I LOVE my grandfather. Not only was he a great man, but a wonderful grandfather as well. I visited my grandfather (on my mother’s side) several years ago on a family trip to Vietnam. Meeting him for the very first time was a major life-changing experience for me too. My grandfather exuded a very smart, wise, intelligent, strong soul, and passionate heart as a man. He raised my mother and her sister as a single father.

During the raging Vietnam War, my grandfather enlisted himself in the war as a soldier in South Vietnam. Having a passion and heart for world peace, he hated seeing the many lives of innocent civilians taken away just from violence and chaos. My grandfather wanted world peace between the North and South Vietnam. Since that was impossible during that time, he joined forces with the South Vietnamese army to hopefully fight for a change for his country. He later was promoted to become a Lieutenant of his South Vietnamese army giving out orders to his fellow soldiers. These soldiers highly respected and looked up to my grandfather as their role models. What an amazing, touching story.

Not only did he change their lives in a way, but these young soldiers were fighting for a cause…for FREEDOM.

If you take a look at the history of The Vietnam War, you would understand the amounts of pain and sacrifice that South Vietnam would fight to keep their independency away from the North. The history is very heart breaking costing millions of lives including American soldiers as well. What a very sad loss. Honestly, for what my grandfather has done as a Lieutenant in his own brigade is very amazing. What a true hero. My grandfather is definitely my “hero.” No wonder my dear mother LOVES him so much. To this day, she still talks of him sometimes. It is painful sometimes when the topic of my grandfather is brought up because he is not here with us anymore.

I remembered when I had met my grandfather for the very first time that he asked me to read him a book in the “English” language. My grandfather spoke multiple languages and was very fluent in most of them too. He had always wanted to learn “English” at a young age, but never had the opportunity too. Once my grandfather heard me read in the English language, he almost wept to tears because he was listening to his own grand daughter read to him. I was almost in tears too. It was a very emotional, but yet very heartfelt, happy moment with my grandfather. I will never ever forget that special moment and bond with him. I truly do LOVE him with all of my heart and soul. He will always be a very special part of my life….FOREVER.

My grandfather passed away in 2001. The memory of his loss and passing deeply affected my entire family, especially my mother. My mother was very close to him when she was a small girl. Her bond with my grandfather was something so special and real. Even though my grandfather went through many painful “ups” and “downs” in his lifetime, he is considered a “great man” in our family. Where ever he is in heaven, I hope my grandfather is proud of my family and how much we greatly appreciate and LOVE him.