It’s the rumor that refuses to die, and it’s bothering the heck out of the USS Midway Museum‘s marketing director.
The former aircraft carrier, now a museum, is planning a special exhibit for Black April. In 1975, when Saigon fell, the USS Midway played an instrumental role in Operation Frequent Wind, where from international waters the U.S. 7th Fleet received more than 50,000 Vietnamese fleeing the advancing communist forces.
It is therefore fitting, the museum’s management must have thought, that they put together an exhibit about Operation Frequent Wind, invite the Vietnamese-American community to be part of the organizing efforts, and make everyone happy.
And it does. The exhibit, to be held on April 30, is expected to draw a big crowd.
But then a rumor began surfacing that General Nguyen Cao Ky, former Prime Minister and then Vice-President of South Vietnam, was invited to speak as a special VIP guest. For going to live the remaining of his days in Vietnam, the 80-year-old Ky has been called a commie.
He wasn’t invited to speak. And the museum’s Marketing Director Scott McGaugh said so to Nguoi Viet Daily News (read here in Vietnamese). Other people also asked, and he said it again a March email, read here.
But apparently people weren’t listening. They kept asking and asking until, exhasperated, McGaugh hit back in an Apr. 26 email:
“I don’t understand why people do not believe the USS Midway Museum. …. With all due respect, it is disrespectful to the USS Midway Museum not to take us at our word by spreading or listening to such rumors.”
That very afternoon, Tuan Phan, a frequent contributor to the right-wing listservs, immediately said he didn’t believe McGaugh and called for a boycott. Read here in Vietnamese.
Said Phan, “Who can believe the Americans?” He accused the USS Midway of allegedly standing by while Chinese forces wrested the Paracel Islands from South Vietnam in 1974. And he called for a boycott.
The boycott will likely get no takers. But still, if this whole saga doesn’t make people think twice before doing something nice for the Vietnamese community, the Bolsavik doesn’t know what will.
(At least the Bolsavik now learns a nice way of saying, “You calling me a liar?”)
With all due respect, it is disrespectful to call the Museum organizers liars and be ungrateful for the sacrifices that the American soldiers made for us, that we might have a life of freedom and opportunity here.
I was almost 2 years old in 1975 when we left, and was a recipient of Operation Frequent Wind. Anything short of “thank you for all the great things you did do for us” is inappropriate behavior, especially from the adults in our community.
Some people believed whatever they want to believe and no matter how much explanation you give them, they still wouldn’t comprehend. When you combine the stubborness and the ignorances together, what do you get? COMMUNISM !!!
I was listening to a live radio broadcasting of this event on Little Saigon Radio during lunch around 12:35 PM today. I was very impressed and happy listening different telling stories. For Tuan Pham, he should move SOUTH accross the border if he does not trust or believe America/American people. He should also change his name to Tuan Pham de la Ignorance.
Hint: Cuba is still a communist country and here is their National Anthem: Row row your boat! down to America!
Tuan, when you said ” Ai tin noi My” then you should said to yourself ” Vay thi minh o day de lam cai quai gi? “. This is a free country, unlike Viet Nam, you’re welcome to leave anytime you want. If you don’t believe in the American, don’t live in America.
Tuan Pham sounded like a VC’s agent provocateur.
tuan pham is obviously working for the VC.
The real threat for Vietnamese Americans now is this kind of deceitful and delutional extremism. Symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia.
I say we deport that moron Tuan Phan to Mexico and Art Pedroza to Vietnam.
Art can swim inside the large boiling pho pot.
Since the Vietnamese community (Interfaith Council to be exact) decided to get involve in politics (just because they couldn’t stop the gays from marching down bolsa), this community is more divided now then ever. They have a problem with gays and lesbians but they have no problem with a crook and CON ARTIST like BRUCE TRAN? That amazes me! Just wait and see, this Bruce Tran will be the Vietnamese community”s worse nightmare. Then you got Khanh Ken Nguyen as your Vice present, not just
CON ARTIST but a veteran one…. hilarious!!! This will drive all the young, talented Vietnamese Americans out of Little Saigon!!! No body want to be identified with a bunch of croonies and thugs in this town. Talk about extremist!!!
I personally know Bruce Tran and his girlfriend. While his girlfriend is a good decent person, Bruce is a hot tempered foul mouthed crooked sleezeball. His face reminds me of disgraced governor of Illinois Rod Blogogovich.
Good decent people usually do not attract to low life scumbags! To be attract to that type of people they usually have to have something similar.
Just Asking, I agree with you… which is to say that if Bruce Tran is a loud mouth POS, then his girlfriend would be something similar.
His girlfriend Tiffany is no angel. Believe me. She’s a total bitch! Very cocky, uneducated, low lives and together they make a perfect team of dirty scoundrels!!!
She’s already telling her employees to refer to him as Mr. Mayor and her as Mrs. Mayor!!! They are so sure they could use their dirty money (money they stole and robbed from other people like Quoc Thai) to win this election against Margie Rice.
If this community elect him to be Mayor then I guess this community deserve what’s coming to them then.
The reason we don’t see too many female politicians because it takes too much time to put makeup on two faces. So, don’t judge a woman by the look. And Bruce Tran’s girlfriend? She still has the marks from the ten-foot poles. Not even with mine. Let’s say, y’know, they are like Bonnie and Clyde.
Look, Bruce is an evil idiot instead of an evil genius. As his “popularity” with the video clip grew, his behavior became increasingly bizarre. He apparently began to believe his own “tough guys” action. On the set of his TV station, he demanded Janet to apologize for splitting Black April.
Not likely!
As reported by Nguoi Viet, 700 people attended Janet’s ceremony, second only to few thousands at USS Midway.
Oh, the “winning side”, they’re mad as hell. Thank goodness for Viagra. That’s not my way to get the blood circulated.
And here’s to you. Mrs. Chairman
People love you more than you will know
(Wo, wo, wo …)
God bless you please, Mrs Chairman
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
(Hey, hey, hey …)
BRUCE TRAN IS A TOTAL DUMB ASS WHO THINKS HE’S ALL THAT!!! AND WE HAVE QUITE A FEW OF THOSE BUT NO ONE COME CLOSE TO THIS CON ARTIST WHO CALLED HIMSELF BRUCE TRAN.
THEN HE TRIED TO PUT ON THAT FAKE BRITISH ACCENT, I NEVER KNEW THAT WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO UNTIL HE SAID THAT IT’S HIS “ENGLISH ACCENT” AND HE GOT IT FROM? HE CLAIMED HE’S LIVED THERE? YEAH RIGHT!!! HE WOULDN’T LAST A DAY IN LONDON. THEY WOULDNT TOLERATE DIRTY SCOUNDRELS LIKE HIM, CHANCES ARE, IF HE’S IN LONDON THEN HE MUST HAVE BEEN IN JAIL OR SOMETHING.
F#@!EN IDIOT!!! THIS COMMUNITY HAS MADE A MOCKERY OUT OF THEMSELVES FOR FIGHTING OVER BLACK APRIL.
THIS BRUCE CHARACTER WILL LATCH ON THIS ISSUE FOR AS LONG AS HE COULD BECAUSE IF HE DOESN’T, WHAT ELSE IS HE TO DO TO KEEP HIMSELF IN THE LIME LIGHT..
THE IDIOT BRUCE IS BEING USED BY PEOPLE WHO WANTS TO BRING DOWN JANET AND DOESNT EVEN KNOW IT. hE THINKS HE’S ALL THAT!!!
i’ve seen that crazy video (not intentionally) of Bruce Tran screaming at Frank Fry and Andy Quack, all I could say is, “dr. jackyl and Mr. Hyde”.
what an ugly community this has become!!! i am ashame to be a part of this. I am so ready to move out of here and be a part of the bigger melting pot where we just call ourselves AMERICAN and proud of it.