My name is Dan Banks. I was in Vietnam in '68 and '69. I was in the Army with B Company, first and sixty-first infantry. On my tour in Vietnam there was Vietnamese Scout in my squad, who I knew as Nea, we spent a lot of time together. It was only after I had returned home, after many years, that I really realized how much he really meant to me.

So in '98 I returned to Vietnam in February, I went to Quang Tri hoping to find Nea, or someone who knew about Nea. Everyone was anxious to help me and in my search for Nea I spoke to a Vietnamese who told he was an NVA Lieutenant Colonel. He invited me into his home, we had tea and he introduced me to his family. We spoke a lot about the war. He told me that he thought my searching for Nea was a very special thing, which made me feel good about that. We had our picture taken together, he asked me to write him. And as I was leaving I shook his hand to say goodbye he kissed me on the cheek.

After the visit I felt that even if I didn't find Nea this has made my trip worthwhile. Then I flew to Saigon. A couple days later I found Nea and his family. And they're really poor and it's unbelievable how they live. After fighting in a war for 10 years Nea was put in prison for 5 years. I'm the first American he has spoken to since the war. Some of the things that Nea told me about his feelings about the war really hit home. I wanted to speak to Nea alone about the war but he told me he wanted his son to be there, so he could learn about the war. He said he'd never told any of his family about his life during the war. He also said he wanted his son to hear all these stories so he could tell the rest of his family. Some of the things Nea said to the interpreter about the war brought tears to their eyes and mine also.

Finally, when I returned to the states a vet friend of mine said that he thought a trip to Vietnam would be like a nightmare. But for me I feel the trip that helped me step out my nightmare. And to know the simplest things in life are the most rewarding was a great discovery for me.