Alan with his daughters Erin and Fallon, and his wife Christine in Da Nang. Until a few years ago if someone had asked me to make a bucket list of countries to visit, Vietnam would have been at or near the bottom. I guess you could say, “been there, done that.” I served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from June 1969 until June 1970. I was part of a recon platoon called Fox Force. We operated in the Central Highlands of Vietnam – in the mountains and jungles of that area. Unlike any unit I’m aware of we wore red scarves – always – even on combat missions. We had a well-earned reputation, and our red scarves clearly set us apart from other soldiers in our division. We were told the enemy had a $10,000 bounty on each of us. It didn’t really matter because in the year I was part of Fox, the enemy never killed a single member of our team. We were in combat frequently but were never ambushed or surprised. If we were a baseball team, we would have ended our season with all wins and no losses, and with most games pitched as no hitters. I’m sure history books will say the U.S. lost that war, but we were ahead when I left.
Like a lot of Vietnam veterans, I don’t talk much about my experience “over there.” I have been blessed with the ability to compartmentalize my combat experiences. They are like a box of Christmas ornaments up in the attic; I still have them, but they don’t get in the way of daily life. Vietnam veterans were, for the most part, not welcomed home and often quite the opposite, so compartmentalization was a useful way to avoid unwelcome confrontation.
Alan at Firebase Lois on his 21st birthday wearing the red scarf of his Fox Force platoon.
In 2000 my old unit, Fox, held a reunion, and has every year since. The Fox team comes from every walk of life in America, making us quite an odd collection of souls, but we share a common bond that only other combat veterans can appreciate. We wear our red scarves when we are together, but also wear red wrist bands, specially inscribed, when we are not together. I’m proud to say my youngest daughter had the inspiration for the red wrist bands. Sadly, about 25 percent of the team have passed away since our first meeting – all from Agent Orange-related cancers.
In the last few years I’ve wanted to return to Vietnam. I’m not completely sure why, but it just felt like it was time for me to complete the journey that began almost 40 years ago. Being blessed in my occupation, I booked an Asian cruise that sailed in December 2009. Unfortunately due to timing, cost and other personal issues, none of my Fox Force teammates could join me and my family on the cruise. The cruise began in Shanghai and ended in Bangkok – truly a fantastic way to visit the highlights of Asia. The cruise had two stops in Vietnam: Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. I was excited to return to Vietnam, but also to share all of Asia with my family who had never traveled to this part of the world.
I was excited about our arrival in Da Nang, our first Vietnamese port of call. I awoke early to watch as the ship berthed. The port is not near the city, so all I could see was a small harbor and the surrounding countryside, which was at once familiar, but not the Vietnam I had experienced. Da Nang is a coastal city northeast of where I served. There are no jungles there, which is just as well, as no one would want to visit the areas where I served; they are too remote and densely vegetated.
After 40 years I found Vietnam, in many ways, much the way I had left it. I was surprised so little had changed, but my heart was gladdened to see the entrepreneurial spirit was still very much alive with little businesses flourishing everywhere. The people I met were glad to meet Americans, and were wonderful and friendly – something we never dared to find out as soldiers due to the threat of IEDs back then. The food was fantastic, the best we found in all of Asia. This too was a surprise as all I ate when in-country 40 years ago were C-rations.
We had a wonderful guide who showed us the sights of Da Nang and Hoi An. Vietnam is a poor country, nevertheless the people were generous and wonderful hosts. New infrastructure is being added everywhere, so it would appear that their future is a bright one.
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).
I really hadn’t thought about how I would react to my return to Vietnam. However, I had expected a flood of memories to overtake me. But that didn’t happen. Faces did come to mind, but they weren’t of the young men with whom I had fought. Rather, they were their current portraits. I wished all the Fox team could be with me, completing this long journey we had all begun so long ago.
The next day was a sea day and thankfully so. I hadn’t really thought about how I would react after returning to Vietnam, but I would never have expected the result I was experiencing. Because a Princess cruise provides plenty for everyone to do all day long, it was easy for me to keep to myself all day. I didn’t have an epiphany or a cathartic episode, the kind of experience one would see in a movie. I was just emotionally drained for a day.
Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, (formerly Saigon) I was fine and enjoyed a day of touring the old capital of South Vietnam. I had been there once, but my memory of that time was pretty cloudy. It’s an exciting city that has a very vibrant texture; my whole family thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Vietnam’s southern center. I was just another tourist on that day, and that felt wonderful. If I had any doubts or demons about Vietnam, they were back in the attic.
I’m glad I went back, and I’m glad I took a cruise rather than a solitary visit to Vietnam. It was great to be back for a few days, but it was also great to see the rest of Asia and to be able to return to the familiarity of our ship each evening. I’m a little biased, but I can’t think of a better way to visit all of Asia, and for Vietnam veterans, a better way to tie-off the need to revisit the place where so many gave so much.
I still look forward to returning to the area where I served, but only if accompanied by some of my old Fox Force teammates.
Thank you Alan for serving in Vietnam and for this beautiful account of your trip. I would think it would be very hard to go back. I lost many friends in Vietam and had cousins shot but survived [thank goodness, but have struggled greatly ever since]. We all thank you for your service and grateful for what you did for this wonderful country and so sorry for some of the HORRIBLE people in this country that were so cruel to our vets. Those people did not deserve to be in this great country and enjoy the freedoms that you vets sacrificed so hard to preserve. Thank you again for your service and WELCOME HOME!!!!
Buck, as a fellow Brother from Fox I just want to say thanks for the “A Soldier Returns” story, and also to say publicly, thanks for your service. Those were incrredible days for all of us, and like you, I hope that some day we can return with some of our other Fox Brothers to revist our area of operations in the Central Highlands. It’s an honor to be a member of the brotherhood of the Red Scarf and a unit like Fox Force.
Mr. Buckelew — Thank you for your story and your service to our country. My husband and I are frequent cruisers and your inspiring story has led us to put this trip on our bucket list.
Thank you for sharing your story! I was in grade school during the war, and prayed every night for the safe return of our troops, and an end to the war, so I am very happy to hear from those who did make it back. Welcome Home, and thank you for serving!
Thank you for serving; thank you for sharing; thank you for inspiring
Thank-you Alan for sharing your story with us. A very special thank-you to you and fellow service men and women for the freedoms we take for granted each and everyday.
Welcome Home & God Bless you, your family and all vets past, present and future.
As an employee of Princess Cruises for 15 years, I have had the pleasure of having Mr. Buckelew as the President of our company. He is a very inspiring man to listen too and now hearing this story makes me proud of him too.
Thank you Alan for serving our country and for being a great leader here at Princess.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I, too, was in ‘Nam (Jan-Dec, 1970), and I have wondered what it would be like to return. Would I recognize any of the places? Would I be able to handle the heat and afternoon rain? Could I find a good meal?
Your blog now has me a lot more interested in returning to a place that helped define who I am now.
Lewis, 525th MI Group, Can Tho
Dear Alan, I enjoyed reading about your return to Nam and your emotional experiences. I too severed there in 1968 in Chu Lai just south of Da Nang and have wondered many times myself what it would be like to return to the camp where our battalion of Navy Seabees lived. I know where you are coming from when you said you didn’t want to open up about your experiences of war and I know many Viet Nam Vets today that still feel the same way. I hope someday you and the men of Fox Force can reunite and cleanse your souls for those who fought to keep our country strong. I also wanted to let you know that Princess Cruises is our favorite cruise line and when we went to Australia sailing from Sydney on the Sapphire Princess where I went for R&R from Viet Nam it brought back a lot of good memories. Take Care and God Bless and best wishes on continued success with Princess Cruises.
On behalf of a country that did not show proper respect and gratitude to our returning Vietnam warriors, please forgive us for that lapse in judgement. Your service to our nation is of great value. Our travel agency, Legacy Family Travel, tries to honor our military, past and present, as much as possible. One way is by supporting the Military Community Youth Ministries, which comes alongside the teenage children of our deployed military members. Next time there is an event that we sponsor, we will think of you, Mr. Buckelew, one of our many American heroes. And next time I see you at a travel conference, I am going to give you a big hug and tell you about our most recent MCYM event. Thank you for your service!
Bless you, Alan and all who served and continue to serve. We don’t say thank you nearly enough.
A big thank you to you and your compatriots from Canada for your service in Vietnam; we owe you a huge debt that cannot be repaid. And a thank you to you for sharing your story about your trip back – it took a great deal of courage to go back to a place where so much difficult life-changing experiences occurred.
Hi Alan. I read your story with interest because I, too, was in Vietnam from June 1969 to June 1970. I was a helicopter pilot with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade and flew daily over Saigon during the first part of my tour. A month from today, my wife and I will be leaving for a cruise with Princess from Beijing to Singapore with stops in Vietnam, and I’ve had thoughts and feelings similar to those you described, and so I appreciated what you had to say. I’m confident it will be a great trip and am looking forward to it. Thanks for the account you wrote!
So many have said it so well already, but thank you again–for serving and sharing with us.
Alan, I’m always happy to hear about another soldier who made a return trip to Viet Nam. After spending a year there in ’66-’67 (Black Scarves of the Big Red One), I had great reservations about what I would find on another trip to “the boonies”. Surprisingly enough, I had to come back many times before I actually met an old Viet Cong. Three of them to be exact, in Hoi An, but they were very pleasant entrepreneurs. The people are most gracious to any Westerner, and my wife says it is possibly the very best shopping place in the world. I encourage every Viet Nam veteran to revisit the country and soak up the very extensive history of the region. Thanks again for sharing your story.
Alan, I echo all of the comments (below) of those grateful for and proud of our service men and women. Thank you for sharing your story and most of all, thank you for your service.
Allan, You were fortunate to do something that I have thought about for years and still hope that someday, I can return. After spending 2.5 years in country (68-70) starting with the 5th Mech. Div. in I Corp (Dong Ha) to MACV HQ in Saigon, I was fortunate to see a great deal of the country.
It was a time in our lives, which we all will never forget, even though it is hard for us to share our experiences with others including our love ones. I continually feel a need to return, just to see what has changed. All in all, it was a beautiful and misterious place. Welcome home!
God Bless You Alan Buckelew.
I was to young for Korea and to old for Viet Nam. To all the men and woman who wear the uniform be aware that you are the people that have made this nation truly the land of the free. Having sailed with Princess several times in that part of the world now I have a new destination to consider.
A simple thank you for sharing does not seem adequate but a sincere thank you says it all. So I am senidng you a sincere thank you for sharing this story and inspiring me once again to travel to Vietnam and also to post on the blog.
Thank you, Alan, for you service and your story. I can’t get my husband to return. Maybe after reading your story he will. My brother served as a Marine on a rescue helicopter and returned a changed person. He died 25 years later by his own hand. It was a sad time for all involved but none of you are forgotten for what you sacrificed. Thanks is not enough.
Gordon, I can’t speak for the USA, only for those of us who served. My answer to you is a simple one; We honorably did our duty for our country that decided to send us there.
Thank you Alan, for your story and for having the courage to re-visit and share your experiences in Vietnam. Welcome Home. As a Vietnam Vet myself (1st Inf Div, 66-67) I too have thought Vietnam would have been a beautiful place to visit if it were not for the war.
Ohers who haved visited Vietnam recently have spoken of the vibrancy of the country. My brother was in Northern Thailand in 1965-6, theoretically where there were no US forces, and has told us nothing about that experience except that the Thai people were lovely and generous. Many of us who were very young at the time have always felt great appreciatioin for the sacrifices young men and women made in order to complete a task given them; also we appreciated sacrifices made by their families. Thank you that you and others served with such honor.
Thank you for your candid story. I was proud to serve my country for over 4 years during
WW II, but was ashamed of the attitudes of some of our citizens during and after Viet Nam .
I believe every Veteran had the same disdain for that type during the war, and after. My
son spent 14 months with an Airborn Brigade in “Nam” and still won’t discuss his experiences
there. He has recovered from his bitterness and is still proud, like you, that he served
when his country called. I am still hoping to take an other Princess Cruise soon .
Hi, Could any of you veterans tell me what the USA accomplished in Viet Nam besides
getting millions of innocent people killed ????
Gordon, I know you probably won’t read this, as it is quite awhile after you posted your question. Apparently you haven’t traveled to the troubled areas of the world, or you would know how to appreciate what millions of service people have done to protect and help provide you and all Americans with one of the highest quality of life in the world. I served in Nam from ’68-’70 and was called a murderer, etc. on my return to San Francisco by those enlightened people. Left there in a hurry.
As was previously posted, we did what our country asked to the best of our ability.
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I was an RVN advisor during 1966-67 and, like you, had a concern in going back but did so in 2000. I was astounded by the openness and entrepreneurial spirit that I saw both in northern and southern Vienam as well as their interest in and friendliness toward Americans. I am very happy that those fine folks are doing well–they certainly endured and persevered for many years under adverse conditions.
I love your story. US Army 1967-1973
We now understand why we enjoy Princess Cruises. All good companies are led by a person with vision and heart and you obviously are one of them. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story and proudly service the USA!
Alan–Thank you for your service to our country. Thanks too for sharing your story of both trips to Viet Nam. Many blessings to you and your beautiful family.
Alan,
First, thanks for your service. As a Navy person in the Med at the same time, your thoughts are very relevant. I think that Jean Mc McMahon’s, “Isn’t it interesting that as we get older we have a desire to see places that influenced our lives and help make us who we are today?” tells it all.
Life is a beutiful set of experiences.
Thank you for sharing your story , and thank you most of all for your service in Vietnam. I was a nurse in Pleiku (18th MASH & 71st Evac Hospitals) from 67-68 and can’t tell you how much I appreciated those of you who protected us while over there. It gave us a sense of security while we served. I too hope to some day return & visit Vietnam in a time of peace. As you said, it is a beautiful country, and the people who I know from Vietnam are very industrious & gracious. Again, thank you for your service, and Welcome Home!!!
Thank you for writing your story. Isn’t it interesting that as we get older we have a desire to see places that influenced our lives and help make us who we are today? While seeing these influential places, It is so nice and so comforting to be back on Princess for a good night’s rest until the next adventure. Nice family picture and good looking young man!
Most of all, thank you for your service and sacrifice for our country and people.
My husband was a Marine (1st Div. 1st Batt.) in Vietnam (DaNang 1970-1972), and I read your blog to him. He doesn’t talk about his experiences there either. He too would like to revisit Vietnam, and your story has re-ignited that wish.
Currently he is battling prostate cancer for the second time, and has been diagnosed as an Agent Orange exposed veteran.
God Bless everyone who served in Vietnam.
Dear Alan,
I too am a Vietnam Special Forces Veteran, I served from 1965 to 1967.. I enjoyed reading your blog about your return trip to Vietnam,……however I dont understand why you would want to return there….With all the wonderful places in the world that your ships travel to, Vietnam would be the very last place, I would ever want to go to see, even after all these years……..
too many bad memories, and too much American Blood was spilt there…..
However as a fellow Vet “Welcome Home “,,,,,,,,,,,And God Bless!!
Thank you for your service to our country Mr. Buckelew.
Thanks Mr. Buckelew for sharing a soldier’s story of service and return to Vietnam. It is encouraging to know that you and your Fox team have been able to get together after so many years. Too many veterans have not been able to share their history and their stories with people who did not serve in Vietnam. All Americans need to understand and appreciate those who serve in the miltary especially the combat veterans. Your story helps that understanding and helps all Vietnam veterans.
You went to Vietnam in 1969 to do a job, you did it well and you have every right to be proud of that. However, you have even more right to be even more proud of yourself in the fact that you went back with an open mind and an open heart and as such you served as a goodwill ambassador. You are a credit to your country and I was honoured to read your story.
You are a very brave man Mr. Buckelew, and I truly admire your courage. I am very happy that your trip proved beneficial for you and that you can perhaps say that you are at peace in some respect. I am Canadian, but I too thank you for your service to your country. I am equally thankful for our men and women that service for our country. I sleep very comfortable at night thanks to men and women like you and for the fact that we share your border. God bless you and all who follow in your footsteps. Thank you for sharing such an intimate chapter of your life.
As the father of a young USMC infantry officer serving his second tour in Afghanistan, on the heels of two tours in Iraq, your story is a very special one to our family. We have had an admiration for the Princess family for years. After having read your story, that admiration has only grown stronger! Thank you for your service to our nation, especially during a time it wasn’t as popular with some as it is today. Welcome home and may God continue to bless you, your family and your Company!
Thank you for your service to our country! Yes you are so right, many fellow Vietnam Veterans do not like to speak about their experiences. I have frst hand experience with these ladies and gentlemen, I proudly serve as a VA Nurse in Northport, NY. When I am not serving our Veterans, I am at my own family owned business planning cruises for my clients, who include many Veterans! We have much in common, if you are ever in Northport stop by the VA Medical Ceneter and say hello!
Thank you!
Jessica Dempsey, RN
Cruise Planners
Nice story. I have thought of going back as well (central highlands, Pleiku, 67-68, intercept platoon leader). I always said it would be a beautiful place to come back to in peace time. Now is the time.
From one veteran to another, thank you for your service to our great country. I still remember observing the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets the most when I was there. I served in the U.S. Navy from 1968-1990. Thanks again for the memories—-and like you and many other veterans we compartmentalize and store alot of data and memories we envisioned during that time of our lives.
Welcome Home and “Thank You” for your service to our country to help protect me and my freedoms! I am gratefull.
Thank you for your service and Welcome home.
Served US NAVY 70-76.
Thank you Alan for your story. Having served with the elite special forces- special op team we were not as forunate as may of the thousands who lost their lives. Vietnam vet’s served their country as their fathers in world war ll and all should have been honored coming home, For the many familys that lost their loved ones we thank you for your sacrifice. Many of the mothers and fathers are no longer with us, but they were proud of their sons and daughters that served our country. Lets hope someday the world will live in peace and we will honor every person as God’s child…….. Vietnam is a beautiful country and it’s people gracious.
WELCOME HOME!
Alan,
Thank you for your story and your service to our country. Much like you stated early on in the blog I also would have put Viet Nam at the bottom of my bucket list or possibly not at all on it. After reading your story it is now much closer to the top. After we cruise the British Isles and Greenland next June I think I’ll begin to plan a group cruise back over.
Peace and Blessings
Jack Deasy, ACC,LCS
Thank you for protecting us. Many years may have passed since that tumultuous time in our countries history. It is an honor to read of your involvement back then. It’s surely a testament to your efforts that we have the ability to now visit a country once known as “the enemy”. We appreciate your service.
All the best,
Lisa and Chris Owen
Alan-Thanks for your story, your sacrificial service for our country, and your candid comments about your involvement in the Vietnam War.
God bless you and your family.
Jim Cavener
Thank you so much for sharing a special part of your life with us. Your really touched me. Most of all, even though it comes very late, God Bless You, and a very sincere and heart felt THANK YOU for your service to our country and for the many sacrifices you made for each and everyone of us.
Most Sincerely,
Nancy Blank and Family