Fallen soldier's missing letters from Vietnam returned to mother

PORTLAND, Ore. - In an emotional meeting Tuesday, a man who found letters and postcards written by a soldier killed in the Vietnam War returned the cherished items to the soldier's mother.

Bertha Phares did not even know the letters from her son, Pvt. Kenneth Phares, were missing. Her husband had put them away somewhere, and he passed away in 1990.

She was watching KATU News Monday when a story aired about a man who found a bank bag full of Vietnam War-era letters wadded up and dumped near a business in the Gateway District in northeast Portland.

The man, Rich Kaiser, wanted to return them to their rightful owner but could not find any information about Pvt. Phares. So he brought the letters to KATU hoping someone would recognize the name.

At first, Bertha Phares thought it was a miracle.

"When I saw that on television, I thought, "Oh, they got a letter from Kenny. He must still be alive," she said, crying.

When she met Kaiser Tuesday morning to get the letters back, she felt mixed emotions.

"Sad and happy both," she said. "I feel so happy that there's a citizen that turned something over that was so important."

The letters and postcards were sent by Kenny from the front lines of Vietnam. He was killed in action in 1967, two months after his 18th birthday.

Also in the bag was a Western Union telegram informing his parents that he had been killed in action.

Bertha Phares said she always carries her son in her heart. And now that she has his letters back, she'll never let go.

"Nobody will ever see 'em," she said. "I'm going to hide them."

No one knows how long the letters were missing or where they have been all these years. But whoever had them took really good care of them. They were in perfect condition.

Bertha Phares said she is celebrating her 85th birthday next week and she could not have asked for a better gift.