Raymond T. Baza was born in Mangilao, Guam and grew up in Sinajana. He served in the US Army Psychological Operations from 1969-1972. In 1975, he played a key role during Operation New Life in Guam. 


Lee T. Baza was born in Đà Lạt, Vietnam. She joined the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to find her parents, who had been killed by the Việt Cộng in 1965. While she initially cut her hair and pretended to be a man to enlist, she later grew out her hair and served as a nurse for the ARVN. During her service, she was shot in the leg but survived. She and Raymond remember watching trees burn as they were sprayed with Agent Orange during the war. During Operation New Life, she worked as a translator for incoming Vietnamese refugees. She and Raymond recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary and currently live in Mangilao. 

During his tour, Raymond worked with the Indigenous Highlanders (người Thượng) that had been targeted by the Việt Cộng for their collaboration with the US military. One day in 1969, while flying to Đông Hà, Raymond’s chopper came under fire, so he and his fellow soldiers leapt out in search of safety. Unfortunately, Raymond landed on a bungee stick which went right through his foot. He was found by an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) scouting party, which included a nurse named Lee. Motivated by the death of her parents, who had been killed by the Việt Cộng in 1965, Lee T. Baza had served as an ARVN nurse for eight months before she met Raymond and nursed him back to health. It was love at first sight. After three weeks, however, Raymond had to leave Lee and return to his Army base. 

 Raymond and Lee didn’t meet again until five or six months later in Đà Nẵng. However, that first meeting had left an impression. When Lee saw Raymond again, she knew then it was love. He recognized her too, and pulled her hair affectionately and asked her to pack a bag and come away with him. Lee had to go back to serve in the field, but when she returned to Đà Nẵng Raymond was still there, waiting for her.  

Lee and Raymond were married in Sài Gòn on July 1, 1971 by a military chaplain and a Vietnamese priest. After their honeymoon, they left Vietnam on August 15, 1971. On the Pan Am jet to Guam, Lee was the sole Vietnamese woman surrounded by hundreds of US soldiers.  Raymond remembers suffering from the effects of Agent Orange on the flight: he had to ask a flight attendant for a napkin because his teeth were falling out due to the poisons he was exposed to in Vietnam. 

When Lee first arrived in Guam, she noted its similarities to Vietnam. The jungles surrounding Anderson Air Force Base reminded her of the jungles in Vietnam, and initially this caused fearful tears: a too-soon reminder of the war violence she had witnessed in Vietnam as a nurse. Not long after their arrival, Raymond was deployed to Germany and Lee stayed behind in Guam with Raymond’s relatives, forming a cross-racial family brought together by the Vietnam.  

In April 1975, Raymond was invited by Admiral George Steve Morrison to help organize volunteers and translators to assist the Vietnamese refugees. Raymond tapped into his network of about ten CHamoru veterans who had married Vietnamese women. When the first plane of refugees landed at Anderson Air Force Base, Raymond and the volunteers logged names, directed refugees to the food and clothing stations, and made sure they got on the right bus headed for Camp Asan, Orote Point, or Tumon Heights. Lee translated for the Vietnamese refugees, helped exchange money, assuaged fears about displacement, and explained the resettlement process. During the height of Operation New Life, she worked twenty-four-hour days, attending to the planes that arrived at all hours. 

Over the course of these interactions, the Baza couple developed close relationships with the Vietnamese refugees. When a refugee died, Raymond felt the loss personally and would accompany the family to Guam’s Naval cemetery for burial. During Operation New Life, the Bazas sponsored six Vietnamese refugee children and serve as godparents for several others. Together, they contributed much during both Vietnam War and Operation New Life. ​​