What happens when you meet your enemy? The enemy you took an oath to kill, the enemy that took an oath to kill you, not in the name of hatred, but in the name of patriotism.
It may sound like a setup for disaster. However, 37 years after Nguyen Hong My shot down American soldier John Stiles' plane in Vietnam, the two men prove that they were fighting somebody else's war, not their own.
It all began when Vietnam veterans Nguyen Hong My and Dan Cherry met. The sworn enemies were first reunited on a Vietnam talk show.
"He had a very firm handshake," Dan said of Nguyen. "And he says to me, 'Welcome to my country. I'm glad to see that you're in good health. And I hope that we can be friends.' "
That's exactly what they did — they became best friends. The pair would visit each other's home countries, meet each other's grandchildren, and heal the wounds that one of both countries' most gruesome wars had marked them with.
Then there was John Stiles. John keeps his war photos in the attic, he's been trying to forget the trauma of combat for nearly four decades.
"It brings back uncomfortable memories," John tells CBS. John believed that when his plane was shot down it was due to ground flak. But the fire came from Nguyen, who was awarded in his own country for trying to kill John. Dan thought John should meet Nguyen, his enemy. He was hesitant but the moment was nothing less than cathartic.
"I felt this huge release of weight that I don't have to carry around anymore," John said. "It's gone. It was wonderful — just absolutely wonderful."
See the tear-jerking reunion below and please SHARE if you're glad these Vietnam veterans are finally healing.
