After some twenty failed escapes by boat,
our airplane took off at 10:00 AM on Oct 31, 1990,
as I left Tan Son Nhat Airport for Bangkok
after 15 and half years under the hands of the northern winning people.

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From this day, the story of landmine clearance, police hunts, communist prison and labor camp became my past.
All of these are the result of my stupidness for the decision to stay to cover the turmoil in Danang
instead of boarding the available airplanes for Saigon
prior to the fall of this city on March 29, 1975.
My wrong decision also costs The Associated Press
8 years of continous process that involved too many individuals,
and a direct petition to the The Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam to finally get me and my family out of Vietnam.