jim laurie was one of them. i arrived and shy gun in april of 1970 age 22. not knowing very much about vietnam, nor about the war. i was a back packer turned freelancer, and in those days, the places to stay where the caravel, the continental, maybe the majestic on the waterfront. but i didn't have the money for that. so i stayed at basically a $5.00 a night run down hotel. it was called the royal hotel. there was nothing royal about it at all. but i simply, you know, given the money that i had, that was the place that i 1st stayed in 1970 the last war years were intense on all sides. for those fighting it, and those reporting it in 19731 year after americas most brutal bombing of north vietnam. the paris peace accords ended us direct involvement in vietnam. but the war was not over in 1975 events in cambodia shook the us on the 17th of april, the cambodian capital town pen fell to the communist. come out roofs and the americans had to walk straight, a sudden evacuation. it was clear, the united states was about to lose sophia now to so the war, reporters sh