General Dan Cherry introduced a former North Vietnamese Fighter Pilot to our club today. His name is Nguyen Hong My and he was accompanied by his son and a beautiful Vietnamese student from WKU that was his translator. Mr. My is in town for the dedication tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. of the Aviation Heritage Park on Three Springs Road. Dan said CBS News is in town to do an interview this afternoon and also will be on hand for the dedication tomorrow. The piece will air on the evening news next week and perhaps there will also be a segment on the Sunday morning show.
Several months ago Dan was made aware of this pilot's identity. Mr. My and General Cherry were combatants in an areal dog fight over Vietnam on April 16, 1972. Dan shot Mr. My's plane down. Fast forward 35 years and a popular TV show on Vietnamese TV show finds out about these two airmen. Dan says it is the No. 1 rated show in Vietnam and it reunites long separated people. The show brought Dan over to Hanoi to actually introduce these two former combatants on the air. Afterwards Dan was invited to Mr. My's home in Hanoi and they became friends. While Dan was visiting he helped Mr. My celebrate a grandson's first birthday. Now that little boy has turned two. Mr. My is a retired insurance executive. Dan had hoped to bring him to the States and was fortunate enough to get him here for the dedication of the Aviation Heritage Park tomorrow. Dan's actual fighter plane (an F4D Phantom II) has been restored and is parked in the new Park. Please make your plans to be at the dedication tomorrow.
