• NGÔ THẾ VINH
RED BERET PHYSICIAN
ĐOÀN VĂN BÁ
LEFT HIS MARKS WITH ALL SITUATIONS
HE FACED THROUGH LIFE
Lieutenant Ba’s singularly impressive display of courage, utter disregard for his own safety, and his overriding concern for his patients resulted in the saving of many lives. First Lieutenant Ba’s heroic actions reflect great credit upon himself and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. [ BA, DOAN VAN 57/208029 1LT of the Republic of Vietnam: Awarded Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device, Headquarters US MACV, 20 May 1968 ] (1)
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Đoàn Văn Bá saw life on August 20, 1937 to a poor family in the old imperial city of Hue. His father passed away when he was still young but Bá persevered with his schooling to graduate from the Medical School in 1965. He defended his Doctoral thesis one year later on the endocrinological topic: “Contribution à l’étude des cardiothyréoses. À propos de 11 cas observés. [Apropos of 11 cases of cardiothyreosis]. Đoàn Văn Bá, M.D.E., Saigon 1966. (2)
As an active Military Medical Student (QYHD), on his fourth school year he was commissioned 1st Lieutenant. [Picture 1] According to Trang Châu, Class of QYHD 12, graduation year: 1965, “we were 3 friends who were native of the city of Hue. We attended the same class, ate at the same table, shared the same room at the Military Medical School in Cholon. We all intended to join the paratroopers after graduation. At the school, each of us was known by a nickname.” Lê Văn Châu or Trang Châu was called “Châu cá ngựa” because he unfailingly went to the Phú Thọ racetrack every weekend. Even in the love poems he wrote, Trang Châu did not forget to mention horse racing (In my race to win your heart, I am but a lame horse, My only hope is to be a dark one / Trong cuộc đua chạy về trái tim em, Anh là con ngựa què, Nên chỉ thủ một vai về ngược); Trần Đoàn was nicknamed “Đoàn the butterfly / Đoàn Cái Bướm” for his article “Thằng Cu hay Cái Bướm”, that was serialized in the Magazine Y Khoa Tình Thương. In the article, Đoàn offered advices on how to give birth to boys or girls. However, he and his wife only had “Cái Bướm” or butterflies during the first years of their marriage. Eventually, they succeeded in having a boy “Thằng Cu”. As for Đoàn Văn Bá, he was known as “Crazy Bá / Bá Điên” for being a straight shooter, ready to call a spade a spade. He could be counted on to deal with higher ups in a tight situation. So, his friends also refer to him as “the man for difficult situations / l’homme des situations difficiles”; he gained the respect of all his peers but not all of his superiors. In his case, that nickname of “Crazy Bá / Bá Điên” is actually a badge of love and admiration.
Upon graduation, along with his two good friends from Hue: Trần Đoàn and Trang Châu, Bá joined the paratroopers, one of the four crack and mobile general reserve units (tổng trừ bị) that directly reported to the Joint Chief of Staff (Bộ Tổng Tham Mưu) and were constantly deployed to the front lines to reinforce the troops of the four Tactical Zones. The other three general reserves units are the Marines (Thuỷ Quân Lục Chiến), Rangers (Biệt Động Quân) and Airborne Rangers (Biệt Cách Dù). Initially, Bá served as chief surgeon of the 7th Airborne Battalion, replacing Medical 1st Lieutenant Võ Đạm. Bá served with distinction for two full years with the Battalion [Picture 2] before becoming Commander of the 1st Medical Company, then Chief Medical Officer of Đỗ Vinh Hospital. His last commission was Commanding Medical Officer of the 400-bed 4th Field Military Hospital in Bình Dương.
*Picture 1: Graduation ceremony of the 12th Active Military Medical Class, from left: Trần Trọng Nghị, BS Trần Tấn Phát MD (guest), Trần Đoàn, Lê Trọng Tín, Lê Văn Châu, Hoàng Cơ Lân MD (guest), Dương Bào, Đoàn Văn Bá, Nguyễn Đình Khoát, Hà Xuân Quỳnh, Lê Đình Bình MD (guest). [private collection of Hoàng Cơ Lân] (3)
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Picture 2: Medical Lieutenant Paratroop Đoàn Văn Bá, Chief Medical Officer of the 7th Airborne Battalion & SSG Isaac Patino and paratroop medics who saved many lives during the battle of 02. 19.1967 in Quảng Ngãi (left). Brigadier General Roberts presented the award to Medical Lieutenant Đoàn Văn Bá for helping to save U.S. Marine lives in the Battle of Hue. (right). (1)
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Picture 3: Commendation of Merits of Medical 1st Lieutenant Đoàn Văn Bá during the ceremony awarding him the Medal of Honor Bronze Star of the U.S. Army. (1)
Below is the text of the commendation awarded to Đoàn Văn Bá MD:
HEADQUARTERS
UNITED STATES MILITARY ASSISTANCE COMMAND, VIETNAM
APO San Francisco 96222
20 May 1968
The following AWARD is announced.
BA, DOAN VAN 57/208029 1LT ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
Awarded: Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device
Date of action: 31 January to 14 February 1968
Theater: Republic of Vietnam
Reason: For heroism in connection with military operations against a hostile force: First Lieutenant Ba distinguished himself by heroic action during the period 31 January to 14 February 1968 while serving as a medic in Hue Military Assistance Command Dispensary. During this period, the City of Hue came under intense Viet Cong/ North Vietnamese Army attack. Reacting immediately, Lieutenant Ba moved through fireswept areas to the Compound where he knew there was a Dispensary. Upon arrival, he immediately started performing emergency medical treatment on many wounded military personel. Lieutenant Ba subjected himself on repeated occasions to enemy sniper and mortar fire to administer life-saving care enroute to the helicopter landing zone. When medical supplies ran critically low, Lieutenant Ba with no thought for his personal safety, voluntarily went to an insecure medical depot to procure the desperately needed supplies. Lieutenant Ba’s singularly impressive display of courage, utter disregard for his own safety, and his overriding concern for his patients resulted in the saving of many lives. First Lieutenant Ba’s heroic actions reflect great credit upon himself and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.
Authority: By direction of the President under the provisions of Executive Order 11046, 24 August 1962.
WALTER T. KERWIN, JR
Major General, USA
Chief of Staff
Official:
SIDNEY GRITTI
Colonel, USA
Adjutant General
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After South Vietnam fell into communist North Vietnam’s hands, Medical Major Đoàn Văn Bá was sent to communist prison camps along with the entire officer corps and high ranking officials of the government of the South. He was incarcerated at the prison camps of Hóc Môn, Suối Máu, Bù Gia Mập, Bù Đăng doing forced labor, suffering from lack of food and medication.
Four years later, Đoàn Văn Bá was released. In the truest meaning of the saying “loss of country, breaking up of families / nước mất, nhà tan”, Bá and his wife separated but he did not give up. Bá took along his daughter and joined the ranks of the “boat people.” In the new American homeland where he resettled, Bá again faced new challenges coming his way.
Picture 4: Boat person Đoàn Văn Bá and his little daughter Trang in the refugee camp of Galang, Indonesia. Bá wore a Sarong and a pair of flip flops. He looked like an indigenous of the island with his sun tan and curly hairs. Bá served as the director of the Red Cross Hospital set up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees/ UNHCR. From the day Bá set foot on Galang until the time he left to resettle in the U.S., Bá devoted himself to his task of treating the evergrowing waves of refugees who flocked to the island. [Picture from the family album of Mrs Đoàn Văn Bá]
As a foreign doctor at a rather advanced age, Bá immersed himself in his studies and successfully passed the ECFMG and FLEX examinations. He was admitted as an Intern at the VA Hospital Medical Center, Washington DC. At the end of his one-year intership, Bá was eligible to take the examination for the License to practice as a General Practitioner. But this is not good enough for him. He chose to go on with a three-year program of Internal Medicine Residency. Đoàn Văn Bá MD graduated as an internist then started a two-year training program to become a kidney specialist with a Nephrology Fellowship at the same hospital. Thus, with PG5 / five years of Post-Graduate studies, Bá could join the medical mainstream as an Internist / Nephrologist at the age of 51 – As an ancient saying has it: “Ngũ Thập Nhi Tri Thiên Mệnh” -- It is at the age of 50 that one knows his destiny as decided by the Heaven.
"Paratroopers Go all out/ Nhảy Dù Cố Gắng" is Bá ’s motto in life. He acted as if he was constantly at the front line. He not only strove to return to a normal family life but at the same time remain true to his medical vocation. Not to mention his 20-year long arduous struggle against a severe, chronic illness. He tried but eventually succumbed at the age of 83, leaving behind much sorrow to his family, comrades-in-arms and the wounded veterans he has treated and saved.
Upon hearing the news of Đoàn Văn Bá’s passing away, in the midst of the pandemic, his fellow colleagues of the Paratroop Military Medical Corps share their thoughts about him.
Red Beret Nguyễn Mậu Trinh, Fairfax Virginia wrote [09.23. 2020]:
“We brought food for dinner to the house, discussed the details of the orbituary with Bá’s wife, and the program for the simple funeral ceremony limited to family circle scheduled for Thursday 10.01.2020 of the coming week. Mixed with the tears were laughters at the thoughts of the “crazy” memories about Doctor Bá. In later days, he referred to himself as “Bá Circuit/ Bá Điện” A play on words referring to a person who is “miswired”. In his fight against the chronic disease, Bá cautioned the family to order 20 originals of the death certificate because they are required by all the concerned agencies. (Probably from his experience dealing with the places he worked with during his search for a training facility to practice medicine). The daughter of Mrs Bá remarked: “Dad is the supreme survivalist with a creative, foresighted and practical mind befitting a soldier in the battlefield.”
Red Beret Nguyễn Mậu Trinh, is a pharmacist with the Paratroop Medical Military Corps, the closest friend of Đoàn Văn Bá’s family. It was Trinh and Mrs Trần Đoàn who helped Bá’s wife take care of Red Beret Đoàn Văn Bá’s funeral.
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Red Beret Nguyễn Đức Liên from Louisiana wrote [09.23.2020]:
We lost Bá! Two years ago, I called Doctor Đoàn Văn Bá and talked about a reunion. We have not met since but the news came that he has moved to a Faraway Land. Bá possessed special qualities that are not easy to forget in a thousand years! Dear Mrs Bá, please say these few words on my behalf in front of Doctor Đoàn Văn Bá’s casket: Nguyễn Đức Liên said he will meet you one day at the corner named Paradise in front of St Michael Church. My respectful condolence to you and your daughter for your loss.
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Red Beret Vũ Khắc Niệm from Dallas – Texas wrote [09.23.2020]:
I just received news Bá has left us, I am extremely moved at the loss of a comrade in arms, a friend I have lost contact with for a very long time. Old age and the present situation do not allow me to come bid him the last farewell. I have entrusted Trinh with the mission to convey to you Mrs bá and the family our sincere condolence
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Red Beret Trang Châu from Montreal - Canada wrote [09.23.2020]: I ask Pharmacist Trinh to convey our family’s condolence to Mrs Bá. In 2018, I was in Washington DC to attend the Writers Convention/Đại Hội Văn Bút, visited Mrs Trần Đoàn and burnt incense to Đoàn. I expressed the wish to see Bá but was told he did not want to see anybody. At that time, Mrs Đoàn informed me that it was because Bá had advanced Prostate cancer. In our class, of the three doctors coming from Hue, two have passed away, I am the only one left…Prior to the funeral, Trang Châu has composed a moving poem to commemorate Đoàn Văn Bá and Trần Đoàn as well.
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Red Beret Trần Đức Tường from France wrote [09.24.2020]: I am deeply sad to learn Bá made his last jump... Memories of our time at the Medical School in 1958, our assignment to the Aìrborne Division, the predecessor of my commander at the 1st Medical Company, our internment at the communist camps of Hóc Môn, Suối Máu, Bù Gia Mập, Bù Đăng... our sharing of medicine when Bá fell ill due to food poisoning at Suối Máu. Very painful! My deep condolence to Mrs Bá and family. Pray that Dr. Bá’s soul will soon join the heaven of the Red Berets!
Red Beret Hoàng Cơ Lân wrote from France [09.24.2020]: Extremely sad! The coming Saturday, September 26, the red berets in France will attend the mass for our patron Saint Michael at the Invalides in Paris. We will pray God to take Bá to the Paradise of the brave Red Berets.
Picture 5: Photo taken on the front steps of Đỗ Vinh Hospital, from left front row: Hoàng Cơ Lân, Hoàng Ngọc Giao, Vũ Văn Quynh, Đoàn Văn Bá, Trần Đoàn, Trần Đức Tường; second row: American adviser Doctor Smith, Trần Đông A, Lê Văn Châu, Nguyễn Văn Y, Vũ Khắc Niệm, Đinh Hà, Nguyễn Mậu Trinh. [Notes by Trang Châu, collection of Trần Tấn Phát ] (3)
Red Beret Bùi Thiều from Austin - Texas [09.24.2020]: Last but not least, empty-handed, Bá accompanied by his daughter landed in America at the end of 1980 [11.11.1980]. At the age of over 40, being a foreign physician, his prospects for practicing medicine in the U.S. at the time was pretty slim. But then, he was able to contact his senior colleague of the Paratrooper Medical Corps Dr. Bùi Thiều. Bá boarded an interstate Greyhound bus from San Jose to Austin, Texas to visit Bùi Thiều and his wife. He lived with them for a while then his luck turned. Bùi Thiều took him to meet General Bernstein, his neighbor and the Health Commissioner of Texas at the time. General Bernstein was familiar with the Paratroop Medical Corps during the Vietnam War. He recommended Đoàn Văn Bá for a job as assistant physician at the famous Walter Reed, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Maryland where many American Presidents received treatments. In Bùi Thiều’s words, Bá tenaciously held on to his job overcoming the usual discrimation facing foreign graduate physicians. Finally, General Bernstein wrote for him a wonderful letter of recommendation that opened the doors for his medical career afterward.
Picture 6: Reunion of the Paratroop Medical Corps 2009 in Washington DC; from right. General Ngô Quang Trưởng, Bùi Thiều, Đoàn Văn Bá, Lê Quang Trọng. [Picture from the family album of Mrs Đoàn Văn Bá]
Upon hearing the news of Bá ’s death, Bùi Thiều was on his hospital bed. He was very sad and told his wife: “I just wrote a few lines for Bá, please help me type the rest then send it to the Paratroop Military Medical Forum for me.” In his email of condolence to Mrs Bá and her children, Bùi Thiều mentioned Bá’s memorable trip to Austin. Bùi Thiều and Simone love Bá like a member of their family. At the news of Bá’s death, Simone forwarded her husband’s condolence to the Forum. She added this emotion-filled remark: “Why is life so ephemerous, it’s there then goes away, the friends we love take turn leaving us …”
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A front-line doctor, Đoàn Văn Bá naturally saved the lives of many wounded ARVN paratroopers. However, according to an anecdote that may be also called a legend, when on leave in the city of Hue during the 1968 Tet offensive he was able to save the lives of many US Marines when that city came under communist attack. They called him the "godsend” doctor. To show their appreciation, they gave him a stack of US Dollars that he outright declined to accept. He was later awarded the Bronze Star of the US Army that he was very proud of. That medal in turn became a “golden key” that opened the American hospital’s doors allowing him to practice medicine even though he was a newly arrived “boat person” of middle age with a small daughter in tow.
An American newspaper writing about Doctor Đoàn Văn Bá
on his retirement day on 06/ 06/ 2014 at the age of 77. (3)
Dr. Doan Retiring After 26 Years of Service [ Spectrum Healthcare Resources ]
Dr. Ba Van Doan graduated from the University of Saigon Medical School where he completed an initial residency in General Practice and then an Ear, Nose, and Throat residency.
Early in his military career, Dr. Doan served with distinction as battalion surgeon with the highly regarded Vietnamese Airborne Division. Later, he commanded the Airborne Division’s hospital and then the 4th Field Military Hospital, the latter a 400-bed facility. In late January of 1968, Dr. Doan traveled to his home in Hue to enjoy a few days of relaxation in celebration of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. While a truce had been agreed to between the warring parties for that important holiday season, the North Vietnamese launched a surprise and massive attack across the country that has subsequently become known as the “TET Offensive of 1968.”
Awakening that morning, Dr. Doan found himself trapped behind enemy lines at a relative’s home, so he began weighing his limited options. He knew his fate if captured, so he decided to see whether he could reach a section of the city where he knew U.S. military units had previously been stationed. Carefully avoiding enemy units and patrols, he began working his way from building to building until he reached a bridge where a major battle was raging.
A badly mauled USMC Battalion commanded by LTC Marcus Gravel was attempting to get across the river after suffering heavy losses on the north side. They were trying to fight their way to a Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) compound located on the south side of the river. As the last of his trucks began crossing the bridge, LTC Marcus Gravel saw a man dressed in the elite uniform of the Vietnamese Airborne Division emerge from the rubble of a nearby building.
The Vietnamese told LTC Gravel he was a doctor, so he was hustled aboard one of the last trucks to get across the river. Upon reaching the MACV compound, the American Senior Advisor, an Army colonel, began strenuously objecting to him being brought there and pointedly asked LTC Gravel, “How do you know he’s a doctor and not a Viet Cong infiltrator?” By that time, LTC Gravel was totally exhausted after surviving several hours of constant battle, so he shot back, “Because he says he’s a doctor!”
Through LTC Gravel’s efforts, Dr. Doan was quickly linked up with Army Captain (Dr.) Steve Bernie, the only other doctor in the area. Dr. Bernie asked Dr. Doan to join him because he was overwhelmed with the increasing number of casualties being brought to his small medical facility. Despite constant incoming small arms and mortar fire, Dr. Doan and Dr. Bernie worked around the clock providing lifesaving care from 31 January until 14 February when they were finally relieved. During that two-week period, Dr. Doan risked his life numerous times when he volunteered to accompany seriously wounded casualties that had to be transported along dangerous streets to a landing area where helicopters lifted them out, most of the time under heavy enemy fire.
Because normal re-supply activities had been interrupted due to enemy action, Dr. Bernie found his medical supplies running low. At that point, Dr. Doan said he knew the location of a Vietnamese Military Medical Depot, but it was several miles away and behind enemy lines. With utter disregard for his own safety, Dr. Doan volunteered to accompany a small group to see whether any supplies were still there. Racing through the streets of Hue, their truck reached the depot and pushed down the locked gate. Fortunately, it had not been looted, so Dr. Doan quickly gathered supplies needed to provide emergency medical care. For his actions during the Battle of Hue, Dr. Doan became one of a handful of non-Americans to ever be awarded the highly coveted Bronze Star Medal for Valor which he wears proudly on his medical coat.
When North Vietnamese forces finally overran his country, Dr. Doan was taken prisoner on May 15, 1975, and confined in several Vietnamese Communist Concentration Camps commonly known as “re-education camps” where South Vietnamese POWs were subjected to brutal treatment. After more than four years of captivity, he was released in December of 1979.
In May of 1980, Dr. Doan decided to opt for freedom and boarded a tiny boat overcrowded with 97 other refugees. After being assaulted and robbed by Thai pirates on two different occasions, the boat finally arrived in Thailand. Dr. Doan was then transferred to the Galang Refugee Camp in Indonesia where he served as a staff physician at a Red Cross Hospital established to support the refugees.
Finally reaching the US on November 19, 1980, Dr. Doan was assisted by several former advisors to the Vietnamese Airborne Division and began an Internal Medicine Residency at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in Washington, DC. After three years of Internal Medicine training, he spent an additional two years completing a Nephrology Fellowship program at the same institution.
Dr. Doan began working in what has now become known as Fort Belvoir Community Hospital’s Family Health Centers on July 1, 1988, and will end his career on June 30, 2014. During his 26 years of loyal service to military personnel and their families, he has made lots of friends and many have kept him as their primary care manager for most of those years.
Asked to speak at a large Veteran’s Day ceremony in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1987, Dr. Doan spoke eloquently as to why he volunteered to do what he did during the Battle of Hue and why he has continued to serve the military family now as an American himself. His words are something we all ought to ponder: “Why did I risk my life to save others? Because those American soldiers had been fighting for freedom for my people. They had freedom; they came to help my oppressed people so they could have freedom too. They poured out their blood on the soil of my country. Their blood soaked my uniform and wet my skin; and their efforts inspired me to risk my life for theirs. Despite having lost my country and enduring the oppression and hardship in a Vietnamese Communist Concentration Camp for four years, I still feel strongly grateful to the American soldiers who fought for my people’s freedom and sincerely want them to have the honor justly due them.”
Picture 7: Đoàn Văn Bá was awarded the precious Medal of Valor Bronze Star of the U.S. Army that he proudly wore on the chest of his white coat and also on the Virginia’s license plate of his car where he retired in 2014. [photo by Nguyễn Mậu Trinh]
Six years after his retirement, on 09.14.2020 Red Beret Đoàn Văn Bá made his “Last jump” and the poem written on 09.29.2020 by Red Beret Trang Châu, also served as an epilogue for this commemoration of Red Beret Đoàn Văn Bá.
SAUT CUỐI CÙNG
Picture 8: Trang ChâuBa đứa chúng mình, ba thằng gốc Huế
Lớn lên dưới bóng phượng đất thần kinh
Tắm nước Hương Giang, thở gió Ngự Bình
Hai đứa Nam Giao, một thằng Vỹ Dạ.
Sống giữa đoạn đời súng thay pháo nổ
Ba đứa mình tai điếc chẳng sợ gì
Vẫn cứ hồn nhiên làm lính quân y
Vẫn cứ bình tâm ôm dù nhảy xuống
Rừng núi thâm u, sình lầy, nước đọng.
Ôi, những ngày máu lửa trên quê hương!
Ta đã đi, đã sống, đã đau buồn
Tay ta đã lau máu thù, máu bạn.
Rồi vận nước rơi vào mùa khổ nạn
Bọn chúng mình, tan tác cánh chim muông
Đứa ngục tù, vượt biển, trước tai ương
Nhưng trời vẫn thương những thằng tốt bụng
Trong gian lao tinh thần ta vẫn vững
Xóa cuộc cờ làm lại với tay không
Sau cơn mưa trời lại sáng tươi hồng
Và ta sống vui những ngày còn lại.
Nhưng bạn ơi, tháng năm rồi cũng phải
Quay trở về với cát bụi hư không
Ta lính Dù, ta nhảy saut cuối cùng
Từ xứ lạ ta rơi về đất mẹ.
Hai bạn đi rồi, mình tôi cô lẻ
Cũng mang dù gọn ghẽ đứng chờ phiên...
[Trang Châu, Montreal 29.09.2020]
THE LAST JUMP
In memory of Trần Đoàn and Đoàn Văn Bá
The three of us, the three guys from Huế
We grew up in the shades of poincianas of the old royal capital city
We bathed in the waters of the Perfume river;
We breathed in the winds of Ngự Bình mountain
Two of us from Nam Giao, the third from Vỹ Dạ.
Living in the times of guns displacing firecrackers
Ours ears grew deaf totally immune to fears
We remained care-free and became military doctors
hugging our parachutes,with peace in mind we jumped
We marched through deep forests ,marshy ponds and swamps
Alas,those were the days of fire and blood in our homeland
We had gone through those days, had lived and had sorrows
had wiped out from our hands the blood of foes and friends.
Then fatefully trials and tribulations befell our nation
The three of us got dispersed like birds’s wings in the sky
Hit by disaster, we either got thrown in jail or escaped by sea
Fortunately the Proviđence had pity on men of good heart
Inside of prisons however we kept our spirit high
we erased the old chess game and started anew with empty hands
After rainy days the sky is fresh and rosy again
And in our remaining years we are living happy days.
Alas, dear friends with months and years passing by
Then one day, one has to return to dust and void
As airborne soldiers we will make our last jump
From a foreign place to fall back in our motherland.
Two of us had departed and being the lone survivor
Neatly ready with my gear I wait for my turn to jump...
TRANG CHÂU
Montréal, September 29/2020
Translated by ĐẶNG-VŨ VƯƠNG
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Picture 9: The two red berets who made the “Last Jump” of their lives, Red Beret Trần Đoàn [01.06.2017 ] and Red Beret Đoàn Văn Bá [14.09.2020]. [private collection: Nguyễn Mậu Trinh, Trần Tấn Phát]
A PERSONAL NOTE ABOUT RED BERET ĐOÀN VĂN BÁ
Though I was not a member of the Paratroop Military Medical Corps, I was for a long time a friend of Trần Đoàn and Trang Châu. We were all working with the Medical School’s Magazine Tình Thương during the period of 1963 – 1967. In the case of Đoàn Văn Bá, we were schoolmates at the Medical School and kept our personal relationship going long afterward. I appreciate Bá for his “craziness” meaning his extreme straight talk and sincerity. After 1975, the two of us shared the same experience living in several communist reeducation camps. Our ways again crossed in New York during our “back to school days” studying to become qualified to practice medicine. We met then drifted apart for a decade or so yet still remained close and dear friends. Learning of his passing away, I felt the urge to write about him. I found an old picture and few emails we wrote each other, just over a year ago. I wish to write down the experience I shared with Red Beret Đoàn Văn Bá.
California, May 26, 2019,
Dear Đoàn Văn Bá, the last time I met you was in New York when both of us were reliving our “back to school days.” Since then more than a quarter of a century has gone by. Recently, while preparing to wrap up my book “Tuyển Tập Nghiêm Sỹ Tuấn”, by coincidence, I came upon a picture of the two of us. I would like to send it to you. Then I read the article by Trần Đoàn mentioning you and your nickname “Crazy Bá / Bá Điên” or "the man for difficult situations / l' homme des situations difficiles." I very much would like to get in touch with you. Through Trần Đoàn’s wife, I obtain your eMail. This is my first email, so do let me know if you receive it. Please give me your address Bá I’d like to send you a copy of “Tuyển Tập YSTT Nghiêm Sỹ Tuấn”, your paratrooper buddy and 1965 classmate who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Battle of Khe Sanh 1968. At that time, Nghiêm Sỹ Tuấn was only 31. I still remember, after three years of Residency IM, you went on to train for two more years in Nephrology. We lost contact when I returned to California...…
And I received Đoàn Văn Bá’s reply on the same day May 26, 2019,
Dear Vinh, I received your Mail, very happy we are able to reestablish contact with each other. Thanks a lot for the picture of the two of us. This is my address … Home phone … and Cell… Please give me your phone.
…
And only five days later on June 1, 2019, Bá wrote: I received "Y sĩ Tiền Tuyến Nghiêm Sỹ Tuấn"; I sincerely thank you Vinh.
Throughout that time I kept up with news about Bá. I learned he had some issue with his health. The news that he has left us was not a surprise for me still I felt “cheated” and grieved. This article is a memorial personally addressed to Đoàn Văn Bá and at the same time a condolence to Mrs Bá, the children, and the entire family of the Paratroop Military Medical Corps.
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Picture 10: The bright smiles on Red Beret Đoàn Văn Bá (right) and Green Beret Ngô Thế Vinh during our meeting in Brooklyn, New York 1989 during the “back to school days” (left); Book cover of “TT YSTT Nghiêm Sỹ Tuấn, Người Đi Tìm Mùa Xuân” (right). [private collection Ngô Thế Vinh]
ĐOÀN VĂN BÁ: a soldier, a leader, a doctor – In all situations, Bá always stood at the frontline. He was a source of inspiration and trust to those who knew him.
NGÔ THẾ VINH
New York 1988 – Virginia 2020
Reference:
1/ Angels, in Red Hats: Paratroopers of the Second Indochina War, by Command Sergent, Harmony House Pub Louisville, 1st Edition, August 1, 1995
2/ Bibliographie des Thèses de Médecine, Hanoi 1935-1954, Saigon 1947-1970; par Nguyễn Đức Nguyên, Université de Saigon, Centre d’ Éducation Médicale, Bibliothèque 1972
3/ Mũ Đỏ Trần Đoàn YST TĐ2 ND Viết về Nghiêm Sỹ Tuấn. YSTT Nghiêm Sỹ Tuấn Người Đi Tìm Mùa Xuân, TSYS Việt Nam Canada & Việt Ecology Press 2019
4/ Dr. Doan Retiring After 26 years of Service
Spectrum Healthcare Resources
5 / Phân Ưu: Y Sĩ Thiếu Tá Đoàn Văn Bá
https://www.nguoi-viet.com/phan-uu/bac-si-doan-ba/
