Show Student at recounts horror and y t a starvation y t t r j at prison camp in n i e 4 t 1 meland T a r r. r i if f t Of 01 Vietnam MM Than Nguyen Khanh Nguyen Than Giad J f j Huynh y N Ngn ma M b Pam R Johnson T h by y am 0 If us I w Al f em 0 j I dl Journalism T l. l i My children and I were starving I was sure we would die thus Thao Nguyen a stu student ent at UT ch recounts the nightmarish horror of living in the community prison camp in In Viet Nam They ate but one small portion of rye flour a day Nguyen's nursing baby aby would frantically suck for food from his starving mother to no avail Nguyen along with her husband and children had planned to escape from Viet Nam in in a small boat with about 20 other people The dreaded fear of being caught became a reality and the young family found themselves prisoners prison prison- ers of the communists Locked up like animals they suffered abuse and degradation from the guards and watched helplessly as those around them died Starving and terrified Nguyen hung on It was 30 days later that Nguyen and her two starved half-starved children were released to die from the camp With no st strength to 19 walk she stumbled and crawled out and found her way to the market wh where re she was able abl to obtain enough money for the bus home to her parents Her husband remained at the camp for another two months Nguyen felt lucky to be alive Most of the others caught that night had died she said The struggle for her and her family to obtain freedom though had just begun Before the communist takeover Nguyen lived with her parents sister and two VO brothers They owned a coffee farm and lived very comfortably Nguyen was studying law at the University and was planning to marry her time long-time boyfriend The communists took everything they had their farm their home and all their money They were left with nothing Nguyen's boyfriend was shot down and killed while piloting an airplane Nguyen had to quit school and go to work at the market to help support her family There she met her husband and was married They had their first child in 1975 and another in 1978 Shortly after the birth of their last baby y attempted the escape that led them to prison Vietnamese New Year 1980 Nguyen her husband and children and three family members sister and two brothers along with other friends and acquaintances boarded the small homemade boat which would sail them to freedom This time time they were experienced they had planned well This time they would make it Khanh also a student at and Nguyen's Nguyen s sister was on the boat She remembers the night well The sea was unusually calm the brightness bright bright- ness of the moon and stars were blanketed by clouds the guards were more concerned with celebrating the new year than with watching the sea With the help of God she said they were able to escape Three days and three nights later after almost being caught by a police boat they quietly landed on the shores of Thailand during the night They and stayed there for four months were placed in a refugee camp Nguyen and her family were sent from there to Indonesia where they lived able to study English and prepare to go to for one year Here they were ere America by way of a Catholic sponsored program Nguyen's husband had relatives in Utah who sponsored them and made it possible for them to come to Utah Nguyen's sister and two brothers followed somewhat later studies Cosmetology and her sister is is in in Data Processing Nguyen and faculty They both enjoy it here at and feel accepted by students They like Utah and are impressed with the Mormons They both agree it is is a anice anice nice to live For place olace the Nguyen sisters the he hellish lish ordeal of living under Co Communist r rule le is left behind the nightmare nightmare nightmare night night- but a painful memory but for family and loved ones mare continues |