Though the conclusion of the Battle of Đắk Tô gave our country an illusory glimpse of a light at the end of the tunnel, things took a much bleaker turn at the start of 1968. The Tet Offensive, which left the U.S. with the highest casualty count, was about to begin. Taking advantage of South Vietnam's declaration of truce during the country's New Year's Celebrations, North Vietnam, armed with 85,000 of their own troops as well as from their Southern allies, the Viet Cong, launched over 100 surprise attacks on South Vietnamese cities and villages and U.S. military bases. Not having fully recovered from the border battles, John and Kay found themselves in another intensive month-long battle. The death toll was sobering: 3,895 U.S. troops, 4,954 South Vietnamese troops, over 32,000 enemy soldiers and thousands of civilians. Approximately 12,000 U.S. troops were left wounded, some permanently. Our country today still feels the impact of what took place here during this short period of time.

One can only imagine the trust, bond and mutual care developed under these harsh wartime conditions, as the soldiers fought together in the trenches, had each other's backs, and remained wholly reliant upon one another. John describes Kay as "compassionate and brave." "He treated me after the battles and for jungle rot," John recalls. "We banded together as brothers. In this hostile jungle environment, we only had the help of each other to stay alive. We became one family." John witnessed Kay "saving many wounded men and tending to the needs of his platoons in the hostile environment."

"We banded together as brothers. In this hostile jungle environment, we only had the help of each other to stay alive. We became one family."

In between battles, Kay and John swapped stories about their backgrounds. Kay said some of his family was still in Hong Kong, but he had been living in San Francisco Chinatown. Both young men believed they were going to make it out. "I'm going to be a pharmacist when I get home," Kay declared. "Watch - My replacement is coming from the North," he joked, as China lies on the northern border of North Vietnam.

According to John Nordeen, Mr. Kay Lee should be approximately 70 years old now. Mr. Nordeen has been searching for him since their battalion started having reunions in or about 2000. Armed with only a name (and we aren't sure if the spelling is accurate) and approximate location, he has been reaching out to all the K. Lee's in San Francisco that he could find, cold-calling and having conversations that took him nowhere. I was probably his thousandth call. Moved by his efforts, I promised to help. "If you can locate him," he said in a voice slightly more frail than I imagine was in 1967, "my wife will be eternally grateful for an end to this madness." But what she perceives as madness (and understandably so), I viewed as a demonstration of humanity and friendship. After so many decades, Mr. Nordeen never forgot his friend.

It is also interesting for me to hear about Asian Americans in the military. Despite a recent sino-phobic atmosphere in San Francisco in part due to stories of corruption on the part of Senator Yee and other prominent members of the Chinatown community, this story hopefully can remind our society of the positive roles that Chinese-Americans played and continue to play in this country. Contrary to the oft-unspoken, underlying belief that Chinese-Americans are perpetual foreigners, we have, in fact, risked our lives to serve and protect this country as early as the War of 1812, the Civil War and World War I. I only hope that Mr. Lee has received the honor and respect that he deserves upon his return to San Francisco Chinatown after the war.

Having heard firsthand about Mr. Nordeen's and Mr. Lee's experiences in the Battle of Đắk Tô and the Tet Offensive, I am both humbled by their bravery and service to our country and saddened by what these two young men endured and had to take home. I'll end this with a short quote from my grandfather, Sek Wah Lee, a military strategist in the Phillippines who aided American soldiers in World War II:

"Human history is filled with war and peace cycles. To preserve peace, whether to avert war or to rehabilitate after war, a solution that contemplates the improvement of living conditions for both hostile sides is essential. A solution without this consideration is of no help to stop war and will breed another war. Social progression rests on the peaceful settlement of crisis."

Perhaps this is a philosophy we can apply to our current dealings with other countries as well as to daily conflicts we may face at home. As exemplified in the story of John and Kay, perhaps humanity, mutual care and friendship is the answer to a peaceful future.

If you are in contact with Mr. Kay Lee, are a relative, or otherwise know of his whereabouts, please feel free to contact us at (415) 371-9786. We will gladly put him in touch with Mr. Nordeen. For everyone else, please help us get the word out by using the share buttons below. Other descriptors: Approximate height: 5'4". Weight (in the photo): 130 lbs. Native of: Hong Kong, and then San Francisco Chinatown. Sense of humor: dry.

***********

[8/21/15 UPDATE: Mr. Lee and his family have been in touch with us, and we are in the process of reuniting the two friends. Mr. Lee is 70 years old, healthy and has continued to live an inspirational life right here in the Bay Area. His name is spelled "Kay" so we have gone ahead and made the edits. In less than a week's time, we have managed to reunite two long-lost friends. All of the credit goes to the many who shared this but in particular: the amazing Redditors, especially the Military Subreddit, who passed this article to thousands of readers just overnight, the APA Veterans Facebook Group, the We Grew Up In SF Chinatown Facebook Group, all the followers of Lowdown on Chinatown and my own friends and family.]

***********

[9/27/15 Reunion Update: See here!]

**********