REFUGEES OFFER UP STATUE IN GUAM AS THANKS
‘Without the American people, I don’t think I could’ve ... experienced freedom.’
“Our lives in the United States, our careers, our successes, the opportunities afforded our children — all of these started on that speck of an island in the western Pacific.”
— De Tran, former editor of the Viet Mercury, refugee
SAN JOSE >> When Angie Elconin arrived in the U.S. a penniless refugee in 1981, having fled communist Vietnam after the devastating war, she was grateful for a chance at a new life.
Today, the successful real estate investor from San Jose carries with her that same gratitude, thankful to the many Americans who welcomed her into a land of opportunities where she’s thrived.
“Without the American people, I don’t think I could’ve lived here and experienced freedom,” she said.
She’s part of a passionate group of local Vietnamese refugees who have joined national efforts to place the statue of a U.S. Navy sailor in Guam, where thousands of refugees spent time in camps before resettling in the U.S.
For many, it’s a deeply personal
display of appreciation toward the American servicemen who helped them escape a communist government and to the country that took them in.
About 60 Vietnamese immigrants in San Jose and Orange County have donated about $130,000 — nearly one half of the $300,000 cost — toward installment of the U.S. Navy Memorial “Lone Sailor Statue,” honoring the sailors and marines who rescued thousands of Vietnamese at sea after the war.
After leaving Vietnam, Elconin, 59, journeyed to Thailand and, later, the Philippines, where she studied English for six months before finally arriving in the U.S.
Though her journey didn’t take her through Guam, Elconin said that donating money toward construction of the statue is an intimate way for her to thank the people who gave her — and thousands of others — a fighting chance.
“Fifty years ago, at the end of the Vietnam War, America was the beacon of hope for all of us who wanted to escape communism and its oppressors,” said Elconin, who donated $25,000 in seed money to start the Lone Sailor project. “For millions of Vietnamese-Americans, we’ve always wanted to say ‘thank you, America’ for taking us in, giving us shelter, freedom and opportunities and a chance to contribute to our adopted country.”
More than 111,000 Vietnamese refugees spent time in tent cities in Guam after being evacuated out of Saigon in the last days of the Vietnam War in 1975. They were processed for resettlement and later immigrated to the United States, where most of them eventually became U.S. citizens.
De Tran, former editor of Viet Mercury, arrived in Guam with his family in late April 1975, just days before South Vietnam fell.
“The weather in Guam was tropical like Vietnam, the sea air smelled the same, but everything on the base was new and exciting,” Tran wrote in an email. “The servicemen spoke a language we didn’t understand. The food, from sloppy joes to scrambled eggs, from hamburgers to hot dogs — was so different from what we had had in Vietnam.”
Guam, he said, was their first step on American soil — and their first step toward the American Dream.
“Our lives in the United States, our careers, our successes, the opportunities afforded our children — all of these started on that speck of an island in the western Pacific,” he said.
There are now a total of 15 Lone Sailor statues scattered throughout the country, including the original in Washington, D.C., and another overlooking the San Francisco Bay on the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. The statue in Guam will be unveiled April 30 to mark the anniversary of the fall of Saigon, known among Vietnamese-Americans as “Black April.”
“I believe all Vietnamese who came to the U.S. … appreciate this country, this people,” said Nam Pham, who has led local fundraising efforts. “They welcomed us over the last 40 years, from the first wave of refugees after the fall of Saigon.”
Pham, 63, who works for the nonprofit Immigrant Resettlement and Cultural Center in San Jose, arrived in the U.S. in 1984 after fleeing Vietnam by boat. He said leading the fundraising effort here is “a chance for me to say thank you to the Navy and to America in general.”
Retired Rear Admiral Frank Thorp of the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., said he’s been struck by “the incredible appreciation that goes both ways, both from the Vietnamese Americans who were rescued at sea, as well as the U.S. Navy and the pride that they have in what has been a strong relationship.
“This is a perfect way not only to say thanks but also to make sure that people learn about what happened back in the ‘60s and ‘70s,” he said.
The statue will stand on the governor’s official residence overlooking the ocean. It will be surrounded by bricks inscribed with the names of some donors. Thorp said the vast majority of donations have come from Vietnamese-Americans.
Elconin plans to travel to Guam for the dedication ceremony next month.
“This,” she said, “is a very, very special moment for us.”