I met the former general once, though it was not in Vietnam, in spite of my "foreign correspondent style" leisure suit shown in this photo.
That's his wife du jour in the center. He was married three times. Anyway, it was in northern California where a refugee camp had been set up for hundreds of Vietnamese fleeing the communist victory in the war and takeover of the entire country.
Nguyen Cao Ky was running a liquor store in Southern California shortly after these photos were taken. He spent the rest of his life living in California and Vietnam.
great piece of history. great to see the vintage shots of you at work. you were a damned good reporter, but I forgot how much you looked the role too. I hope your Oddball Observation readers gain a little insight into your journalistic past by seeing you in action.
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you.
ReplyDeleteFantastic post. I did two tours in Vietnam, but didn't meet anyone of note. Except for the guys I served with, I guess that's something.
ReplyDeleteNice insight! I presume you must have flashbacks all the time while reading the news...
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting side note to you. It is these little tidbits that gives us a bit of insight.
ReplyDeleteWas hanging around Wikipedia and four hours later ended up on this page (you know how that happens).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I remember when Ky was a really big shot. Never took note of where he ended up after South Vietnam vanished off the face of the earth.
Come to find out today, Oct. 12, 2013, that he operated a liquor store in Norwalk, California?! I guess Washington abandoned him as it did with many of those heads of govt. or dictators who fell out of the then-current administration's favor.