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Title: Quang Nguyen: Thank you Viet Nam Veterans and all Veterans
Source:
http://activerain.com/
URL Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/177 ... nam-veterans-and-all-veterans-
Published: Aug 23, 2010
Author: Quang Nguyen
Post Date: 2010-08-23 17:09:16 by Mad Dog
Keywords: FREEDOM, is NOT, FREE
Views: 41630
Comments: 53
35 years ago if you were to tell me that I am going to stand up here speaking in English to a large group of patriots, I’d laugh at you. Every morning I wake up thanking God for putting family and me in the greatest country on earth. I just want you all to know that the American dream does exist and I am living the American dream. I was asked to speak to you about my experience as a first generation Vietnamese American, but I rather speak to you as an American. If you hadn’t noticed, I am not white and I feel pretty comfortable with my people. I am a proud US citizen and here is my proof… It took me 8 years to get it, waiting in endless lines, but I got it and I am very proud of it. Guess what, I did it legally and it ain’t from the state of Hawaii. I still remember the images of the Tet offensive in 1968. I was six years old. Now you might want to question how a 6year old boy could remember anything. Trust me, those images can never be erased. I can’t even imagine what it was like for young American soldiers, 10,000 miles away from home, fighting on my behalf. 35 years ago, I left South Vietnam to come to America for political asylum. The war had ended. At the age of 13, I left with the understanding that I may or may not ever get to see my siblings or parents again. I was one of the first lucky 100,000 Vietnamese allowed to come to the US. Somehow, my family and I were reunited 5 months later, amazingly, in California. It was a miracle from God. If you haven’t heard lately that this is the greatest country on earth, let me tell you, IT IS!!! It is the freedom and the opportunities presented to me that put me here with all of you tonight. I also remember the barriers that I had to overcome every step of the way. My high school counselor told me that I could not make it to college due to my poor communication skills. I proved him wrong. I finished college. You see… All you have to do is to give this little boy an opportunity and encourage him to take and run with it. Well, I took the opportunities and here I am. This person standing tonight in front of you could not exist under a socialist/communist environment. By the way, if you think socialism is the way to go, I am sure many people here will chip in to get you a one-way ticket out of here. And if you didn’t know, the only difference between socialism and communism is an AK-47 aiming at your head. That was what I knew and grew up with. In 1983, I stood with a thousand new immigrants, reciting the pledge of allegiance and listening to the National Anthem for the first time as an American. To this day, I can’t remember anything sweeter and more patriotic than that moment in my life. Fast forwarding, somehow I finished high school, finished college, and like any other goofball 21 year old kid, I was having a great time with my life, I had a nice job and a nice apartment in Southern California. In someway and somehow, I had forgotten how I got here and why I am here. One day I was at a gas station, I saw a veteran pumping gas on the other side of the island. I didn’t know what made me do it, but I walked over and asked if he had served in Vietnam. He smiled and said Yes. I shook and held his hand. His eyes started to well up. I walked away as fast as I could and at that very moment, I was emotionally rocked, this was a profound moment in life. I knew something had to change in my life. It was time for me to learn how to be a good citizen. It was time for me to give back. You see… America is not place on the map; it isn’t a physical location. It is an ideal, a concept. And if you are an American, you must understand the concept, you must buy into this concept and most importantly, you have to fight and defend this concept. This is about Freedom… and not free stuff. And that is why I am standing up here. Brothers and sisters, to be a real American, the very least you must do is to learn English and understand it well. In my humble opinion, you cannot be a faithful patriotic citizen if you can’t speak the language of the country you live in. Take this document of 46 pages… Last I looked on the internet, there wasn’t a Vietnamese translation of the US constitution. It took me a long time to get to the point of being able to converse and until this day, I still struggle to come up with the right words. It’s not easy, but if it’s too easy, it’s not worth doing. Before I got to know this 46- page document, I learned of the 500,000 Americans who fought for this little boy. I learned of the 58,000 names scribed on the black wall at the Vietnam War memorial. You are my heroes. You are my founders. When I was eligible to vote, I went out and performed my civic duty. For all of you young people out there, who just turned 18, I encourage you to exercise your duty as an American to be an informed voter no matter where you are or what you do. America fought and died for your rights. DON’T LET HER DOWN!!! At this time, I would like to ask all the Vietnam veterans to please stand. I thank you for my life. I thank you for your sacrifices, and I thank you for giving me the freedom and the liberties I have today. I now ask All veterans, firefighters, and police officers, to please stand. On behalf of all first generation immigrants, I thank you for your service and may God bless you all and may God bless America! Quang Nguyen, delivered at the Prescott Valley Freedom Rally, Prescott Valley, AZ July 24, 2010.
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 17.
#1. To: Mad Dog (#0)
Interesting source. Do you sell real estate?
LOL! The resident "exemplar" libTURD whore/TOOL/WHORE pipes right up as if on cue! How did you know I was talking to you weasel boy? LMAOAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Serenity Montag, Peace Montag."
Does this mean you are incapable of answering a simple question? By the way, your petty attempt to insult are your problem. It doesn't bother me.
LOL! Poor weasel boy it means that you and your ilk don't get to determine the context or language of the discussion . WHAT "insult" weasel boy? The FACT that YOU are a craven libTURD whore/TOOL/FOOL? "TRUTH" is an absolute defense weasel boy, it's not my fault you are a libTURD whore/TOOL/FOOL boy. Stop crying b!tch. "SERENITY Montag, Peace Montag."
You put it in bold as to emphasize it, Ba chang. Mad Dog = Vo giao duc If you are indeed a Vietnam vet, I'm sure you can find a translator.
LOL! YOU'd need help with a world MAP to even find Vietnam weasel boy. "Serenity Montag, Peace Montag."
Really. A one sentence quiz for you then. I'm sure you are capable of trying to answer this: What was the first U.S. war ship to visit Indochina and when? It's a great bar question if you collect those. Bet you have zero idea.
LOL! You just don't get it do you weasel boy? How could you? "Serenity Montag, Peace Montag."
Leaving Singapore, she arrived at Turon, Cochinchina (present day Da Nang, Vietnam) on 10 May. Not long after, Percival was informed that a French missionary, Dominique Lefèbvre, was being held captive and had been sentenced to death. Percival and a squad of Marines went ashore to speak with the local Mandarin. Percival demanded the return of Lefèbvre and took three local leaders hostage to ensure his demands were met. When no communication was forthcoming, he ordered the capture of three junks, which were brought to Constitution. Percival released the hostages after two days, attempting to show good faith towards the Mandarin, who had demanded their return.[146] During a storm the three junks escaped upriver; a detachment of Marines pursued and recaptured them. When the supply of food and water from shore was stopped, Percival gave in to another demand for the release of the junks in order to keep his ship supplied, expecting Lefèbvre to be released. Soon realizing that no return would be made, Percival ordered Constitution to depart on 26 May.[147] Arriving at Canton, China on 20 June, she spent the next six weeks there while Percival made shore and diplomatic visits. Again the crew suffered from dysentery due to poor drinking water, resulting in three more deaths by the time she reached Manila on 18 September. Spending a week there preparing to enter the Pacific Ocean, she sailed on 28 September for the Hawaiian Islands, arriving at Honolulu on 16 November. At Honolulu was Commodore John D. Sloat and his flagship Savannah; Sloat informed Percival that Constitution was needed in Mexico as the United States was preparing for war after the Texas Annexation. She provisioned for six months and sailed for Mazatlán, arriving there 13 January 1846. She sat at anchor for over three months until she was finally allowed to sail for home on 22 April, rounding Cape Horn on 4 July. Arriving in Rio de Janeiro, they learned the Mexican War had begun on 13 May, soon after their departure from Mazatlán. She arrived home in Boston on 27 September and was placed in ordinary on 5 October.[148] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution It was the U.S.S. Constitution in 1844-5 when she did her 'show the flag, round the world voyage.
LMAOAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good "trick" weasel BOY! Old Ironsides visited the Yellow Sea in 1844-45! "Indochina" didn't EXIST until the French invaded "Annam". FOOL! LOL!
#18. To: Mad Dog (#17)
She visited Indochina during her around the world show the flag voyage she took after her first major rebuild. One reason she did not engage in operations there then in the incident in the above quote on her visit there was because her knuckles bracing her sides were not replaced until she was recently rebuilt, and technology allowed the live oak harvested from the George Washington Grove in Georgia for the sole purpose of restoring her to be glued into large enough pieces to make them.
The region was seized by the French by 1874 and became part of French Indochina in 1887. Two other Vietnamese regions, Cochinchina (Nam K3;) in the South and Tonkin (B5;c K3;) in the North, were also units of French Indochina. The region had a dual system of French and Vietnamese administration. The Nguy7;n Dynasty still nominally ruled Annam, with a puppet emperor residing in Hu1;. In 1949, the protectorate was merged in the newly-established State of Vietnam. The region was divided between communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam under the terms of the Geneva Accord of 1954. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annam_(French_protectorate) Annam means "Pacified South" in Sino-Vietnamese, but this piece of Indochina was onlt part of Vietnam in any event. Annam/Anam (1883-1954) was a French protectorate in Central Vietnam. But you knew this, right? ;-D
Cochinchina is usually the appellation historians use when talking about the visit of this iconic ship back then. In case you were curious.
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#3. To: Ferret Mike (#1)
#4. To: Mad Dog (#3)
#5. To: Ferret Mike (#4)
#6. To: Mad Dog (#5)
#7. To: Ferret Mike (#6)
#8. To: Mad Dog (#7)
#11. To: Ferret Mike (#8)
#15. To: Mad Dog (#11)
(Edited)
Around the world Under the command of John Percival, she underwent a refitting and was recommissioned on 24 March 1844 for a scheduled three-year circumnavigation of the world.[144] She got underway on 29 May, carrying Henry A. Wise, the new Ambassador to Brazil and his family, arriving at Rio de Janeiro on 2 August after making two port visits along the way. Remaining there to pack away supplies for the planned journey, she sailed again on 8 September, making port calls at Madagascar, Mozambique, and Zanzibar, and arriving at Sumatra on 1 January 1845. Many of her crew began to suffer from dysentery and fevers, causing several deaths, which led Percival to set course for Singapore, arriving there 8 February. While in Singapore, Commodore Henry Ducie Chads of HMS Cambrian paid a visit to Constitution, offering what medical assistance his squadron could provide. Chads had been the Lieutenant of HMS Java when that ship surrendered to William Bainbridge thirty-three years earlier.[145]
#17. To: Ferret Mike (#15)
Replies to Comment # 17.
#19. To: Mad Dog (#17)
Annam (Vietnamese: An Nam) was a French protectorate encompassing the central region of Vietnam. Vietnamese were subsequently referred to as "Annamites." Nationalist writers adopted the word "Vietnam" in the late 1920s. The general public embraced the word "Vietnam" during the revolution of August 1945. Since that time, the word "Annam" has been regarded as demeaning.
#20. To: Mad Dog (#17)
(Edited)
End Trace Mode for Comment # 17.
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