Ngoc Minh Le
Ngoc Minh Le left Vietnam and was processed in Guam during Operation New Life when she was nine years old. As an adult, she has been a longtime advocate for the empowerment of Asian and Vietnamese communities in the US. She was a founding Board member of Asian American LEAD, a non-profit organization which supports low income and underserved Asian American youth. Le also served on the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs during the O’Malley administration. Currently, she is a member of the Kennedy Center Community Advisory Board and Advisory Council member of AALEAD. She owns her own business as an Empowerment/Business Coach, helping to empower women in business, civic engagement, and their personal lives. Ngoc Minh Le is married and has two children. She also has a friendly dog called Tabasco. Here are some of her reflections about her time on Guam.
"We left Subic Bay on a military plane: one of those that opens up its rear rather than having doors on the side like commercial jets. I had never been on an airplane before, but I have seen them on TV – the commercial ones, so I knew this was different. For starters, instead of rows of seats, there were two benches facing each other and our family piled in, with nine of us taking a good amount of the space on one bench. The seat belts attached to the walls, so we were belted in by our parents.
I didn’t remember much about the landing, but we were eventually bused to a resort that seemed to have been taken over for the use of refugee processing. I was excited that we were actually given beds instead of cots and we had actual rooms. I think our family was given two or three rooms for the nine of us, so though crowded, we thought this was heaven!
The food was very good as well. Much better than in Subic Bay. We had ice cream almost every day of the week! My siblings and I were very happy with this added perk.
We celebrated our first 4th of July in Guam. I remembered the preparations the soldiers made for the celebration. The energy and excitement! There was fried chicken and hotdogs handed out and you could get as much as you like. There was also ice cream of course! At night, there were fireworks!
The most distinctive memory I have of Guam is the beach near the resort. We could go swimming there and it was so much fun! Often there would be movies shown outdoors and we would sit on the blanket or just on the grass amongst the other refugees. I remembered one movie where people would turn into snakes. It gave me nightmares for quite a few days. I think Guam was overrun by snakes at some point, and to this nine-year-old, it made perfect sense.
In Guam, we had more comfort, so it lent a bit more normalcy. My mother sold her jewelry in order to have money to take the weekly bus the camp allowed to go to a market in town. She would normally come back with basic medicine, vitamins, and treats for us. This act of being able to provide for the family also made the refugee experience feel more bearable. We were not at the complete mercy of the government.
When it was time to leave Guam, I was very sad but curious as to what the next adventure would hold. We were heading to Camp Pendleton, California next and getting ready to be resettled into an American community. That road ultimately took us to Baltimore County, Maryland, where our family has lived until the present day."
I didn’t remember much about the landing, but we were eventually bused to a resort that seemed to have been taken over for the use of refugee processing. I was excited that we were actually given beds instead of cots and we had actual rooms. I think our family was given two or three rooms for the nine of us, so though crowded, we thought this was heaven!
The food was very good as well. Much better than in Subic Bay. We had ice cream almost every day of the week! My siblings and I were very happy with this added perk.
We celebrated our first 4th of July in Guam. I remembered the preparations the soldiers made for the celebration. The energy and excitement! There was fried chicken and hotdogs handed out and you could get as much as you like. There was also ice cream of course! At night, there were fireworks!
The most distinctive memory I have of Guam is the beach near the resort. We could go swimming there and it was so much fun! Often there would be movies shown outdoors and we would sit on the blanket or just on the grass amongst the other refugees. I remembered one movie where people would turn into snakes. It gave me nightmares for quite a few days. I think Guam was overrun by snakes at some point, and to this nine-year-old, it made perfect sense.
In Guam, we had more comfort, so it lent a bit more normalcy. My mother sold her jewelry in order to have money to take the weekly bus the camp allowed to go to a market in town. She would normally come back with basic medicine, vitamins, and treats for us. This act of being able to provide for the family also made the refugee experience feel more bearable. We were not at the complete mercy of the government.
When it was time to leave Guam, I was very sad but curious as to what the next adventure would hold. We were heading to Camp Pendleton, California next and getting ready to be resettled into an American community. That road ultimately took us to Baltimore County, Maryland, where our family has lived until the present day."