After some guys retire, they go on annual golf or fishing trips, or to sunny beaches with their wives.

But good friends John Harrier of Danville and Bruce Hollis of Clinton, Ind., have chosen a non-traditional venue for their annual getaway.

For the past five years, these U.S. Army veterans have made an 18-hour flight to Vietnam, visiting some of the same areas where they both served during the war. Harrier served there in 1967 and 1968, and Hollis was there in 1969 and 1970.

Their duties as combat engineers were to clear out the jungles, find and detonate enemy mines, and build bridges before the rest of the American troops arrived. They also helped retrieve the bodies of soldiers from airplane crashes.

Both men retired in 2005 from long-standing civilian careers in the construction business.

“We always talked about how we’d like to visit some of our old camp sites in Vietnam someday,” Harrier said. “I guess we were pretty naive to think that they would still be intact. On our first trip, we realized that there are absolutely no American vestiges left from the war. It’s like our military never had a presence.”

Hollis did find a bridge that he had helped build some 40 years ago, and they identified some of the areas where their army camps had once stood. “We could see some of the scars from the bomb craters,” Hollis added, “but every other trace of Americans has been removed by the Communist Party.”

Since they have returned to Vietnam so many times, the men have made some good friends whom they visit every year. Some are American veterans who have gone back there to live, and others were born in that country.

“The people who live in the south love us over there,” Harrier said, “but the reception is less than warm in the northern part of Vietnam.”

Harrier and Hollis enjoyed interacting with the Vietnamese when they were stationed there during the war, and they still like socializing with them today.

“They are a very friendly and hard-working people,” Harrier said. “Everyone’s goal is to learn the English language. They constantly walk up to Americans so they can talk and practice their English, and just about anybody who speaks English is eligible to teach the language in the schools.”

The veterans also have a humanitarian purpose for their annual trips to Vietnam. Several years ago they learned about an orphanage in Vung Tau (outside Saigon) that houses 160 children, including 20 babies who are dying from AIDS.

The Communist government subsidizes the facility at only 40 cents per day per child. This is the same orphanage that actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt adopted one of their children from, according to Harrier.

Since they learned about the poor conditions in the orphanage, the men have delivered two big suitcases full of children’s clothing on their annual trips, as well as a box of dental supplies donated by Danville dentist Jane Cooney. “What the orphanage can really use is money for everything — clothes, medical care, you name it,” Harrier said.

“The only way you guarantee that these people get what you send them is to take it there yourself,” he added. “If you ship anything, it will most likely be stolen off the dock before it ever reaches the people in need.”

Salaries are extremely low in Vietnam. For example, a waitress earns $2 for a 12-hour shift, and school teachers earn $56 a month. “That’s why most people living in Vietnam want to come to America to live,” Harrier said. “They feel it’s the land of opportunity over here.

“Vietnam attracts many Europeans and many backpackers and tourism is really booming there.”

Even though goods and services are priced considerably higher for tourists than for the locals, the men have found some good deals during their travels. “It’s like a shopper’s paradise for about anything you want to buy,” he added.

In fact, if their wives were agreeable, both men would consider building new homes on one of the beaches in Vietnam and moving there permanently. “Even though buying property is costly, houses are really cheap to build there,” Harrier said.

“This is a beautiful country, and the beaches are some of the best that you would find anywhere.”

They were especially impressed with the scenic Ha Long Bay.

On their last trip to Vietnam, Harrier and Hollis took a four-day journey into the interior of the country. They spent some time touring the beautiful highlands and countryside, and they traveled north to Sapa.

They said the majority of people living outside the big cities are poor. “If you don’t work at a job in Vietnam, then you don’t eat — unless you beg for your food,” Harrier said.

On the positive side, the men said that the Communist regime is fairly lenient in Vietnam. “People are allowed to practice their religion and start their own businesses if approved by the government,” Harrier said.

He noted that Vietnam has some nice schools and universities, and many factories such as Nike, Ford, and GM. “They’re building like crazy in the big cities, especially in the north,” Harrier added. Those who do not have a job in the city are typically farmers or fishermen.

The men plan to return to Vietnam in October and will travel to some other countries in the area, including Cambodia and Laos.

“We don’t mind returning to the same spot where we fought a war,” Harrier said. “We felt we were doing the right thing 40 years ago, and that’s what’s important.

“We’ll probably go back to Vietnam every year as long as we’re able,” he added, “and we hope to do more for the children in the orphanage at Vung Tau.”

TO HELP

To make a donation to the orphanage, call John Harrier at 446-5922 or e-mail him at pharrier5922@att.net.