Subject: Refugee from 8/22/78 ship
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 1997
From: [email protected]
To: Mark Roberts

Dear Mark,

After searching through many sources and Internet I finally found the web page for the USS Whipple ship.

I was 14 years old at that time along with my family we were among the refugees that the Whipple ship rescued us on August 22, 1978. I arrived in Seattle in 1979 and lived here since. I told myself if I ever come to USA I will do everything to help the people here. I worked part-time after school when I was in Junior high for the US Marine Corps Recruiter Center and after that I worked for an non-profit organization to help the poor people with food, rent and employment. Currently I'm a Computer Operator for a public housing in Seattle.

My friend in Roosevelt High School published my story in the school newspaper regarding my escaping trip from Vietnam in 1981 and I still have a copy of it. I kept a collection of photos and story regarding my escape so that I could tell my children how I get here.

Again, thank you very much and if you need to contact here my e-mail address is:
[email protected]

Sincerely,

Richard Chen

On April 30, 1975, North Vietnam took control of South Vietnam, cutting off the metal supply from countries, causing many factories to start failing, including a metal container company owned by the Chen family in Saigon.

A few months later the new government began to change the country's system. People from the cities were forced to go to the farmlands and all the private companies were forced to join government unions. Though the Chen's didn't want to, the government pays little and there were no benefits in government unions, they were finally forced to join because of a worker's strike.

Deciding to leave the country, Richard and his family obtained sponsor papers from relatives in France, but even with these papers the government would not allow them to leave the country. So as the government began to force more people from the city to the farmlands; knowing that their turn was coming the Chen family made several attempts to leave the country. Finally the government, deciding to get rid of the Chinese, began allowing small boats to leave the country...for a price.

Richard and his family were permitted to leave in a small boat from Vung-Tao, on the east coast 120 kilometers from Saigon, after paying both the government and the captain of the boat.

Arriving in Vung-Tao August 8, 1978, they stayed in a hotel with many Chinese until August 15, when they were brought to the naval base and put on a small boat 25 feet long.

An hour later the boat got underway with people so cramped--they couldn't stretch their legs out straight.

Following an uncomfortable three hours, a communist ship was sighted; the captain was arrested and the boat was towed back to port.

After their permits were checked, they were on their way again. This time they traveled for four hours until the boat began leaking and the water pump was discovered broken.

This time they had to wait four days in port for repairs. As they prepared to board the boat again on August 20, they discovered that it would be carrying 416 people. This only allowed five kilograms of extra weight per person.

Though the rules were women and children below deck and men on deck, Richard managed to stay below.

As they wen to sea for the third time, the weather turned bad; again water began to leak into the boat as it was tossed around by the waves. Finally the pump broke again.

August 22, after losing their direction in the storm, they attempted to keep as straight a course as possible.

Their salvation was not far away. That afternoon the Whipple, a United States Navy ship, picked them up out of the sea, and whisked them away to Hong Kong.

After an eight month stay in Hong Kong, the Liberty Refugee Center in Seattle sponsored Richard and his family, bringing them to Seattle in May, 1979, and starting a new life for them.

Richard spent his first Seattle school year at Asa Mercer Junior High. Now he is a sophomore at Roosevelt.

Asked what he liked most about the United States, he commented, "I like the freedom and independence."