Montagnard Children

The Montagnard children met us as we walked into their village.

We dropped in on them from the sky - three men who flew in on a Huey that immediately flew back to Qui Nhon and left us there for the day.

We were the first Americans to visit this remote Central Highlands village in almost two years, or so we were told.

I was a greenhorn, recently arrived in-country, on my first reporting assignment in Vietnam, attached to a sergeant who would show me the ropes. He did a good job, and I traveled the country alone after that.

Between the three of us, we had one weapon - a .45 pistol - and two cameras. But we never felt threatened. The village was ringed by tough Montagnard soldiers, and we focused on getting the story, exploring the village and taking photos.

Soon, as the sun started to drop below the mountaintops to the west, our ride arrived to take us back to Qui Nhon.