A few words about
Lieutenant Colonel Do Huu Tung
Captain Cao Van Lam
Great Eagle, I radioed Captain Dang half an hour ago. The voices were very faint over the radio. Captain Dang said 'The Sea Star has gone. You take care of our guys now.' I think that they must have gone very far out, since we could not contact them. As for you, Lieutenant Colonel, I think you should leave - you'll probably have to swim for it out to the ships.”
He swore. “Fuck no. I'm not going. - If I go, who's going to take care of my men?”
I had that conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Do Huu Tung at about 8.10 am on the 28 March 1975. We were at Non Nuoc Base, by the seashore of Da Nang.
The Lieutenant Colonel stood staring reflectively at all the wounded Marines lying in the ambulances parked close to the sea shore. Then he jumped into his jeep and drove away. I had no idea where he was headed. When I returned to Vung Tau, I still had not found him.
When I was finally released from the Communists' concentration camp, I encountered some brothers-in-arms who had also served in the Marine Division. I immediately asked if they knew of the whereabouts of the Lieutenant Colonel, only to be told that the Great Eagle was gone for all eternity. When he had driven away in his jeep that day, as I suspected, he had gone to join the Marines who had been stranded in Son Cha mountain, Da Nang. He had led those remaining Marines in attacks against the Communists. And they had fought courageously - right until the end when they had not a single round of ammunition left...
For 21 years now, the image of Great Eagle Tung has always flown high in my mind. He had the stature and build of a scholar - a scholarly body which housed astuteness, self-sacrifice, and courage. He was always there, at the height of danger. He thought not of himself - his concern was for the well being of his men.
Lieutenant Colonel Do Huu Tung, in those times of war, you fulfilled far more than duty required of you. And we, the Marines who have survived, recall all your deeds. We will follow the example that you set: we too are willing to sacrifice ourselves in serving the Nation, as you did.
Captain Cao Van Lam
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