Escape to America: An Edmond author adds to the many harrowing stories that came from the Fall of Saigon in 1975
EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) — Memories and the words to describe them.
Amy M. Le works with both to grapple with her family history after the collapse of Saigon, and the destruction of her family.
'It was amazing how resilient, not only my mom but the people who were left behind were,' she says.
She is the author of several books, including her own memoir from that time.
Only an infant in the Spring of 1975, her father was a South Vietnamese soldier but secretly married to an American.
'He was literally splitting his time between our family and his American wife,' learned Amy.
When it came time to evacuate, Amy's mother refused.
'My mom was like, 'No.' 'Why would I go with you and your American wife. What would I do there?'' said Amy.
It would be another four years before Amy, her mother, and cousin could try to escape the country.
They did so under the cover of darkness and beneath a hail of bullets, only to be cast adrift on an overcrowded boat.
Amy was stuffed inside a putrid hold.
'It was horrible,' she recalls. 'It's one thing that still triggers me when I smell something like that.'
Some of their number fell victim to pirates.
Malaysian authorities wouldn't take them at first.
They burned their boat rather than return to sea.
Stifling tears, Amy relates, 'We had a lot of women and children who were either stolen from us or raped. But we were lucky, in a sense, that all of us did make it to a refugee camp.'
A sponsor from Seattle brought them to the U.S.
Throughout her young life, Amy remained in dire need of heart surgery due to a congenital defect.
'Doctors told us they didn't think I would live past the age of five,' said Amy.
She's written about all these things from the perspective of safety.
Her mother's photograph looks down from a shrine in Le's Edmond home, still on guard, still watching.
'It's to honor my mom and the incredible woman that she was,' smiles Amy.
Amy, her husband, and son moved to Oklahoma several years ago, surprised to find a community filled with similar stories.
She added hers to that collective, the memories always carried forward.
Amy M. Le's 'The Snow Trilogy' is a novelization of her mother's struggle to survive those years and live in America.
She has dedicated herself to helping other authors get their own stories into print.
For more information, go to Quill Hawk Publishing here.
Great State is sponsored by True Sky Credit Union
Follow Galen's Great State adventures on social media!
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
23 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Today in History: June 18, War of 1812 begins
Today is Wednesday, June 18, the 169th day of 2025. There are 196 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 18, 1812, the War of 1812 began as the United States Congress approved, and President James Madison signed, a declaration of war against Britain. Also on this date: In 1778, American forces entered Philadelphia as the British withdrew during the Revolutionary War. In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo as British and Prussian troops defeated the French Imperial Army in Belgium. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev signed the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna. In 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became America's first woman in space as she and four other NASA astronauts blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger on a six-day mission. In 1986, 25 people were killed when a twin-engine plane and helicopter carrying sightseers collided over the Grand Canyon. In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Georgia v. McCollum, ruled that criminal defendants could not use race as a basis for excluding potential jurors from their trials. In 2018, President Donald Trump announced he was directing the Pentagon to create the Space Force as an independent branch of the United States armed forces. In 2020, the Supreme Court, in the case of Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, rejected by a 5-4 decision President Donald Trump's effort to end legal protections for more than 650,000 young immigrants. In 2023, the submersible vessel Titan, on an expedition of view the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean, imploded, killing all five people aboard. Today's Birthdays: Musician Paul McCartney is 83. Actor Carol Kane is 73. Actor Isabella Rossellini is 73. Singer Alison Moyet is 64. Football Hall of Famer Bruce Smith is 62. Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis is 50. Actor Alana de la Garza is 49. Country musician Blake Shelton is 49. Football Hall of Famer Antonio Gates is 45.


New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
How much the average American would pay for some peace and quiet
The average American would pay $2,521 for a day of peace and quiet — while parents would pay $1,147 more. That's according to a new survey of 2,000 Americans (30% of whom are parents), which explored the importance of quality time to recharge and the barriers to getting enough of it. Results showed the average respondent only gets 9.5 hours per month to themselves with the biggest barriers being family obligations (50%), work commitments (32%) and financial constraints (24%). 8 The average American would pay $2,521 for a day of peace and quiet — while parents would pay $1,147 more. SWNS 8 The most frequent barriers to getting an adequate amount of sleep is work, commitments, and financial constraints. SWNS Social obligations (22%) and guilt for finally getting free time (13%) were also listed as reasons respondents don't get the alone time they crave. A little over half of respondents (53%) said they need more alone time than they're currently getting. And the lengths respondents said they'll go to were surprising. Nearly 38% of respondents admit to lying to a partner, friends or family in order to get some time to themselves. 8 The average person claims they needs more alone time than they are currently getting. fizkes – The most common lie shared among participants was 'I'm not feeling well' (54%), followed by 'I have a lot of work to do' (40%), 'I have a headache' (33%), 'I have an appointment' (33%) and 'My phone's about to die, so I can't talk' (32%). 8 Out of 2,000 respondents, the average hours people get to themselves is only 9.5 per month. SWNS 8 Often times people will lie to lie to their partner, family, or friends, just to get some alone time. SWNS The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Apple Vacations, pinpointed the dollar amount people attribute to certain elements of relaxation and found the average parent polled values a lazy morning to themselves at $325. It's no wonder then that people would be willing to pay an average of $339.8 for just one extra hour of sleep. And the feeling extends to vacations, with 40% of respondents saying they've booked a trip specifically for peace and quiet. 8 The price people are willing to pay for an extra our of sleep is an average #339.8. SWNS 8 According to parents, a lazy morning to themselves is valued at $325. SWNS 'In a world where silence feels like a luxury, it's clear people aren't just craving quiet,' said Dana Studebaker, Vice President of Marketing, Consumer Brands, Apple Vacations. 'They're willing to invest in it. Everyone deserves moments that are truly their own.' How would respondents spend this precious, uninterrupted time alone? One in six said they'd be happy doing anything as long as it wasn't a chore or obligation. And one in eight said they'd want to binge TV or movies (13%) or spend the day at the beach (12%). 8 How people spend their precious time alone varies. Antonioguillem – Interestingly, two-thirds agreed (66%) that visiting family does not count as a restful vacation. 'When people are willing to spend hundreds — or even thousands — just for a little peace and quiet, it says a lot about how rare true rest has become,' added Michael Lowery, Head of Global Consumer Brands, Apple Vacations. 'Sometimes the most valuable thing you can give yourself is time without expectation.' Survey methodology: Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans (18+ who traveled in the past 12 months); the survey was commissioned by Apple Vacations and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between April 22 – April 28, 2025.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Munitions depot explosion at Kadena Air Base leaves four injured
Four members of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force were injured after a munition exploded on Kadena Air Base on Monday. The Air Force's 18th Wing, based out of Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, confirmed that an explosion occurred at a munitions storage site on the northern side of the base. No U.S. personnel were injured and local authorities said that there is no risk of further explosions, according to the U.S. Air Force and Kyodo News. Members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force were working in the munitions storage area, managed by the Okinawa Prefectural Government, when one item exploded, leaving four Japanese troops injured. According to Japanese media, the explosion happened while JSDF members were preparing to safely dispose of an unexploded ordnance. Per reports, the depot is a temporary storage spot, mainly used for leftover unexploded munitions from World War II. Okinawa was heavily bombed during World War II, as part of the U.S. military's campaign to capture the island in 1945. 80 years later and Japanese and American authorities continue to locate and dispose of unexploded ordnance, with more than 2,000 tons of munitions taken out. This is a developing story. A Marine Corps reply-all email apocalypse has an incredible real-life ending Army shuts down its sole active-duty information operations command Army plans to close more than 20 base museums in major reduction Former Green Beret nominated to top Pentagon position to oversee special ops The Navy's new recruiting commercial puts the 'dirt wars' in the past