Letters From Vietnam

A Sack Full Of Memories From A Long-Gone Son, Found Before They Were Ever Lost

(CBS)  When Rich Kaiser stumbled upon a bank bag just lying right there on the sidewalk, he knew it was the find of a lifetime.

“I’m thinking, ‘wow, this is pretty wild,’” he told CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman.

The only question was: who’s lifetime?

"I saw the Western Union telegram and pulled it out and looked at it and knew immediately what it was," Kaiser said.

One telegram began: “We deeply regret to confirm…” And it told the story of a soldier who died - 40 years ago.

Also in the bag were letters and pictures from Vietnam, from that same soldier, a 19-year-old Marine private named Kenny Phares. But there was no way to track down exactly who treasured these things so much they saved them all those years in a bank bag.

So, Kaiser took the pictures to the local news in Portland, Ore.

And sure enough, one woman recognized him … recognized him all too well.

“It just doesn’t seem right, me going overseas,” one of the letters read. “I’m going to do my best. I love you always.”

Kenny’s mom Bertha is now 85.

“I’m so thankful we found them,” she said.

No one knows exactly how the bag ended up on the street. Bertha says her husband was very sentimental and used to carry those letters and pictures everywhere. But he died nearly 20 years ago. She just assumed the bag was somewhere in the house. She never looked for it and really had no idea it was even missing.

Here's a good question: How can she be so glad to have something back that you didn't know was missing?

“You want me to tell you something?” Bertha said. “I re-read all those letters I re-read that telegram three or four times and yes, I needed that. I needed that very much.”

Bertha said her son was buried in a closed casket. She never saw his body.

So for all these years, she now admits, there was a part of her that thought he might still come home.

She never accepted he was dead?

“No,” she said. “But I'm going to step over that wall from now on.”

Last week Bertha thanked her church for helping her grieve for good.

“It’s been a hard time, but I think this is a closing,” she said. "I've got so many people that I know love me."

Everybody left with a goodbye hug, including the boy she’d been holding onto for 40 years.

She held the bank bag close to her chest and said, he’ll “always be with me.”

[tpc24]

I wanted to email steve hartman about his story on the news tonight concerning Marine Kenny Phares who was KIA at Dong Ha Vietnam on May 18, 1967. We were with L Company 3rd Battalion 4th Marines. I was in a fox hole next to Kenny Phares fox hole when he was killed in the artillery/rocket attack that night. We had 5 KIA and 15 WIA in that attack. I have thought about that night for forty some years.

[mendrinski]

To Steve: Great story. Keep morecoming!
To tpc24: Thank you! I respect and admire you. So many of you were asked to do so much. All of the rest of us forget that those haunting memories are still (and will always be) there. A humble thank you.

[ssm9451]

When a mother loses her child (no matter what age)she holds onto any memory she can. God Bless this mother.

[grammawhamma]

That story touched me to the point of tears. Bittersweet story. BTW...I think that woman''s house was robbed and the robber threw the bank bag away when it didn''t contain money. Maybe the woman better check to see if anything else is missing.

[merryhope]

Thanks to Steve Hartman for his outstanding reporting on this story of Bertha Phares and her son Kenny and to CBS Photographer, Les Rose, for his fantastic photography. They cared for Bertha as if she was their own mother and certainly empathized with her on this most delicate story. When a complete stranger returned the letters to her, she was overcome with happiness and tears at the same time. She is very pleased with the story reported by Steve Hartman and has added a few more friends to her list. Rich Kaiser, who found the letters is truly a wonderful man and a new friend for life. We also thank him for the diligent job he did in finding the rightful owner of the letters. Thanks to everyone for their kind thoughts, prayers and love during this time for Bertha. She has been overwhelmed with calls and letters from many since this story first aired in Portland two weeks ago. Again, our hearts go out to Steve Hartman, Les Rose, Rich Kaiser and Katie Couric. Most sincerely, Merry Hope (former sister-in-law) and the family of Bertha Phares, Portland, Oregon

[jenni4s]

Kenneth Phares was my cousin. My father(Ed) is Bertha Phares brother. I still remember when he died 40 years ago. I was 13 at the time. My mother(who is 82) told me she happened to catch this news on TV.This story really touched me. It was like letters from heaven.

[brianbwb-2009]

Until people realize there is no Jesus no Abraham and no F N Mohamed it will go on all war is about religion and greed. Posted by jerryomara

I believe that if there were no religion, certain sick people would invent other reasons to make war. As you undoubtedly notice there are even posters here who, when their reasoning for war is exposed as the nonsense that it is, they resort to name calling and ultimately try to find other reasons for it.

Until we recognize this tendency as the mental disorder that it is, and remove those afflicted by it from positions of decision, there will sadly me many more like Mrs. Phares, grieving over the pointless theft of the lives of their loved ones.