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Paul Reed and Nguyen Van Nghia first encountered one another as adversaries one bloody day in 1968 during a nameless battle in the hills near Kontum, Vietnam. Paul's unit captured Nghia's base camp and took all their personal items as the spoils of war. Paul found an enemy soldier's backpack and sent the contents - a flag, some insignias, photographs, and a handwritten diary - back home. The box was placed on a shelf in Paul's mother's home, where it was forgotten for the next twenty years.
Back at home, Paul, haunted by memories of Vietnam, recognized he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. His mother remembered the long-untouched box and, in an effort to provide some relief for her son, brought it to him. When he opened it, Paul discovered the personal effects of Nguyen Van Nghia, a lieutenant in the North Vietnamese army. That small package changed Paul's life. He had the diary translated into English, and found in its pages Nghia's thoughts on war, the nature of the 'enemy,' and his longing for home and family - all written in the graceful rhythms of traditional Vietnamese poetry. The poetry touched Paul deeply. Suprised and confused by the feelings they shared about the war, family and home, Paul decided to return the diary to those who could appreciate it most, the family of the man he believed he killed in battle. Amazingly, as he was making preparations for the journey back to Vietnam, he learned that the author of the diary was not only still alive, but eager to meet him.
And so began the odyssey of forgiveness between two men, once mortal enemies. KONTUM DIARY: THE JOURNEY HOME records the tense, emotional moments of Paul and Nghia's first meeting, in Nghia's tiny Vietnamese village, 70 miles from Hanoi, in November, 1993. As they travel on a 12-day journey through Vietnam, back to the battlefield near Kontum where their paths first crossed, they are forced to confront painful memories. Once anonymous enemies, they now share their innermost feelings and observations about the Vietnam War. As the two men reflect on the war and its impact on their lives, they discover in each other a profound sense of common humanity. Having sealed their friendship, the two soldiers part, promising to meet again.
For Nghia, however, healing from the Vietnam War is not only a spiritual matter. Explosions had damaged his retinas, leaving him nearly blind. He is unable to read or see his family clearly; unfortunately his condition is getting worse. For the next two years, Paul gathers resources to bring Nghia to Dallas to correct his vision. Veterans from Paul's unit, the 173rd Airborne, contribute money for the trip, and a Dallas opthalmologist and a team of doctors - many of them Vietnamese refugees who fled when the Communist Party took over - agree to provide free medical treatment. Nghia, now 68 years old, becomes the first North Vietnamese soldier ever to be treated for war wounds in the United States.
There is good news and bad news. Although the damage to Nghia's left eye is irreparable, new glasses improve his right eye enough that, for the first time in 26 years, the former poet can see well enough to read. Then a shock hits. During a routine physical examination, the cardiologist discovers a serious heart condition, which, if left untended, will lead to certain heart failure. Luckily, a lifetime of eating a low-fat diet prevents Nghia from having to undergo major surgery. He is prescribed medication which he will have to take for the rest of his life, and is expected to do well.
Perhaps the most profound moments of Nghia's trip to the United States come during his address to a group of American veterans at the Dallas VA medical center. Nghia speaks for many of his fellow Vietnamese veterans, telling his American counterparts: "We wish you health, good luck, prosperity and most of all, a wish that peace and friendship should prevail in our relationship." He receives a standing ovation from enthusiastic audience members visibly moved by his compassionate message. Nghia's diary - abandoned and discovered 25 years ago on an anonymous hill near Kontum, Vietnam - has not only healed the wounds of two individuals, but has helped to bring comfort, reconciliation, and forgiveness to larger communities.
KONTUM DIARY: THE JOURNEY HOME is not entirely a story of happy endings. Besides the shock of Nghia's life-threatening condition, Nghia's son Dien defects during their visit to the United States, leaving behind a wife and child whom the elderly Nghia and his wife must now care for. When Paul returns Nghia to Vietnam, he encounters angry and embarrassed provincial Vietnamese officials who treat him as the enemy, forbidding him from taking his friend home.
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