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Amid tears, laughter and much Vietnamese-English translation, former South Vietnamese Marine 2nd Lt. Bao Tran was reunited Friday with retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kim Mitchell – the orphaned baby girl he saved in 1972 during the Vietnam War. Dozens of members of Albuquerque’s Vietnamese community warmly greeted Mitchell, who was adopted by an American family and went on to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy. Speaking in Vietnamese, Bao shared the story of how he was handed an orphaned baby girl by a fleeing soldier, the Catholic orphanage he gave her to, and how Friday’s reunion was a dream come true. It took place at the Vietnamese American Association of New Mexico community center on Central SE.
Former South Vietnamese Marine Bao Tran, left, shares a laugh with retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kim Mitchell, center, with whom he was reunited Friday in Albuquerque. Tran’s wife, Duong Thi Bau, stands at right. INSET: This is the passport photo of Tran Thi Ngoc Bich, a Vietnamese orphan rescued by Bao during the Vietnam War. The baby was adopted by an American family and renamed Kimberly Mitchell. (Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal)
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal
