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It seems that every July 4th, I remember my short visit to Vietnam. It was during the summer of 1973 and the war was at its worst point, soon before the airlift out of Saigon by American Troops. I remember my short weekend visit to Saigon, perhaps because I was 13 years old. It was election weekend… Aside from standing in front of the Central Post Office and watching the President drive up in his motorcade to come and vote, to having dinner with several local Vietnamese Senators at one of their homes, to the one-legged shoe shine boy in front of the Park Hotel where we were staying who said “You Number One!” when my father and I came out, my best memory was watching Vietnamese MPs chasing a bunch of boys who were swimming in a public fountain. I vividly remember watching one of the MP’s raise his rifle in the direction of one of the boys who was running away and shouting to stop (or it seemed like that was what he was saying). He did not shoot the rifle…
After seeing “Good Morning Vietnam” perhaps the kids were actually Viet Cong. I will never know.
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