To stand in two places at once

Image selected by Sophie Baker as special from the trip: Bob and Sophie on the bridge at the DMZ.

Sophie writes:

To stand in two places at once

I selected this photo from the trip to reflect on because it is one of the most significant to me. As difficult as it was to choose just one photo from this life changing experience, I was standing on and shaking hands with amazing parts of history. This is a replica of the Hien Luong Bridge, which was located in the middle of the Demilitarized Zone and marks the former border between North and South Vietnam.

This time was very moving for me because I was able to stand in two places at once. However, it wasn’t just the location that was significant to me. Bob is such an inspirational and overpowering man who is full of history. If he didn’t come on the trip, I doubt he would have ever told many of those stories. It is so important that we get the memories out of our veterans while we still have the opportunity. I will be eternally grateful for getting to share such a life changing experience with this man. Without Bob I think everyone could agree that the trip just wouldn’t have been the same. At each location Bob would share at least one story from his service, whether it was humorous or serious they were well worth listening too. The cheeky smile on Bob’s face represents the many laughs we shared together. It was great to hear that in such a scary time in his life he was able to experience some humour.

Prior to the trip I knew so little about the Vietnam war, culture and people. I left with so much more knowledge on the war, experiences for our men, and how happy and kind the Vietnamese people really are. It was really moving to listen to Bob’s memories and watch him share his thoughts and emotions on the war

I still can’t believe I was gifted with such a life changing experience and for this I will be eternally grateful. As the saying goes: “the journey may be over but the memories will last a lifetime.”