Hin Nie and his insurgent unit hunted for tiger skins for payment to the Khmer Rouge while on the run and cut off from the outside world. In 1992, Hin Nie negotiated with his “forgotten army” to free them, but they did not surrender their arms until then.

In 1968, under the cover of Tet celebrations, the Vietcong, fighting for the Communist North in Vietnam, fired barrages of rockets on US-held areas, nearly killing Y Hin Nie.

Hin Nie, who grew up in Vietnam, lived with American Christian missionaries in Buon Ma Thuot, the biggest city in the Central Highlands. His parents left him with the missionaries when he was eight because they were poor and wanted him to have a better life.

The rockets hit as his adopted mother, Carolyn Griswold, slept. There are also reports from missionaries that Communist troops exploded explosives inside the home.

In an instant, Carolyn’s father, Leon, passed away. When Carolyn was buried in the rubble, Hin Nie, who was staying with a friend at the time, rushed home to help dig her out. It wasn’t long before she passed away.

He says that his godmother suffered during her death. I thank God for saving my life.”

While Hin Nie was hiding in a bunker, many other missionaries were killed and captured.

Despite his losses, he picked himself up and carried on, enrolling in Bible school and working at a church.

Buon Ma Thuot was forced to retreat from the US-backed South following a decisive battle in March 1975.

In the midst of bombings, Hin Nie and 32 bible school students walked for miles in an effort to escape.