(Vietnamese American) Marine's Funeral a Sad Fulfillment of a Dream

Washington Post , http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/oif ^ | Wednesday, December 8, 2004 | By Rosalind S. Helderman

[cutiedieuvan]

WASHINGTON--Binh N. Le had not been back to the land of his birth since coming to the United States with an aunt and uncle at age 4, leaving his parents behind.

So in 2002, after graduating from suburban Edison High School and before joining the Marine Corps, Le made a joyous pilgrimage to Vietnam to visit his mother and father. Recently, he told one of his aunts in the United States that when he returned from his second tour in Iraq in April, they would make the trip together.

But Le, a 20-year-old corporal from suburban Alexandria, Va., was killed last week in Iraq. The Pentagon said he died of injuries suffered in enemy action in Anbar province; the Associated Press said a car bomb killed him and a fellow Marine, Cpl. Matthew Wyatt, 21, of Millstadt, Ill., as they patroled near the Jordanian border.

Now, instead of awaiting his return visit, Le's parents will be making their way here to attend his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

Le was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force. He was trained as a field artillery cannoneer and belonged to the unit's Sierra battery. He was proud to be a Marine, said an uncle, Luong La of suburban Dale City, Va.

La said the military was a natural choice for his nephew, a member of his high school's Junior ROTC program. His father had served in the Vietnamese army, and Le had ``that kind of blood.''

Le was proud of his adopted country, La said. He became a U.S. citizen while serving his first tour in Iraq and hoped to sponsor his parents to join him in this country. ``That was his dream,'' La said.

He wanted to make a career of the Marine Corps. When Le told relatives he would be returning to Iraq, La remembers saying he was a ``little bit scared for him.'' But Le responded that he had a duty.

``He said if he don't do it, no one do it. He do whatever his job,'' La said. ``That was his attitude in being a Marine.''

Le was small and slender, quick and energetic, recalled Lynn Hall, his pastor at Gunston Bible Church. Le and Hall's son Joe had been close friends since Le joined the church as a boy, Hall said. He said Le was the kind of kid who never stopped moving and always liked to be at the center of things, the kind who would declare that he planned to throw a birthday party--for himself.

When he visited on leave, Le sometimes stayed at Hall's house. The pastor fondly recalled waking up in the morning to find the young man asleep on the sofa after staying out until 3 a.m. to cram in visits with friends.

Le told him he joined the Marine Corps because it was the ``best fighting force in the world,'' Hall said. ``I would sometimes use the term 'soldier' with him, and he hated to be called soldier because he was a Marine, not a soldier.''

Le told church members he helped secure a bridge south of Baghdad during the initial 2003 invasion and was greeted kindly by the people there. ``He said the Iraqi people were so glad they were there it just about put him in tears,'' Hall recalled.

Le was known as a talented musician. He played drums and in junior high school formed a band with a cousin and Joe Hall. He also picked up keyboards and played both instruments for the church, Lynn Hall said.

``He was an excellent drummer, but his music teachers would always get mad at him 'cause he'd play them loud,'' he said. ``He'd really bang them.''

Le called home often to speak with his American family: Thanh Le and Hau Luu, the aunt and uncle who brought him here and adopted him, and La and his wife, Tuc-cuc Thi Tran, with whom he often stayed while on leave.

In one recent conversation, he told La he was tiring of military food and wanted to make Vietnamese-style meatballs. La promised to ship the seasonings overseas soon.

The last time they spoke, just two weeks ago, La said, he advised his nephew to ``keep his head down.''

``Yeah,'' the young man responded. ``We'll do that.''

[tet68]

Semper Fi MARINE!

snif.

[fhayek]

Corporal Le was a finer American than many people who were born here. God Bless.

[ApesForEvolution]

Dialing up God's love for the family...

[bubman]

Semper Fi.

God bless this noble warrior.

[dennisw]

May God bless and protect this fallen Marine and his family!

May God guide him to heaven.

[First_Salute]

Bump.

[xone]

'Le told him he joined the Marine Corps because it was the ``best fighting force in the world,'' Hall said. ``I would sometimes use the term 'soldier' with him, and he hated to be called soldier because he was a Marine, not a soldier.''

SF and RIP Devil Dog.

[ntnychik]

Where do we find such men?

[Nailbiter]

?
where do we find such men
same place since beginning of this republic
in minds and hearts of those who will stand against tyranny
My prayers to family of this brave man for putting his life on line AND PAYING THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

[Perseverando]

>>> Le was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force. He was trained as a field artillery cannoneer and belonged to the unit's Sierra battery

Semper Fi, and thank you young Marine for laying down your life for an oppressed people in a foreign land. Your fellow citizens thank you, as well.

God bless you and your family!

---

This story brought back some old memories when I read it and noted that he was with Sierra Battery, 5th BN, 10th Marines. When it was formed in 1978 from the 2nd 8" Howitzer Battery, 2nd FSSG, I was honored to be its first XO.

Also in April, 1975 I was a new 2nd Lt at The Basic School when Saigon fell. We had 2 South Vietnamese Lieutenants in our platoon, until then when they became men without a country and left training. Never heard anything else about them after that.

[ntnychik]

Where do we find such men?
A sentiment offered in awe, and a quotation for which I now offer the source: http://www.nationalreview.com/owens/owens200411110831.asp

[Nailbiter]

thank you for the link

[Flora McDonald]

Rest in Peace little brother.

[cutiedieuvan]

WASHINGTON -- The funeral for Marine Cpl. Binh Le was held at Arlington National Cemetery Wednesday.

Binh Le

Le, 20, of Alexandria, Va., was killed by a car bomb in Iraq near the border of Jordan earlier this month. His funeral followed weeks of worry for his parents, who are from Vietnam and weren't sure they would be able to attend the services.

When Le -- who graduated from Edison High School in Fairfax -- was 6, his father sent him to the United States to live with his uncle.

Rep. Jim Moran helped speed up the process to get Le's parents here for the funeral. He said it's the least he can do for Le, who he calls a hero.

"He stopped a car bomb headed towards barracks," Moran said.

Le's father served alongside U.S. troops in the Vietnam War. He has tried and failed to get U.S. citizenship, but Moran said now he will try to make that happen.

 

rtsp://real.npr.na-central.speedera.net:80/real.npr.na-central/me/20041221_me_14.rm