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StoryCorps is returning — virtually this time — to Austin. The StoryCorps Military Voices Initiative invites you to honor a veteran in your life by listening to their stories. Recordings will run from June 14 - 25, and reservations can be made here.StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Mother Tells Son The Story Of Her Family's Escape from Vietnam

The StoryCorps mobile booth is in Austin this month, and we’re bringing you some of the stories that are being recorded there. Locally recorded stories will air on Monday and Wednesday mornings during Morning Edition and archived here.

Tu Russo was born in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1964, during the Vietnam War. Her father worked in the justice system there, and when Saigon fell in 1975, like many government employees, he was sent to jail, where he would remain for many years. In 1979, Tu, her sisters, and her mother left Vietnam, hoping to reach America. She shared the story of their voyage with her son, Ethan Russo.  

This piece was produced for KUT by Michael Lee with interviews recorded at StoryCorps, a national nonprofit with a mission to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs the opportunity to record, share and preserve the stories of our lives.

Thank you to our sponsors of StoryCorps' visit to Austin: Cap Metro and We Are Blood

Mike is the production director at KUT, where he’s been working since his days as an English major at the University of Texas. He produces and hosts This Is My Thing and Arts Eclectic, and also produces Get Involved and the Sonic ID project. When pressed to do so, he’ll write short paragraphs about himself in the third person, but usually prefers not to.
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