."

Wow, he spent 30 years! Very moving story, thanks.

[Army Air Corps]

The print story is pale in comparison to the TV version. I think that the page to which I linked has a video clip available.

[Victoria Delsoul]

I didn't find it. I'll look again.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Thuy's journal entries will be translated soon and placed on the Vietnam Center's Website: ( vietnam.ttu.edu).

http://vietnam.ttu.edu/Tram_Diaries.pdf

[Army Air Corps]

Thanks for posting a direct link to the diaries.

[Army Air Corps]

Here is the video.

[Victoria Delsoul]

LOL! It's a cute graphic. Do you have the link for the video?

[BigSkyFreeper]

Thanks for posting a direct link to the diaries.

Welcome :)

[Army Air Corps]

Sorry. I thought that I had copied the video target.

On the page for the story, there is a video camera icon below the headline. If you click on the icon, then you should be able to view the clip.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Click this ---> http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?s=3942968

Top right hand side of the page, next to the title of the article. It's Javascript popup window.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Got it. Thank you.

[Victoria Delsoul]

I found it, thanks. I'm slow tonight... must be Friday, actually, it's Saturday already. Speaking of slow... lol.

[BigSkyFreeper]

LOL! :)

[PistolPaknMama]

Just wow. Thanks for the post.

[Victoria Delsoul]

And since it's Saturday, I should go to sleep, lol.

Nighty night.

[Squantos]

I didn't have a chance to read all of the PDF file but it appears that this dead doctor was NVA or VC supporter, sympathizer ? Is that correct or am I reading the few pages wrong ?!?!

[MindBender26]

Exactly. This woman was VP or PAVN. SHE was NOT ARVN or RF/PF. Before everyone gets all misty eyed, did this woman help treat GIs?

If she was VC/PAVN, why are parents/family now living here?

WTF?

[MindBender26]

VP = VC. How did parents get in?