Menu

Weimar California transition camp circa 1975.

Post new topic

lynnscustom57

Did you spend any time in Weimar California (1975) ?? It was a transition camp to aclimate our allies that were lucky enough to get out of Vietnam back then. There was a young man around my age(17) who had a thru and thru chest wound from shrapnel. He would be 65 or older now. Anyway my parents would drive to Weimar and pick up several men( never women) in their Gmc carryall  and take them places and show them around. The grocery store was a real cultural shock from the type of market in Vietnam. I rode my motorcycle to Rollins lake and met my folks and several Vietnamese men there for BBQ and swimming.after shucking down to my shorts and going off the “suicide swing”,a rope swing that if you didn’t let go you hit the tree on the backswing.I’m standing there in my skivies with a plate of BBQ, I asked one of the men what did you do in Vietnam? He replied “ I was the mayor of a city 4 times the size of Sacramento” I asked another “ I was a general of an army “ … I’m a red faced kid in wet skivies.  Ha ha

See also

Living in Vietnam: the expat guideAny Restaurateur' here Saigon/HCMC I could pick your brain?Advice on making friends and connections prior to moving to VN?loving a Vietnamese girlAm I really a bad teacher? Or is something up?
Julien

What's the point of this message?

I just don't get it.

How can we help?

THIGV

Julien wrote:

What's the point of this message?

I just don't get it.

How can we help?


Networking perhaps? (as categorized by the Forum structure)

Guest2023

THIGV wrote:
Julien wrote:

What's the point of this message?

I just don't get it.

How can we help?


Networking perhaps? (as categorized by the Forum structure)


Strange networking.

SimCityAT

THIGV wrote:
Julien wrote:

What's the point of this message?

I just don't get it.

How can we help?


Networking perhaps? (as categorized by the Forum structure)


The poster had actually posted the same post 3 times under different categories including visas and transportation. It made no sense other than spamming.

THIGV

colinoscapee wrote:
THIGV wrote:
Julien wrote:

What's the point of this message?

I just don't get it.

How can we help?


Networking perhaps? (as categorized by the Forum structure)


Strange networking.


I had the impression that the OP was hoping that someone who he knew from the relocation camp might see what he wrote and contact him.  That seems to me to be a valid use of the forum, but still a very long shot.  The adults who were a mayor and a general were likely a type of hard core anti-communists who fly Republican yellow flags on holidays and refuse to even visit Vietnam today.  That type does not seem to be on this forum as they have no interest in living in Vietnam.   In all likelihood would be in their 80's or 90's now anyway.  The young boy with a hole in his chest may have survived but probably had his life foreshortened.  I had a friend who died only about a decade ago from shrapnel that he was still carrying from his time as a US Navy Seabee in Vietnam.  Serious wounds like that tend to cut life expectancy.

THIGV

SimCityAT wrote:

. It made no sense other than spamming.


Doesn't spamming imply that you have something to sell?  As to posting in other categories, it is more likely ignorance than ill intent.

Guest2023

THIGV wrote:
colinoscapee wrote:
THIGV wrote:


Networking perhaps? (as categorized by the Forum structure)


Strange networking.


I had the impression that the OP was hoping that someone who he knew from the relocation camp might see what he wrote and contact him.  That seems to me to be a valid use of the forum, but still a very long shot.  The adults who were a mayor and a general were likely a type of hard core anti-communists who fly Republican yellow flags on holidays and refuse to even visit Vietnam today.  That type does not seem to be on this forum as they have no interest in living in Vietnam.   In all likelihood would be in their 80's or 90's now anyway.  The young boy with a hole in his chest may have survived but probably had his life foreshortened.  I had a friend who died only about a decade ago from shrapnel that he was still carrying from his time as a US Navy Seabee in Vietnam.  Serious wounds like that tend to cut life expectancy.


Maybe so, but its not clear what he wants as he didnt state anything. Seems that he was reliving that time. Not sure if I would go to a networking event using his formula.

CHN90

Hmm, I didn’t know there was a California “transition camp” in Weimar but I was in the refugee camp in Southern California (US Marine Camp Pendleton). I do miss the shit on the shingle for breakfast :-).

OceanBeach92107

lynnscustom57 wrote:

Did you spend any time in Weimar California (1975) ?? It was a transition camp to aclimate our allies that were lucky enough to get out of Vietnam back then. There was a young man around my age(17) who had a thru and thru chest wound from shrapnel. He would be 65 or older now. Anyway my parents would drive to Weimar and pick up several men( never women) in their Gmc carryall  and take them places and show them around. The grocery store was a real cultural shock from the type of market in Vietnam. I rode my motorcycle to Rollins lake and met my folks and several Vietnamese men there for BBQ and swimming.after shucking down to my shorts and going off the “suicide swing”,a rope swing that if you didn’t let go you hit the tree on the backswing.I’m standing there in my skivies with a plate of BBQ, I asked one of the men what did you do in Vietnam? He replied “ I was the mayor of a city 4 times the size of Sacramento” I asked another “ I was a general of an army “ … I’m a red faced kid in wet skivies.  Ha ha


This is a great story, but I join with the others wondering about your intent in posting here in the Vietnam forum on EXPAT.

This is a forum for all foreigners interested in Vietnam or living there, plus any local Vietnamese citizens looking to be of help to those foreigners.

You actually might stand a better chance of connecting with Vietnamese people living in the USA by posting in the USA forum; maybe in the California sub forum, making sure to put the word Vietnamese in the post heading.

This website is very careful about something called "host nation sensitivity", so we don't tell war stories in the Vietnam forum, and there are elements of your post (highlighted by me) that might violate Host Nation sensitivity (that's up to admin, not me).

Good luck with finding the best place to reach out to your intended audience.

Aidan in HCMC

Julien wrote:

What's the point of this message?
I just don't get it.
How can we help?


colinoscapee wrote:

Maybe so, but its not clear what he wants as he didnt state anything. Seems that he was reliving that time. Not sure if I would go to a networking event using his formula.


I think the OP was wondering whether any on the forum spent time in Weimar, CA circa 1975. Apparently it was a transition camp for VN American allies.

lynnscustom57 wrote:

Did you spend any time in Weimar California (1975) ?? It was a transition camp to aclimate our allies that were lucky enough to get out of Vietnam back then.

Articles to help you in your expat project in Vietnam

  • Dating In Vietnam
    Dating In Vietnam

    If you're considering moving to Hanoi, or Ho Chi Minh City, the dating scene may be of interest to you. ...

  • Making phone calls in Vietnam
    Making phone calls in Vietnam

    The telecommunications sector in Vietnam has flourished throughout the past two decades. Like many foreigners, ...

  • Moving to Vietnam with your pet
    Moving to Vietnam with your pet

    If you are planning to move to Vietnam with a pet, there are a number of formalities that have to be completed ...

  • Driving in Vietnam
    Driving in Vietnam

    Vietnam is known for four categories of lush and diverse landscapes, and one of the easiest ways to see firsthand ...

  • Getting married in Vietnam
    Getting married in Vietnam

    Have you met that perfect someone who you want to spend the rest of your life with? Luckily, getting married in ...

  • Sports activities in Hanoi
    Sports activities in Hanoi

    We know there's a lot of attention on the drinking culture in Hanoi, but what about the options for a healthy ...

  • The most popular neighbourhoods in Hanoi
    The most popular neighbourhoods in Hanoi

    Formerly known as Thang Long, Vietnam's present capital city was renamed Hanoi in 1831. This enchanting, ...

  • Working in Vietnam
    Working in Vietnam

    Anyone thinking about working in Vietnam is in for a treat. Compared to many Western countries, Vietnam's ...

All of Vietnam's guide articles