Newsletter Article

TLCB and Omni-Med in Isan and Laos

by JG Learned

In the February Newsletter, I made a grievous oversight in my article A Flower Blooms from The Ashes of War. Uninformed at the time, I failed to credit the fact that the TLCB (Thai-Lao-Cambodia Brotherhood) were the donors for the school floor that Jeff Hudgens and his friends built in Ban Nahom village on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Bob Brown Leveling the School Floor in Ban Nahom Village

War is the strangest of things. Generally speaking, there is little positive to be said about it. In the end, it is always the civilians, non-combatants, women and children who suffer the most. But as good intentions often breed unexpected negative results, so too do times of evil and horror have their positive effects in the long run. While quintessentially divisive in its nature, war is also a powerful unifying human force. Forged in fire, the comradeship formed by brothers in arms is one of the strongest human bonds.

What is TLCB? Thirty-four years after the end of the United States' 14 year involvement in the Viet Nam War, friendships and alliances born of that conflict continue to flourish. The Thai – Lao – Cambodia Brotherhood is an assistance organization of Americans who have united in an effort to help the needy in countries in which they served.

From the TLCB Homepage: “The Brotherhood stretched across Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. We were civilians, military (all branches of service). We were pilots, mechanics, navigators, weathermen, drivers, security police and cooks. We were on or over the front line, on bases you saw on TV and some that few people even knew existed. We fought the war you heard about and the war you didn't. We didn't look for glory or ask for medals, we were called and we went. A lot of us didn't return.

Today we are Teachers, Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Writers, Government workers, Auto mechanics, and more. You see us everyday. We are your sons, your daughters, neighbors and the solitary man sitting alone on a park bench. We stretch across the United States and throughout Asia. Our stories are vastly different, yet the same.”

John Sweet is the founder of TLBC. Thirty-five years ago, while stationed in NKP (Nakorn Phanom- the center of operations for the ‘secret war' in Laos), he and a Buck Sergeant named Ted went to the orphanage at Tha Rae near Sakhon Nakorn, run by Father Khai.

1969: John Sweet at Nakorn Phanom Air Base

These are his words: “To this day I have no idea how Ted first met Father Khai. Father Khai picked us up one day for the journey to Tha Rae and returned after dark that night, speeding in a cloud of dust over the rutted, red dirt road through the jungle. We used to say "If you didn't believe in God before you got in Father Khai's car, you sure did by the time you got out." My one-day visit to the orphanage was enough to convince me that Ted was right, the kids needed all the help they could get. So together we started a campaign to raise money.

“The project began in October and took off like wildfire. The men stationed at NKP gave generously and gathered assistance from everywhere. A week before Christmas rolled around there was $5,000 in cash, as well as everything from baseball equipment to fingernail clippers. Somehow - don't ask me how - there were over a dozen four-foot square containers filled with personal items for the children. I was amazed because they were all brand new and individually packaged!

“Units were competing amongst themselves in a friendly way to outdo each other. The most astonishing gift was a huge pile of snow from Colorado with a Christmas Tree stuck on top. The kids went wild because they had never seen snow before. But I have to admit, when Santa showed up in the 21st SOS Jolly Green Giant, he vied for first place. Father Khai had not been idle either.

“The Bishop came up from Bangkok for the celebration and somehow Father Khai had "found" a case of cold American beer and provided a feast on the verandah. The older girls performed Thai dances while the other 1200 orphans watched. Passing out those gifts to the children is the fondest memory of Christmas I have.

“The faces of the children portrayed the true meaning of Christmas in ways I am not capable of putting into words. I always remember that day filled with joy in celebration of love and peace. Some of those who assisted and contributed greatly to the success of that celebration in 1969 never returned home, either killed or missing in action.

Father Khai at Tha Rae Orphanage in 1969

“I always wondered what happened to Father Khai and the orphanage. I was able to find Father Khai's fax number through friends and contacted him, sending pictures of us together in 1969.

“The very next day I began raising money for the orphanage, to be donated in memory of the men from NKP who never returned home. The next thing I knew, I received checks in the mail from five men whom I had never met. Two weeks later I had raised $1,000.” Thus began TLCB.

Father Khai Today at Tha Rae Orphanage

Virtually all funds collected in memory of their fallen brothers goes directly to projects to help the less fortunate in Southeast Asia. Unlike many charities, whose fund-raising campaigns often have administrative costs that absorb significant percentages of the money raised, TLCB draws virtually nothing from the fund for administration.

The Ban Nahom village project is just one of TLCB's many efforts to help the rural poor of the region, many of whom still suffer the after-effects of the war which embroiled the entire region. Some beneficiaries of TLCB's efforts are the Udorn School for the Hearing Impaired, the Khon Kaen School for the blind, the Phone Paisai Rehabilitation Center for amputees, the Udorn School for the Mentally Retarded and of course the Tha Rae Orphanage, to whom a complete sixty-piece set of band instruments was donated. “The kids eyes really lit up when they saw the bright shiny musical instruments. Father Khai spoke with tears in his eyes and thanked each member of the TLC Brotherhood for their great generosity and compassion on this Christmas occasion.”

John Middlewood is a TLCB member living in Nakorn Phanom. He is deeply involved in assistance projects throughout Isan – the northeastern provinces of Thailand. One recent project was to purchase 28 used computers for 14 provincial village schools. This provided at least two computers to each school supported by TLCB. The computers cost approximately $175.00 each. They included CPU, Monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers, also all basic software needed.

In John Middlewood's words: “After watching the schools for over two years, I understood why they are unwilling to spend school funds for computers, even though they know they are necessary. They find it hard to justify one computer - even at $175.00 - when funds are needed for basics such as books, paper and pencils. I believe this will give us the "biggest bang for the buck" both from teaching staff and students at the schools we have targeted.”

John is also the local coordinator for Omni Med, an international medical volunteer organization, which has collaborated with the TLC Brotherhood. In 2002 TLCB approached Omni Med to help develop a healthcare assistance program. After 1 year of planning, the pilot program was initiated in December of 2003 by Drs. Michael and Katharine Morley and Margaret Morrow, RN to provide education to village health stations In addition to providing lectures and small group teaching, they are developing their understanding of the healthcare system and needs of rural villages. “With a deeper knowledge and relationships with the local providers, we hope to develop more self-sustaining programs,” says Dr. Morley.

Health workers and nurses from 25 health stations attended educational sessions at 5 different health stations in Nakorn Phanom Province. Topics were respiratory complaints, diabetes screening, vision screening which detected 75 cataracts and 150 pterygiums (a corneal disorder from sun exposure which can result in vision loss), common eye injuries, and hypertension and why it should be treated. 550 pairs of reading glasses and 150 pairs of sunglasses were distributed as well as 150 IOLs and viscoelastics for cataract surgery.

Dr. Michael Morley Teaching Eye-Examination Techniques

The Omni-med project continued in February with a pair of pediatricians. In March, an internist and another pediatrician made the trip, and finally in August an OB/GYN physician will participate. “Each time we learn more about needs and further project development. We are starting to think and plan about what we would like to accomplish in the next year. Thank you so much for helping us help those in the rural villages around Nakorn Phanom” is Dr. Kathy Morley's message.

North by North East has been most fortunate to be able to participate and contribute to the efforts of both TLCB and Omni-Med, providing support and logistics. And by sheer good fortune, on each of our last 8 eco-tours in Laos, we had doctors along with us, helping villagers and teaching guides about basic medical and diagnostic skills. This is something we make a point of doing in every back-of -beyond village we pass through. It engenders closeness with the villagers and generally makes the job worthwhile, enriching everyone by the experience.