CHILDREN OF THE DELTA

South of Ho Chi Minh City the Mekong River forms it's delta and one of the most furtile growing areas in the world. Nutrient rich silt carried by the mighty Mekong River flows over a thousand miles from China, through Laos and Cambodia and into Vietnam sustaining life for the people of the Delta. Agriculturally rich villages of the region were the heart and soul of Vietnam making it a highly prized area and historically one of the most fought over. Strategically important to both sides it saw some of the heaviest fighting of the war. Until 1966 the Vietcong controlled most of the northern half of the Delta until the 1968 Tet Offensive and South Vietnam regained controll over in more villages. The Vietcong still held a strong presence in roughly 500 strategic hamlets until the Fall Of Saigon and the 1975 Ho Chi Minh Offensive when the entire region fell into chaos.

During the war the farmers and families of the Delta were rocked by continued violence and payed a high price. Vietcong controlled hamlets gave way to South Vietnam controlled villages and many times fighting was just between villages as the U.S. tried to sort out who was who. During this occupation and fighting no one suffered more than the children of the Delta. 

Grass huts, palm trees, and animals wandering aimlessly through a paradise-like setting was the backdrop of this region. Canals large and small crisscrossed a quiltwork of rectangular hand built dykes housing mud thick enough to hold the weight of a small person. Village after village seemingly innocent and appearing identical held danger around every grass but. Lulling the soldier into a false sense of security by the paradise appeal of the scenery it was the the children of the delta that made the difference. Children playing was always a welcomed sight. Afraid of reprisals most villages kept a neutral attitude when faced by both the U.S. and Vietcong forces but the children were the key. Children playing meant a booby trap free area in most cases and the village was approachable but always with a sense of caution. Approaching a lifeless village with no noticeable activity was a totally serious endeavor and we always had to keep in mind that anything was possible. 

On a day as beautiful as these innocent faces we swept through a friendly village taking a moment to play. Sharing candy and piggy back rides they walked us out of the fields and into their world. I took pictures of my new friends communicating without language on a simpler human level. The innocence of children in a world of chaos was out of place yet there they were and it was a welcomed change. 

Children love posing for pictures as much as I loved taking them. This little guy stepped forward from the group and looked like any American child looking for favor or a treat. He was an instant star.

Intelligence came in that the Vietcong controlled a Hamlet near our area of operations and Delta was called in to sweep through and secure a suspected village. Working from house to house we cleared the area and set up camp within earshot. Posting guards at either end so no one would get in or out was an all day vigil. Strategically important to the operation we camped there for a week working night ambushes in all directions. 

Our unit was rarely in one place for any length of time so this operation was a welcomed change from the helicopter jumping firefights and overland humping expeditions of our regular routine. We relaxed enough to spend time with the villagers. The area was loaded with children and they came out everyday to meet and greet the mysterious men from a foreign land. They were as entrolled with us as we were with them as we played in the midday sun. A canal backed up by a dam created a bathing hole for the village and a safe place for the children to play. 

We were treated to a bath Vietnam style with the children as our hosts. Nightly ambush missions gave way to daytime play. Relaxing our tired  bodies we kept an eye on the village for any Vietcong activity. I enjoyed interacting on a child's level knowing we were there mainly because of them and so we became friends and becoming friends with a child was as innocent as life can get.

There is always one child that stands out in a crowd and this third world neighborhood was no different. For whatever unknown reason the creator might have or perhaps it was only circumstance and chance but this little one had an attitude that was hard to ignore. He called me "Number One"  and I played with him and his friends daily. Unlike the other kids he refused candy insisting on a cigarette at every opportunity and I gave it to him.

My little friend is on my shoulders smoking a cigarette while I hold his buddies up by their arms. 

The dam in the foreground was hit by a rocket and made the canal perfect for our needs.

Working night ambushes had its perks and I took advantage of them every chance I could. Volunteering for this duty was risky but left you with some free hours during the day. If we weren't under attack I could rest and let someone else work the day shift while I played with my little buddy. As soon as he saw me he asked for a cigarette then helped me out of my muddy clothes and boots. In the bathing hole he scrubbed the mud off my boots and washed my back. I in tern gave him C-Rations for his family and of course cigarettes for himself.

Night operations were uneventful simply because of our presence in and around the suspected Vietcong village. If we were attacked it would be at the most inopportune time when our guards were down. We worked day and night to maintain the upper hand always keeping on the offensive.

It was an uneventful night as I came in from my mission and so I went immediately to the watering hole. The childrens activity level was low and out of sync as the others joined me. There was a sense of uneasiness in the air as one of the soldiers felt an unusual object just below the water level. Reaching in he pulled out a mine and detonation wire that lead to my little friend. 

Knowing he was sent by an elder in the village I had no choice but to grab him for for the authorities, if there was such a thing. The questions were simple and direct, "where do you live and with who"? The outgoing nature of my little friend responded in cadence with the questions and he rambled on as they took him away, cigarette dangling.

When we heard the shots we knew members of his family were dead if not the entire family as the South Vietnamese Army sent a loud and clear message to the other villagers. Our suspected Vietcong village was in fact just that, a Vietcong village. The children and the circumstances surrounding the incident was hard for my young mind to understand? The following morning brought an even greater disbelief of the surreal world I found myself in. The dead bodies of the boys family were laid out in the dirt path leading to the village. Weither it was a show of support for us or to teach a lesson it drove home a poignant message. 

Life was cheap in Vietnam as we stretched the boundaries of sanity and fell deeper into the abyss. I was angry but why was I and who should I direct my anger at? Should I be upset that I was fooled by my little friend or angry that children were being used as pawns in this war of attrition. I didn't know. All I knew was that I was in it up to my neck and I found myself in a daily reality check of my sanity. Today I lost a friend. 

Searching for the innocence only found in the faces of the children I sailed down the waterways of The Mekong Delta and into the long lost world of waterways, jungles, dirt paths, and water buffalo. In this muddy nutrient rich soil lies a secret world of a quiet easy going people living away from the rat race modern world. These are the self sustaining self sufficient Vietnamese of the delta silently going about their lives and raising their families.

This was my first real visit to a jungle setting and it was so familiar that I could close my eyes and smell the musky bok choy fragrent air without stepping out of the boat. I've thought about my little friend, the one I left 45 years ago and wondered if he made it out alive. Perhaps he died that fatal day or perhaps he is a tour guide or boat operator. In any case I was here and it was impressive. Some grass huts still remained but many were made of newer construction with more modern materials nestled in the backdrop of gardens and orchards.

I found this san-pan (flat bottomed canoe) in a backwater canal and took a selfie.  It looks older than I am. Apparently the mode of transportation hasn't changed.

My old friend the water buffalo, I wonder if he remembers me. It was close to 100 degrees and my friend had the right idea. I would have loved to jump in but that watering hole wasn't big enough for the two of us.

The faces haven't changed only my perspective of life in the delta. When I looked into the innocence of the children's faces I saw a world I left behind a long time ago. There was no enemy anymore so there was no need to hide and be nervous on this visit. On this visit I could talk and play and share different worlds and put my guard down. They of course had no reason to even think about the things that were going through my head. Their only job was to go to school and play without fear like every child should. 

This beautiful women showed me around the village and posed with a baby from her town.

My next little friend had just come home from school and was looking for something to eat, sounds familiar doesn't it.

Every child I met that posed for a picture gave me the peace sign. Peace little one.

Finally one child stood still for the old man from a foreign land.

The Delta was not as I left it, it was better than ever. Working their little farms for self sufficiency or profit was working for them. The world had passed them by and left them alone and it was for the best. Even on a hot day they smiled and were as cordial as could be. The children were taught manners and the preciousness of life their parents and grandparents earned for them. Someday they'll learn what it took to gain that life and the struggle on both sides. Someday they'll either love or hate like the rest of us but not today. Today I came in peace and shared an afternoon with The Children Of The Delta.

ATTENTION:  TO POST A COMMENT OR QUESTION GO TO THE WORD COMMENT BELOW AND CLICK ON IT.  A DROP DOWN BOX WILL APPEAR AND SAY SELECT PROFILE. CLICK ON THE WORDS SELECT PROFILE AND A DROPDOWN BOX WILL GIVE YOU OPTIONS. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT CLICK ON ANONYMOUS. LEAVE YOUR COMMENT IN THE COMMENT BOX AND CLICK PUBLISH.

IF YOU RECEIVED THIS POST BY AUTO NOTIFICATION CLICK ON THE PTSD GENERATION VIETNAM  LINK BELOW, THEN FOLLOW THE SAME INSTRUCTIONS.