My name is Brian Hjort, and I’m from Denmark. I’m writing to you because I want to ask you if you could be so kind to help me to put a story in your newspapers about the volunteer work I do helping Amerasian youth in locating their fathers.
My story start in 1992. I went to Vietnam as a tourist, to see how it look like. In Saigon I went around in centrum when I meet that big group of strange looking youth. They look like Caucasian and Africans and same time Asians. So I ask around and I was told that they were Amerasians, children of American soldiers and local women, left behind after the war. With help from a taxi driver I was able to come to Amerasian Transit Center, where they stay. The camp and the area was one big flavor of people in all color and races.
I was able to get some volunteer work to help the Amerasians, and in that way I learn of their life, the humiliations they always feel being the children of enemy.
In the camp I became very good friend with a Amerasian named Arnold Doan, he later saved my life when someone want to robbed me. In 1993 I went to Philippines to look for my friend. He had apply for the U.S./U.N. sponsored program O.D.P. (Orderly Departure Program) to repatriate back to U.S.A., and had now come for a 6 months learning about the life in U.S.A. before arriving.
So now he was in Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC), so I went there and visit him and did some volunteer work. In the camp a girl gave me a name of an Amerasian friend who need help to find her father, and if I ever come back to Vietnam I should visit her.
In 1995 I went back to Vietnam, and meet her friend, she gave me a photo and a name of her father, and ask me to locate him for her. Back in Denmark, I think about it for a while, before I went to the U.S. Embassy, they gave me some address for help. I wrote to the U.S. military, and they send me a letter with some informations. Based on these informations and through the internet I was able to find him. After a pain writing letter I waited for long time, and a very good answer came back to me. The father was very happy, he knew he had a daughter but thought she was dead.
Back in Vietnam Amerasians found out that I help one, and many start writing to me, more than I dream of. So many that I made my own agency to help.
It was very hard in the beginning to search, to know the way, and it still is.In June 1999 I went back to Vietnam to open a office in Saigon. I hired a friend, to work for me parttime helping Amerasians. And I made a phone line and e-mail address. All these activities are paid by my own money. I had a very low paid job, so I’m spending what I had to help.
So why I’m doing this? Well when I meet these group of forgotten people it was so strange to see a group of people who suffered so much, had so much love, respect and dignity to give to a stranger as me.
That’s something I never will forget, I will do all I can to help them find their fathers, as much as I’m able as one person without any financial help. I don’t charge any fees for my help, because they don’t have any money. It all come from the heart.
About my future plans, I hope to open an office in the Philippines one day. And my wish is that I can get so much publish in Newspapers in U.S.A., that people really can see and understand what’s going on with their children in Asia. And I need all the help I can get, specially economic, but also people to help me for search for former soldiers, Web masters, anyone who want to help I really hope that you will be so kind to publish this article in your newspapers, it will make me very happy. Don’t forget the Amerasians they are suffered for what happened in the past. If you want to get in contact then contact me at the address below. I hope to hear from you.
Brian Hjort
Amerasian Relief Agency
Blankavej 21 st. tv
2500 Valby, Dk Denmark