By Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan

In December of 1970, Monsignor Francis Sampson, then Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army, asked if I would accept an assignment to Vietnam to preach several retreats to the Catholic chaplains of our Armed Forces. I told him that since they had volunteered to be with the troops I was willing to accept this assignment.

Last Spring, the formal orders for the trip came from the Secretary of the Army. Hence, on Thursday, September 2, I flew to San Francisco, and the next day to Hawaii.

Arriving there after a four-and-a-half-hour flight, I was met by Chaplain Gerard Geffelt, U.S. Army, Rochester Diocese; Chaplain Joseph Frain, U.S. Army, Springfield Cape Girardeau Diocese; and Chaplain Henry J. Rolherege, U.S. Navy, St. Louis Archdiocese.

Chaplains Geffelt and Frain made the arrangements for the retreat to the Army, Navy and Air Force Chaplains in Hawaii, and I was quartered at Fort de Roosy where the Army conducts its Rest and Recuperation Program for troops from the Combat Zones. It was a touching sight to see a number of family reunions where wives and children had come to join the husband and father for a brief vacation before he returned to a combat zone.

The retreat in Hawaii was attended by chaplains from all the branches of the service. One Air Force chaplain flew 650 miles from his island post. I had the pleasure of meeting Chaplain John Pegnam, U.S. Navy, Fall River Diocese, whose uncle, the late Cardinal Spellman, had ordained me to the priesthood and consecrated me a bishop. Before the retreat began, I had the opportunity of having dinner with Bishop Scanlon of Honolulu and Bishop Kenneally, SJ, at that time Bishop of Turk and the Caroline Islands. Bishop Kenneally and I had been together years ago when I assisted at his episcopal ordination at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

On Friday, September 9, I left Hawaii on an Army chartered flight for Vietnam. We had one-hour stops at Guam and the Philippines, arriving at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon on Sunday morning. Actually, the flight time was about 14 hours, but during the flight we passed over the International Date Line, and so we lost Saturday from our calendar.

I was met in Saigon by Chaplain William O'Connor, U.S. Army, Hartford Diocese and Father John Smith, U.S. Army, St. Paul Archdiocese, and several members of their staff. They took me to the White House, a U.S. government facility for visitors and completed arrangements for Mass for troops at MACH V Headquarters in Saigon later that day. Also at the airport was Father John McVeegh, an old friend and a priest of the Reno Diocese, who is in charge of the Office of Catholic Relief Services in Vietnam, and Father James Dolan, SJ, U.S. Navy, of New York.

Next morning, we flew via a small Army plane to Cam Ranh Bay, about an hour's flight from Saigon. This is a large supply center, built around a magnificent but isolated harbor, where the towering mountains came down almost to the sea. It has Army, Navy and Air Force facilities and includes the retreat center, as well as a hospital and drug addiction facility. The retreat center is newly-erected; much of the effort for its establishment was made be Father Leonard Stegman, presently stationed at Fort McPherson.

It has a fine chapel, built right into the dunes and, fortunately, in view of the 110-degree temperature, the chapel is air-conditioned. It was erected by free-will donations, and is completely ecumenical. Off to the side is a small Blessed Sacrament Room, furnished beautifully by the Bishops' Military Ordinariate.

There were two retreats in Vietnam, each attended by about 35 Army, Navy, and Air Force Chaplains. Because of the heat, most of the services were held in the morning or evening. During one afternoon of each week, a visit was scheduled to a nearby Cistercian Monastery founded 35 years ago by the French but now populated by three Vietnamese priests and 13 brothers. They dress in the same habit, and follow the same rule as our monks at Conyers, and live the same simple, prayerful life, although in very primitive conditions.

In between the two retreats, I returned to Saigon for the weekend where I had the opportunity of saying Sunday Mass at the Saigon Cathedral, and meeting the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Le Maitre, as well as the Archbishop of Saigon, Msgr. Nguyen Van Binh, and the Bishop of Nha-Trang, Msgr. Nguyen Van Thuan. The latter is a nephew of the late President Diem. That evening, we went by helicopter to Long Binh, where we visited with Chaplains John Kowsky of New York and Ed Flynn of San Diego. They cooked dinner for us and for several chaplains from the area and arranged for me to meet General McCaffrey, their commanding general, and several of his staff. The general very kindly presented me with a field cap inscribed with my name in place of the usual insignia.

Before I left Saigon, I also had the opportunity of having dinner with Dr. and Mrs. Thu. This couple were married nineteen years ago in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York while they were both studying in the United States. I was stationed at the Cathedral at that time and the marriage was witnessed by Bishop Lane of Maryknoll. Mrs. Thu is now a member of the Senate of Vietnam.

So much for the itinerary. The trip was most interesting, inspiring and instructive. I was deeply impressed by the dedication, devotion and apostolic zeal of the chaplains. The troops are their first concern, and there is an almost universal distaste for "desk jobs" and a strong preference to be in the field with the troops.

I was also impressed with the truly ecumenical spirit that prevails among the chaplains. Men of all faiths work together in great harmony. Many extraordinary kindnesses were shown to me by Protestant chaplains working with Chaplains Geffelt and O'Connor. The retreat center is a splendid example of an ecumenical effort where Chaplain Gentry and Father Tiente alternate retreats for Protestant and Catholic troops.

Because my assignment was to preach to chaplains, I had limited opportunities to visit with troops. According to the chaplains, the problems in service mirror those at home. They are increased because of boredom among troops who do not have enough to do in a struggle that is winding down. This is especially true among rear echelon and supply troops.

There is no question that the United States is withdrawing troops and supplies at a rapid pace, as rapid a pace as the officers think is consonant with the safety of the troops. Cam Ranh Bay is a supply depot and even in my two weeks there, there was unmistakable evidence of a substantial shipping-out of supplies and personnel. This, of course, complicates the morale question, but it does offer hope that we shall soon be disengaged from this terrible war.

I had an opportunity to tour the drug addiction facility and to question the doctors in charge. All troops leaving Vietnam are subject to tests to determine whether they are addicted to drugs. If found addicted, they are hospitalized for detoxification procedures and then shipped back to the United States for treatment. In addition, there are spot checks of different units for the same purpose. It is expected that the program will enable the Armed Forces to obtain firm information on the extent of the drug problem among its personnel in Vietnam and to obtain treatment for all known addicts. The officer in command of the facility is Colonel Allison of Warner Robins, Georgia.

In my communications with the bishops and Vietnamese civilians there seemed to be a hopeful tone. The North Vietnamese Government has permitted the consecration of several bishops lately, although the policy of the government discourages vocations to the priesthood. On the other hand, vocations in South Vietnam are flourishing. Both the Archdiocese of Saigon and the Diocese of Na Trang have a large number of students for the priesthood and both bishops expressed great hope for the future of the Church.

The work of Catholic Relief Services is deeply appreciated by the Vietnamese. I had the opportunity of visiting their offices, meeting the staff and discussing the work. I was very proud of the accomplishments of those representing the American bishops, and of the concrete evidence of the generosity of American Catholics.

I regretted that my opportunities to visit American troops were limited by the duties of my assignment. On the other hand, I came home inspired and reassured by the high caliber of the chaplains, and their devotion to their men.