I am a result of the Vietnam War, actually—the “Secret War” in Laos--a bastard son of an American soldier stationed in Udon Thani during the decades-long Indochina conflict. When American soldiers moved into Udon Air Force Base, the promise of great opportunities and riches excited many impoverished villagers around the rural Isaan farmlands; long overlooked by the Thai government. My mother, a young woman at the time, embraced this chance to make money, and even dreamed of being married off to a rich Tahaan Falaang who would take her away from the misery of subsistence living—a poor rural Isaan woman’s fantasy that evaporated the moment the Americans packed up and went home. With mounting pressure to survive in these rural lands, my mother did what many women in the same situation did—dropped me off at an orphanage. It was a journey that shredded my spirit and buried me deep in despair. I had no choice but to reach out into the unknown. Fate took me there. But a miracle brought me out…
