A US blogger has successfully reunited a Hong Kong veteran with the American soldier he made friends with during the Vietnam War thanks to the wonders of the internet.
Kasie Lee, who writes the Lowdown on Chinatown blog from the States, appealed to Hong Kong redditors for help last month after American John Nordeen mistakenly phoned her home looking for his wartime friend, Hong Kong-born Kay Lee.
Nordeen had been ceaselessly cold-calling all “K Lee”s in the San Francisco area – where Lee was living before the draft – and finally, after hundreds of dead ends, stumbled across someone with the means and the motivation to help.
Lee and Nordeen in Vietnam, 1967
Kasie wrote a long post about the pair’s friendship as described to her by Nordeen and submitted it to various subreddits, including those for Hong Kong and the military. The latter group saw the article shared 20,000 times.
In less than a week, Lee, who is now 70 and still lives in the Bay Area, was tracked down, with the two friends finding themselves reunited in California over Mid-Autumn Festival for the first time in 48 years.
Kasie, who also attended the reunion dinner at a Chinese seafood restaurant in Daly City, describes in her blog the emotional meeting of the two vets.
“As the night progressed, it became increasingly apparent that this friendship was special. Perhaps it was the result of their shared experiences or perhaps some other reason exists, but after 48 years of no communication, these two men were able to pick up where they left off, quick to crack jokes at one another’s expense, all the while telling stories in a manner that revealed their mutual respect.”
The jokes included how Lee would routinely lose his wartime paycheck within hours of receiving it, and how he stubbornly refused to share the Chinese beef jerky his mother sent in care packages from San Francisco Chinatown.
Some stories were more sombre, however, such as the time Lee, who was a medic in the war, bandaged a whole line of wounded soldiers, commanding them to stop crying by stating matter-of-factly, “Well, you’re not going to die.”
The men also recalled how each soldier was issued with only one toothbrush, forcing them to choose between cleaning their rifles to prevent jams and proper dental hygiene. Unsurprisingly, most opted for the former.
Finally, the pair told of how abandoned they felt when they heard about the anti-war movement back home.
“We were no longer fighting for a mission,” one man reportedly said at the dinner. “What mission?” the other chimed in, “We were barely adults. We fought for our brothers. We fought hard so that our brothers could get out.”
But when they finally did get out, each man left quietly after being contacted by a superior and flown home that day. Lee and Nordeen therefore lost contact like many others who became fast friends during the war.
Kasie explains that unlike many veterans, Lee and Nordeen were lucky to find loving wives, have children and fulfilling careers upon returning to the US. She ends her celebratory post, however, with a staunch reminder of the turmoil both men surely suffered.
“But as we dined on lobster and abalone and fish maw soup (all very traditional Hong Kong seafood entrees) at this 中秋節 [Mid-Autumn Festival] reunion celebration, and as their children and I listened intently and laughed at each story told, there was also a shared understanding that there were certain stories and tales to which only two of the people at that table could fully relate. And that is why this reunion was so important.”
Photos: The Lowdown on Chinatown
