My parents' indescribable struggles and imposed hardship, especially the experience of my father's fourteen-year imprisonment as a South Vietnamese POW, set a profound example of how one overcame adversity with fortitude, integrity, dignity, and unwavering faith. This book is not just a memoir; it is a history book that interweaves one person's account with a country's turbulent history, unfolding beyond its national context and into one of the darkest chapters of our twentieth century. We are forever grateful for our father's love and presence that we felt during the time of his absence, and for our mother's love, patience, and powerful endurance in such tough times