On their way to Vietnam

"It's Jami, spelled with no e. Sounds like Jamie.  Some people call me Jammie. Go figure.  
Don't know why Mom didn't add an e."

Uncle Lam, his wife Jami, and their little dog checked in to a room upstairs in Hotel California this week. Fortunately, the hotel is quite pet-friendly. So is the airline to Vietnam, he confirmed, when he purchased tickets for their 12-hour flight to see relatives in the old country.

Lam grew up next door to a busy MP station, learned the military jargon and American music, and played rock-and-roll for the GIs, who adopted this eager, willing local kid. He got his first guitar at age eight, learned the English words to all the latest, and was a hit around the barracks. He formed a band and was useful and appreciated by GIs seeking the reminders and comforts of home.

When Saigon fell, he stowed away in a handy freighter, got to Thailand and worked for the U.S., settling refugees.

Eventually he got work in Alaska, then on to Minnesota where he married a white woman, raised three kids and opened a restaurant in Lindstrom. Whatta Country!

Their eldest is 39. They’ve had the dog for 17 years, and are quite fond of him. They named him, and you veterans will appreciate this, Charley.

Maybe it’s his black pajamas.