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Los Angeles Times
03-05-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
From Heroes Hall to Hanoi — SoCal veteran returns war relics to fallen soldier's family
For more than 57 years the objects never saw the light of day. Shut up inside an old box bound with tape, they remained out of sight but never really out of mind for Adolph Novello, the former U.S. Marine who'd placed them there, alongside a prayer book and a string of rosary beads, at age 20 following a 13-month stint in Vietnam. Some identification papers, old coins, a lighter and a homemade wallet, containing a tiny black and white photo of an unnamed North Vietnamese soldier in his teens, who died in combat in 1967. The artifacts didn't amount to much — they could be held in two cupped hands — but their weight was immeasurable for Novello, who carried them with him from Vietnam to his hometown of Chicago and eventually to California, locked up tight inside that box, and in his heart, for half a century. Today, the 76-year-old Murrieta resident recalls acquiring the objects after some skirmish or other in North Vietnam, where servicemen were ordered to scour the field for still-living soldiers to take into custody and to search the bodies of the fallen for intel or maps that might reveal enemy war plans. 'I had an empty C-rations box and I put everything in there, whatever it was I'd acquired, and before I left [Vietnam], I sent it home,' Novello said of the now-relics. 'I really hadn't touched it, because I kind of knew what was in there, and I think I didn't want to remember what was in there.' It wasn't until this March, while attending a speaker series hosted by the Heroes Hall veterans museum on the Orange County fairgrounds, that Novello was inspired to open up that box. The March 1 event featured three Montford Point Marines, the first Black recruits to serve in the Marine Corps, including one who was awarded a Purple Heart by Maj. Gen. Bruno Hochmuth, the same commander who'd bestowed Novello himself with a Purple Heart. After the talk, Novello went into the garage to search through his own memorabilia for photos of the award ceremony and was confronted by the C-rations box gathering dust on a high shelf. It took about 10 times for him to muster up the courage, but thinking it might be of use at Heroes Hall, he eventually forged forth. That simple act kicked off a journey that would take the septuagenarian and Heroes Hall historian Brenton Ogden across the globe, retracing the former Marine's steps through Vietnam just as the nation prepared to celebrate the 50th commemoration of the Fall of Saigon. Ogden recalled Friday how Novello brought the box of artifacts to him, thinking they might be of interest to the museum, which had recently debuted ' Echoes of Conflict: Remembering Vietnam,' an immersive exhibit including personal items from Southern California veterans. 'He brought in objects and ephemera he had from his service in Vietnam that were from a North Vietnamese soldier,' the historian said Friday. 'And Adolph nonchalantly mentioned he wanted to see if his family could be located to give the artifacts back.' Working with his own personal and professional connections, including historians who advised the markers of Vietnam-era video games on points of historical accuracy, Ogden located the identity of the soldier in the photo — Kha Van Viet — who hailed from a Thai ethnic family living in the central highlands of Vietnam. On April 23, the pair undertook the long journey, from LAX to Ho Chi Minh City, then on to Hanoi. They met with Kha's nephew and cousin, who officially received the objects in a ceremony last Sunday, attended by numerous national dignitaries and televised by Vietnam's state-owned VTV-4. Novello was interviewed multiple times by journalists eager to hear the details of his story, but recounting events long suppressed wasn't easy. The veteran choked up during the broadcast when talking about some of what he experienced. 'You figure if you just stayed tight-lipped about it and didn't say anything to anybody, it would be OK,' he said. 'But, truthfully, it really wasn't. It was terrible and still is.' Ogden and Novello did not participate in the televised ceremony, choosing to stay out of the limelight during what was still, 50 years later, a highly emotional and politicized occasion. But, in addition to the artifacts, the Vietnamese soldier's family received a portrait of the youth, enlarged from the tiny photo that had lived half a century inside a C-rations box. That gesture is vitally important to Kha's family, Ogden said, as Vietnamese religious tradition places a high importance on praying before an altar holding the physical belongings of someone who has passed as a way to tie their spirit to their ancestral home. 'It's extremely important to have any kind of [personal] effect from that individual to have that connection, so not having anything was kind of allowing his soul to be lost,' he said. 'And this was bringing that back.' And, perhaps, the same could be said of Novello. Although his return to Vietnam was difficult, he believes it was the right thing to do. The old box has been emptied, and maybe that clearance will make room for more in his life. 'I did sleep pretty good last night, for a change,' he acknowledged Friday, one day after returning stateside. 'Hopefully, with all the different interviews and talking to people there I can talk to my kids and my wife about it. 'I think it will clear some stuff up — I think it will change everything.'
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NC veteran to have Raleigh post office named after her
City leaders in Raleigh are honoring Millie Dunn Veasey, a World War II veteran who served in the only overseas all-Black women's 6888th Battalion. According to WTVD in Raleigh, the city's Brentwood post office will be named after Veasey. 'The story of her service is one of trailblazing leadership in the face of adversity,' WTVD reports Congresswoman Deborah Ross said after making the announcement. ALSO READ: Celebrating the legacy, contributions of the Montford Point Marines During her time in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, Veasey worked with soldiers on the front lines to make sure they received letters from loved ones at home. 'Some of the things that she went through we did not know about,' Eugenia Pleasant, Veasey's niece, told WTVD. 'She was very humble, and she just did what she had to do and moved forward.' According to WTVD, Veasey lived to be 100. She was buried in the Raleigh National Cemetery. 'She was caring,' Pleasant told WTVD. 'She loved her church. She loved just any organization where she could serve.' ALSO READ: US looks to honor 855 Black women who solved war time mail crisis The Six Triple Eight, as they were called, was made up of 855 Black women. They were sent to Europe in 1945. At that time, Black organizations wanted more members of the community to be included in the Women's Army Corps and allowed to serve along with white service members overseas. Their trip to their assignment was not an easy one, The Associated Press reports. They had to avoid German U-boats and a German rocket when they made it to Glasgow. Last December, film maker Tyler Perry released 'The Six Triple Eight,' starring Kerry Washington. The movie tells the Battalion's story, underscoring the unforgettable difference they made during World War II. 'The Six Triple Eight' is now streaming on Netflix. WATCH BELOW: Black mayors of Charlotte gather to discuss city's past, future
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Black History Month: Nurses share hopes to increase representation in the field
Mutale Chabulembwa has spent decades as a nurse defying the odds and making her dreams become reality. 'Looking at my background, I can say I have achieved so much,' Chabulembwa told Channel 9′s Damany Lewis. 'I feel good, I feel proud. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed.' For the last three years, she's walked the halls at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill. But her journey as a nurse started thousands of miles away in Zambia, thanks to her sister. SIMILAR COVERAGE: Celebrating the legacy, contributions of the Montford Point Marines 'My eldest sister is a nurse, so she came from training and she would tell us stories of nursing the patients,' Chabulembwa said. That sparked her interest to become a nurse. She worked in Zambia for 20 years in labor and delivery but realized nursing in America offers so many more opportunities. So, she and her husband packed up and moved to the U.S., looking for more. 'It's so diverse. Nurses have the power – nurses do what they really are supposed to do, so I said let me give it a try,' Chabulembwa told Channel 9. She said being a light for someone who's not having a good day sustains her passion: 'Seeing my patients smile at the end of the day – that for me is an amazing feeling.' For 26-year-old Novant Presbyterian Hospital nurse Lauren Williams, the inspiration to become a nurse came from the medical team who took care of her younger brother Jayden. 'He had to have open heart surgery and so my parents made the decision to go to Boston Children's Hospital and we established care there,' Williams told Channel 9. 'They took care of all of us. It truly made an impact truly and I give them the credit to this day,' Williams added. Williams said becoming a nurse was a tireless journey but well worth it. 'I had a lot of setbacks in school but I pushed through, so that was my motivation,' Williams said. Both women are hoping others hear their journey and follow in their footsteps because healthcare needs more nurses, especially nurses of color. According to a 2022 study from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, currently only six percent of nurses in the U.S. are Black. Williams and Chabulembwa agree representation is desperately needed. 'We do need more African American men and women in nursing in this profession. We have so many African American patients, we need representation,' Williams, pictured below on the right, said. 'Representation matters so much for us. We need that advocacy to speak up for us.' 'I can tell them the foundation has been laid for a person who looks like me. All you have to do is walk into it and someone will be there to hold your hand and walk with you,' Chabulembwa, pictured above on the left, said. Two women leading the way and opening doors – for those who want to follow behind their footsteps. WATCH BELOW: App State to retire Darryl Robinson's jersey for historic basketball honor
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Local woman works to honor, celebrate Afro-Latina roots
There are about six million Afro-Latino adults in the United States. And this Charlotte woman has set out to educate and celebrate her Afro-Latina culture through her non-profit La Casa de la Cultura. Milagros Ugueto de Sanchez arrived in the United States about a decade ago. And she said she did not originally feel accepted as a black woman. 'At the beginning, I didn't understand why my brothers and sisters, who are African American did not think I was black,' she said. READ: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Remembrance Project shines light on painful history So she set out to educate others on diversity in Latin America. She started her non-profit, La Casa de la Cultura, to honor her culture and traditions. 'It all started here, when I was planning my lessons and I didn't have the resources to show my students firsthand, what it was like to dance certain rhythms, in Venezuela, or wear certain masks,' de Sanchez said. 'I wanted to tell them that culture is what defines a part of who we are.' Now, she has been singing, dancing and teaching others for nearly a decade. READ: Celebrating the legacy, contributions of the Montford Point Marines 'Being an Afro-Latina is talking about my grandma - talking about my people in the countryside playing the drums - on June 24th celebrating St. John the Baptist, and if you go back you can see that celebration took place only once a year because that was the only day the owners of my ancestors allowed them to dance,' de Sanchez said. The hard work and dedication is making a difference, de Sanchez said, especially in young people. 'Motivating them to be the voice of those who can't express and keep themselves - learning - not just for a career - but to live in a global environment that requires people to be prepared, and when they open their mouth, they know what they are saying,' she said. WATCH: Celebrating the legacy, contributions of the Montford Point Marines
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Black Wall Street Saturday organizers look to revitalize Beatties Ford Road
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church brought together organizations interested in revitalizing Charlotte's 'Black Wall Street' on Saturday. Black Wall Street Saturday allowed minority and women business owners to gather, speak with one another and learn about free resources that could help their businesses grow. READ | Celebrating the legacy, contributions of the Montford Point Marines The organizers are hoping to revitalize the Beatties Ford Road corridor, which was once known as Charlotte's Black Wall Street. The original 'Black Wall Street' was in Tulsa. It was an African American economic and cultural mecca at the turn of the 20th century. But it was destroyed by armed rioters in 1921. WATCH | Celebrating the legacy, contributions of the Montford Point Marines
