He heard a coughing sound. Martin wrapped the girl in an empty sand bag and carried her to the pickup zone. After Martin informed his commanders via radio of the situation, his chopper was diverted to the Quang Tri Catholic Hospital, where the baby could be treated. Name her Bob? Martin was injured three times during the war β in May from shrapnel caused by a grenade, again the following May from shrapnel, and finally in November when he suffered third-degree burns from a fire on a trail.
He said finding Roberta Sunday would bring something positive to his war experience. When Beverly Hanson, VFW Auxiliary president, heard Martin, 70, share his rescue story, she immediately started to research for him to find the woman.
When she searched online for Roberta Sunday and Vietnam β not a common name affiliated with Vietnam β she found an article about how a blind Asian woman who looked to be in her 40s was hired at a medical company in New Zealand. Roberta would be 47 today. Thinking that Vietnam and New Zealand war ties would be a far stretch, Hanson dismissed the information and moved on with her search. However, she later discovered that New Zealand sent nurses to Vietnam from to as part of the Save the Children program to bring Vietnamese orphans to that country.
Hanson is now trying to find the article again and has reached out to multiple contacts in both Vietnam and New Zealand, including a former nurse, a former member of the New Zealand Parliament and assistance agencies.
She is waiting to hear back from them. Martin is hopeful the leads will help him reach Roberta Sunday. Luttrel wanted to return a photo of the girl and her father to her. The story was featured on a TV show. Luttrel went to Vietnam to return the photo to the woman. Luttrel and the woman became friends and wrote to each other often until his death in , Martin said. You and I go back a long way. Martin said after three injuries and nationwide negativity toward the Vietnam War, finding Roberta Sunday would finally give him something positive to grasp from the wounds of war.
