Ed Wubbena, along with his wife and son, took a trip back to Vietnam, many years after fighting there as a solider. Submitted photo
PHOEBE GYOMERA STAFF WRITER
Many years and countless nightmares later, one Vietnam War veteran hesitantly chose to face his painful past.
Edward Wubbena, a Luther Hall maintenance worker, returned to the battlegrounds in Vietnam where he once fought for his country.
“When people asked me if I was ready to go to Vietnam, I’d say ‘yes,’” Wubbena said. “But, truthfully, I wasn’t at all.”
About a year ago, his son, Chris Wubbena, offered him an opportunity to go to Vietnam.
Chris, a professor at Southeast Missouri State University, was given a grant by the university to create an art piece based on his dad’s return to Vietnam.
Nga Nguyen, a Vietnamese student Wubbena met at Wartburg also encouraged him to take the 12-day trip.
Wubbena did not speak of his time in the war until six years ago, when history professor Terry Lindell made a subtle suggestion that led Wubbena to talk about his war experience to Lindell’s class.
Wubbena began to talk to other classes and gradually became comfortable speaking of his war experiences, he said.
Although he was able to discuss the war with students, he was apprehensive about returning to Vietnam. But preparation for the trip kept him busy so he did not have time to second-guess the visit, he said.
“It was only when I got to the Seoul, Korea airport, waiting for my final flight to Vietnam, and seeing all these other Vietnamese men waiting with me, did it finally sink in,” Wubbena said.
Forty years ago, he arrived in a strange land to fight alongside soldiers he had never met. This time he was with his wife and son—people he cared about, he said.
Everything about Vietnam seemed different, he said. Finding the battlegrounds he had fought at proved to be difficult because of the country’s development.
Hanoi had transformed into a city full of commotion. Bicycles flooded the streets, honking and flashing lights at each other and scooters and cars contributed to the ruckus.
The country’s changes helped him cope with his past, he said However, a trip to the War Remnants Museum was emotional.
“This museum told the story of what happened at the war with very explicit images,” Wubbena said. “I am not proud of what we did to those people.”
The thing that surprised him the most during his return visit was how friendly the Vietnamese people were. Throughout his stay, he was approached by strangers inquiring about his well-being.
Wubbena recently discussed his trip to Vietnam with the Waverly community. Veterans congratulated him on having the courage to face his painful past.
The trip stirred up mixed feelings in Wubbena, who reached various levels of closure.
“I guess you could say I find closure in how the country’s doing. Even though they are poor, they are doing OK without us,” Wubbena said.
“As for the nightmares and memories, they will remain with me until I die. But I count every day of my life as a bonus because I made it out alive.”