"FRIENDS OF HOA KHANH CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL"
ROBERT (BOB) SODE
July 4, 2020 (Thank you, Bob, for sharing your memories)
I volunteered to serve a second tour in Vietnam to work full time at the hospital with the Marines Civic Action group. I ran all the odd jobs at the hospital, driving the blood samples to the naval medical testing lab near hill 327 daily; also did the laundry service, picked up and delivered the daily meals from the mess hall for the kids, and I drove the ambulance.
I now live in Hue, Vietnam and do charity magic shows all over Vietnam and Asia, and yesterday I was in Hoa Khanh, Vietnam at the sight of where the hospital was. Now there is a new hospital there and half of the wooden statue of the two kids is still there. The boy is missing but the girl figure still remains.
I now live in Hue, Vietnam and do charity magic shows all over Vietnam and Asia, and yesterday I was in Hoa Khanh, Vietnam at the sight of where the hospital was. Now there is a new hospital there and half of the wooden statue of the two kids is still there. The boy is missing but the girl figure still remains.
July, 2020 - message from Bob with photos, past and present.
Brian,
Hey, I don't know if you remember, but I was the Marine that worked with you and the other personnel at the hospital the same years as you, 1968 & 69.
I first got involved with the hospital in Oct 1967 when I was asked to perform a magic show at the hospital. From that point on I was a volunteer worker there and I was on the Marine volunteer group that helped in the construction of the new hospital.
I was a radio operator and when my tour was about to end in 1968 I extended my tour to be reassigned to the Civic Action Unit and to be assigned to the hospital full time.
Here are a few photos and memories from that time:
Hey, I don't know if you remember, but I was the Marine that worked with you and the other personnel at the hospital the same years as you, 1968 & 69.
I first got involved with the hospital in Oct 1967 when I was asked to perform a magic show at the hospital. From that point on I was a volunteer worker there and I was on the Marine volunteer group that helped in the construction of the new hospital.
I was a radio operator and when my tour was about to end in 1968 I extended my tour to be reassigned to the Civic Action Unit and to be assigned to the hospital full time.
Here are a few photos and memories from that time:
- The middle pic was my 20th birthday party that was held in the old building. This was taken when I was just a part time volunteer.
- The third photo was taken when Gen. Chapman visited the hospital. I believe that was the day we moved from the old building to the new building. Little did I know while shaking his hand that a few years later I would be his personal photographer stationed at Marine Barracks, 8 & I St., Washington, DC.
- Photos 4 & 5 - In 2016 I got involved with "Magic Brothers World", a charity organization providing free charity magic shows for underprivileged children in orphanages, refugee centers, children hospitals and other venues such as schools. I started with them in Bangkok, then to Malaysia, and in Nov 2017 was able to obtain a 1 year visa to Vietnam, exactly 50 years after doing my first magic act in Vietnam, which I had done in an orphanage in Da Nang in 1967. Pics 3 & 4 are from that show.
- During the past 2 1/2 years I have based my branch of the Magic Brothers World here in Hue and have taken our shows to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.
- Things were going great until March (2020) when everything came to a halt due to COVID19. But now things are getting somewhat back to normal, which brings me to the events that happened a couple days ago and the Hoa Khanh Children's Hospital.
- I am now also affiliated with an organization out of Hoi An, "One Kid One Smile". We did a show at a hospital in Da Nang Thursday, and Gregory said that the next day we were having a meeting at another hospital and he would send me the address later.
- The next day he sent me the address, and it was a hospital in Hoa Khanh ( I was stunned). I had read that the original hospital had been torn down in 2004 and turned into an industrial park, and I had no idea that there was a hospital in that area.
- Two days ago our team met up at the hospital for a meeting with the staff. At the end of the meeting I asked the head person if he or anyone there knew anything about the Children's Hospital from 53 years ago and he said, yes, and how did I know about it. I told him that I helped build the foundation of the hospital and was involved with the hospital from 1967-1969. I then pulled out my phone and showed him some photos I had of the old hospital, the 120 bed hospital, and I showed him a pic of the wood statue of the two kids that used to be in a hallway in the building.
- It turns out that this current hospital was built on the same ground that our hospital was on, and not only that but the wooden statue still existed, or I should say, half of it still exists. Only the girl. The boy figure is missing.
- Picture 7 is a photo of the main building. The building behind the hospital that is on the same land as ours.
- Pictures 8 & 9 are of the entrance, taken from both the outside (pic 8) and inside (pic 9) the compound.
- This is the same location that it was when we were there.
- Pictures 10 & 11 of me with the statue of the girl and one of the statue alone.
Anyway, I thought you would like getting this update. I and the team will be doing a show for the kids at the hospital in the near future, and will keep you up to date, if you don't mind.
Take care,
Robert (Cpl) Sode
Take care,
Robert (Cpl) Sode
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