Jonathan Polansky

Many units in Vietnam were stationed in a base camp for extended periods of time. As the Americans got to know their Vietnamese neighbors, they began helping them in different ways. Some brought them medical supplies and treated the sick and injured, while others helped out in orphanages and schools. In the process, many fell in love with the Vietnamese people and their country.

Jonathan Polansky, a rifleman with the 101st Airborne Division, was stationed with his unit to guard a bridge near a small village. During the three months he was there, he met and fell in love with a Vietnamese woman. He and a member from his platoon taught English to the children in the village. For a short time, he was happy in Vietnam. But then his unit had to pull out; when they returned three...