SOGCast 041: Dương Ngọc Như - After War Spends Years Escaping Communism in Vietnam

Dương Ngọc Như (Steve), a South Vietnamese Kingbee helicopter pilot, endured six years in communist 're-education' camps and a harrowing boat escape before rebuilding his life and family in the United States, continuously fighting against the enduring threat of communism.

• Kingbee pilots used unique, dangerous spiraling maneuvers for critical landings during the Vietnam War.

• Steve endured nearly six years in brutal communist re-education camps, facing starvation and witnessing executions.

• After a perilous boat escape, Steve rebuilt his life in the US, remaining steadfast in his anti-communist convictions.

Steve, a former Kingbee helicopter pilot from the 219th Squadron of the South Vietnamese Air Force, shares his experiences flying dangerous SOG missions during the Vietnam War, including harrowing accounts of pilots being shot down. After the fall of Saigon, he was imprisoned for nearly six years in communist re-education camps, facing starvation and brutal conditions. Following his release, Steve orchestrated a perilous boat escape to Indonesia and eventually resettled in the United States, where he built a new life and career, while maintaining an unwavering stance against communism.

Kingbee Helicopter Tactics

• 00:04:43 Kingbee pilots employed a unique and dangerous 'yellow lever falling in the storm' (la vang) maneuver, spiraling their helicopters into landing zones during emergencies. This tactic, uncommon among other South Vietnamese Air Force pilots, helped pilots focus, confused the enemy, and narrowed the target window for ground fire, proving critical in dangerous missions and saving lives.

Captain An's Heroism and Loss

• 00:08:40 Steve recounts missions with Captain An, a highly respected Kingbee pilot who was shot down twice. In one incident, Steve witnessed a fellow co-pilot, G, die when their helicopter was hit by a B40 rocket and burned. Captain An's second crash involved a burning cabin, where he was severely burned and lost both hands, while his co-pilot, Lock, perished after being thrown from the helicopter during a hard landing.

Imprisonment in Re-education Camps

• 00:28:00 After the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, Steve, unable to escape with his family, was forced into a communist 're-education' camp, which was essentially a prison, for nearly six years. Prisoners faced dire conditions, including lack of shelter, severe food shortages (sometimes counting individual corn kernels), and brutal indoctrination that portrayed America as imperialist and communism as superior. An incident highlighted the regime's brutality when a fellow prisoner was executed for attempting to escape via a coded letter.

Perilous Escape to Freedom

• 00:51:55 Upon release, Steve joined a group planning a sea escape, eventually becoming the captain of a small, overcrowded boat carrying 41 people. The five-day journey across the South China Sea was fraught with danger, including navigating without sufficient fuel, encountering unhelpful merchant ships, and a desperate jump into shark-infested waters to retrieve supplies. The group eventually landed on Talmbar, an Indonesian island, where they sought refuge from pirates.

Life as a Refugee and New Beginnings

• 01:17:17 After landing in Indonesia, Steve and his group were eventually moved to the Galang refugee camp, where he actively helped his fellow refugees as a translator, committee member, and teacher, building a temple and an aviation club. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1983, starting over by working low-wage jobs and pursuing education in electronics and computer technology, steadily improving his life and demonstrating the resilience of Vietnamese immigrants in the United States.