(*** Also see the photos during Burma Road trip ***)

(Another related article can be found on The MYANMAR TIMES)

I received a telephone call in October 2004 from a woman who was organizing a trip to Burma.
My first response was that I was ready to go.

In 1945, I was a Staff Sgt., in the 236th combat engineers on the Stilwell road in Burma. For a year and a half, I served in the CBI theater of operations. One of my duties was a bugler for my company. I was transferred in just a few weeks after some heavy combat, but fortunately was not involved in action. Our company spent much of our time on construction and maintenance of bridges and roads. The thought of returning to Burma, my memories of the people and my experiences have never left me.
So when the opportunity came up to visit again, I jumped at it.

The trip organizer, a Burmese national, Khine, had been doing WWII historical research in the Burma area, and she was interested in connecting with veterans learning their experiences. She had some difficulty, in that most of the veterans like myself are over 80 years old. Another veteran was located in Chicago named Lynn Hauldren. He was also a Staff Sgt., in the Signal corps.
He drove the supply route from Ledo, India to Kunming, China - a distance of 1000 miles along the old Burma Road.
So the group that made the recent journey was a retired University professor, Joyce Markle, Lynn and myself along with our tour coordinator, Khine (aka) Khaing Tun.

The itinerary was set to go from Kunming, China to Rangoon, Burma following the complete length of the Burma Road.
(Burma Road was built in 1937 by local Chinese laborers, men, women and children using cobblestones.)
Stops along the way included ancient sites, cities, villages, museums, parks, riverboat rides, train excursions and a lake cruise.
The original plan did not include a trip to Namkhan, Burma, my army campsite. However, adjustments were made so that I would be allowed to visit there.

After a 15 hour flight we arrived in Kunming, China. (Khine arrived in Kunming a few days earlier).
At the terminal, we were greeted with bouquets of flowers, local television station and newspaper reporters. Curious crowds gathered around us. At the hotel, we were interviewed again by TV and the newspaper with the help of our Chinese interpreter and guide.
We were all quite surprised by this attention. After an overnight stay at a luxurious hotel in Kunming, we began our journey towards Burma, on and off on the Old Burma Road, sightseeing along the way.

Our first stop was in Yunnanyi, China to visit a museum and Robert Mooney's memorial of the Flying Tigers.
Tucked in my suitcase was my bugle. It was my intention to play Taps at my campsite at Namkhan, Burma, as a tribute to all who served in the CBI theater of operations.
But I decided to take the bugle along as we climbed up the long narrow path to the Robert Mooney's Memorial. Following behind us were local TV reporters. At the site, I gave a short speech in respect for the Flying Tigers and their support groups.
Then I played "Taps". After the last mournful tone echoed through the hills, there was a moment of silence and I then placed the American flag at this Memorial.

Continuing south, we arrived at the village of Tengchong. We visited a Memorial park of WWII tombs of Chinese and 14 American soldiers. Again, a tribute of Taps was played.

As we approached the China-Burma border, we arrived in the bustling, modern city of Ruili - complete with high-rise buildings, McDonald's and cell phones. People warmly greeted us as they had done at all previous stops. It was a delightful ending to the trip on the China side of the border. We sadly left our Chinese guide and the van driver at the border with handshakes and hugs.
They presented each of us with Chinese good luck gifts.

In Burma, we were processed through Immigrations with the help of a new Burmese guide. This was time consuming and it involved exchanging papers but with her help, we made it through.

Soon we were on the Stilwell Road and heading towards Namkhan, in search of my campsite. This is located in Northern Burma in the Shan State. Very little had changed since 1945. Roads were full of pot-holes and in poor condition.

Our first stop was the Dr. Seagrave's Missionary hospital which is now a locally run clinic. Dr. Seagrave and his nurses were recruited by the US military to set up field hospitals in the Burma Campaign. I had taken many photographes of this area back in 1945 and I carried copies of them with me. Among them were pictures of the hospital grounds and some of the nurses.
We located one of the nurses, Esther Po and her husband Kya Naw (Ja Naw) who still live in the village. We had a long visit, exchanging stories and photos. They both spoke English. (Kya Naw was born by Dr. Gordon Seagrave and he grew up with Dr. Segrave's sons in Namkhan villlage.)

It was a complete surprise to Esther to have us since we had no way of connecting with her ahead of time. It was also extremely emotional for all of us. Conversation with her husband revealed that he frequented our campsite to watch evening movies during WWII. He recognized many of the people in my photographs. We shared stories and memories and I gave him my sweater and a few National Geographic magazines. Since their home was near our original campsite, by the airstrip, I decided to read my speech "Return to Burma" and to pay "Taps" at this site.

Speech for Return to Burma

In this year of 2005, fate has returned me to the CBI area after 60 years. I was the bugler for the 236th Combat Engineers in Namkhan, Burma. As I played Taps every night, my comrades there, would lie awake until the last echoes of Taps faded from the mountains.

Many memories have come to me of this area, its people and the units serving in this theater, including the Flying Tigers, the airmen who flew over "The Hump", the engineers who built the Burma and Stilwell Road, the Infantry, Ranger, Combat support units and others.

I have also thought of comrades who did not return from here, giving their lives so others might enjoy Freedom. Thoughts are also of comrades who did return home, those who Father Time has taken and thoughts of the relatively few who remain with their memories.Father Time is doing to the ones of us who served here what the Japanese could not do... thinning our ranks, day by day.

In this last year of the CBI Veterans Association, I have the honor of playing Taps for the final time here in Namkhan, Burma as my tribute to all who served bravely in this Theater of Operations.

May you rest in peace, secure in the knowledge that your commitment to Duty, Honor and Country will live on in history.
Farewell my comrade-in-arms, Job well-done!

After the Taps was played, I presented Kya Naw with a small American Flag to commenmorate my return visit. There were mixed emotions of sadness and happiness as we left our friends and the beautiful Namkhan valley to continue our journey.
Admiration for the warm and friendly Shan people and my experiences in Namkhan were truly the highlight of my trip.
I will always remember them.

Now traveling on, the countryside is filled with ox-carts, bicycles and people on foot. Very little has changed in the past 60 years.
There are no modern buildings, but the scenery is beautiful. Countryside blended into cities, as moved on to Mandalay, Bagan and Rangoon. Through out the country, we visited temple sites and colorful markets.
Here we found a variety of beautiful hand-crafted goods: textiles, wood carvings, tapestries and laquerware. I returned home with some souvenirs and many photos, a rekindling of old memories and many new ones.

But the most important thing that this trip has given me is a spark - a new outlook on life.