Though by April 24, 1975, the situation in South Vietnam was chaotic and quite dire, Lt. Gen Tran Van Trung, a high-ranking officer in the South Vietnamese Army, took the time to create this recommendation for a Vietnamese Medal of Honor, First Class, for nine Americans involved in the psywar effort.
He is the same General mentioned in my mother’s letter of September 5, 1974:
About 100 people came [to our housewarming party] . . . on the roof we had a band and good singers – professional – from downtown. (Jim was able to get them to come in as they sometimes do work for him at his studio.)
The whole affair was really funny tho as General Trung was attending and for three blocks around our house there were security guards, and his car and our chief’s car were the only two allowed into our alley. Everybody else had to park elsewhere and walk back and up our very muddy alley due to the rain.
Republic of Viet Nam
Department of Defense
General Staff ARVN
General Political Warfare
Directorate, Staff Hdqs
Gen. Vien. Chief of General Staff
Army of the Republic of Viet Nam
Subject: Proposal to award the Medal of Honor First Class to 9 American advisors belonging to the Special Operations Program
Sir,
Over the years the General Political Warfare Department/Psychological Warfare Branch has closely coordinated with the Advisory group from the American Embassy to produce the following Special Operations Programs:
Radio Broadcasts in Vietnamese and Cambodian
Various pamphlets and special printings
Infiltration operations into enemy territory
Because of the active support given in terms of personnel, talent, materiel, and particularly electrical equipment and generators, every mission achieved many favorable results.
Now, because of the situation, the above-mentioned Advisors will in turn be returning home in the days to come.
To reward them for their efforts and their valued close cooperation in the spirit of Vietnamese-American friendly relations, we at the Political Warfare Directorate respectfully present for your approval the awarding of the Medal of Honor First Class to the following officials.
The Political Warfare Directorate attaches herewith 9 copies of the proposal. We respectfully present them to you for your disposition.
APO 3529, 24 April 1975
Lt. Gen Tran Van Trung
Deputy Political Warfare/Chief, General
Staff concurrently Chief, General Directorate
Political Warfare Directorate
By the time General Trung wrote this recommendation, my father and his staff were on Phu Quoc Island, attempting to continue radio operations and staging for the possibility of the American pullout.
The “proposals” were distributed to the best of my knowledge, for these copies were in my father’s papers. Additionally, he received this certificate from CIA Director William Colby on December 18, 1975, at a ceremony at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
These “Stories of Vietnam” offer a historical and personal glimpse into the Vietnam Era, a history worth preserving and sharing. If you agree, please support my efforts by liking, commenting, or sharing.
I am the author of the nonfiction book, For the Love of Vietnam: a war, a family, a CIA official, and the best evacuation story ever heard, which combines the history of the Vietnam War with tales from my family’s lives including how we resided in Saigon in 1974-75 as the North Vietnamese Army was making its way toward the city, and how, at the eleventh hour, my father, a CIA official, coordinated the rescue of over 1,000 South Vietnamese—the staff and families of “House Seven.”
I continue to publish current and retrospective “Stories of Vietnam” here on Substack, adding layers to my own stories and featuring other voices, including those of Vietnam veterans and Vietnam refugees. I reside in the Capital District of New York.
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