Where the Wind Leads IS TRULY A STORY TOO BIG for one person to tell. When you read my words, you are hearing the voices of my entire family, and I wish to thank each of them for contributing the memories and stories they alone could tell. This memoir reflects how I have interpreted the collective memory and how I experienced this story. If there are other views, I leave that story for someone else to share.
I thank my parents, Thanh and Hoa Chung. They are my heroes. It is their difficult decisions that have allowed a story to be told at all. I also am grateful to each of my siblings: Jenny, Bruce, Yen, Thai, Nikki, Anh, Hon, Bao, Toan, and Du.
I would like to pay a special tribute to my literary agent and friend, Lee Hough of Alive Communications. Lee’s passion for my family’s story was largely responsible for the creation of this book, but unfortunately he passed away before he had the chance to see it published. Lee’s influence lives on through this book and many others he helped create. He will be sorely missed.
I want to thank the countless people who went out of their way to show kindness to a Chinese boy from a refugee family: the understanding parents who drove me to football practices and math competitions; Mr. James, the compassionate bus driver who was a guardian angel to me and my siblings; my inspiring Sunday school teachers at Grand Avenue Baptist Church; my calculus teacher, Ms. Haupert; my high school guidance counselor, Ms. Partin; all of my teachers, coaches, and mentors who invested so much in me; and Ms. Gale Beckman, the guidance secretary at Northside High, who typed my application to Harvard and actually believed someone would read it. Thanks to all of you and many others who helped make possible not only this book but also the life I live today.
I am also indebted to the following individuals for their assistance in creating this book: Dr. Ken Waters, professor of journalism at Pepperdine University, who was a member of Seasweep’s crew and was responsible for many of the photographs of my family’s rescue; Ted Agon, also a member of Seasweep’s crew, for his detailed memory of the rescue from Seasweep’s point of view; Dr. Stanley Mooneyham, former president of World Vision, whose own book, Sea of Heartbreak, provided much of the historical background concerning Operation Seasweep; Rich Stearns, president of World Vision US, who encouraged me to tell my story and to write this book and who carries on Stan Mooneyham’s legacy with his commitment and sacrifice to serve the poor; Jim Files, former pastor at Grand Avenue Baptist Church, and Dr. Fred Hagemeier, former pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, for their recollections of my family’s arrival in Fort Smith; Samuel B. Thomsen, former political reporting officer for the US embassy in Saigon, for his memories of the events leading up to the fall of Saigon; my publisher at W Publishing Group, Matt Baugher, and editor, Debbie Wickwire, for their constant encouragement and helpful suggestions on the manuscript; and the rest of the W Publishing staff for their hard work and dedication to the craft of writing.
I also want to express heartfelt thanks to Tim Downs. This book is possible only with his talent. He spent over a year to synthesize dozens of hours of transcript from my family members, kept all the names and dates straight, teased out the nuances of three different languages, and crafted our story spanning over three generations into this book. Tim, thanks for this treasure.
I want to express my deep appreciation and love to my children, Caleb, Luke, Clara, and Timothy. I hope this book will help you understand your roots and that God has a purpose for your life. Finally, I want to thank my best friend and wife, Leisle, for working with me on this project. Just like everything else over our fifteen years of marriage, life is sweeter because she has walked beside me.