400 refugees survived a pirate attack and a storm to reach Athens, Alabama

A refugee boat carrying roughly 400 people from Vietnam was intercepted by pirates in the South China Sea, an event that led one survivor, Thanh Boyer, to a new life in Athens, Alabama. Boyer was 12 years old when her father paid for her and her sister to escape by boat after the communist takeover of the country. The vessel was heading toward Australia when pirates robbed the passengers and disabled the engine just before a storm hit. Boyer stated that the storm carried the disabled boat toward Indonesia, where the group was rescued and taken to an island. She recalled eating grubs and leaves and drinking boiled water from streams while waiting for aid.

Boyer and her relatives eventually found sponsors through the Catholic Church. A family in Athens, Alabama, provided them with a furnished apartment and helped them navigate their new environment. Local families taught the refugees English, took them to medical appointments and grocery stores, and enrolled the children in school. Boyer said her parents and four siblings joined her in the United States in 1993 after she sponsored them. She described the Athens community as the force that raised her family. "Honestly, we would not be a successful family if it wasn’t for them," Boyer said.

Years later, Boyer began connecting with American veterans who served in Vietnam. One such connection was with Theron "TC" Dawson, a North Alabama veteran who had been drafted and returned to a farm in Muscle Shoals in 1970. Dawson admitted he had harsh feelings toward Vietnam and the Vietnamese people before hearing Boyer speak at a veterans' gathering. "When I heard her talk and heard her story, I realized how selfish I had been," Dawson said. He noted that he had almost skipped the event where Boyer shared her experience.

The two shared their full accounts during StoryCorps' 2025 visit to Madison, a conversation published by WLRH on Oct. 30. Boyer explained that she was grateful for the veterans' efforts to protect her freedom. She noted that some veterans expected her to hate them. "How can I hate you?" Boyer asked. She said relatives of veterans have told her that their loved ones began opening up about their wartime experiences after speaking with her. She donates the proceeds from her memoir, The Ground Kisser, to charitable organizations. Dawson now invites Boyer to ride motorcycles with him to honor veterans, including in funeral processions. Both view their survival as a second chance to help others.

Boyer stated she sees her work with veterans as an honor and a ministry. She encourages people to let veterans talk about their experiences to help them heal. "Just get them to talk about it and turn on that little recorder and let them talk," Boyer said. She believes this process shares wisdom with future generations. Dawson said he is proud of his service now, even though he did not originally choose to join the Army. "I’m proud I went now," Dawson said.