在越南的最後一天
在我們着手考慮撤退的時候
As we began to contemplate evacuation,
問題是 最迫在眉睫的問題是
the question, the burning question was,
誰先走
"Who goes,
並且誰要留下
and who gets left behind?"
我借了一輛卡車
I borrowed a truck
給我的家人也基本都通知了消息
and I basically sent the signal to my folks,
這就意味着一幫子少校
and this meant a group of South Vietnamese majors,
中校們 上校們和他們的家人
lieutenant colonels, colonels and their families
得集中在西貢市中心那兒
to muster at an address in downtown Saigon.
西貢 前南越首都 今胡志明市
我開車到那兒 他們把東西裝上上車
I drove down there, they loaded up onto the truck,
我載他們到空軍基地
and I drove them to the airbase.
並且我還告訴他們 當你聽到敲三下的時候
And I had told them, "When you hear three thumps,
就得把孩子的嘴護住
"that means hold the babies' mouths.
不要呼吸 不要說話 不要發出任何噪音
"Don't breathe, don't talk, don't make any noise
因爲我們要過門房♥那塊了
because we're going through the gatepost."
作爲美國陸軍部隊的上尉
I saluted in uniform
我身着制♥服♥向他們敬禮
as a captain of the United States Army.
門衛揮手讓我們通過
The guard waved me through,
我徑直開往停機線那
and I drove straight out to the flight line
一架飛機正在等待着
to an aircraft that was awaiting.
一個越南上校把家人放上飛機
One Vietnamese colonel that was putting his family on the plane,
他自己想繼續留下來保衛國家
he had wanted to stay in Vietnam to defend the country.
這個上校帶着八個孩子和一個妻子
And this full colonel had, like, eight kids and a wife.
他泣不成聲 家人們...
And he was in tears, the family...
家人們也泣不成聲
The family were in tears,
我對他說 上飛機吧
and I said to him, "Get on the plane.
快...走吧
"Just... go.
走吧
Go."
對每個人來說 那都是個令人極其難過 痛不欲生的
It was a terrible, terrible, terrible moral dilemma
道德困境
for everybody.
兩年前
我們今天簽署聲明 結束越戰
We today have concluded an agreement to end the war
把和平和尊嚴帶到越南
and bring peace with honor in Vietnam.
1973年一月 巴黎和平協約簽訂
該協定主張南北越之間停火 同時撤出美軍作戰部隊
我們已經通過了撤回
We have adopted a plan for the complete withdrawal
美軍地面打擊部隊的計劃
of all U.S. combat ground forces.
我們會把美國子民帶回家
We are finally bringing American men home.
簽署協議的我們
We who made the agreement
都認爲這將不是
thought that it would be the beginning
亨利·基辛格 美國國務卿
從美國意義來說和平的開始
not of peace in the American sense,
而是共存時期的開始
but the beginning of a period of coexistence
這就會像是韓朝兩國之間關係的演化
which might evolve as it did in Korea into two states.
南越 北越的關係也將會慢慢緩和
Reconciliation between North and South Vietnam
儘管這極其困難
we knew would be extremely difficult.
但我還是滿懷希望
But I was hopeful.
因爲巴黎合約的簽訂
Because of the Paris Agreement,
美國♥軍♥人得以回家
American soldiers were going home.
但我要回越南了
But I was on my way back to Vietnam.
因爲在1973年八月的第一週
I was assigned to Saigon
斯圖爾特·赫林頓 軍隊上尉
我被分配到西貢市了
in the first week of August 1973,
所以大概在停火協議的六個月後
so about six months after the ceasefire.
我得奔走於國♥務♥院♥和CIA
I would say that between the State Department people
的人之間
and CIA people,
維修基礎設施的承包商
the contractors who were there to maintain infrastructure,
還有維修飛機的
maintain aircraft,
以及像我這樣的人
as well as people like me,
整個國家有5000-7000個美國人
we had 5,000 to 7,000 Americans in country.
很多人交了越南女朋友做了妻子
A lot of the guys had Vietnamese girlfriends and wives,
還有很多生了小孩
in many cases with children.
基本來說 一切出奇的平靜
In general, things were eerily calm
西貢也多數正常
and in many ways normal in Saigon.
我當時感覺我們到那之後
My sense was that we were gonna be there,
胡安·伐耳迪茲 大使♥館♥警衛
你知道的 肯定相當長一段時間回不來
you know, pretty much for a long time to come.
我被分配到西貢的美國大使♥館♥
I was assigned to the American embassy in Saigon.
我掌管
I was in charge
那兒的84名海軍警衛
of the 84 Marine security guards that were there,
確保他們繼續保持
making sure that they kept up
體能訓練
with their physical fitness training.
我們在那保護美國子民
We were there to protect American lives
和美國的財產
as well as American property.
就是一個日復一日的工作
It was just a day-to-day job.
被分配到那的美國大使叫葛雷恩·馬丁
The Ambassador there was a guy named Graham Martin,
和我一樣 是個美北卡羅萊納州人
a North Carolinian, just as I was.
弗蘭克·斯耐普 中情局分♥析♥員
他說着一口慢吞吞的南方口音
He spoke with a slow Southern drawl.
他是個大好人
He was a great gentleman.
身着舊條紋衫 是個冷酷的勇士
He was a cold warrior in the old stripe.
在越南作戰的時候他喪失了一個養子
He'd lost an adopted son in Vietnam to combat.
但他不會向南越的共♥產♥主義分子投降的
And he was not gonna give up South Vietnam to the Communists.
他保證了源源不斷的
He was determined to keep U.S. aid
把美國的救援物資運往西貢
flowing into Saigon.
在1973年停火協定簽訂的時候
When the ceasefire occurred in 1973,
美國大使♥館♥的每個人
everybody toasted it with Bloody Marys
都舉杯血腥瑪麗以慶祝
in the U.S. embassy.
那是一個盛大的派對
It was a grand party.
我們以爲和平觸手可及
We thought peace was at hand.
但巴黎和平協約充滿了模棱兩可的概念
But the Paris Peace Accord was a masterpiece of ambiguity.
爲了使阮文紹總統和南越
In order to get President Thieu and the South Vietnamese
按照巴黎和約行事
to go along with the Paris Agreement,
尼克森總統盡最大努力
President Nixon pulled out all the stops,
給阮文紹總統寫了一封信
and in a letter to President Thieu,
他承諾 如果北越
he promised that if the North Vietnamese
有任何違反巴黎和約
were to substantially violate
所簽署的條文的行動
the terms of the Paris Agreement,
美軍將予以全力打擊
the United States would respond with full force.
也就是說 會再次對其作戰
In other words, reenter the war.
北越視尼克森爲狂人
The North Vietnamese viewed Nixon as a madman.
他們很是懼怕他
They were terrified of him.
他們相信 如果有必要的話
They believed that Nixon, if necessary,
尼克森肯定會動用美國空軍力量
would bring back American air power.
但是在1974年八月
But in August 1974, he was gone.
尼克森因爲水門事件辭職
Nixon resigned because of Watergate.
一夜之間 翻天覆地
And overnight, everything changed.
從河內到西貢的路突然被打通了
Hanoi suddenly saw the road to Saigon as being open.
1975年三月10號♥
北越對南越發動大規模攻擊
南越人♥民♥
The South Vietnamese population
有充分的理由懼怕越共分子
had ample reason to fear the Vietnamese Communists.
整個戰爭期間
The Communist conduct throughout the course of the war
越共分子的行爲都殘酷無情
had been violent and unforgiving.
例如 當順化市
For example, when the city of Hue
被北越軍隊佔領之後
was taken over by the North Vietnamese,
一個長長的黑名單上
several thousand people on a long blacklist
有數千人被捕
were rounded up...
學校的老師們 政♥府♥公務員
Schoolteachers, government civil servants,
都認爲是反♥共♥分子的人
people who were known anti-Communists...
都被處決了
And they were executed,
有的甚至被活埋
in some cases even buried alive.
所以恐懼就在毫釐之間
So panic was but a millimeter away.
成千上百的難民
Hundreds of thousands of refugees
只是盲目的想逃跑
are in a blind rush to flee even further
離迅速壯大的共♥產♥黨越遠越好
from the rapidly advancing Communists.
布魯斯鄧寧報告
Bruce Dunning reports.
阮文紹總統在廣播中
President Thieu broadcast a strong appeal
向峴港的士兵與人♥民♥發出強烈呼籲
to the soldiers and the people of Da Nang,
鼓勵他們留下來戰鬥
urging them to stay and fight.
我們的指揮很混亂
南越海軍上尉
前一天 我們還在齊心協力保衛峴港
第二天 我們卻得放棄它
隨着敵軍接近 恐慌使得人們
As the enemy approaches, the panic has swept
沿海城市的人羣從大街小巷竄出來