Southern Cross information
for 11 BDE 23 INF
USAID
For date 700605
11 BDE 23 INF was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Quang Ngai Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Chi Trung
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Soldiers aid village" by SGT Bill Lake 11th INF BDE IO.
CHI TRUNG - When someone is burned out of house and home, the question arises, "What are you going to do for food and shelter?" That was no problem for the people of Chi Trung who lost everything, including many of their domestic animals, in a recent fire. "The fire started about 10:30 a.m. and in half an hour consumed over 25% of the village leaving 135 families homeless," explained Dave Toyryla of the United Stated Agency for International Development (USAID) the deputy senior advisor for Duc Pho District which is in the Division's area of operations. The response of the nearby villagers was the important thing. "I've never seen villagers help each other like this before," said 1LT Ray Helmer, a MACV Civil Affairs Officer who works with the 11th Infantry Brigade. 1LT Helmer brought 40 bags of rice to the homeless. Villagers from nearby Me Trong chipped in with 8,000 piasters and about 40 bags of rice. Nha Man and Xuan Thanh villages also donated rice to their neighbors. New hope shone on the faces of the tragedy stricken after MAJ Buu Tuong, District Chief of Duc Pho, presented the donated money to the village chief. The money will be used for the construction of new homes. The village chief then called out the names of the homeless families to come forward and collect their share of the rice donated by the neighboring villages. The people of Chi Trung will not go hungry and will have their new homes thanks to the charity of their neighbors and the coordination afforded by MACV and USAID.
The source for this information was 7006_320_scr supplied by Les Hines 12/14/2000
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
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Last updated
12/25/2000
Date posted on this site:
08/17/2025