Dong Ha, Lang Vei, Khe Sahn and the DMZ

Wednesday, March 12th- Today we are going heading north out of Hue. Our itinerary will take us through the town of Dong Ha, up to Lang Vei, former site of a U.S. Army Special Forces camp. Today, we are also being joined by a photographer from Reuters News Agency. He has been filming other teams as they made their site visits. As we drive into the countryside on our way north, we pass many beautiful houses.

Our driver pulls off the road in front of a Catholic Church that suffered damage during a battle. The church as been left as an historic site. We exit the bus to take a look and take some pictures. It is possible to feel the bullets still embedded in the walls of the church.

Next door to the church is a lumbermill. Always the Seabee, Ed has wandered over to take a look at the operation. While a worker runs the large saw in the front, Ed is in the back of the building helping another worker sharpen his saw blade.

Our next stop is Dong Ha. We take a few minutes to stop for water, snacks and a bathroom break.

After a brief rest, we are back on the bus, heading towards Lang Vei. The area we are passing through is mountainous with heavy vegetation. We pass a rock quarry similar to the quarries operated by the Seabees during the war.

We make another stop at an area where we can view the Rock Pile. This large rocky mountain was the site of an Marine LZ (landing zone) during the war. One of our veteran guides, Bob, was stationed on the Rock Pile while serving with the 3rd Marines. The photographer from Reuters films as Bob tells us what it was like to serve on this rocky, dangerous peak.

From the Rock Pile, we cross a bridge over the Rao Quan River and make our way to Lang Vei. In February of 1968, the North Vietnamese Army launched an attack against the Special Forces camp and for the first time used Russian-built PT76 tanks. A single PT76 tank still stands in memory of this battle.

In contrast with the reminder of war, we are also greeted by a billboard advertising Vietnam as "A Destination for the New Millennium".

We have some time to spend here in Lang Vei, so we take a walk through the nearby banana plantation. Ed and Bob decide to indulge in a pick-it-yourself snack. They cut fresh green bananas from one of the trees. The bananas in Vietnam are smaller than what we buy at home. The fruit, even when it is ripe, is a lovely green color, inside and out.

Our next stop for the day is the site of the former Marine base at Khe Sahn. For 77 days in 1968, the Marine forces inside the camp were under siege by the North Vietnamese Army. We pass through the small town of Khe Sahn on the way to the base. Before we tour the site of the former base, we stop to remember Sgt. Eddie Chervony, United States Army, First Cavalry. Sgt. Chervony is the father of our dear friend, Jeanette Chervony. He was killed in action at LZ Peanuts, in the area of Khe Sahn. Jeanette and her son, Eddie, were not able to make the trip. In the traditional Buddhist fashion, we light incense and bow 3 times. Our Vietnamese guide, Song, joins other daughters of the First Cav in honoring Sgt. Chervony.

Our first stop on the tour of the base is the section of the landing stip that is still visible. During the siege, many pilots risked their own lives by briefly touching down on this runway and jettisoning supplies. When the Marines pulled out of Khe Sahn, the runway was bombed to make it unusable. Today, only a small section remains.

There is a small museum at Khe Sahn. However, on this day , the museum is getting ready to move to a new building and is not open. We are able to view the outdoor exhibits, which included a reconstructed bunker and some weaponry.

After our trip to Khe Sahn, we stop for our lunch break. After lunch, a member of Project RENEW gives us a presentation on unexploded ordinance in the Quang Tri Provence. Project RENEW concentrates on educating the population on the types of ordinance that can still be found in great numbers in the provence. Each year, many people are killed or maimed by unexploded ordinance. Many are curious children. Project RENEW is a joint project between the People's Committee of Quang Tri Provence and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

Some of us decide to reboard the bus for a tour of the DMZ, while others return to the hotel. After a short drive, we find ourselves at the 17th Parallel, the border between North and South Vietnam during the war years. We drive across the Ben Hai River and into North Vietnam. A memorial has been built on the northern bank of the river. Today, young men tend their water buffalo as we visit the memorial. Our bus returns to the southern bank of the river and we walk back across the bridge in silence.

We return to the hotel after our long day on the road. Tonight is our last night in Hue. Tomorrow we will travel back south again, to DaNang. We have served our brief "tour of duty" in the fields, and in the villes where our fathers gave their lives. Now, like our fathers, we will get to enjoy a couple of days of R&R. As we depart the bus in the parking lot of the Huong Giang Hotel, we take a few moments to visit the memorial established by some of our veteran guides on a previous trip. At the base of a frangrant frangipani tree, is a plaque honoring those who served and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.