by Admin
Come celebrate with me Saigon Kids™. We have 3 events to celebrate today!
Celebration 1
It’s my 75th birthday. Yep, it was at 5:54 p.m. 75 years ago today ol’ Doc Grant held me upside down by the heels and slapped me on the butt (that’s the way they welcomed newborn’s to the world back then) and I took my first breath and screamed my first vocal sounds.
WOW! Where has 3/4’s of a Century gone?! The time just seems to have passed at the speed of light. But, what a journey it’s been. The people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, the sights I’ve seen, the experiences I’ve had, and the memories I’ve made … totally awesome!
So come celebrate with me my 7 1/2 decades of life and the journey it has taken me on.
The journey continues. I know not to where. But, I do know I’ll continue to *do it my way* just as I’ve always done. Otherwise I wouldn’t be a rebel and contrarian and life would be really boring if I wasn’t.
Celebration 2
It was on this day 59 years ago I stepped off the Pan Am plane in Saigon. It was my 16th birthday. Click Here to read about my arrival.
Little did I know the awesome adventures Saigon had in store for me.
So let’s all celebrate our arrival in Saigon and bask in the special memories of our days in Saigon and the years that followed …
Celebration 3
It was 10 years ago today – that’s a decade, wow – I launched this website as a place for us all to gather, share the memories, keep in touch, keep up to date with each other, and to reconnect. Click Here to read the first Post.
Wow! Has it really been 10 years?! It seems like just yesterday.
I hope you all have found the site as enjoyable as I have bringing it to you.
Come celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the site with me.
May we share many many more years together as Saigon Kids™.
What a joyous day this is … let’s celebrate!!
Bob
Happy Birthday and congratulations on reaching a pretty darned significant milestone! And thanks for creating and maintaining this website so that we can reconnect with friends from our Saigon days.
Three cheers and good health!!!
Regards, Dave Burford, Saigon ’62-’65
Dave – Thank you for the B-Day wishes and kind words.
Bob
Happy 75th Birthday Bob and hope you have many more to come so you may continue to enjoy your adventures in life. I turned 75 in January, which was also the month 57 years ago when I had just turned 18 and arrived in Saigon via Military Air Transport. I returned for a second time in 2009 for the Saigon Kids Reunion and hope to return again in the near future. Thank you so much for all you have done to create and maintain this web site. Your are such a gem and I hope to meet you some day. I think we need to have a reunion in your state so we can all come thank you!
Ruth Matteson Blackmore
Ruth – We’re not really 75 … we’re 18 with 57 years of experience … 🙂
Happy belated Birthday to you, Ruth.
Our paths shall cross sometime soon.
Bob
Bob, may the next 75 be just as interesting as the first 75 have been.
Thanks to you, Bob, and to all the Saigon Kids for paving the way for those of us who arrived later. And thanks for sharing your memories so that the rest of us can hear what you experienced.
Mike McNally, Saigon, 1967-1975
Mike – Thank you! The next 75 are going to be even more interesting — 🙂
Bob
Happy Birthday! Bob!!
I didn’t realize the triple significance of the date! Thank you for starting the newsletter- I’ve really enjoyed it.
I’ll raise a glass to you today.
Karen
Karen – Thank you! Glad you’ve enjoyed the site.
Bob
Happy birthday, Bob, and thank you for all your hard work in creating and maintaining this website. You have brought a lot of people together, and we could use more of that kind of activity in this divided world.
Thanks Mike! I agree … Unite … don’t divide … 🙂
Bob
mahalo nui loa Bob for keeping us all involved with each other. it has been a great ten years.
hau’oli la hanau and wishes of aloha for many more!
sincerely, sarah
Mahalo Sarah! The next 10 years will be even better. Live everyday with Aloha in your heart! 🙂
Bob
Indeed Bob, Thank you. We are a unique group in American History: Saigon’s Storied Old Guard American Kids of South East Asia’s Ancient Yore. Well, OK! Recent Yore.
Chip, Saigon ’58-’07
😀
Chip – Thank you. I agree we are unique … putting it mildly LOL — 🙂
Bob
Happy 75th Birthday, Bob!
Thank you for sharing your memories with everyone on your special day. I wish you all the very best, all the joy you can ever have, and may you be blessed today, tomorrow, and the days to come.
Huong
Thank you Huong! May your days be filled with many many blessings!
Bob
Happiest of Birthdays to you! Seventy Five sounds pretty young to me these days!
Bless you for the energy you have given for this website to be successful. It has brought us all much joy and many reconnections to past friendships.
Merci Beaucoup, Bob! and Happy Birthday!
Suellen
Suellen – Yeah, seems the older we get the younger the years sound … LOL. Thank you for your Merci Beaucoup … 🙂
Bob
What a joy to be around all of you. Congratulations. We are fortunate to have had great experiences in Saigon and are one of the few in the world to do so. I shall always have fond memories of the two years I lived there. Carol
Carl … Yes, we are very fortunate to have shared the Saigon experience!
Bob
Happy Birthday, Bob. What an interesting trifecta! I was a little behind you in most respects, it was only 58 years ago that I stepped off the Pan Am, and I was only 8, but we have some similar experiences, I’m sure.
Thanks for running this site and keeping us all up to date, refreshing our memories, and even filling in gaps in our history. I’ve learned things here that I never knew, or only heard rumors of, long ago.
Congratulations and Thanks again!
Thanks George! I know what you mean about learning things I never knew and filling in history gaps … most interesting though.
Bob
Happy Birthday to you, Bob. It’s all too hard to imagine, I know. Thank you so much for keeping us in touch all these years. Loved that Pan Am travel. “58. Bootsie
Thanks Bootsie! Yeppers Pan Am travel rocked back in the day … lol … 🙂
Bob
Happy birthday, Bob! I hope you enjoyed a beautiful spring day and celebrated. Best wishes for the coming year. Remember when 75 used to sound old? I’m 72 now but in my mind I am 35. It might be the same for you.
Cathie – Yes, I feel like 18! LOL … now if my body would understand that too … HA HA HA! 🙂
Thank you for your good wishes!
Bob
Bob – I realize I’m echoing what many have already said. However, you deserve it! Its been awesome to have this site & I REALLY appreciate your continuing work on it. As someone said – its also provided info that I previously didn’t have.
Your post today makes me want to find out when exactly I arrived in Saigon – I honestly don’t know except for the year (1962) and depending when in the yr :-), I was 10 or 11.
Internet hugs to you.
PS – when you have a second, how goes the fight with cancer?
Laurie — Thank you for your kind words. Let us know when you figure out your arrival date … 🙂
Bob
PS: I’ll be posting an update on my health shortly. Waiting on results of tests completed last week before updating everyone. Brace yourself, it’s been a wild ride … 🙂
It is still your birthday here in California – so happy happy Life day to you! And thank you so much for keeping this website going. Really for starting it and keeping all these wonderful things fresh in our minds from our awesome adventures in Vietnam.
Pan Am totally rocked! Our family got upgraded to first class for part of our trip there!! May health blessings to you…
Susan
Susan – Thank you for your wishes and blessings. Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed the site … 🙂
Bob
Bob, you have such interesting ways of celebrating your birth day–First being born, second embarking on your Saigon adventure, and third sharing a forum of memories for all the Saigon kids. Proud to celebrate with you. Sending you loads of good wishes and healthful thoughts!
Thank you for your good wishes, Kathy! 🙂
Bob
I was just thinking of a custom when people give away gifts to others to celebrate their birthdays. You have celebrated your birthday by giving us the gift of the Saigon Kids site every time you post and every time one of us responds.
Not everyone has a clear memory of their time in Saigon, but by sharing, we have the opportunity of remembering a little bit more. Thank you for your birthday gifts to us!
Your welcome, Kathy. Glad you’re enjoying the gifts – 🙂
Bob
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB & THANKS FOR DOING SO MUCH TO KEEP THE SAIGON KIDS TOGETHER. I THINK THE OLDER WE GET, THE MORE MEANINGFUL THIS WEB SITE BECOMES.
Thank you, Mike! *In the end, all we are left with is our memories* – 🙂
Bob