lorettasanchez

LORETTA SANCHEZ

KHÔNG HỀ GIAN DỐI VỀ VẤN ĐỀ BIỆT KÍCH

Kim Âu

Chúng tôi không cư ngụ tại Orange County, vùng đông cư dân Việt Nam nhất Hoa Kỳ nên gần như hoàn toàn không can dự vào chuyện đấu đá tranh cử giữa nhóm Trần Thái Văn và bà Loretta Sanchez.

Nhưng vào những ngày gần đây chúng tôi đọc được hai bài viết:một của báo Việt Weekly, một của luật sư trẻ Nguyễn Quốc Lân kèm theo một số “link” những buổi phát thanh đấu tố bà Loretta Sanchez của ông Ngô Kỷ trên đài “âm phủ” 1190AM.

Hầu như toàn bộ những buổi phát thanh của Ngô Kỷ đều tập trung khai thác, tố cáo chuyện bà Loretta Sanchez nói về vấn đề của những người Biệt Kích (Vietnamese Commandos) trong lá thư tâm tình của bà (1), Vì thế chúng tôi thấy cần thiết phải có ý kiến để làm sáng tỏ do sự việc này dính dấp tới lịch sử:

Trích Việt Weekly (VW)

(1)Việt Weekly (VW):

Trong lá thư “Lời Tâm Tình Của Dân Biểu Liên Bang Loretta Sanchez Gởi Đến Cộng Đồng Việt Nam” ngày 25 tháng 9 năm 2010, bà Sanchez có viết rằng: “Tôi đã rất hãnh diện và đã cố gắng tranh đấu hết mình, đại diện cho cộng đồng Việt Nam trong Quốc Hội Hoa Kỳ. Điều đầu tiên tôi đã làm ngay từ ngày đầu bước vào Hạ Viện 14 năm về trước là đệ trình dự luật kêu gọi Chính Phủ Hoa Kỳ vinh danh và bồi thường các biệt kích quân miền Nam Việt Nam đã từng cộng tác và đã được quân đội Hoa Kỳ huấn luyện trong thời gian chiến tranh Việt Nam. Dự luật này được thông qua và đã được cựu tổng thống Bill Clinton ký thành đạo luật - để đất nước Hoa Kỳ ghi nhận công ơn của họ.”

Hết Trích Việt Weekly (VW)

Dựa vào một câu văn viết ĐÚNG; Ngô Kỷ, Đỗ Vinh, Nguyễn Quốc Lân, phe nhóm Trần Thái Văn lên án nặng nề Bà Loretta Sanchez là đã nhận vơ, nói láo về “Dự Luật Biệt Kích” đồng thời trưng dẫn một số tài liệu của cựu hạ nghị sĩ Robert K. Dornan về “Sự Kiện Vietnamese Commandos v US Government”. Tất nhiên những tài liệu, dữ kiện từ mạng www.thomas.loc.gov đưa ra không có gì là sai nhưng Ngô Kỷ, Nguyễn Quốc Lân, Viet Weekly và những người đang ra sức tấn công bà Loretta Sanchez đã không dấu được ác ý khi bóp méo, đánh tráo câu nói của bà Loretta Sanchez, cố tình lừa bịp dư luận để gán ghép, mạt sát bà Loretta Sanchez một cách hết sức hạ cấp trong khi bà ta không hề nhắc đến dự luật H.R.3668.

Bà Loretta Sanchez CHỈ NÓI VỀ NHỮNG VIỆC BÀ TA ĐÃ LÀM “kêu gọi Chính Phủ Hoa Kỳ vinh danh và bồi thường các biệt kích quân miền Nam Việt Nam.” (H.RES.316: Recognizing and honoring former South Vietnamese commandos for their heroism, sacrifice, and service during the Vietnam conflict) H. CON. RES. 269: Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the heroism, sacrifice, and service of former South Vietnamese commandos in connection with United States armed forces during the Vietnam conflict. HOÀN TOÀN KHÁC BIỆT VỀ NGÔN TỪ.. với văn bản HR 3668: To require the Secretary of Defense to provide back pay to the Vietnamese commandos who were employed by the United States during the Vietnam conflict to conduct covert operations in North Vietnam so as to compensate the commandos for the years in which they were imprisoned and persecuted in Vietnam.

Người bình thường nhất cũng hiểu rằng khi bà Loretta Sanchez (thắng cử) vào hạ viện thì ông Robert K. Dornan (thất cử) đã đi ra.Việc làm của người tiền nhiệm và người kế tiếp đã có cột mốc thời gian và ngôn từ, văn bản để phân định. Không ai có thể cướp công lao phục vụ “làm đầy tớ cho các ông Biệt Kích” của các ông bà thượng, hạ nghị sĩ cả. Theo phép lịch sự, chúng tôi đến vận động “lobby”, yêu cầu các vị đầy tớ bảo trợ (sponsor) cho Dự luật của chúng tôi chứ các vị ấy không tạo ra Dự Luật, vì lẽ dễ hiểu các vị ấy có biết chuyện gì đã xảy ra để làm thành “Dự Luật Vietnamese Commandos” như ông Ngô Kỷ và phe nhóm huyên thuyên suốt mấy tuần nay.

Vì thế việc gì của ông Robert K. Dornan đã làm là của ông Dornan. Việc gì của bà Loretta Sanchez làm là của bà Sanchez. Và việc chúng tôi làm, yêu cầu họ bảo trợ khác hẳn với việc họ “làm ra dự luật”. Chúng tôi phân định và chứng minh rõ ràng.

A- Phần của ông Robert K. Dornan:

Như chúng tôi đã viết, cuối năm 1995, chúng tôi -Hà văn Sơn- và LS John Mattes có gặp Robert K. Dornan yêu cầu ông ta “sponsor” H.R. 3668, đưa ra Hạ Viện. Đồng thời chúng tôi cũng vận động hai vị tại Thượng Viện đồng bảo trợ là John Mc Cain và John Kerry tổ chức điều trần trước Uỷ Ban Tình Báo Thượng Viện và thông qua Dự Luật vào ngày 19-6-1996 “Vietnamese commandos : hearing before the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, second session ... Wednesday, June 19, 1996 (1997)”.

http://www.archive.org/details/vietnamesecomman00unit

(H.R. 3668 S. 1745, S. 1894, Public Law 104-201 Sec. 657 (Quốc Hội Khóa 104)

104th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 3668

To require the Secretary of Defense to provide back pay to the Vietnamese commandos who were employed by the United States during the Vietnam conflict to conduct covert operations in North Vietnam so as to compensate the commandos for the years in which they were imprisoned and persecuted in Vietnam.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 18, 1996

Mr. DORNAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on National Security

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A BILL

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PROVISION OF BACK PAY TO VIETNAMESE COMMANDOS.

(a) DEFINITION- In this section, the term `Vietnamese commando' means a Vietnamese national who was employed by the United States during the Vietnam conflict to conduct covert operations to infiltrate North Vietnam and who was captured and imprisoned by the North Vietnamese during the course of such operations.

(b) PAYMENT OF BACK PAY- From funds available to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary shall pay to each Vietnamese commando living in the United States who submits a timely claim under subsection (c) an amount of back pay equal to the product of the following:

(1) $2,000, which corresponds to the annual salary accepted by Vietnamese commandos during the Vietnam conflict; and

(2) The number of years in which the Vietnamese commando was imprisoned by the North Vietnamese and the number of years after such imprisonment in which the Vietnamese commando was subject to persecution in Vietnam as a result of service as a Vietnamese commando, as determined by the Secretary.

(c) SUBMISSION OF CLAIMS- To receive back pay under this section, a Vietnamese commando shall submit an application to the Secretary, in such form and containing such information as the Secretary considers appropriate, before the end of the two-year period beginning on the date on which the Vietnamese commando receives notice under subsection (d) of the availability of compensation.

(d) NOTIFICATION OF VIETNAMESE COMMANDOS- As soon as possible after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall endeavor to notify each Vietnamese commando living in the United States on that date of the availability of back pay under this section. The Secretary shall provide notice to other Vietnamese commandos as soon as possible after they resettle in the United States.

(e) EFFECT OF PAYMENT- The payment of back pay to a Vietnamese commando under this section shall be in full satisfaction of any claim of the Vietnamese commando against the United States arising out of the service of the person as a Vietnamese commando.

B- Phần của bà Loretta Sanchez :

Bà Loretta Sanchez đã làm những việc đầu tiên đúng như bà ta nói thể hiện cụ thể theo các văn kiện sau đây:

LET US BRING JUSTICE TO THE COMMANDOS (1)

(House of Representatives - April 16, 1997)

[Page: H1548] GPO's PDF(Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to an injustice suffered by over 300 men of the Vietnam war, an injustice that spans three decades.

During the war, the United States Government trained a number of South Vietnamese commandos to infiltrate North Vietnam Communist operations. Many of these commandos were captured and brutally tortured during their years of imprisonment and sustained long-term injuries.

There are about 300 commandos currently living throughout the United States. It is now time for our Nation to recognize their heroic war efforts and compensate the few surviving commandos and their families.

The Pentagon has failed to carry out the unanimous will of the 104th Congress to pay these brave men an average of $40,000 each for their time in captivity. In fact, while the Pentagon has delayed, three of the commandos have perished.

The House Committee on Appropriations has the opportunity to fully recognize their service on behalf of the United States as they consider the supplemental appropriations bill this week. It is the least we can do to recognize their enormous sacrifice.

Let us not turn our backs on the commandos .

SUPPORT THE COMMANDO FUNDING (2)

(House of Representatives - June 04, 1997)

[Page: H3279](Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to illustrate the grave implications which resulted from the untimely failure of Congress to approve the supplemental appropriations bill.

Included in the supplemental is $20 million in payments to former South Vietnamese commandos who were trained by and worked for the U.S. Government during the Vietnam war. The Pentagon failed to carry out the will of the 104th Congress to compensate these brave men for their service to this Nation, especially for their time in captivity.

Tragically, the Pentagon delayed and four commandos perished in the last year. Now, while this body recessed and failed to pass the supplemental appropriations bill, a fifth commando has also perished.

Duong Lang Sang was captured in 1966 by the North Vietnamese Government while working for the United States. After 16 years in hard labor as a prisoner of war he was finally released in 1982. After his release he suffered many illnesses arising from his torture.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Sang passed away in Chicago as a result of those injuries. He has left behind a widow and two school-aged children. Please join me in asserting that we pass the supplemental appropriations bill so that these soldiers would not have died in vain.

END

WE MUST CARE FOR THE COMMANDOS (3)

(House of Representatives - September 10, 1997)

[Page: H7122] GPO's PDF(Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, in June of this year, Congress approved legislation to finally pay a 30-year debt. The South Vietnamese Lost Army Commandos will finally have their United States Government contracts honored by the Pentagon for their years of service to the United States Army.

But accepting their long overdue pay would mean the loss of something even more important for many of the commandos , their health care benefits. The medical problems resulting from years in torture require long-term health care, care they will not be able to receive if they accept their compensation.

After years of torture by the North Vietnamese , the callousness of being declared dead by the United States Government, and years of anguish over not receiving their rightful compensation, these brave men are faced with another obstacle in their 30-year struggle. I urge my colleagues to support these men who fought and bled in Vietnam for the United States cause.

As the House goes to conference on the Labor-HHS bill, I urge my colleagues to accept the Senate position exempting the commandos' compensation from Medicaid eligibility.

105th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 316

Recognizing and honoring former South Vietnamese commandos for their heroism, sacrifice, and service during the Vietnam conflict.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (4)

November 8, 1997

Ms. SANCHEZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Recognizing and honoring former South Vietnamese commandos for their heroism, sacrifice, and service during the Vietnam conflict.

Whereas South Vietnamese commandos were recruited by the United States as part of OPLAN 34A or its predecessor or OPLAN 35 from 1961 to 1970;

Whereas these commandos conducted covert operations in North Vietnam during the Vietnam conflict;

Whereas many were captured and imprisoned by North Vietnamese forces, some for as long as 20 years;

Whereas these commandos served and fought proudly during the Vietnam conflict; and

Whereas many of these commandos lost their lives serving in operations conducted by the United States during the Vietnam conflict: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes and honors these former South Vietnamese commandos for their heroism, sacrifice, and service during the Vietnam conflict.

COMMANDOS FINALLY RECEIVING JUSTICE (5)

(House of Representatives - April 23, 1998)

[Page: H2239] GPO's PDF(Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, for the past year, I have been working to ensure that the United States Government honor a 30-year-old debt to former South Vietnamese Army commandos , who worked for the U.S. Government during the Vietnam War. And these individuals were recruited by the United States to cross enemy lines and fight the Communists on behalf of the Americans.

Last year, Congress unanimously approved legislation to finally pay the 30-year-old debt, and I am very happy to announce that the long wait for recognition and compensation may be finally over for the commandos .

To date, the Commando Compensation Board has processed 266 claims. One hundred forty-two commando cases have been approved, and these individuals are finally receiving their compensation.

I am pleased that the U.S. Government is finally honoring their contracts for their years of service and for their bravery in service to the United States. The least we must do is keep our word.

I look forward to the day that all of these cases are closed and every single commando receives his justice.

105th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. CON. RES. 269

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the heroism, sacrifice, and service of former South Vietnamese commandos in connection with United States armed forces during the Vietnam conflict.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (6)

April 30, 1998

Ms. SANCHEZ submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on National Security

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the heroism, sacrifice, and service of former South Vietnamese commandos in connection with United States armed forces during the Vietnam conflict.

Whereas South Vietnamese commandos were recruited by the United States as part of OPLAN 34A or its predecessor or OPLAN 35 from 1961 to 1970;

Whereas the commandos conducted covert operations in North Vietnam during the Vietnam conflict;

Whereas many of the commandos were captured and imprisoned by North Vietnamese forces, some for as long as 20 years;

Whereas the commandos served and fought proudly during the Vietnam conflict; and

Whereas many of the commandos lost their lives serving in operations conducted by the United States during the Vietnam conflict: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Congress recognizes and honors the former South Vietnamese commandos for their heroism, sacrifice, and service in connection with United States armed forces during the Vietnam conflict.

HONORING FORMER SOUTH VIETNAMESE ARMY COMMANDOS (7)

(House of Representatives - May 21, 1998)

[Page: H3733] GPO's PDF(Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago the House Committee on National Security unanimously approved my amendment to honor and recognize the former South Vietnamese army commandos who were employees of the United States Government during the Vietnam War.

Today, the Members of this House had the opportunity to properly honor those brave men by supporting the Department of Defense authorization bill for fiscal year 1999.

Last year, the President signed into law legislation that I advocated to ensure that the United States Government honor a 30-year-old bad debt and pay these men who worked for the United States Government the wages they earned but were denied during the Vietnam War.

These individuals were trained by the Pentagon to infiltrate and destabilize communist North Vietnam.

Many of these commandos were captured and tortured while in prison for 15 to 20 years, and many never made it out.

Declassified DOD documents showed that U.S. officials wrote off the commandos as dead even though they knew from various sources that many were alive in Vietnamese prisons.

The documents also show that U.S. officials lied to the soldiers' wives, paid them tiny `Death Gratuities' and washed their hands of the matter.

For example, Mr. Ha Va Son was listed as dead by our Government in 1967, although he was known to be in a communist prison in North Vietnam. Today he is very much alive and well and living in Chamblee, GA. In my hand I hold the United States Government's official declaration of his death.

Because it was a secret covert operation, the U.S. Government thought they could easily ignore the commandos , their families, friends, and their previous contacts without anyone noticing.

As the Senior Senator from Pennsylvania said in a recent hearing, `This is a genuinely incredible story of callous, inhumane, and really barbaric treatment by the United States.'

In the 104th Congress, this House approved legislation that required the Department of Defense to pay reparations to the commandos .

This bill would have provided $20 million to the commandos and their survivors, an average grant of about $40,000 per commando. It called them to be paid $2,000 a year for every year they were in prison, less than the wages they were due.

President Clinton signed this legislation into law (Public Law 104-201).

However, in April of 1997, the Department of Defense said that the statute was legislatively flawed and the Secretary could not legally make payments.

I then contacted Secretary Cohen requesting the administration's help to correct this error.

The administration responded by supporting inclusion of the funding in the Supplemental Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 1997 (Public Law 105-18)

Last year, I met at a public forum with 40 commandos from my district.

One individual shared with me his story of how he parachuted into enemy territory, was captured, convicted of treason, beaten, thrown into solitary confinement for 11 months, then moved among hard--labor camps for the next seven years.

His story is not unlike countless others. I request unanimous consent to insert into the record one story of this abuse headlined `Uncommon Betrayal' as reported by an Atlantia newspaper recently.

Today, however, I am pleased to provide this Body with this update.

To date, the Commando Compensation Board has been established at the Pentagon; 266 claims have been processed; 142 Commandos have been paid.

All this was made possible because of the commitment of this House.

The South Vietnamese Lost Army Commandos are finally a step closer to having the United States Government honor their contracts for their years of service to the United States Army.

I am proud that the members of the House had an opportunity to properly honor these brave men.

We can not bring those who perished back, but we can give these individuals the dignity and respect that's been so long overdue.

Who supports this resolution?

The State of California American Legion strongly endorses this amendment and I would like to submit the letter from the Department Commander Frank Larson into the Record.

In Commander Larson's letter dated May 1, 1998, he states, `Ms. Sanchez: I'm sure if history were unfolded for all to see it would show that the South Vietnamese commandos , who aided the United States Government in covert actions against the North Vietnamese , were responsible for saving many American lives.'

It goes on to say: `To that end, the same recognition due our soldiers, sailors, marines and airman involved in the Vietnamese Conflict should be afforded to the former South Vietnamese commandos , who so gallantly served and endured.'

It is also supported by: The Air Commando Organization; The Special Forces Organization.

American veterans who fought side by side with the Commandos , come to their defense in letters of support.

I would like to share with you what our soldiers have to say about the commandos .

This letter comes from a special forces NCO:

Dear Sir: I had the opportunity to work with these men in which they not only risked their lives, but continually put themselves in harms way. * * * We are aware of terrible trials and conditions these men endured for so long and we would like to help * * *'

I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that last year, during POW/MIA recognition day, I had the opportunity to meet with several members of my veteran community.

I had the opportunity to speak with former POWs and family members whose loved ones were taken as prisoners or declared missing in action. Several of the veterans mentioned their support for the Commandos and urged that the Government honor its word.

Today, we gave these commandos what they really wanted, the distinction of honoring their service in the Vietnam War. And on behalf of the 40 commandos residing in the 46th Congressional District of California, I would like to thank the Members of this body for their commitment to honor and to recognize the former South Vietnamese army commandos .

Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record a series of documents relating to these former South Vietnamese commandos .

[Page: H3734] GPO's PDF

Uncommon Betrayal

ABANDONED BY THE UNITED STATES, FORMER SOUTH VIETNAMESE COMMANDOS RISE FROM THE DEAD

On a moonlit night in May 1965, a large transport plane was flying low through the skies of northwestern North Vietnam on its way toward the town of Son La. Sitting nervously in the back of the plane was Team Horse, a group of five South Vietnamese commandos who were part of a covert CIA/Department of Defense (DOD) plan known as Operation Plan 34-Alpha (Oplan-34A). Team Horse was being parachuted in to reinforce the eight members of Team Easy, who had been deployed there in August 1963.

After making a first pass by the drop zone to release crates of supplies and a homing beacon, the plane circled around again and Team Horse parachuted out the back. Soon after hitting the ground the commandos knew their mission was a total bust. Soldiers from North Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security were waiting for them with rifles in hand. Even worse, Team Easy had been captured long ago, and the North Vietnamese had used that team's radio equipment to lure in Team Horse

The five commandos were tried and convicted of treason, and sent to prison. Only one, team leader Quach Nhung, would survive incarceration. After more than 20 years of hard labor in a Vietnamese prison, Nhung was released and immigrated to the United States in 1994. He is one of about 30 former South Vietnamese commandos involved in Oplan-34A who now live in the Atlanta metro area.

Recently declassified documents have revealed Oplan-34A to be one of the most tragic and disturbing aspects of the Vietnam War. `When you read those documents, you want to cry,' says Sedgwick Tourison, who used many of the papers to write Secret Army, Secret War--Washington's Tragic Spy Operation in North Vietnam. `It's disgusting. We sold [those commandos ] down the river and walked away, and we did it with such clean hands. And as I put in the book, nobody thought this would ever surface.'

Even Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, was shocked by the abuses. In a recent hearing on Capitol Hill, Specter said, `This is a genuinely incredible story of callous, inhumane, and really barbaric treatment by the United States.'

A DOOMED OPERATION

From 1961 through the end of the decade, approximately 500 commandos separated into 52 small teams were sent into North Vietnam. Trained and funded first by the CIA, the operation was taken over by the DOD in 1964. At first, the teams were designed to gather intelligence, but their duties were later augmented to include psychological warfare and sabotage. Nearly of the commandos were either killed or captured almost immediately by the North Vietnamese , who had heavily infiltrated the operation with moles on the South Vietnamese side.

The entire operation was a failure, and documents now show that the CIA and the DOD knew that it was. Still, they continued to send commandos to their almost certain doom.

The United States' betrayal of the South Vietnamese commandos did not end there.

Once they had been captured, their families were notified not that they were prisoners of war or missing in action, but that they were dead. `The Defense Department compounded that tragedy by simply writing off the lost commandos ,' Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said during the recent Senate hearing. `Drawing a line through their names as dead apparently in order to avoid paying monthly salaries [to the families].'

Says Tourison, who is the former Chief of Analysis in the Defense Intelligence Agency's office of POW/MIA affairs. `It was money more than anything else. The bottom line was that we did not want to pay them any more. We were recruiting new guys and telling them that if anything happens we'll take care of you, and we never had any intention of doing that. And because of the moles the North Vietnamese had on the inside, they knew what we had done. And once they found out, that sent a message to Hanoi that we viewed the lives of those who serve for us as of no consequence.'

But the betrayal of the South Vietnamese commandos still did not end there.

Even though the United States knew many of them were in prison, nothing was ever done to get them out. As Kerry, himself a Vietnam War veteran, said at the hearing, `After sending these brave men, on what by anyone's judgment were next to suicide missions, and after cutting off their pay, we then committed the most egregious error of all: We made no effort to obtain their release along with American POWs during the peace negotiations in Paris [in 1973]. As a result, many of these brave men who fought alongside us for the same cause spent years in prison, more than 20 years in some cases.'

The U.S. government is now trying to make up for its treatment of the commandos . On June 19, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that will pay the former commandos or their survivors $40,000 each, which basically amounts to an average of $2,000 back pay per year for an average of 20 years spent in prison.

Even though the commandos need the money and say they are looking forward to it, money cannot erase the past. `Forty thousand dollars is nothing,' says Nhung. `No money can pay for my life.'

[Page: H3735] GPO's PDF

COMING TO AMERICA

Recently, three of the former South Vietnamese Oplan-34A commandos now living in the Atlanta area sit down to talk about their life during wartime and what moving to America has meant for them.

The site is the living room of a cramped apartment in an ersatz Colonial complex on a predominantly Asian stretch of Buford Highway just across the street from the Little Saigon strip mall. A group of happy, boisterous kids play on the landing. A strong odor of simmering soup rolls in from the kitchen.

Sitting around the table are Nhung, 52; Team Greco deputy commander Quash Rang, 58; and Team Pegasus leader Than Van Kinh, 67. Acting as interpreter is Ha Van Son, who had been part of a similar operation, Oplan-35. Son was imprisoned for 19 years and was also declared dead to his family by the United States. Members of his operation are also being considered for compensation in the Senate bill.

The men smoke almost constantly and emit a feeling of haggard world--weariness. They are all dressed similarly, in Oxford shirts and polyester slacks, and each has salt-and-pepper hair slicked down and parted to the side. When asked why they joined on with Oplan-34A, the answer comes quickly and not without some measure of incredulity.

`Because everybody wanted to fight against the communists,' says Son, speaking for the group `Nobody fight with any other reason.

Tourison's book is filled with wrenching stories of commandos being starved and tortured while in prison, and the experiences of these men were equally brutal. `All of us were treated very, very badly,' says Son. `All of us were shackled and put in a small cell for a long time. After that they take us to a big room where we concentrate with everybody. But they give us only a little of rice a day. Sometime no rice, but yellow corn. But the corn that's used for animals, not for man.'

Even today, many of the commandos still suffer physically from their time spent in North Vietnamese prisons. `When we got tortured, everybody has a problem in their body,' comments Son. `Like Than Van Kinh, all his teeth was broken out.' With that cue, Kinh opens his mouth wide and taps his dentures with a finger. `And my leg sometimes is paralyzed. Everybody is like that in the winter. Sometimes we get pain and hurt in the knee and in the body. You see the outside is good [i.e., they look fine from the outside], but inside sometimes from the fall to winter, if the weather changes, everybody gets pain.'

When they were released from prison, their lives improved little. Because they were branded as traitors in Vietnam, it was hard to get work. `It was very, very difficult because when we go to apply for a job in Vietnam, the Vietnamese communists check and they know that this was a spy commando,' says Son. `So that everybody has to go to work as a farmer, and some drive a three-wheeled motorcycle in Saigon.'

Tourison maintains that U.S. policy toward the commandos has ruined more than just their own lives. `In Vietnam, they are largely excluded from all legal forms of employment,' he explains. `Because of that, the children normally have to cut their education short to engage in child labor to support their parents. We have visited the sins on three generations. The older couples, their children, and their grandchildren.'

In Atlanta, some of the commandos are retired, but most are employed in various jobs. For example, Nhung works in a factory that manufacturers containers, Son is a sales and leasing consultant at an auto dealership, and Rang and his wife own a beauty salon in Duluth--aptly named American Nails.

Remarkably, the commandos harbor less anger toward the United States than one might expect. `My friend Quach Nhung say, everybody still have a little anger with the leaders who betrayed us, but we know that they are not the representatives of U.S. government right now, they are not the American people,' says Son, speaking for his comrade. `Of course, everybody get angry, but we have to talk with the American people and the American government to [let them] know about the facts of history. We think we have to fight for justice.'

Son has been informed that the commandos should receive their back pay from the United States in about 18 months. When they receive those funds, the commandos plan to pool their resources. `In Atlanta, we have about 30 commandos ,' explains Son. `[We] will establish a joint venture corporation and maybe we will do a business like a Vietnamese market and everybody will work for our company, every commando and their family. And we think that corporation may develop for the commandos' children's future and take care of the old.'

By combining the money they will get from the U.S. government, the commandos will have a substantial amount to work with. However, Son admits that when Americans learn what happened to them and how much the government is planning on compensating the commandos , many of them are appalled. `American people, they say, you are worth $4 million, not $40,000,' says Son. `That's very cheap. It's a little bit.'

LET'S SCREW THEM AGAIN

Even though life seems to be on the upswing for the commandos , there are still a few snags. Some of the commandos , including Than Van Kinh, have had problems bringing their families to this country. His wife and son have been denied entrance.

`His wife was denied with no reason,' says Son, translating Kinh's words. `We were very surprised because his wife was waiting for him from the time he was captured in North Vietnam.'

Tourison also expresses exasperation that Kinh's wife was denied immigration. `Over the last 35 years, Than Van Kinh has spent maybe five or six years with his wife out of all of his adult life,' he says. `This is a woman who worships the ground this guy walks on. They've been married since the 1950s, and these sons of bitches [in the Immigration and Naturalization Service], with a stroke of the pen say, `Well we just don't believe she's your wife.' What are you going to do at that point? That's just so damn cruel.'

There are also some 70 former still in Vietnam, some of whom have found getting less than easy.

`This is a relatively small community of people who paid a higher price than anyone who served us during the war,' says Tourison. `Unfortunately, the State Department and the INS give them absolutely no priority. What that means is that when they submit papers to the embassy in Bangkok applying to depart Vietnam or they get a request for more documents, it can take six months to a year until someone acts on it. And you know what happens?

`They die. I have gotten letters from commandos , and then six months later while they are waiting for an answer from the embassy in Bangkok, they die. It tears me apart every damn time that happens because it is so fundamentally wrong and so fundamentally counter to our own values. They were first in prison, last out, and let's screw them again.'

As the former commandos wait for their payment from the United States, as they wait for other comrades and stranded family members to join them, they say they are enjoying their lives in America but have not forgotten their homeland. `Of course we miss Vietnam,' says Son. `And everybody, except Mr. Kinh, who is too old, every commando thinks if we get a start on an organization, if we have weapons and we have [money], we want to go back to Vietnam to fight with the communists again.

`My friend Quach Nhung, he say, of course now I like it in America, it is better than in Vietnam, but because we have sacrificed for our country and for freedom, we did not like to see the Vietnamese communists take over. We want Vietnam to be a country with freedom, human rights, and democracy.'

THE AMERICAN LEGION,

Department of California,

San Francisco, CA, May 1, 1998.

Hon. Loretta Sanchez,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Sanchez: Be it war, police action or a conflict, everyone who participates puts certain things at risk. Mainly, their freedom, fortune and happiness--but for a cause. It is unfortunate that the turn of events which led to the culmination of the Vietnam Conflict are recorded as they are in history. But the cost of war does not necessarily stop with the signing of a peace agreement.

There are other residual costs that should be attended to. These costs are defined as recognition of those who served as our allies--those who believed in our causes, crossed the line and committed to the United States government. I'm sure if history were unfolded for all to see it would show that the South Vietnamese commandoes, who aided the United States government in covert actions against the North Vietnamese , were responsible for saving many American lives.

To that end, the same recognition due our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen involved in the Vietnamese Conflict should be afforded to the former South Vietnam commandoes, who so gallantly served and endured.

Sincerely,

Frank C. Larson,

Department Commander.

END

Trong lá thư viết ngày 17/10/2010 đưa lên diễn đàn chúng tôi đã viết:

Kính quý vị !

Vào ngày 17/10/2010 vừa qua, một người em ở bên quận Cam email cho tôi để hỏi về vấn đề của bà Loretta Sanchez và HR 3336 (sai). Đọc qua email, chúng tôi biết ngay có dính dáng đến vấn đề tranh cử giữa bà Loretta Sanchez và Trần Thái Văn. Tất nhiên tôi hiểu sẽ có nhiều đòn phép được sử dụng nhưng bất kỳ một sự tấn công nào nhắm vào bà Loretta Sanchez để bôi nhọ lịch sử của Vietnamese Commandos biến chúng tôi thành những kẻ không biết ơn nghĩa, chắc chắn chúng tôi sẽ lên tiếng. Ông Trần Thái Văn và Ban Tranh Cử của ông nên ngưng ngay mưu toan tấn công bà Loretta Sanchez qua Đạo Luật Bồi Thường & Vinh Danh Vietnamese Commandos. Ngay tại quận Cam khi cựu tổng thống Bill Clinton đến vận động cho bà Sanchez, những anh em Biệt Kích tại địa phương đã tham dự ủng hộ bà Sanchez để đáp lại tình nghĩa của bà đối với "Những người lính một thời bị lãng quên". Chúng tôi Gia Đình Biệt Kích ở tận Atlanta, Georgia hoàn tòan đồng tình với Gia Đình Biệt Kích ở Santa Anna. Và chắc chắn tất cả những người trong lực lượng này trên toàn Hoa Kỳ cũng đều chung một cảm nghĩ như vậy. Những vị nào thuộc đảng Cộng Hòa vận động cho Trần Thái Văn nên cố gắng tìm mục tiêu khác.

Anh em chúng tôi vẫn còn sống trên nước Mỹ, bản thân tôi Hà văn Sơn (Kim Âu) là người vào điều trần trước Uỷ Ban Tình Báo Thượng Viện Hoa Kỳ xác nhận bà Lorettra Sanchez là một nữ dân biểu Hạ Viện đã có những hành xử để lực lượng Vietnamese Commandos quý trọng và tri ân cũng như ông cựu dân biểu Bob Dornan. Trong email trả lời cho người em chúng tôi có nói rõ: " Bob Dornan là dân biểu hạ viện mà anh gặp ông ấy để vận động từ cuối năm 1995. Anh có hai tấm hình chụp với ông ấy nay tìm không ra. Có một tấm hình chụp khi ông ấy trao plaque vinh danh, hai tháng sau ngày điều trần.Chính ông ấy là người đưa dự luật Vietnamese Commandos ra hạ viện.

Tóm lại những luận điệu bôi nhọ bà Loretta Sanchez nếu có là hoàn tòan sai trái, gỉa dối, bóp méo lịch sử và vô hình chung đã xúc phạm đến sự quý trọng và tri ân của người trong cuộc. "Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây". Đối với chúng tôi "Kẻ gieo hạt và Người vun trồng" đều đáng được tri ân.

Gia Đình Biệt Kích tri ân và ủng hộ bà LorettaSanchez

Trân trọng

Hà văn Sơn

Chúng tôi thiển nghĩ với sự lên tiếng như vậy, những người đang tấn công bà Loretta Sanchez một cách vô lý đồng thời lạm dụng cơ hội, mạt sát một số Biệt Kích thiếu khả năng biện bác nên ngưng lại nhưng với bản chất ngỗ ngược, càn rỡ, vung vít quen thói, Ngô Kỷ đã đi quá lố.

Ngày 23/10/2010 chúng tôi nhắc nhở Ngô Kỷ nên chấm dứt những chuyện lố bịch này.

Hai email qua lại:

From: Ky Ngo ngokyusa@yahoo.com

To: chinhnghia <chinhnghia@aol.com>; ngokyusa <ngokyusa@yahoo.com>

Sent: Mon, Oct 25, 2010 1:37 pm

Subject: Tai Lieu va Audio ve Biet Kich

Anh Hà Văn Sơn,

Tôi hy vọng qua cuộc nói chuyện phone, anh hiễu rõ thêm vấn đề. Tôi không chống gì bà Sanchez, tôi có nêu lên việc bà đưa ra 2 Nghị Quyết vinh danh Biệt Kích, tuy nhiên tôi minh xác là bà Sanchez KHÔNG làm Dự Luật (Bill) nào.

Tôi muốn anh nghe các Audio và đọc lại các điều tôi nói và trả lời.

Tôi rất buồn vì sáng nay anh chưa nói chuyện với tôi, và anh không nắm vững vấn đề mà anh tung lên Net là tôi "lố bịch". Tôi mong là anh viết lại và đính chính vì tôi không làm gì sai mà anh gọi tôi là "lố bịch", Nếu anh không làm thì buộc lòng tôi phải lên tiếng minh xác và chúng ta sẽ mất vui. Tùy anh. Tôi không có đụng chạm gì anh cả. Mong anh nghiên cứu vấn đề cho rõ. Tôi KHÔNG chê gì bà Sanchez, tôi chỉ đính chính bà không phải là tác giả Dự Luật (Bill). Đó là sự thật.

Xin gởi anh các audio và tài liệu.

Ngô Kỷ

Re: Tai Lieu va Audio ve Biet Kich chinhnghia to ngokyusa - 2 days agoMore Details

From: chinhnghia <chinhnghia@aol.com>Hide .Add to: To Do, Calendar

To: ngokyusa <ngokyusa@yahoo.com>.Cc:.

Bcc:.

Date:Mon, Oct 25, 2010 3:16 pm

Ngô Kỷ mến!

Tôi không bao giờ viết nếu không có nguyên cớ vì thế không có gì sai để phải đính chính, Ngô Kỷ hãy nghe lại những gì Kỷ đã nói, đã giải thích (về vụ Vietnamese Commandos thật sự lố bịch vì sai hết). Hãy tự nhìn lại bản thân, bạn không biết gì về Vietnamese Commandos cả nhưng nói quá nhiều.

Tôi vừa xem mấy bài báo do Nguyễn Phương Hùng scan lại và thực sự nếu tôi muốn nêu ra sự lố bịch không có gì khó khăn cả. Trong khi ngày 20 - 6 -1996 báo chí toàn Hoa Kỳ đăng bài về cuộc điều trần thắng lợi của Vietnamese Commandos thì báo chí của quý vị loan đi kể công Ngô Kỷ và ông Dornan. Ngô Kỷ lo "bêu dương" Lâm Ngọc Chiêu nhưng Lâm Ngọc Chiêu chẳng có dính dáng gì vào vụ Vietnamese Commandos. Nếu Ngô Kỷ kêu gọi chớ bóp méo lịch sử thì chỉ nên nói phần của ông Dornan làm việc.

Tôi. Kim Âu Hà Văn Sơn. Người tạo nên thắng lợi, người đứng đơn đi kiện, người cùng luật sư John Mattes đi ra tòa, đi vận động tại Washington D.C. gặp Bob Dornan, John Kerry, John McCain, Bob Kerrey v.v. và chính thức ra điều trần mới thực có đủ tư cách để diễn giải chính xác mọi vấn đề về Vietnamese Commandos, nói lên sự thật của lịch sử.

Dự luật các ông Bob Dornan, John Kerry, John Mc Cain, Loretta Sanchez đều xuất phát từ yêu cầu của chúng tôi. Ngoài chúng tôi ra không ai có tư cách giải thích về ý nghĩa, yêu cầu, mục đích.

Ông Nông văn Hính hay Tống văn Thái có thể nói sai vì kiến thức của họ.

Nhưng chắc chắn Tôi, Kim Âu Hà văn Sơn là người chính thức điều trần thắng lợi ngày 19-6-1996 mới chính là người đủ tư cách, kiến thức để nói đầy đủ, nói đúng. Bạn mạt sát những người không đủ kiến thức như ông Hinh và Thái trong khi không nghĩ tới việc họ là ai và ngoài họ còn ai.

Tôi là người không khoái “show off ” nhưng chắc chắn khi tôi lên “show” thì mọi vấn đề đâu sẽ ra đấy. Tôi xác định chúng ta là chiến hữu chống cộng, không có gì phải mâu thuẫn, nặng nề với nhau nhưng nếu bạn cảm thấy không vui thì cần phải xem lại những lời nói, việc làm của bạn, tôi có vui được không? Đúng ra bạn nên ngừng ở đoạn HR 3668 là đủ, giải thích thêm hay kể lể công lao là trật lất.

Trân trọng

Kim Âu

C-Phần tự biên, tự diễn, tự hãnh hết sức lố bịch của Ngô Kỷ:

Sau hai mẩu đối thoại, chúng tôi không muốn viết tiếp nhưng một số anh em thầm lặng nghe Ngô Kỷ tiếp tục huênh hoang trên làn sóng 1190AM nên đã yêu cầu chúng tôi làm rõ vấn đề lịch sử của Đạo Luật “Compensation for Vietnamese Commandos”,.

Sự thực như chúng tôi đã viết, chẳng có một Hạ nghị sĩ hay Thượng nghị sĩ nào có thể bỗng dưng lên cơn điên chế ra Dự Luật Bồi Thường cho Biệt Kích OPLAN34A/OPLAN35. Muốn hiểu rõ nguyên uỷ sự việc, không phải chỉ có mối quan hệ chạy việc cho Robert K. Dornan hay sở hữu vài chứng từ, vài lá thư fax qua fax lại là có thể tự cho phép mình trở thành nhân vật “đã âm thầm giúp đỡ những người Biệt Kích, đã lo lắng tranh đấu cho vấn đề Biệt Kích v.v..” đọc và nghe Ngô Kỷ, chúng tôi chỉ cười xòa. Hơn ai hết chúng tôi có tư cách để nói thẳng : Chẳng có một người Việt Nam hay tổ chức, hội đoàn, cộng đồng Việt Nam nào giúp đỡ lực lượng “Vietnamese Commandos” trong sự kiện lịch sử đã qua. Nếu có chăng, chỉ có sự ganh tỵ, và những kẻ nhập nhằng lợi dụng thắng lợi của những Biệt Kích hiên ngang đấu tranh với Tư Pháp, Lập Pháp, Hành Pháp của Hoa Kỳ để tô son điển phấn cho diện mạo của chính họ mà thôi."

Cách nay 15 năm, Ngô Kỷ chỉ là một cậu thông dịch chạy việc cho Dornan, lưu giữ được vài văn thư qua lại phỏng có giá trị gì để “một tấc đến trời”. Ngay ông Robert K. Dornan cũng chỉ hiểu chừng mực

Nghe Ngô Kỷ nổ sảng: “Trước khi chúng tôi vào cuộc, ông luật sư đòi lấy 40%, kiện đòi chính phủ trả. Biệt kích đi kiện bị thua, từ khi thua kiện ông Dornan và TNS đưa ra lưỡng viện. Luật sư John Mattes xúi mấy người biệt kích chửi ông Dornan.” Chúng tôi cảm thấy những điều Ngô Kỷ nói ra qủa là một sự lố bịch quá đáng. Thật ra Ngô Kỷ chưa tiếp xúc được một người nào thuộc nhóm Vietnamese Commandos và cũng chẳng có người nào thuộc OPLAN35 phải kêu nhờ Bob Dornan. Chúng tôi đố Ngô Kỷ đưa ra danh sách những người đã nhờ vả như đã nói. Vì thực tế người vào điều trần đưa tới thắng lợi để lưỡng viện thông qua dự luật là người thuộc OPLAN 35. Sau ngày 19-6 -1996 nhóm luật sư của các bên đã điều chỉnh ngôn từ dự luật cho chính xác hơn.

Xem amendment:

S.AMDT.4451

Amends: S.1894

Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] (submitted 7/11/1996) (proposed 7/17/1996)

AMENDMENT PURPOSE:

To set aside $20,000,000 for payment to certain Vietnamese commandos captured and interned by North Vietnam.

TEXT OF AMENDMENT AS SUBMITTED: CR S7784

STATUS:

7/17/1996:

Proposed by Senator Inouye for Senator Kerry.

7/17/1996:

Amendment SP 4451 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.

COSPONSORS(1):

Sen McCain, John [AZ] - 7/11/1996

KERRY (AND MCCAIN) AMENDMENT NO. 4451 (Senate - July 11, 1996)

[Page: S7784](Ordered to lie on the table.)

Mr. KERRY (for himself and Mr. McCain) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by them to the bill, S. 1894, supra; as follows:

On page 88, between lines 7 and 8, insert the following:

Sec. 8099. Of the total amount appropriated under title II, $20,000,000 shall be available subject to authorization, until expended, for payments to Vietnamese commandos captured and incarcerated by North Vietnam after having entered the Democratic Republic of Vietnam pursuant to operations under a Vietnam era operation plan known as `OPLAN 34A', or its predecessor, and to Vietnamese operatives captured and incarcerated by North Vietnamese forces while participating in operations in Laos or along the Lao-Vietnamese border pursuant to `OPLAN 35', who died in captivity or who remained in captivity after 1973, and who have not received payment from the United States for the period spent in captivity.

hết trích

Nhóm mạo nhận Vietnamese Commandos do Ngô Kỷ đưa đến cám ơn ông Dornan

Ngô Kỷ không gặp được những người nằm trong lực lượng làm nên lịch sử mà chỉ gặp những người biệt kích bình thường ở trong Nam tự vẽ ra những chuyện vớ vẩn, rồi cùng nhau chia hưởng "niềm vinh dự không phải của họ." Nhìn mấy tấm hình chụp của Ngô Kỷ đưa trình làng, chúng tôi tự hỏi: Tại sao lại có những trò hề như thế này? Bob Dornan đã bị Ngô Kỷ lừa vì những người đến cảm ơn rồi đưa đề nghị "này nọ" hoàn toàn không có ai nằm trong lực lượng của những người Biệt Kích đấu tranh thắng lợi ở Quốc Hội.

Việc này chứng minh rõ sự lố bịch của Ngô Kỷ khi làm chuyện tào lao như vậy. Đã thế Ngô Kỷ tự hoang đường rằng Vietnamese Commandos "thua kiện" để nhằm tâng bốc Robert K.Dornan và cá nhân bé mọn của Ngô Kỷ. Trong khi Ngô Kỷ chỉ một anh tà lọt thiếu hiểu biết nhưng lại hết sức lắm lời thì khó làm được gì cho ai?

Luật sư phí khi ký kết “contract” chỉ trả 23% lấy đâu ra con số 40%. Nhưng trả 23% + $500 không phải chỉ có một vụ kiện (theo kế hoạch là ba vụ kiện). Và việc luật sư John Mattes sui ai đó chửi ông Bob Dornan cũng chỉ là câu chuyện hoang tưởng của Ngô Kỷ. Vì nhóm Vietnamese Commandos (Biệt Kích) ở Santa Anna nếu có chửi ông Bob Dornan thì chính vì Ngô Kỷ làm chuyện bậy bạ, đưa một nhóm người ngoại cuộc ra mạo danh họ. (Nhóm Lâm Ngọc Chiêu)

D- CUỘC ĐẤU TRANH CỦA VIETNAMESE COMMANDOS

Ngày 27 - 1 - 1973, khi ký kết Hiệp Ðịnh Paris về Việt Nam, những nhà lãnh đạo của Hoa Kỳ và Việt Nam Cộng Hòa không phải không biết đến những người Biệt Kích Cảm Tử Việt Nam còn đang nằm lại trong những trại tù hiểm độc của Bắc Việt. Những bằng chứng Lịch Sử trong giai đoạn đó ngày nay được giải mật đã chứng minh rõ sự cố tình bỏ rơi hay nói đúng hơn là thủ tiêu toàn bộ một lực lượng tinh nhuệ được đào tạo để diệt Cộng ngay trong lòng Cộng Sản. Hành động sát nhân của những kẻ cầm quyền ở tất cả các phe trong giai đoạn đó đã làm lộ rõ bản chất của bọn cầm quyền ở bất cứ chế độ nào cũng đểu cáng như nhau và những chữ Tự Do, Dân Chủ, Nhân Quyền, Công Bằng và Bác Ái thật ra chỉ là những chiêu bài hoa mỹ để che đậy những mưu đồ dơ bẩn. Muốn có một xã hội thật sự Công Bằng, Bác Ái chỉ có một cách là Con Người phải vùng lên đấu tranh thật cương quyết, có mưu lược và táo bạo không để bọn cầm quyền lấn át nền Dân Chủ, chà đạp Nhân Quyền đẩy họ vào thế buộc phải giải quyết thỏa đáng những vấn đề của Sự Thật, của Lịch Sử.

Với chủ trương này, những người biệt kích sau khi ra khỏi nhà tù đặt chân đến Hoa Kỳ đều tập hợp để đòi lại món nợ cũ. Ngày 24 tháng tư năm 1995, Vietnamese Commandos chính thức đệ đơn kiện chính phủ Hoa Kỳ, đồng thời tạo áp lực bằng việc các thành viên khắp nơi thay phiên nhau xuất hiện trên truyền hình, báo chí Hoa Kỳ. Sau mấy lần ra tòa, vị chánh án cho chuyển qua Quốc Hội để làm ra luật mới nhằm giải quyết món nợ không bao giờ trả được của chính phủ Hoa Kỳ. Vụ kiện “class-action” của 281 Vietnamese Commandos vẫn duy trì sự tranh tụng cho đến khi thắng lợi.

trích AUGUST 1997 THE ARMY LAWYER • DA-PAM 27-50-297 15:

“Recent Lost Commandos Litigation and Legislation

On 24 April 1995, Au Dong Quy and 280 others filed suit in the United States Court of Federal Claims alleging that each plaintiff was an OPLAN 34A commando, or represented the estate of an OPLAN 34A commando, and had a contract with the United States during the Vietnam War providing for monthly wages and other benefits. They also alleged that their contract promised, upon capture, continued payment of the monthly wage. The government filed a motion to dismiss in February 1996, asserting among other things: lack of privity, lack of jurisdiction under Totten, and expiration of the statute of limitations. The case generated significant national media attention, culminating in a segment on the television news program 60 Minutes. Congressional interest in the Lost Commandos’ story was also increasing, and on 19 June 1996, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence met to hear testimony on the issue.

As a result, the Court of Federal Claims stayed the litigation, pending possible resolution of the Commandos’ issues by legislative means. (Kết quả là, Tòa án Liên bang tuyên bố duy trì sự vụ kiện tụng, chờ giải quyết các vấn đề của Commandos bằng phương tiện lập pháp) Subsequently, Congress passed into law a provision for compensation of all persons who were captured or incarcerated by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a result of the participation by that person in operations conducted under OPLAN 34A or its predecessor.

The Need to Contract for Secret Services

In recent history, the United States has conducted numerous unconventional warfare operations, many of which were similar to OPLAN 34A. For example, in his testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Major General (Retired) John K. Singlaub stated that the United States conducted such unconventional warfare operations during the Korean War. He stated that there were probably hundreds of Koreans who were in a situation similar to the OPLAN 34A Commandos.

The United States Supreme Court has recognized the importance of secrecy in intelligence gathering.In CIA v. Sims, for example, the CIA entered into research contracts, often through intermediaries, with numerous universities, research foundations, and similar institutions. Some of the agreements contained an explicit promise of confidentiality so that the identities of the researchers would not be disclosed.The Court commented on the importance of agreements for secrecy, stating “[t]he Government has a compelling interest in protecting both the secrecy of information important to our national security and the appearance of confidentiality so essential to the effective operation of our foreign intelligence service.”

59. Id.

60. Id. at 1065-66 (citing Snepp v. United States, 444 U.S. 507 (1980) (per curiam); New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971)).

61. Complaint ¶¶ 1-2, Au Duong Quy, et al./ Lost Army Commandos v. United States, No. 95-309C (Fed. Cl. filed Apr. 24, 1995).

62. Id. at ¶ 7.

63. Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss, Au Duong Quy, et al./ Lost Army Commandos v. United States, No. 95-309C (Fed. Cl. Feb. 2, 1996).

64. 60 Minutes: Lost Commandos (CBS television broadcast, May 5, 1996).

65. Vietnamese Commandos: Hearings Before the Senate Select Comm. on Intelligence, 104th Cong., 2d Sess. (1996). Subsequent to the hearings, Section 649 (subsequently

re-numbered 657) of the DOD Authorization Act was introduced before the Senate. See Comments Before the Senate Concerning Amendment 4055 to the

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, Pub. L. No. 104-201, reprinted in 142 CONG. REC. S6439-41 (daily ed. June 19, 1996). Unfortunately, some

senators sponsoring the bill disregarded Major General Singlaub’s testimony and incorrectly reached the conclusion that “the United States apparently contracted with

South Vietnamese nationals to conduct covert military operations in North Vietnam.” Statement of Senator John S. McCain, id. at S6440.

66. Order, Au Duong Quy, et al./ Lost Army Commandos v. United States, No. 95-309C (Fed. Cl. July 2, 1996) (order staying litigation).

67. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, Pub. L. No. 104-201, § 657(a)(1), 110 Stat. 2422, 2584 (1996).

68. See, e.g., U.S. DEP’T OF ARMY, FIELD MANUAL 100-25, DOCTRINE FOR ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES 2-5 through 2-6, 3-4 through 3-6, 3-8 through 3-9 (12 Dec.

1991) [hereinafter FM 100-25].

69. Singlaub Statement, supra note 35, at 61.

70. Id.

71. See CIA v. Sims, 471 U.S. 159 (1985), (discussed infra); Baldridge v. Shapiro, 455 U.S. 345, 361 (1982); Haig v. Agee, 453 U.S. 280, 307 (1981).

72. 471 U.S. at 161.

HẾT TRÍCH

Nhìn chung bài viết cũng đã khá dài nhưng lý do chính để ngừng bút là vì đã quá thừa để Ngô Kỷ nên tự biết mình là ai. Điều gì biết rõ ngọn nguồn hãy lên tiếng, còn như mới hiểu biết nửa chừng thì chớ nên mạnh miệng nói càn. Có thể một số anh em Commandos không đủ trí năng do bệnh tật, gìa nua hoặc không hiểu rõ vấn đề. Trong một tập thể không phải mọi người đều có khả năng, bản lĩnh, kiến thức như nhau. Nếu muốn tranh biện về lịch sử thì Kim Âu sẽ đứng ra làm nhiệm vụ tiếp đón các cao nhân.

Tuy nhiên cái giọng lớn lối của Ngô Kỷ thật sự quá sức lố bịch nên bỏ đi. Thực tế cho thấy chẳng có ai bị bà Loretta Sanchez lừa dối cả. Nếu có ai đang trắng trợn lừa dối đồng bào và cử tri thì đó chính là Ngô Kỷ, Đỗ Vinh, Huỳnh Lương Thiện, Nguyễn Quốc Lân, nhóm Trần Thái Văn. Những người Biệt Kích Sở Bắc có đến tỏ lòng tri ân ông Bill Clinton, bà Loretta Sanchez là hoàn toàn chính đáng, điều đó thể hiện họ được thừa hưởng một nền giáo dục có đạo đức và nhân nghĩa. Nếu ông Bob Dornan ra ứng cử chắc chắn những người Biệt Kích Sở Bắc cũng sẽ xử sự như vậy không khác gì ngày ông John Mc Cain đến quận Cam trước đây.

Lịch sử thuộc về những người làm ra lịch sử chứ không thuộc những kẻ ở bên lề, ăn theo.

Kim Âu

28-10-2010

Tặng Kim Âu

Chính khí hạo nhiên! Tổ Quốc tình.
Nghĩa trung can đảm, cái thiên thanh.
Văn phong thảo phạt, quần hùng phục.
Sơn đỉnh vân phi, vạn lý trình.

Thảo Đường Cư Sĩ.

SERVED IN A NOBLE CAUSE