Richard Hoy and Angel Hoy

00:01 Good afternoon. My name is Richard Hoy. I'm 71 years old. I'm an American Born Chinese from Seattle, Washington, and I live in Seattle with my wife and three daughters, Angel, Sally, and June. And my wife's name is Yan Wu. She was born in the People's Republic and she's 46 years old.

00:24 And this is my daughter, angel.

00:29 Hi, my name is Angel. Hoy.

00:31 I'm 18 years old. Today is Wednesday, May 12th, 2021. We're at her home in Seattle, Washington, and I'm with my my dad, Richard.

00:43 And yeah.

00:47 Kate.

00:49 Okay, then I guess we start at

00:56 Are you signed up for the Army? When you are 19 and a lot of people, your age also did that. But I'm curious because I know that your dad was also in the Army when he was a young man, and I was wondering whether that had any influence on your decision to join up.

01:12 No, actually, I buy decision to join up as it looked adventurous and I left a pack of being fed a diet of a Hollywood movies and TV shows about what how war is like some like more like entertainment relations than going to show me. Some people need that doesn't strike you as realistic. What you watching on TV, and it doesn't really get home and up. I was going to go for the adventure of all of what war was like.

01:43 So,

01:43 Bombing of first impressions of army life. Once you sign up, then in Jane Addams, Middle School that you went to. Also, if you said anything, any swear words at all, the teacher would never hear you on that and like words like a friend's been. So when I first got into into a basic training, drill, sergeant says, boy, get your shit together and I didn't know what he was saying. I thought about exactly why I've been back in this big trip, I mean,

02:26 A group of very lower class. People not load fast. I can get together. You know, what do you think you're doing here? I thought. Well, of course, you know some of these people want came from very violent backgrounds, like this one guy from he was in the Army for attempted murder, is the judge gave him a choice. He's a volunteer for years in the army or will put you in the prison for 10 EXO. I thought

03:26 This is a bit. I thought I realize the mistake. I made it. How do I get out of this? But, you know, if it's too late and because I wasn't I didn't have enough time to think. There's always be Sergeant in the and also we had a, we have so much time to do everything. Get our Foot Locker together that are beds made because the drill charger is going to come through if anything was wrong wrong, like for instance, all if a bed wasn't made proper to tip the whole bed over, you know, I thought, I thought I thought was pretty good, but he didn't think so. So, but anyway, yeah, you'll see why was it? That was my first impression of military life. And then we have to get out of the

04:12 Army. Barracks is on the third floor of this big huge barracks and strictly barracks. And we had to be

04:19 In Rebel, the all lined up and you'll stand at attention and

04:25 If we went out the door in about something like 5 minutes or so, when I'm never going down the stairs, instead of going downstairs, one step forward, two steps in time. I'd grab both rails and took a huge leap and bolt. It over all the stairs, each flight of stairs all the way down. I hope all three flights with 165. All the other, I think, 5 or 6 and then I'll give you a ring and stand in line. She chose me as a squad leader because I think he went to integrated Tesla. You and my showing that he was all fight Squad. Thank you, but I think so. That's what I was basic training and then we were asked to volunteer when I'm not sure but we have to give us a choice. What? A part of it or the weekly ad for the weekly inspection or the daily inspection. I forgot. Which now where the first sergeant goes through.

05:25 It checks out the barracks, anything you didn't like, you know, he liked your wall, Locker is not closed in, would do that. He was a former first yourself through. So I didn't used to be with the males Marauders in in the Burma campaign in World War II. There's a, there's a, there's a Hobbit movie made about the girls and Marauders had, she had, she had to go to the original patches of that unit. But anyway,

05:59 I chose the the train to clean because I could I could have more whole Squad in one area and I would know where they were and I could have been make a sign. Where is the oldest populated state in the morning? I would have the entire sleep in the area and it had to be cleaned and Polished and buffed and everything. So I thought I had a good deal but the drill sergeant only right after I volunteered for the for the latrine, my squats with the regime between detail this or you may end up in a little bit more than anybody here. I thought because you're small know because OK, Google crop. It is literally like a side-by-side and during the summer time. It is Dusty and their you practice crawling on your stomach, you know, like a god I would have to spend to

06:59 Trips across the pulpit versus there one and I thought, oh my clean, the toilets clean the shower. Original. What was the most somebody has to use the bathroom? They go regardless of whether or not, you're in their way and almost got into a fight with me. If you want to do the bathroom.

07:37 Okay. Anyway, I was wondering.

07:44 How did you get?

07:48 Write basic training. Everyone is basic training for everybody. That that's that's a given for everyone.

07:57 Becoming a

07:59 But why else would fit for this from the get-go? Because I thought, well, you know.

08:04 American are he's there. He's the hero in the Hollywood show. And so if he goes in,

08:11 The way that people think that people like people like the the John Cleese type of guy who goes out guns blazing.

08:22 True, but this is the one that machine guns down. Everybody goes home and it's an honorable profession and the and the respected.

08:43 And I thought you knew I was saving a life is like a while you like to return. You know, I wasn't cut out for the Army. Like I can't bark at the people that for very long and I can't stretch and follows him and respect. Respect a guy, my size bigger than me, and they were some fights in the barracks because because so many 50 personalities under stress. There's bound to be some sites near me. I'm out of here. It's just way too dangerous for a guy. Small guy like me.

09:39 Training. Very interesting thing about working on basic training. Used to kill people in basic training. Papa papa. I'm sure targets.

09:54 We work. That was all I wanted oriented killing people when we all went to Fort Sam, Houston, Texas, which is in San Antonio, Texas. It was totally 1%, not even one mention of a bullet, you know about walk, Super Bowl, always had. This is where you save this life this way, you text me swoon, you know, and nothing but taking a life.

10:35 The decomposed, as far as being out being sellers were all lightsabers. And so and also we working with a lot of professional love. The doctors were drafted as it turned out,. And so that's course. Many of the nurses, almost all the nurses were volunteers. I don't know that. I could tell that the nurses on me. If I was great with big adventure. We have, we have to obey them, otherwise get in deep trouble or like court-martial, or whatever, you know, and not not to take life, which is it the same one.

11:27 Well, I don't know. I never thought about you when you think about it, but when I was actually presented with the situation in Vietnam.

11:38 I really, I really didn't take it because my unit, you surrounded this song Village Andrea. We think we trapped 50, North Vietnamese soldiers. And I got separated from my unit. Somehow. We were forming The Cordon around the village. I was fault. My position is the follow the lieutenant, and because nothing get lost in the dark was the night raid that special permission with special permission from the Commanding. General our Commanding General in Vietnam, and they can I trade because the policy and military policy of Rolla Vietnam, no night activities, anybody that shows up on your rifle scope for your night scope. You killed him was going to make activity for us. We were making it with some Commando raid, this around this Village and anyway, as we're surrounded, the China.

12:38 What happened to you? And the lieutenant play Too Deep, but not with my voice. Text said, okay, shoot back bishop and he said she'll shoot them back. But then when the flyer that we shot up.

13:15 Second or third player. I saw him not to be a soldier standing staring at me. You was about maybe what's a 50 50 feet away. I thought of it, but if not come out of this, order is for sure. Cuz I had to think about you went down and I didn't take the opportunity.

13:47 That was supposed to go to my wife as well.

13:50 Shooting pipes will Soldier on as a medical. I was okay, but we need at least I'm more suited to being put in the position of a medic, then an infantryman or in one of my medical Medical classes at forms Fort. Sam Houston. A medic is to be treated as I'm non-combat. The river sign the Geneva Convention. They're not allowed to shoot.

14:50 Like on fire on them either. What I was going to say is that

15:03 I kind of feel that at that, you, it might be a good thing to talk about.

15:10 How you got taken out?

15:12 Mike Hawkins shot in middle and a couple of very obvious stitched up holes in your side. But yet, your cousin back in China, and I was reading this before you were born. She taught. She said, she said to your mom back this before we were married. Should to wash one time? Because we were your cousin, Richard. She has three, three belly button.

16:05 That's what you think.

16:17 Yeah, I know, I know, but it would be, but the reaction was shocked by the extra holes.

16:29 But I remember asking you that and you gave me a sort of.

16:41 Now, that I'm 18, and I understand a little bit more about what's going on.

16:45 Start from the beginning from the beginning. My unit was ambushed in the Iron Triangle. The west of the town of Ben cat. In the north part of the tribe that forms a triangle is the Michelin rubber Plantation owned by the French, and then the two sides, the bottom sides of the triangle was the song day in the song Sai gon and what with the troops would do was it as though that was the Terminus of the Ho Chi Minh trail work supplies from North Vietnam, War Take Along the trail and they would store in the in the movie called nicknamed, the hobo Woods, The River Plantation. And then at night, they put it on, put it on boats of Sam Panda and transported and distribute distribution point for the

17:45 But we were sent to you to join the 1st. Infantry Division was the third Brigade of the 82nd Airborne and we were attached to them and that we were told with a B fight me B, fighting every night and

18:03 Well, it's the second us know the story. But anyways, so we were sent him there and we discovered some cement bunkers, ordering a search mission and everyone was shocked. All of experience gisors shocked. They said you only see some at bunkers when you hit the headquarters of whatever you want to do hit this may be the divisional headquarters of the of this North Vietnamese army unit. And so so that means we may be in for a fight because they're out there that you skip this Kate, when they saw us and they're out there waiting to see if we leave or, you know, if they're going to engage us. And so the day after we discover, the cement boxes or the night, that very night Alpha Company. I wasn't attached to Bravo Company Alpha Company.

18:50 Got into a gunfight with one of the North Vietnamese unit and Lieutenant start laughing says, well, I guess though. We've been invited to the party. Anyway, so the next day, then I might wear my company one along this road and then

19:10 The fourth wife of commuters who's leading leading us. They came under gunfire.

19:16 And then in about 15-20 minutes with any talk radio, call for me and says they're bitching leaders been hit and the Medics had to get. It looked at me and says I need seven volunteers to go relieve them. When I said, I was the very first one who volunteered. I don't know how to fight.

19:55 And the ten, grab my grab, you grab my shirt, the back and just the nape of my neck and dragged me all the way back. There's no dock here at the back, the back to talk about the back. So and the sea was the point. He had the most experience. And then, whatever the third that and we went very slowly. We crawled most of the way and it must have been

20:27 I felt like forever, but I could tell by the gunfire in the grenade that while we were there we arrived and

20:39 What was happening was the North Vietnamese soldiers. They were shooting at us with three machine guns and then the other two or three with throwing grenades at us. And I found out later. That's a very common tactic in the jungle with it. What you do is you shoot at the enemy and then welder, now you throw grenades at them, and you may not kill them, but you really

21:04 Ruin their morale.

21:07 Come to think of it the night before.

21:12 Two nights before the Ambush. We were ambushed.

21:15 They used to use a common tactic that use against the French. I was told.

21:20 The first day, you threw a grenade at the more you do something to get their attention so that we don't sleep.

21:28 II day, one bullet, that's all it was just one bullet and that just kind of all of us. And we thought we were alert. And so we lost a second.

21:41 Then the third day mow the sky up.

21:45 From Missouri. Richard put her chocolate team. Anyway, his Claymore Mine.

21:55 He actually saw on what the soldier and the soldier shot at him from a distance. I think what's got you so long. And so we didn't expect typically don't see them during the daytime. It's during the night when they come. So, mowing out there without his weapon to set up is Claymore Mine, and that's when he saw the North Vietnamese soldier end and the soldiers shot at him and you turned and ran, but I don't think that he could have gotten the frosting on the cake. It was just to scare us again. So we love with did not have 3 days worth of sleep. And so when we were ambushed that day,

22:41 I'm on the porch Washington got ambushed and we went to relieve them.

22:48 We were all we were without three days worth of sleep. And I don't think we were acted properly because not everyone was firing their weapon and someone were just just staring at someone and he was a very poor, the response to onto the Ambush. And so anyway,

23:11 Then I saw the medic and he was in the compulsions yet strapped around his head and I thought well, during orientation. Anybody with had ones most likely to die. Your job is to save the ones who most likely live. So you left them. You just make a decision and you let them do the same thing with them. And so I had three people all together and I knew I couldn't take care of all that. All in one special on the gunfire is a machine. Means we going off all the time and everybody was yelling in Grenada.

23:54 I could do it. I just shut out the sound of the grenades in the gunfire when I focused and what y'all back I can meet analysis. Sorry. I yelled back from into the police, the Moon it out. Then I saw this one. One guy.

24:15 His name is Joseph Homesite. She and I were on my porch together, the night before. It was from Atlanta, Georgia were both 19 years old at the conversation was.

24:29 Old girlfriend, and his car and his parents.

24:44 Anyway, she was bleeding from both sides of his head. Shot wounds all over his head.

24:51 Ended my bodyguards as fuk it up, a gumball out, the phone. So he and maybe two or three steps and I turned around.

25:16 I looked at homes, but Joe.

25:20 SMS.

25:34 Used truck dealers.

25:40 Stories. Don't turn around.

25:48 Bandage, both sides of his head.

25:51 Restarting RV awning.

25:54 By that time you came back. What you doing? I don't know, some Twenty Yards away.

26:12 Newton Taxi back to I find where, where I was, cuz he's My Bodyguard and

26:18 His rifle jammed and sis. Where is yours? As long as your wife wants it back there someplace. I don't know how, I don't know for how long then came back. He was my rifle shots, in my rifle jam, to since you have nothing else to do this IV bottles.

26:41 It's like a started, the idea thought about the fluids flowing. I was really happy. I thought I did this. Okay, so I brought my paper was about to break off a second to Anchor, the needle to wrap around completely around the needle, gunfire erupted next thing I knew.

27:08 Next thing. I knew I was on my side and that was missing a grenade. Whoever shot me also but you know, those grenades all over the place and do it was falling down and realize the still go on throwing grenades at us. And then I saw Toledo. He was from Puerto Rico, came alongside meaning and yelled Ducks hit. You know, how many ways and he tried? Anyway, long story short, but you guys can grab me and drag me all the way to the helicopter side and helicopter got in and grabbed me, and

27:53 15 to the emergency surgery and then they just sent me off to the Xscape section, even just want all black guy in this one. White guy helped me realize that crap. And so, I came back and turned out after the operation.

28:36 They discovered the short way from the bullet, the book, A Christmas to my stomach, but the shock wave itself, put a rip in my diaphragm or I couldn't draw a deep breath. And that was reason why I thought I'd, I'm going to suffocate to death. And remember, I thought about raising my head and let him know cuz I thought I'm going to, I'm going to suffocate me.

29:16 What I see the nurse.

29:22 When was that beyond Earth, NASA?

29:26 Oh, no, it's the

29:29 Is the ambulance driver? Who's the Vietnamese? Who he was the attendance?

29:34 And I don't deserve this driver and then with the attended the attendant or try to make me late lie down because big but laying down I would have I would have suffocated and he kept on shutting me down.

29:58 But anyway, the North Vietnamese are supposed to go at me. She got me from left to right. The bullet in the whites left side, as if my right hand, grenade ship my rib, and then the other phone is the suction tube to use the score in the upper, right arm. That's from the grenade. So those were all the extra holes in the post. Office was changing clothes out of my submit my street clothes into my first day on the shift, everybody turned and looked at me and my guy says, what happened

30:57 Bill was I who shot out of the air by the Nazis and was in a prison camp?

31:02 Then Dawn clean was up till we got here and then there was supposed to be in the Navy and that put me up a notch louder on the respect, scale in at work. So there was some.

31:28 Yeah, that's right. And I know you have you still have the Purple Heart in your in a box.

31:37 And then he forgot about having that.

31:41 It went in the current atmosphere over Lookout. Pass it right now for the young coronavirus that killed, you know, in a way that's

32:00 Like an unarmed way of Defending ourselves saying, hey were loyal Americans to, you know.

32:12 I was, I was driving when I first asked you about your scars and you told me about serving in Vietnam, even though, I didn't really understand what it meant about time. You can you always told me that because you made it very clear to me that being Brown. Being looking this way. It can be dangerous because you grew up that way. And I think I understood that even when I was really little is that you were saying that to protect me, you thought I was worth it to have that, even though, I'm pretty sure that you would trade it for all the everything that you went through.

32:47 Yeah, well yeah.

32:53 Their worlds, there are two races out there who don't believe that only white people are heroes. And so when when I show my purple heart, especially when you drive the car, this is the daughter of a veteran. That. I have proof that I'm loading the United States other people only have their white skin.

33:17 And Benedict Arnold has white skin too. So. So, so I have proof of loyalty and Devotion to the United States. Also. My hero is Abraham Lincoln. Okay, we have about 5 minutes, left. Do you want to talk a little bit about what it was like to be Chinese in the Army won't last night you were born here. So you're very obviously we are both very obviously not white.

33:50 On the whole is okay. Now actually, but the European cuz I was told by Word of Mouth.

34:50 Were a German sit at 1:12 watch were the Germans, but not with the same place, you know, there would be no children with mothers fathers. No shopping in these of these department stores. I go in there, too, and everybody with Japanese volunteered out of out of Germany. And into Vietnam, I think talk about that. I thought

35:38 I know we only have a few minutes. But I do want even really, really want you trying to get up quickly, get out the story of them learning to drive a Jeep, ambulance drivers. Okay, and so they took me out as it's okay. This is where all the tanks tank drivers practice with their tanks and says. Okay it going, I said, swiping first year, and we traveled to be couldn't tell where the blood was all even, you know, and so sometime. We saw us and they brought the chain and Son, dragged us out.

36:24 And then when I put it in gear again and the same thing we reported that particular hole, but the second time, then the third time, what would it be eating out? You know, so this is the last time that you get stuck, you know, when I come back and said, okay, so I had to wash the Jeep, you know, so I thought, okay. Well, I'm glad to have the safety on the safing band. Now.

37:24 Interesting.

37:31 Those are deep mud puddles.

37:40 Sum Kevin that wants to know if you want to talk a little bit about our family history.

37:49 We have some people think it's fascinating history on my father's side. My great-grandfather landed in San Francisco in 1869 and Under the Sea. She was going to look for the mountain of gold in China, but he ended up with the job on the Central Pacific Railroad.

38:11 We call center farmers, and get rich, you know, basically what this brother was it in Cyprus when they both ended up on the railroad on the Central Pacific? And then from the Central Pacific, they moved to being migrant workers up and down, the California coast all the way from Lodi to go down to Imperial Valley. And they did that for a while and then my grandpa one.

38:56 Went back return on ground and then Grandpa was born in San Francisco. She was American citizen. And so, he went back when he became a young young adult. He went back to China. Several times. I was told and I'm one of those visiting married Grandma, but

39:16 He didn't have any children till he was 60 years old. Not affect. The only reason. Why is it? Why is it supposed to be in the same old thing in the United States? And didn't think Dad would want somebody to take the family name and search secure the property and you don't continue the family name, but then one day, you know, one of his visits back to to do to China. Grandpa said, Grandma, my grandma said Grandpa. Honorable husband, I'm pregnant and he was born in in the in the China and when he was 8 years old.

39:59 Grandpa brought him over to Seattle and I'm pretty sure Grandma and Grandpa landed in San Francisco in this family, on the Wigan family. They lived in LA. But anyway, she saw Grandpa and Great Grandpa and Great Grandpa on the dock in Seattle, and she she said she could tell he was really scared and was a cold day on sale. And she she offered them a place to stay cuz your mom about small children. And so Grandpa was raised.

40:40 Part part of the time in that in the family, Christmas. Grandpa always bought. This big come to find out what the bits of information Grandpa was. They sell her. She's so cute. They they they gave him presents to the Boudin family and that she was based on all of the warm memories. And so and remember them too, well, to his dying day. So you know, what I miss is Wigan and though,

41:40 I know he died pretty soon after I was like, I was pretty young when he died. And I remember all these men, like you have all these memories of him about him being a good person, and how whoever he was beloved by everyone. He had tons of friends even Japanese friends, which is kind of a stalker because I think what it is. Even though, he'd Grandpa suffered a lot of race Prejudice, but the thing of it is because of what the readings have been specially the way that. She loved and treated him or Grandpa thought in the ground, back at Grandpa's, mine. America is the week and family. He's not all the multiple racist it. He encountered in his life as a child cuz he had every reason to hate white people, but he did say, he never uttered one evil word.

42:35 Not one single swear word about the fight race of America.

42:51 So what can I say? You know, that's sad that side of the family. With my father's side of the family. Okay, she came from a well-off family. Her father married, the married. The daughter of the mayor of Tyson every, but the majority of the top 10 people from before 1960, 50% of the Chinese from ma China, or from this one area Tyshawn. Anyway, Bertha and Grandpa Great. Grandpa was

43:34 Only on Mom's side. Okay, he works for the Bank of China under the military dictator, Chiang Kai-shek, and he must have been very important because when they head to the back way to the work out on them, Chun King the entire family moved with them in the in the workout bottle and

43:55 In the

43:59 And we also didn't win the civil war. With the time this happened. She had to escape because he would been tried as a war criminal and so he ended up in Hong Kong, but she tried to start the Bank of China and Hong Kong. But no one trusted them because because of the severe corruption during on talking to you. Okay? Okay. When we were taught when when I had a buzz cut Monday and Generals come to find out they lived in a in a defended compound with guards and that every so often she has General to come into or general would come in for some sort of negotiation.

44:59 The Nationals were trying to negotiate some kind of Peace, but the course they didn't arrive at it. It started coming in to work into the province. So or Province. Dad came back home. Then went back to China. The shopping for a while because yeah, he want to get married and start a family because the the Asian exclusion that was lifted because they were over right away and

45:39 Anyway, so why I'm so he met mom moving Tyshawn in the

45:44 Grandma went back to move the family to know he was born. So he's automatically American didn't work for Chinese back. Then if you were born in China, even if your father was born in here, okay, your kids, Chinese newborn with his dad was born in America citizenship when you volunteered to go in the army and when we got it,

46:45 The right, the right. The birth of the birthright of citizenship is pretty important. And your dad couldn't keep voted after that right. After you show me the building boom get this big grin on his face like that. What's going on? Cuz we Ain't Hurtin my doctor. Need the curtain, your boy can't be in there with you, but

47:28 No, he was 25 years old when he got citizenship. I think what it is is that she is so happy that he got the boy. He was exercising his power as an American citizen, you know, and he is one because by what is a bike run current standard of the song, the son of a citizen is no matter where they're born there, a citizen to and so he had to wait for his

48:02 The grin, on his face. I never felt the first time I was with. My mom has five. It. Was this, something he

48:09 Lahore, he waited for all those years.

48:12 Is one last thing I would like to say before we end things is that? So when I was 13, we went to DC, right? I was pretty sure it was 13, Boys in the Summer and we went outside the Museum, 2 million doing some Stone Ian, but one of the things that we did decide to to visit before we left was a couple of days before we left the city more in which was designed by that late in the day and everyone was tired, but you wanted to go see it. And so I went and I remember making like it's a very it's still even though the place of memory is still kind of a somber place, is very quiet respectful and it is this big black ripped in the side of the mountain side of the Hill.

49:08 Are we were going up to it? And there was all these names and you can just see it. And the stone was, I had like some was only one there because it's standing. There we out. You want, you wanted to ask her to find a couple of really specific names, right then.

49:35 John.

49:38 I think John is enough.

49:40 Yeah, he was the he was the platoon Sergeant. He treated me like his kid brother ever made.

50:02 John's name was on top and Joseph Women's white below next to him.

50:15 Chinese flowers and it was a nice place.

50:23 I'm glad that I didn't get to.

50:40 I think we're good here, Kevin.