During the last 42 years Senior Colonel Nguyen Phu Dat’s [Nguyễn Phú Đạt] concern for the unsent letters of Sergeant Steve Flaherty, an American soldier who died on the battlefields of South Vietnam, never cooled.

Senior Colonel Nguyen The Ky [Nguyễn Thế Kỷ] writing for Dat Viet News

Part 1: An old soldier’s secret wish

With each passing day the contemplaton of life’s end becomes a more prominent feature in the innermost thoughts of this war veteran who endured two protracted wars of resistance and now is nearing the end of his trail.

An enemy proselyting cadre during the war of resistance against America, Mr. Dat received these letters that were brought up from the battlefield in 1969. Thinking about the American mother awaiting news of a son in a far off land, Mr. Dat decided to keep the letters and try to find a way to pass them to Sergeant Steve Flaherty’s family.

Admitted for treatment in Internal Medicine Unit A1, Central Army Hospital 108, in early April 2011, I was placed by chance in the same room as Mr. Dat, who is a former cadre of the Enemy Proselyting Department (General Political Directorate, People’s Army of Vietnam [PAVN]).

We connected the first minute. He had an aura of kindness in his face, a wide forehead, and silver hair as fine as silk thread. At 83 years of age he still was sharp-witted and articulate, and had an excellent memory.

Senior Colonel Nguyen Phu Dat (right) and author. Photo by: Le Phuong.

Youthful years dedicated to service

Mr. Dat was born in 1929, in Phu Luu Village (Tu Son District, Bac Ninh Province, North Vietnam). Because his family was fairly wealthy, his childhood years were tied closely to Hanoi, where he attended the famous Buoi High School. When the war of resistance broke out [in 1946], he followed his family when it evacuated to Bac Giang Province, and continued his studies in a Resistance High School. Before he completed the high school curriculum, he was transferred to the General Staff’s Navy Training School.

After that, based on the needs of the resistance, assistant platoon leader Nguyen Phu Dat was assigned to the northeast maritime region (Quang Ninh and Quang Yen Provinces, North Vietnam) to accelerate the guerrilla movement in the enemy’s rear area. At the age of 23, he was captured by the enemy and tortured nearly to death, and then resuscitated, repeatedly.

He steadfastly retained a firm hold on his pride and determination to not disclose information about his organization, and in the end the enemy sent him to “vacation” in the Con Dao archipelago. While being held temporarily in Prison Number 7, at My Tho City [South Vietnam], awaiting boat transport to Con Dao, he and his fellow prisoners managed to escape. He continued to fight as a member of the My Tho Provincial Unit, and [in 1954] regrouped to North Vietnam with the Long Chau Sa Regiment.

At that time, Mr. Dat had not yet become a Member of the Communist Party, which caused me to ponder at length about a person’s personality.

An American map of the battlefield in western Thua Thien Hue Region. The A Shau Valley (marked by the X) is where we found and collected Sergeant S. Flaherty’s letter.

Entering the military at the age of 20, Mr. Dat served the full duration of the nation’s two glorious wars of resistance: against the French and against the Americans. Because he knew both the French and English languages, Mr. Dat was given the task of interrogating French prisoners of war, and later he took part in questioning the first American pilot captured in North Vietnam on 5 August 1964.

After he regrouped to North Vietnam and officially joined the ranks of the Communist Party, Mr. Dat was assigned to the American Proselyting Section of the Enemy Proselyting Department and participated in the English-language American proselyting programs broadcast by the Voice of Vietnam Radio to influence American soldiers and motivate them to oppose the war.

It was during that period that Mr. Dat received Steve Flaherty’s unsent letters. Mr. Dat has seen this as a moral debt that he has been unable to shake off for more than 40 years.

Mothers everywhere long for their sons

The American Proselyting Section used these letters in its broadcast programs. “I kept them and very much wanted to inform Steve’s family about them. We both were soldiers, and we both faced the possibilities of life and death, so I was very sympathetic,” Mr. Dat said.

Nevertheless, the letters of this American soldier who had died in battle caused Mr. Dat, deep within his heart, to envision his own mother, as she waited five full years, longing for letters from her son on the battlefield, especially after the enemy arrested him and took him far away to South Vietnam.

After he regrouped to North Vietnam, Mr. Dat returned home to visit his mother. The first moments after their long separation were very emotional. “I was certain you had died! Dear son, there is no suffering greater than a mother’s longing for a lost son.”

His mother’s heartfelt words have followed Mr. Dat through his entire life. Therefore, when he held Steve’s letters, Mr. Dat understood that all mothers on this earth remember and love their sons just as his own mother had done.

When sons are far away, not a second goes by in which their mothers stop longing for their return. Steve’s mother would have done so also; Mr. Dat thought to himself, “Surely, even now, she waits every minute and every hour for her son’s letters.” It was precisely this thought that motivated him to decide to hold on to these memorabilia so that later they might bring happiness to an American mother.

Preserved like a souvenir

After I was released from the hospital, I immediately hired a taxi and went to Mr. Dat’s home so that I could see the American soldier’s letters. The expression on Mr. Dat’s face clearly showed that he was delighted to see me, because now he would have someone with whom he could share anxieties that had troubled him for more than 40 years. Mr. Dat had carefully wrapped the American soldier’s records and letters in a bundle and placed it on a high bookshelf--so high that one had to stand on a chair to reach it.

I carefully held the chair steady for Mr. Dat, to guard against any unfortunate mishap, then held out both hands to receive the documents as if they were precious artifacts. I recalled that while in the hospital, Mr. Dat once said, “I am 83 years old this year, and I don’t know from moment-to-moment whether I will live or die. If something should happen to me, what will become of these letters? I hope that you will continue to find a way to send them to the persons they were addressed to.”

As he leafed through each page, Mr. Dat said: “For me, these letters are personal souvenirs from the war, but more than anything else they belong to the American mother. I was moved from the moment I read the first page of these documents, which he [Sergeant Flaherty] wrote as though he was writing a last will and testament. These letters, which were found and collected on 25 March 1969, show that Steve was a member of the 101st Airborne Division fighting in the western part of Region Thua Thien Hue.”

Mr. Dat said, “The contents of these letters that Steve wrote to his mother and friends highlighted the reality that American soldiers on the battlefield felt very miserable and were not eager to fight.” The envelopes, letters, and even photographs of Steve…, Mr. Dat had tried more than a few times to find a way to pass all of them to the American soldier’s family, but every effort failed. Moved by Mr. Dat’s compassion, I promised I would try every means to change the old soldier’s final wish in life into reality.

And I found my way to Dat Viet on-line.

By Senior Colonel Nguyen The Ky [Đại tá Nguyễn Thế Kỷ]

The fierce combat in the A-Shau Valley had a strong psychological impact on Steve Flaherty
Part 1: An old soldier’s secret wish
Part 2: Living in fear

One by one, friends and members of his unit were struck by bullets while their adversary continued to display courage and tenacity. The engagements fought during the 1969 dry season were described with candor in Steve’s letters.

According to the return address on the envelopes, Steve Flaherty was a Sergeant Major [Thượng sĩ] with Company B, 1st Battalion, 502nd Regiment, 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army.

Steve’s platoon was the point platoon for his company; consequently it often encountered and engaged its adversaries in close combat in the forests and mountains in the western regions of Thua Thien—Hue [Communist name for Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam]. Only 18 or 20 years of age, Steve was caught up in a whirlwind of violence.

A standing obsession

The fierce battles in the A Sau valley (which the Americans called A Shau) made the 1969 dry season seem more stifling than it was. Intent on cutting the arterial routes over which we supplied the Southern battlefields, the Americans deployed what were seen as their most seasoned units, including the 101st [Airborne Division], into this area. However, the American units became bogged down on that battlefield when they came up against the liberation army’s stiff resistance and powerful counterattacks.

The level of violence on the battlefield was described by Steve in clear detail in his letter to Mrs. Wyatt (perhaps one of his teachers or a neighbor . . ., but older than Steve) in Columbia (South Carolina). “…Our company (B Company) and Alpha Company have lost a total of 50 men during a series of violent engagements. Our platoon is the company’s point platoon, consequently we are ambushed often and already have lost 18 of the 35-man total we started with. . .”.

1. Translator’s note. The Vietnamese author mistakenly described Sergeant Flaherty as a Thượng sĩ [Master Sergeant, or Senior Sergeant]. For the remainder of this translation I will refer to Steve Flaherty by his true rank, Sergeant (E-5).

Envelope and Steve’s letters to friends and relatives. Photo: Le Phuong

In another letter, addressed to Betty (perhaps a friend about his own age) in Bryson City (North Carolina), Steve wrote that his unit had been in a fierce fight with the NVA (North Vietnamese Army): “We took lots of casualties. These have been trying days for me and my men. We dragged more bodies of dead and wounded than I can ever want to forget.”

The blood-soaked battles to the death in these far-off mountain forests had pushed Steve into a state of constant fear. The reality was completely different than what Steve and his fellow soldiers thought it would be. Perhaps that is why Steve appreciated Betty’s letter and held it close, seeing it as moral support that would help him through the terrible days ahead. “Thank you for your sweet card. It made my miserable day a much better one but I don’t think I will ever forget the bloody fight we are having."

” A brush with death

Steve’s situation reflects everything American soldiers had to endure and live through in the mountain forests adjacent to the Lao border during the 1969 dry season. The place names have become part of the history of war; names such as the A Sau Valley, A Bia Hill (i.e., high point 973, which the American side called Hamburger Hill), high point 935, etc. Among them, words cannot fully describe the level of violence in the battle for Hamburger Hill. [The men who fought there] knew only rain, mud, humid weather, spilled blood, dead bodies, . . . features that continually haunted the American soldiers.

Also in his letter to Betty, Steve wrote: “Grenade launchers and machine guns shredded my rucksack. I even felt one bullet zip past me. I have never been that scared before in my life. Perhaps I should put my pen down now before my unit resumes its attack up that hill.”

The original letters that Steve wrote to loved ones. Photo: Le Phuong

Steve felt immense sorrow as one-by-one his friends and men in his unit were struck by bullets. In a letter to Mrs. Wyatt, Steve wrote that this was a difficult time that was full of personal challenges: “Nevertheless, I am still alive and I don’t have a mark or scratch on me. Our platoon leader was killed and I was the temporary platoon leader until another unit came up to replace us. Nothing seems to go well for us but we still must take that hill.”

To carry out their intentions to cut off sources of strategic supplies and wear down their adversary’s manpower, American commanders did not hesitate to throw into battle troops equipped with the most modern war fighting equipment available at that time. The American military mounted many operations at a furious pace to strike key points on the Ho Chi Minh trail in order to maintain control of areas that had strategic positions. Battles to the death burst out, but Steve’s 101st Air Mobile Division, with its eagle emblem, wasn’t able to “soar” like it did after it landed on the beaches of Normandy during World War II.

American troops during the battle for Hamburger Hill in May 1969

Fighting in this environment, Steve felt that he was more lucky than many other men in his unit. During the momentary brushes with death, Steve thought about his mother in a far off corner of the earth. In a letter to his mother, Mrs. Lois C. Flaherty, living at 1620 Raymond Street, Columbia (South Carolina), Steve wrote: “If dad calls, go ahead and tell him that I was nearly killed. But I’m still okay. I am really lucky . . .”. But, the god of good luck would not continue to smile on Steve as the fighting became more fierce and bloody with each passing day.

2. Translator’s note: Original English language text of Sgt Flaherty’s letter read, “Our platoon leader was killed and I was the temporary platoon leader until we got the replacement. Nothing seems to go well for us but we’ll take that ridge line.”

3. Translator’s note: The PAVN regarded the transportation corridors through the A Shau-A Luoi valley in western Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, to be a part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail network.

After Tet 1968, the 101st Airmobile Division participated in a campaign to block the North Vietnamese Army from using the route from the A Shau Valley (A Luoi District, Thua Thien Hue Province) into Laos. The battle at A Bia hill [Hamburger Hill] is an event that this division will never forget, having lost 72 paratroopers killed and 372 wounded. During seven years on the battlefields of South Vietnam, 4,011 of this division’s soldiers were killed and 18,259 were wounded.

By Hanh Nguyen
===============

READERS’ COMMENTS

Ak Hong

To read a story about war on this Vietnam Independence Day (Tết Độc Lập, September 2, 2011), causes one to fully appreciate the value of peace. War is too terrible. Because we love peace, we can be ready to sacrifice our lives for the love of it. While the haunting memories of a war might smolder forever, we can be certain that the earth around A Luoi blossoms with fresh lush green vegetation.

Part 1: An old soldier’s secret wish
Part 2: Living in fear
Part 3: War is really awful!

As I accepted Steve’s letters to his mother that Mr. Dat handed to me, and looked at their hastily written lines, I could envision a part of the tragedy of war. Although I tried very hard, I found it difficult to understand the entire meaning of these letters. So I decided to request help from an American author, Mrs. Lady Borton, who has a long and intimate relationship with Vietnam, and who now works in Hanoi.

From the innocence of youth

Sergeant Steve Flaherty. Photo furnished by Mr. Nguyen Phu Dat.

“He is a very young boy, perhaps with little education,” was Mrs. Borton’s initial impression when she looked at the letters. “In many places he has misspelled words and made grammatical errors. A number of words are used in a wrong context, or inappropriately. Though that is only my guess.” Lady Borton wore a pensive expression on her face as she turned each page and carefully made notes in her personal journal.

At the time Steve wrote these letters, the battlefield in western Thua Thien Hue was entering a phase of peak activity as American forces in the I Corps Tactical Zone sought every means to push our troops out of key positions. The Americans relentlessly poured bombs and shells down onto the A Luoi area, and were prepared to destroy the entire base area when they had to withdraw. Forests, hillsides, leafless solitary tree trunks, all were charred by bombs and shells.

The jungle rains transformed the rocky soil into a chaotic quagmire, and made the battlefield an increasingly wretched scene in the eyes of American soldiers. “I decided to write another letter real quick-like to explain some things I forgot to mention in my previous letters. I can’t use stamps. Here everything is wet and muddy. In fact, I have lost all of them,” Steve wrote in the letter to his mother.

But Steve could not suppress his youthful innocence. “… I will send some film (photos) to you Mom, but the addressee will have to pay the postage (Steve used the abbreviation C.O.D.—Cash on Delivery). I still have my camera, because its fastened to my pistol belt.” When Lady read the passage, “When you send me clothes and shoes, remember to find a way to wrap the package to keep it fresh,” I wondered: “Why must it be kept fresh (to keep it fresh)?” Lady Borton burst out laughing and said, “Ah, what Steve means is to make sure that the shoes do not give off an odor (smelly).”

...Begins to feel the harshness of war

The reality of the battlefield apparently pulled Steve away from the very lighthearted intimate lines for his mother. Skirmishes continued, members of his unit continued to be killed or wounded, and Steve’s rucksack was shredded by gunfire. Steve’s division had participated in fighting in this area for a long period. Nearly every one of the 35 men who were in his platoon when the operation began had become a casualty when the operation ended.

For three days, violent skirmishes made it impossible to retrieve the bodies of four members of his unit. Finally the bodies began to decompose. “I was never afraid. But to witness firsthand the sight of my men dying was worse than being afraid.” Also in the letter to his mother, Steve wrote: “We could not retrieve the bodies of my men or their rucksacks. We called in air strikes to drop napalm. The bombs, shells, and horrific explosions destroyed everything.

Living in, and dealing with, constant fear, American soldiers began to think about the war in Vietnam. Questions were raised, and doubts and even discouragement. . . . “Although I don’t want to say it, the truth is that our platoon is like a donkey that is being whipped on the buttocks,” and “the continuous fighting is the reason I cannot mail letters. We are extremely fatigued, disgusted, and exhausted.

Envelopes for Steve’s unsent letters. Photo: Le Phuong

Steve also was very surprised by his adversary’s fighting spirit. “The North Vietnamese soldiers fight to the death. One soldier transformed his body into a living booby trap. When we approached near to this soldier, he pressed a detonator to blow up himself, and two members of my unit died with him.”

The violence and bloodshed of these battles to the death made Steve and many other American soldiers wish they could quickly escape the situation they had to confront daily. Experiencing the reality around him, Steve made the most sincere comment about the American war in Vietnam. In a letter to Mrs. Wyatt, Steve wrote: “Thank you very much for your warm and encouraging letter. I really needed some comfort and strong help from someone(1).

(1)Translator’s note: Sgt Flaherty’s actual words were, “Thank you very much for the warm, encouraging letter. I really needed some comfort and strong help from routine in past week. . . .”

“This really is a dirty, merciless fight. I am sure that everyone will understand the objective of the war, although many persons might not agree fully. Once again, thank you for your words of encouragement and your prayers. I shall send you updates regularly.”

In this situation, Steve felt, a vacation right now would be like a dose of a miraculous medicine. In a letter to his mother, Steve wrote: “I am definitely taking a vacation (2). I haven’t considered where or how long to go. I only know that I need to go right now. I will let you know the specific dates and times. Perhaps at the end of May.” But, Steve never would be able to fulfill that wish, and his hastily written unsent letters would fall on the battlefield. On 25 March 1969, Steve was killed in battle.

(2)Translator’s note: Probably “going on R&R” in the original text. R&R, is a military abbreviation for Rest and Relaxation leave.

By: Hanh Nguyen

READERS’ COMMENTS From: Thuy Trang

Hanh Nguyen, thank you very much. Thanks to you I have come to know the aspirations of one Vietnamese veteran, and better understand the previous war. I am sure of one thing, that this is not yet the end of this story. We will find Steve’s family and return the letters.

From: Xuan Thanh

I found the following links that I wish to bring to the attention of the editors:

http://www.lzsally.com/companies/b1502/index.php This appears to be a list of members of the American 101st Airborne Division who died in battle. [Actually, this web page contains a list of approximately 230 members of B Company, 1/502nd Infantry, who lost their lives while serving in Vietnam.]

http://www.virtualwall.org/dm/MalinML01a.htm [A web page from “The Virtual Wall” web site that commemorates seven members of Alpha and Bravo Companies, 1/502nd, who lost their lives on 25 March 1969.]

www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/TheWire_06Aug.pdf [August 2006 issue of “The Magazine of the Australian Royal Corps of Signals.” On page 285 is a reference to an Australian Army Sergeant named Steve Flaherty.]

http://www.fallenheroesproject.org/united-states/robert-f-mcdonald-ii/ [A page from the “Fallen Heroes Project” web site that commemorates PFC Robert F. Mcdonald II, one of the seven members of Alpha and Bravo Companies, 1/502nd Infantry, who lost their lives on 25 March 1969.]

From: Viet Dang

This series is very interesting, but it makes me sad and causes me to wonder if this is the end of the story?

From: binh

Thank you, Senior Colonels Nguyen The Ky and Nguyen Phu Dat, Hanh Nguyen, and the editors for this series of articles . . . . I hope that one day not far off, Steve’s family will know about these matters. I also want to know the conclusion to this story. Thank you!

Những lá thư chưa kịp gửi (kỳ cuối)

Unsent letters (Final installment)
Posted at 9:53 PM, 1 September 2011

Moved by a Vietnamese veteran’s final wishes in life, Lady Borton quickly initiated a campaign to find leads to relatives and friends of Sergeant Steve Flaherty. Slim glimmers of hope flickered faintly on the horizon; but, as we knew in advance, that this still could be a long and difficult road.

Part 1: An old soldier’s secret wish
Part 2: Living in fear
Part 3: War is really awful!

Final Installment: Flickering ray of hope

“Senior Colonel Nguyen Phu Dat’s ambition is an extremely beautiful illustration of good will that is sure to move everyone,” were author Lady Borton’s opening words in her discussion with me about where to look for Sergeant Flaherty’s friends and relatives. Much like the diaries of [Doctor] Dang Thuy Tram,(1) a war trophy that was returned recently by a Vietnam veteran. Time passes, once former enemies, today they are chained together more closely.

Translator’s note:(1) Dang Thuy Tram [Đặng Thùy Trâm], a 27-year-old female doctor serving with Communist guerrillas in Quang Ngai Provice, South Vietnam, was killed in a gun battle in that province on June 22, 1970 . An American service member, Frederic Whitehurst, retrieved two of her diaries and a few other personal items from groups of captured documents on two separate occasions in 1969 and 1970, and decided to keep them. With help from The Texas Tech Vietnam Center and Quakers in Vietnam., and accompanied by what appears to have been a massive international publicity campaign, copies of the diaries were returned to Dr. Tram’s mother and sisters in October 2005. Whitehurst was a central figure in an FBI “whistleblower” case in 1995. Dr. Tram’s diary sold over 300,000 copies in Vietnam, have generated translations in at least 16 languages, and been the subject of a television show.

  Coming up with a search plan

War has caused many losses for every family. The skeletal remains of many who died along the Ho Chi Minh trail have not yet been found. But the letters, diaries, and photos that have been preserved as war souvenirs can be exchanged with each other. Certainly, that would be compassionate and charitable. Those items have mended wounds and helped overcome pain and suffering. “I believe that with openness and sincerity today, the wishes of war veterans can be realized,” Lady said.

“Honestly, Steve’s mother and friends will be shocked if they can know that before he fell in battle, he wrote letters to them,” Lady said, and then she turned toward me as though she wished to confirm her determination to help Mr. Dat accomplish his wish. Locating Steve’s next of kin might not be difficult, because the names and addresses of the sender and recipients, including the house numbers, street names, and postal codes, are written clearly on the envelopes. Additionally, Steve’s unit, his service number, and the location where he fell in battle have been confirmed.

“First of all, we will check the Wall, in Washington, D.C., on which is recorded the name of each American service member who died in Vietnam. I think that the persons who manage this wall certainly will have a roster, or book, of some sort that contains a record of the circumstances of death for each soldier. Perhaps they will have the information,” Lady said. “The second method we should think about is to go through American veteran networks.”

Writer Lady Borton (on the left) is emotionally moved as she reads Steve’s letters. Photo: Kim Anh.

“For ten years after the war ended, American war veterans had little contact with each other; but that has changed, thanks to the Internet. I have a few friends who are veterans. I will send them letters to ask for information about Steve. Who knows, perhaps we will be able to make contact with someone who was a friend or a member of Steve’s old unit,” Lady told me.

If Steve’s mother is still living, she most likely is more than 90 years old now, or has passed away. Therefore, the objectives we should aim for are Steve’s brothers, sisters, and relatives. Nevertheless, the biggest obstacle is that after decades of time the addresses for Steve’s family might have changed. “In America, people change residence frequently. First, we will look for addresses in Columbia (South Carolina). If his paternal family has moved to a new location, we can ask neighbors, and continue on to the next addresses.”

Additionally, we also can check out addresses on the other envelopes, such as the letters to Mrs. Wyatt and Ms. Betty. One difficulty is that we do not know if Wyatt is a surname or given name, because each person is addressed differently. “Using me as an example—today everyone calls me Lady, but in the past they called me Borton. When we get a lead we will be able to localize the search. Another method would be for us to publish information about Steve in various American veterans magazines,” she said.

  First step, “clear sailing”

Before taking leave of me, Mrs. Lady made a copy of Steve’s letters. Less than a day later, she wrote a note to me. As elated as if I had found gold, and in a cold fever, I quickly opened it to see. And it was absolutely wonderful, the first leads for the search effort had appeared.

Information about Steve on a page of the virtualwall.org.

On the virtualwall.org web site (the virtual wall contains a record of all the information about American soldiers who died on battlefields in Vietnam, the same as the actual wall in the capital city, Washington, D. C.), I learned that Steve Flaherty was born on 11 January 1947, and belonged to 1st Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion, 502 Regiment, 101st Air Mobile [sic] Division. Steve Flaherty’s name is on panel 28W, line 035, on the wall.

Steve’s full record contains the following: hometown Columbia (South Carolina), Army service number 12847307, pay grade at the time he fell was E5, rank Senior Sergeant [sic], infantryman. Steve arrived in Vietnam, for a one-year tour of duty, on 25 October 1968, and fell in battle on 25 March 1969 (i.e., he had just completed five months). Steve was only 22 years old at that time; and the letters surely were written immediately before this soldier fell in battle. According to the record, Steve died outright from multiple fragmentation wounds and his body was recovered (therefore, the letters must have fallen on the battlefield).

Last May, “Becky” added this information to this web page.

Mrs. Lady was not able to find anyone named Lois C. Flaherty (Steve’s mother). However, she did find a person named Marty Flaherty, whose address is 2305 Greenlawn Drive, , #700, Columbia (South Carolina), approximately 55-59 years of age, about the right age for a brother or sister of Steve. The most recent information Lady found by searching the Internet was dated 30 May 2011; a person named Becky, at e-mail address jewelerlady@hotmail.com, had posted additional information about Steve on the vvmf.org web site. Earlier, on 7 December 2010, a person named “R”, whose e-mail address is rsage@austin.rr.com also posted a note on this web site.

If one uses the maps.google.com web page to search for the address 1620 Raymond Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29204 (the address of Mrs. Lois C. Flaherty), all that one finds is a mobile home. Lady hoped that “Becky” can help with additional leads. Without hesitation, Lady sent a note to Becky’s address.

The address to which he sent the letter to his mother is today a mobile home.

We are waiting for a response and are confident that the final wish of the People’s Army of Vietnam Senior Colonel [Nguyen Phu Dat] will be granted. Through the pages of this paper, we very much hope to receive information about Sergeant Flaherty’s family.

Please send all information to Bao Dat Viet [Vietnam Nation News], 108 Truong Chinh Street, Hanoi, or to e-mail address: toasoan@baodatviet.vn. Our sincere thanks.

- The End –

By: Hanh Nguyen

  READERS’ COMMENTS

From: Hanh Nguyen

So, we have one more valuable document about the violence of war, about the true thoughts of American soldiers engaged in combat, and a picture of the courage of Uncle Ho’s soldiers. Let’s continue taking additional steps so that the entire world, as well as America and the Vietnamese people, will have a clearer understanding about the Vietnam War, about the price of peace, and about the pleasure of still being alive and not having to carry guns and shoot each other. Let’s continue in order that this might become in some way like the Dang Thuy Tram phenomenon. Warm regards and best wishes for success as you seek to get to the bottom of this matter.

  From: Viet Dang

Very interesting; as I guessed at Part 3, the steps in the plan to find relatives of Sergeant Steve Flaherty got off to a good and relatively favorable start. I hope that there will be a favorable conclusion and that writer Hanh Nguyen will share additional details. p>  From: Thuy Trang

I very much hope that Senior Colonel Dat’s wish comes true. I think that going through American veterans to find Steve’s family is feasible. After that you can arrange to return these letters.

Những lá thư chưa kịp gửi (kỳ cuối)

Cập nhật lúc :9:53 PM, 01/09/2011 Xúc động trước tâm nguyện cuối đời của người cựu chiến binh Việt Nam, Lady Borton đă nhanh chóng khởi động chiến dịch t́m kiếm manh mối thân nhân Thượng sỹ Steve Flaherty. Và những tia hy vọng đầu tiên đă le lói phía chân trời, mặc dù chúng tôi biết phía trước vẫn là một chặng đường dài, gian nan.

Kỳ 1: Tâm nguyện người lính già
Kỳ 2: Sống trong sợ hăi
Kỳ 3: Cuộc chiến thật tàn nhẫn

  Kỳ cuối: Le lói tia hy vọng

“Nguyện vọng của Đại tá Nguyễn Phú Đạt là điều hết sức tốt đẹp và thiện chí, khiến mọi người cảm động”, nữ nhà văn Lady Borton đă mở đầu như thế khi bàn bạc với tôi về hướng t́m kiếm thân nhân Thượng sỹ Steve Flaherty. Tương tự như cuốn nhật kí của Đặng Thùy Trâm, giờ đây là những kỉ vật chiến tranh được một cựu chiến binh Việt Nam trao lại. Thời gian trôi đi, trước đây là kẻ thù, giờ họ xích lại gần nhau hơn.

  Lên phương án t́m kiếm ¬¬¬¬

Chiến tranh đă gây ra bao mất mát cho mỗi gia đ́nh. Dọc đường ṃn Hồ Chí Minh, c̣n đó những người chưa t́m được hài cốt. Thế nhưng, những lá thư, nhật kí hay tấm ảnh được ǵn giữ như kỉ vật để giờ đây họ trao đổi với nhau. Đó chính là t́nh người và cái thiện. Họ đă hàn gắn vết thương và vượt qua những khổ đau. “Tôi tin bằng sự cởi mở và chân thành như hiện nay, nguyện ước của các cựu chiến binh sẽ thành hiện thực”, Lady nói.

“Quả thực, đó sẽ là một cú sốc nếu như bà mẹ hoặc người thân của Steve biết được rằng trước khi tử trận, anh ấy đă viết thư cho họ”, Lady quay sang tôi dường như muốn khẳng định quyết tâm giúp ông Đạt hoàn thành tâm nguyện. Khả năng t́m ra gốc gác của Steve có lẽ không khó, bởi trên các phong b́ thư đều đề rất rơ địa chỉ người gửi và người nhận, có cả số nhà, tên đường phố, mă bưu điện. Trong khi đó, đơn vị, số hiệu của Steve, nơi Steve tử trận cũng đă được xác định. ¬¬¬

“Trước hết, chúng ta sẽ tra cứu trên bức tường ghi tên binh lính Mỹ tử trận ở Việt Nam tại Washington DC. Tôi nghĩ rằng những người quản lư bức tường này chắc hẳn sẽ có danh sách hoặc cuốn sách nào đó ghi lại đầy đủ hoàn cảnh bị chết trận của mỗi người lính. Có thể họ sẽ có thông tin”, Lady nói. Cách thứ hai mà chúng tôi nghĩ tới là thông qua mạng lưới những người cựu chiến binh Mỹ.

Nhà văn Lady Borton (trái) xúc động khi đọc những lá thư của Steve.
Ảnh: Kim Anh.

“Suốt 10 năm sau khi cuộc chiến tranh kết thúc, cựu chiến binh Mỹ ít có liên hệ với nhau, nhưng giờ th́ khác rồi, nhờ vào mạng Internet. Tôi có một vài người bạn là cựu chiến binh. Tôi sẽ gửi thư cho họ để nhờ t́m thông tin về Steve. Biết đâu chúng ta lại có thể liên hệ được với một ai đó là bạn, là đồng đội cũ của Steve”, Lady cho biết.

Người mẹ của Steve nếu c̣n sống th́ nay cũng phải hơn 90 tuổi, hoặc đă qua đời. Vậy nên, đối tượng nhằm tới sẽ là anh chị em, họ hàng của Steve. Tuy nhiên, trở ngại lớn nhất đặt ra là sau hàng chục năm, địa chỉ gia đ́nh Steve có thể đă thay đổi. “Ở Mỹ, mọi người thường xuyên chuyển nơi ở. Trước hết, chúng ta sẽ t́m tới địa chỉ ở Columbia (bang South Carolina). Nếu gia đ́nh họ đă di chuyển đi nơi khác, chúng ta cũng có thể hỏi hàng xóm, từ đó lần theo những địa chỉ kế tiếp”, Lady bảo tôi.

Ngoài ra, cũng có thể t́m đến địa chỉ trên các phong b́ khác như thư gửi cho bà Wyatt, cô Betty. Cái khó là không biết Wyatt là họ hay tên, v́ cách gọi của mọi người khác nhau. “Ví dụ như tôi chẳng hạn, bây giờ mọi người hay gọi tôi là Lady, nhưng trước đây họ gọi là Borton. Khi có manh mối, chúng ta sẽ khoanh vùng vị trí t́m kiếm. C̣n một phương án nữa là chúng ta đăng tải thông tin về Steve trên tạp chí của những người cựu chiến binh Mỹ”, bà nói“.

  Khởi đầu “thuận buồm xuôi gió”

Trước khi chia tay tôi, bà Lady đă sao một bản những lá thư của Thượng sỹ Steve Flaherty. Chưa đầy một ngày sau, bà đă viết thư cho tôi. Mừng như nhặt được vàng trong cơn sốt giá, tôi vội vàng mở ra xem. Và thật tuyệt, những manh mối đầu tiên của nỗ lực kiếm t́m đang hiện ra.

Thông tin về Steve trên trang virtualwall.org.

Trong trang web virtualwall.org (bức tường ảo lưu trữ toàn bộ thông tin về lính Mỹ chết trận ở Việt Nam giống như bức tường thật ở thủ đô Washington DC), tôi được biết Steve Flaherty sinh ngày 11/1/1947, thuộc trung đội 1, đại đội B, tiểu đoàn 1, trung đoàn 502, sư đoàn Không vận 101. Tên của Steve Flaherty nằm ở nhóm 28W, ḍng 035 trên bức tường.

Hồ sơ đầy đủ của Steve có ghi: quê ở Columbia (bang South Carolina), số hiệu 12847307, bậc lương lúc tử trận: E5, cấp bậc Thượng sỹ, lính bộ binh. Steve đặt chân đến Việt Nam vào ngày 25/10/1968, thời gian phục vụ 1 năm, tử trận ngày 25/3/1969 (như vậy vừa tṛn 5 tháng). Lúc đó, Steve mới 22 tuổi, và những lá thư chắc hẳn được viết ngay trước khi người lính này tử trận. Theo hồ sơ, xác của Steve đă được thu hồi (như vậy những lá thư đă rớt lại trên trận địa), chết toàn thây, nguyên nhân do đa chấn thương.

Cuối tháng 5 vừa qua, “Becky” đă bổ sung thông tin vào trang web này.

Bà Lady không t́m được người nào có tên Lois C. Flaherty (mẹ của Steve). Nhưng đổi lại, bà lại t́m thấy một người mang tên Marty Flaherty ở căn hộ 2305, số 700, đường Greenlawn, Columbia (bang South Carolina), trạc 55-59 tuổi, ở độ tuổi có thể là anh chị em của Steve. Lần t́m trên mạng, Lady thấy gần đây nhất, ngày 30/5/2011, một người nào đó có tên là Becky ở địa chỉ email: jewelerlady@hotmail.com đă đăng thêm các thông tin về Steve ở trang vvmf.org. Trước đó, ngày 7/12/2010, có một người tên “R” ở địa chỉ rsage@austin.rr.com cũng đă đăng tải thông tin lên trang web này.

Nếu sử dụng trang web maps.google.com để t́m địa chỉ 1620, phố Raymond, Columbia, bang South Carolina 29204 (địa chỉ của bà Lois C. Flaherty), th́ hiện chỉ thấy có một căn nhà bằng toa xe. Lady hy vọng rằng cái tên “Becky” có thể giúp lần ra manh mối nào đó. Không chần chừ, Lady đă viết thư gửi tới địa chỉ của Becky.

Địa chỉ mà Steve gửi thư cho mẹ giờ là một căn nhà bằng toa xe.

Chúng tôi đang chờ hồi âm với niềm tin chắc chắn rằng tấm ḷng của vị đại tá QĐNDVN cuối cùng cũng sẽ được đền đáp. Thông qua trang báo, chúng tôi rất mong nhận được thông tin về gia đ́nh Thượng sỹ Steve Flaherty.

Mọi thông tin xin gửi về Báo Đất Việt, 108, Trường Chinh, Hà Nội, hoặc ḥm thư điện tử: toasoan@baodatviet.vn. Xin chân thành cảm ơn.

- Hết -

Hạnh Nguyên

  Ư KIẾN BẠN ĐỌC Hạnh Nguyên PTO Lại có thêm một tư liệu quư giá về sự khốc liệt của chiến tranh, về những suy nghĩ thật sự của những người lính Mỹ tham chiến cũng như h́nh ảnh dũng cảm của những người lính Cụ Hồ. Hăy tiếp tục những bước tiếp theo để toàn thế giới cùng nước Mỹ và người Việt Nam hiểu rơ hơn về chiến tranh Việt nam, về giá trị của ḥa b́nh, về hạnh phúc khi được sống mà không phải cầm súng bắn nhau. Hăy tiếp tục để có thể trở thành một phần như hiện tượng Đặng Thùy Trâm. Trân trọng và chúc thành công trong quá tŕnh t́m hiểu ngọn nguồn sự việc.

  Việt Đăng

Hay quá, đúng như tôi dự đoán ở kỳ 3, như vậy các bước trong kế hoạch t́m người thân của Thượng sỹ Steve Flaherty đă được khởi đầu tương đối thuận lợi và tốt đẹp. Mong rằng sẽ có một cái kết có hậu và được tác giả Hạnh Nguyên chia sẻ thêm

Thuy Trang

Rất mong nguyện vọng của Đại tá Đạt sẽ thành hiện thực. Tôi cho rằng thông qua các cựu chiến binh Mỹ để t́m gia đ́nh Steve là khả thi. Sau đó sẽ tổ chức trao lại những lá thư này.