Ban Tin So 1

Ban tổ chức diễn hành Tết họp với hội đồng thành phố Westminster

Tin Westminster - Phiên họp đầu tiên giữa Ban tổ chức diễn hành Tết và hội đồng thành phố Westminster đã chính thức bắt đầu lúc 11 giờ trưa thứ Tư, ngày 7 tháng 11, 2007.

Phía hội đồng thành phố gồm có ông giám đốc Phục vụ cộng đồng Greg Johnson, bà Pam Gremlins, trưởng phòng công tác, cảnh sát Westminster, uỷ ban dịch vụ công cộng Westminster và nhân viên cứu hoả. Ban tổ chức diễn hành Tết gồm các ông Nguyễn Xuân Tùng, Andy Trần, Nguyễn Ngọc Cang, Nguyễn Phương Hùng và bà Huỳnh thị Ngọc.

Mở đầu với tư cách là người đứng đơn xin diễn hành ông Nguyễn Phương Hùng đã trình bày chương trình Diễn hành Tết Nguyên Đán. Ông Hùng nói: "Là người tổ chức thành công về 2 phương diện tinh thần và tài chánh năm 2002 và 2003, tôi xin phép được trình bày sơ lược về chương trình chuẩn bị cho diễn hành năm 2008."

Theo ông Hùng, 3 năm qua công đồng Việt Nam không có diễn hành Tết. Trở về từ Las Vegas ông nhận được nhiều điện thoại của các viên chức trong chính quyền lẫn cộng đồng Việt Nam khuyến khích. Nên ông quyết định nộp đơn xin tổ chức Diễn hành Tết Nguyên Đán năm 2008.

Sau phần thảo luận sôi nổi cuối cùng thành phố đã đồng ý ngày giờ, điạ điểm và lộ trình diễn hành. Tuy nhiên số tiền chi phí năm nay theo sự đòi hỏi của thành phố lên đến 36 ngàn mỹ kim. Chưa kể tiền bảo hiểm, thuê mướn âm thanh, sân khấu, xe cứu thương và những chi phí khác.

Diễn hành Tết dự trù vào thứ Bảy 9 tháng 2, 2008 nhằm ngày 3 Tết Âm Lịch Mậu Tý. Chương trình sẽ bắt đầu đúng 10 giờ và chấm dứt lúc 12 giờ. Sẽ có múa Lân và đốt pháo trước giờ khai mạc. Ban tổ chức qua lời Tổng Thư Ký Nguyễn Phương Hùng năm nay sẽ có sự tham gia đông đảo của rất nhiều cơ sở thương mại.

VIQR

Ban to^? chu+'c die^~n ha`nh Te^'t ho.p vo+'i ho^.i ddo^`ng tha`nh pho^' Westminster

Tin Westminster - Phie^n ho.p dda^`u tie^n giu+~a Ban to^? chu+'c die^~n ha`nh Te^'t va` ho^.i ddo^`ng tha`nh pho^' Westminster dda~ chi'nh thu+'c ba('t dda^`u lu'c 11 gio+` tru+a thu+' Tu+, nga`y 7 tha'ng 11, 2007\.
Phi'a ho^.i ddo^`ng tha`nh pho^' go^`m co' o^ng gia'm ddo^'c Phu.c vu. co^.ng ddo^`ng Greg Johnson, ba` Pam Gremlins, tru+o+?ng pho`ng co^ng ta'c, ca?nh sa't Westminster, uy? ban di.ch vu. co^ng co^.ng Westminster va` nha^n vie^n cu+'u hoa?\. Ban to^? chu+'c die^~n ha`nh Te^'t go^`m ca'c o^ng Nguye^~n Xua^n Tu`ng, Andy Tra^`n, Nguye^~n Ngo.c Cang, Nguye^~n Phu+o+ng Hu`ng va` ba` Huy`nh thi. Ngo.c\.
Mo+? dda^`u vo+'i tu+ ca'ch la` ngu+o+`i ddu+'ng ddo+n xin die^~n ha`nh o^ng Nguye^~n Phu+o+ng Hu`ng dda~ tri`nh ba`y chu+o+ng tri`nh Die^~n ha`nh Te^'t Nguye^n DDa'n\. O^ng Hu`ng no'i: "La` ngu+o+`i to^? chu+'c tha`nh co^ng ve^` 2 phu+o+ng die^.n tinh tha^`n va` ta`i cha'nh na(m 2002 va` 2003, to^i xin phe'p ddu+o+.c tri`nh ba`y so+ lu+o+.c ve^` chu+o+ng tri`nh chua^?n bi. cho die^~n ha`nh na(m 2008."
Theo o^ng Hu`ng, 3 na(m qua co^ng ddo^`ng Vie^.t Nam kho^ng co' die^~n ha`nh Te^'t\. Tro+? ve^` tu+` Las Vegas o^ng nha^.n ddu+o+.c nhie^`u ddie^.n thoa.i cu?a ca'c vie^n chu+'c trong chi'nh quye^`n la^~n co^.ng ddo^`ng Vie^.t Nam khuye^'n khi'ch\. Ne^n o^ng quye^'t ddi.nh no^.p ddo+n xin to^? chu+'c Die^~n ha`nh Te^'t Nguye^n DDa'n na(m 2008\.
Sau pha^`n tha?o lua^.n so^i no^?i cuo^'i cu`ng tha`nh pho^' dda~ ddo^`ng y' nga`y gio+`, ddia. ddie^?m va` lo^. tri`nh die^~n ha`nh\. Tuy nhie^n so^' tie^`n chi phi' na(m nay theo su+. ddo`i ho?i cu?a tha`nh pho^' le^n dde^'n 36 nga`n my~ kim\. Chu+a ke^? tie^`n ba?o hie^?m, thue^ mu+o+'n a^m thanh, sa^n kha^'u, xe cu+'u thu+o+ng va` nhu+~ng chi phi' kha'c\.
Die^~n ha`nh Te^'t du+. tru` va`o thu+' Ba?y 9 tha'ng 2, 2008 nha(`m nga`y 3 Te^'t A^m Li.ch Ma^.u Ty'\. Chu+o+ng tri`nh se~ ba('t dda^`u ddu'ng 10 gio+` va` cha^'m du+'t lu'c 12 gio+`\. Se~ co' mu'a La^n va` ddo^'t pha'o tru+o+'c gio+` khai ma.c\. Ban to^? chu+'c qua lo+`i To^?ng Thu+ Ky' Nguye^~n Phu+o+ng Hu`ng na(m nay se~ co' su+. tham gia ddo^ng dda?o cu?a ra^'t nhie^`u co+ so+? thu+o+ng ma.i\.

Tet Parade on Orange County Register

http://www.ocregister.com/news/parade-nguyen-city-1916836-westminster-tet

Organizers want to revive TET parade

Little Saigon tradition vanished three years ago after parade organizers ran out of money.

By DEEPA BHARATH

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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WESTMINSTER – Organizers are trying to bring the Tet Parade back to Little Saigon in time for the Vietnamese New Year celebrations in February.

The parade, which added color and vivaciousness to the annual celebration, ran out of steam and money in 2004, about 22 years after the tradition began in the local Vietnamese American community.

Now, Hung Phuong Nguyen, a Vietnam War veteran, is trying to bring back that tradition. He is meeting with city officials to firm up the parade route and other details for the parade, which he envisions with 30 floats, all funded by local businesses and some corporate donors.

“It’s something that not only Vietnamese people enjoy, but everybody enjoys,” Nguyen said.

Tet is the annual celebration that marks the beginning of the lunar calendar. Next year will be the Year of the Rat.

Nguyen organized the parade in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, he moved to Las Vegas for a few years. Janet Nguyen took over the parade in 2004, but it ran at a loss and she ended up owing $7,000 to the city of Westminster.

Mayor Margie Rice said Janet Nguyen – a former Garden Grove councilwoman who is now a county supervisor -- paid back that money some time last year.

Rice said the city is in no position to fund such a parade, but would support it and encourage residents to participate.

“We don’t even have money to put up a Founder’s Day Parade in this city, let alone a Tet Parade,” she said.

Janet Nguyen said she tried to make the parade “as apolitical as possible” in 2004.

“I wanted it to be a cultural experience for everyone in Orange County rather than an anti-Communist rally,” she said. “The Tet Parade was always political because a lot of people in the community wanted to dictate who should or shouldn’t be in the parade.”

Hung Nguyen said he and other organizers this year want to have the parade in Westminster on Bolsa Avenue between Magnolia and Bushard streets – in the heart of Little Saigon.

The Union of Vietnamese Student Associations usually holds their weekend-long Tet celebrations in Garden Grove Park.

Bao Mai, one of the Tet festival organizers, said the parade was widely enjoyed by the community and worked hand in hand with the festival. Invitees from the festival have participated in the parade in past years and organizers usually made room on the festival grounds to showcase some of the parade floats, Mai said.

“It adds more color to the celebrations,” he said.

The parade is expected to cost more than $25,000, including money for police, street closures and permit fees, which Nguyen hopes the city will waive.

Nguyen said he is organizing several fundraisers in the coming weeks.

“We’ll make it an event the city will be proud of,” he said. “It’s part of a wonderful tradition.”

Contact the writer: 714-445-6685 or dbharath@ocregister.com

Veterans' Day Message

Veterans' Day Message 11/11/2007


Gratitude for your sacrifice

On this Veterans’ Day, 2007, you, the veterans of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Viet-Nam, will receive much deserved praise and appreciation from your family, your community, and your American allies. Of course we know that there can never be enough praise for the sacrifices and heroism each of you has displayed on and off the battlefield. However, you must know that a very special group of people wishes to pay tribute to you. We know that the praise you respect most comes from fellow warriors. So, I humbly ask that you allow me, a United States Air Force veteran, and the proud son of an ARVN infantryman, to share some thoughts with you on what you mean to us Vietnamese-American service-members.

Legacy & Honor

I cannot claim to speak on behalf of all Vietnamese-Americans who have served in the United States armed forces. In fact, it is difficult to even get an accurate count of the hundreds of Vietnamese in uniform who are serving or have served in the armed forces of the United States and other democratic Western nations. However, I can give you an idea of what kind of legacy you have created. We range in rank from Private to Colonel, and will have our first Vietnamese-American general one day very soon. At this very moment, many of your sons and daughters are fighting extremists in the streets of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. In fact, eight young Vietnamese-Americans have given the ultimate sacrifice since the Global War on Terror began. There are young Vietnamese-Americans flying jet fighters high above the earth, commanding ships in every ocean, rebuilding foreign armies and poor villages in devastated lands, and leading young Americans into combat. We all share a singular purpose: to protect the freedoms enjoyed by Americans everywhere. We know that many of you feel that history has robbed us of the chance to defend a democratic Vietnam. We also know that many others would not even want us to face the suffering of war at all.

However, we want you to know that we are all very proud of your legacy. Like you, we are patriots. Like you, we have answered the call of destiny. Our success today is a direct result of your actions. Your valor in combat, your suffering in re-education camps, and your leadership in guiding your family to opportunities in a foreign land have shown us the true evil of war and the truer value of freedom. You must know that though we defend the flag, wear the uniform, and wield the weapons of the United States, we carry in our hearts a Vietnamese warrior heritage that stretches back for four thousand years.
Your honor is in good hands.

History & Destiny

History has judged you harshly. Yet whatever critics say of Vietnamese politics, they must know the fundamental truth that a soldier’s dignity is beyond politics. I am fortunate enough to know the truth because my late father, Đinh Văn Nguyên, worked tirelessly through the Tổng Hội Võ Bị Đà Lạt, to teach me and the world about your courage. Now the tides of history are turning in your favor. The creation of an exhibit in the US Army Museum, a renewed look at history by a new generation of Vietnamese-American and American scholars, the sweeping momentum of liberal democracies around the world, and the stirrings of change in Vietnam itself will all serve to vindicate your legacy. Most importantly, the lessons your children and their descendants will pass on to future generations will preserve the truth of your great deeds. We will explore future initiatives such as burials with ARVN military honors, accountability for those missing in action, dignified memorials for ARVN sacrifices, oral histories, museum projects, and other ways to begin a meaningful process of reconciliation. We shall continue the fight for the values you hold dear.

There have been many years of sorrow and anger. But I ask you now, các bác, các chú, các anh, to stand tall and be proud. We thank you as your sons and daughters. We thank you as citizens of a free society. And most importantly, we honor you as fellow warriors.
Rest easy tired soldiers—today is your day.
We salute you.
You are our Greatest Generation and we will never let the world forget it.

Thanh “Tino” N.
Đinh Tino (Tino_Dinh@yahoo.com);
USAF Academy graduate-1999,
former Captain, US Air Force,
Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom