Meet John Kerry, new U.S. citizen who fled Vietnam
The refugee didn't realize when he picked his American-sounding name that it was the same as the Democratic nominee.
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published June 13, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - When Vietnamese refugee Thanh Kim became a United States citizen on May 25, he adopted what he perceived to be a quintessentially American name.
John Kerry Kim.
It wasn't in honor of the Democratic presidential candidate and Vietnam War hero, Kim said. He had requested his new name back in January 2003, when he submitted his citizenship application, and had never heard of the politician until about two or three months ago.
"I saw him on TV and saw my name," Kim, 67, said Thursday, still sounding surprised.
Kim arrived in the United States with his wife and two of their children in 1986. They had endured an arduous escape by boat from Vietnam to Cambodia and a 200-mile trek to a United Nations refugee camp on the Cambodia-Thailand border. Today he remains grateful to his adopted homeland.
"I like America and the American government and all the American people save me from the Communists, save my life and my family. I am swearing to die with them," he said.
Speaking in heavily accented English, the former army sergeant said that after the U.S. pullout from Vietnam, he was imprisoned by the Communists for a year and 10 days. He was restricted to his 1-square-mile village for six years after his release.
St. Petersburg has been his only home since coming to the United States. He worked in a factory before being hired in 1991 to take care of the grounds at Westminster Palms, a continuing care retirement community at North Shore Drive NE. These days he does maintenance work throughout the complex that until recently was known as Palm Shores.
In a break from his job Thursday, Kim said he and his wife, Giang Thi Thach, own their own home, as does a daughter. Two daughters live with them. He said the youngest, who was born in the United States, attends St. Petersburg High School. He spoke haltingly, though, of the two children who were not able to escape from Vietnam. He has not seen them in almost 20 years and knows their children only through photographs.
His newly acquired citizenship should make it easier for him to unite his family, Kim said. As for his new name, it's a tribute to a new life.
"When I became American," he said, "I wanted an American name."
