Milton Wan's life story is also the story of his adopted land in
the second half of the twentieth century. Born and raised in
Vietnam, he left his homeland and made his way to the United
States, only to return to Vietnam as a soldier in the U.S. Army.
After the war ended, he returned to the U.S. to follow the
time-honored immigrant path of hard work and devotion to family.
Milton grew up in Saigon under the unforgiving hand of a loveless
and abusive father, Wainam; his only refuge the companionship of
his twin brother Michael. Born in the Vietnam that was a French
colony, he watched as Americans replaced the French as the
outsiders attempting to control Vietnam's destiny. Milton was 17 in
November 1963, the month both U.S. President Kennedy and South
Vietnamese President Diem were assassinated. Milton's father had
managed to get himself on the American gravy train, brokering hotel
rentals for the incoming American advisors. Charged with inspecting
the Americans' hotel rooms, Milton and his brother soon found
themselves stealing checks from the newcomers and cashing them for
Vietnamese piastres. Eventually their scheme began to unravel, and
the twins set off on their long journey to America, a journey that
took them to Cambodia and then Hong Kong. Through persistence and
courage, not to mention the help of a formidable adoptive aunt,
they managed to overcome the obstacles and finally make it to
Seattle. It was only a few years later that Milton found himself
back in Vietnam as a soldier in the U.S. Army. Although a poor
soldier, he managed to make it through the war unscathed and even
reconciled with his father. After the war, he settled once again in
Seattle, where Caught Between Cultures author Joseph Blondo found
him behind the counter of Tai Tung, a Chinese restaurant. Blondo
deftly draws the connections between Milton's story and our shared
experience. As he writes in the epilogue, "isn't it also my story,
your story, everyone's story, the unavoidable drama, sometimes
melodrama that we all know?" Caught Between Cultures tells the
story of Milton Wan: immigrant, American soldier, entrepreneur. But
it also tells the story of the country we all share. Author Joseph
Blondo was born in December 1953 in Puyallup, Washington and raised
in a variety of rural locations in the western United States and
northern Alberta, Canada. He was granted Conscientious Objector
status (1-0) on religious (moral) grounds in November 1972 from his
Selective Service draft board, city of Brighton, Adams County,
Colorado. He studied Transactional Analysis and other therapeutic
modalities in Seattle, Washington and also served in VISTA in
Seattle. An accomplished poet, he served as the poetry editor of
Magical Blend magazine in San Francisco, California from 1979-82.
He has published two volumes of poetry: Saint Sea with Marty
Campbell in 1986 and The Greyer Elements in 1995. A long
narrative-style poem, Six Houses, a poetic and psychological
analysis of his family, was published 1986 and nominated for a
small press award. Recently he has worked as a political organizer
and industry advocate for the Seattle and King County taxi
industry. Mr. Blondo resides in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington.
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