One of the most heavenly experiences in Ninh Binh, Vietnam, is to visit Tam Coc (three caves), a peaceful valley set amid karst hills. Here, we are rowed along a gentle river between paddy fields and through the trio of caves on a traditional wooden boat where the oarsperson paddles using her legs and feet.

The subject of this story is not a veteran, but her life was touched by the men and women who fought in Vietnam. ERMA – Thy (pronounced “tee”) Cavagnaro was a year-and-a-half old on April 30, 1975, which was the day she and her family fled Saigon,