Speaking Bahnar

Dear Jon, My name is Ron "Doc" Abner. I was with the 2/8 Mech. Inf. 4th Inf. Div from Dec. 13, 69 to Oct 28, 70 as a combat medic. I was very fortunate that my first 7 1/2 months in country I was assigned to S-5 Civil Affairs/Pyscological Operations Team. I went through three teams on my tour and most of the time we had 5 to 6 on our team and one to two SP/Forces, one medic, and one n.c.o. My first team and I worked and lived in the Bahnar village of Plei Kong Breck about 7 or 8 clicks northeast of Pleiku(Camp Enari) from Dec. 69 to April 70 when the 4th Div moved through the Mang Yang Pass to An Khe(Camp Radcliff) we moved our village of about 3 to 4 hundred Yards at that time to outside of An Khe(A sad day for a lot of us) for I knew then we were going to abandon these great people, as their medic and friend, I learned their language and customs and grew to to trust and love them deeply.

I went to the Montagnard Picnic in McCleansville, N.C. this year for the first time (I had just heard about this a few months prior) not knowing they had resettled 3,000 Yards in Greensboro, N.C. I had a very enlightening experience of the whole thing. Some good, some not so good. I don't know Jon if you are aware of this, you probably are, but only a few Bahnar were brought to the world in 86 with the rest of the Yards to N.C. There was not one at the reunion and I was a little disappointed but I loved all the Yards tribes that I worked with while in country. There was a brother at the Yard reunion who had a Jarai Bible and I am very interested in finding a Bahnar Dictionary or Bible or anyone or anything to help me remember the Bahnar language again. I still retain about a fifty word vocabulary. Mostly general words or sayings and being a medic, a lot of body parts or illnesses. Got to know more Bahnar language that Vietnamese even. I would love to hear from you as soon as possible to maybe exchange info on how to retrieve this language and to keep it alive. As you may know, 85% of the Montagnard villages and people have been eliminated in Viet Nam under the Communists. The Montagnard Coalition is trying to get the government to recognize these people as a dying culture and to get the red tape off the politics and get our Yards to the World and to get enough donations to help build a Cultural Center for the Yards in N.C. to carry on the memory of these true friends. In the last six months I have found three of my C A team on the Internet and have exchanged phone calls and pictures and memories. none of them seem to have the enthusiasm I have for helping these people our government left. I have many slides, pictures, momentos, (bird crossbow, bead necklaces, head bands, etc) I lost two of my bands(shit) somewhere between 30 years and three bad marriages. Jon, please write back and let me know who you were in country with and your experiences there, maybe we can be of some help to the Bahnar. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS- Ron "Doc" Abner.