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Marty Halyburton of Greensboro has become well-known because of her humanitarian work in Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War.

Her husband, Porter, was held for almost eight years as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnamese War. He was shot down Oct. 17, 1965, while on a combat mission in his F-4 Phantom jet, flying from the USS Independence into North Vietnam.

Halyburton, only 24 and at home with their young child, received word that her husband had probably been killed in action. A memorial service was held for him in his hometown of Davidson.

Porter Halyburton still has the tombstone used after his memorial service as a remembrance of all he endured during that time.

Thinking she was widowed, Marty Halyburton’s life was suddenly transformed. Eighteen months passed before she learned from a clandestine source that her husband had been captured, was still alive and had been held prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton and several other North Vietnamese prison camps.

Much of the time Porter Halyburton was held in solitary confinement and not allowed to communicate with other prisoners.

“As difficult as it was to think I was a widow at age 24,” Marty Halyburton said, “I convinced myself being a prisoner of war was a fate worse than death, so I had some mind adjustments to make upon learning that Porter was alive and a prisoner of the North Vietnamese.”

At home, POW families provided support for each other. Throughout the United States and abroad, they publicized the plight of POW service personnel.

Porter Halyburton was finally freed in February 1973 following the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.

When Porter Halyburton and other POWs were welcomed home, there was much jubilation with a ticker-tape parade down Fifth Avenue in New York, a dinner at the White House, trips to Disneyland, a Caribbean cruise and a gift of a Ford vehicle for one year.

Their young daughter’s desire was “for Daddy to just be a daddy once again.”

Marty Halyburton could have felt resentment and hatred toward the Vietnamese for the cruelty her husband endured. Instead, after her husband’s return, she became an advocate to help the Vietnamese recover from the terrible aftermath of the war.

During the years her husband was a POW, Marty Halyburton watched on television as Vietnamese women and children ran for their lives from violence and burning villages. She began to understand that most civilian victims of the Vietnamese War wanted the same things she enjoyed and took for granted in America — peace, safety and the hope of good futures for their families.

Since then, Marty Halyburton has devoted a great deal of her life helping the people of Southeast Asia. She and Porter Halyburton have led trips to Vietnam to help Americans better understand the culture and people.

Marty Halyburton has worked with Madame Vy, founder and director of Hoa Sua School in Hanoi, a one-year, privately funded residential vocational school for disadvantaged youths, training them for jobs in the hospitality industry.

Mrty Halyburton is also involved with the Global Community Service Foundation, an organization that sponsors and supports many worthwhile projects in central Vietnam.

During 2009, Marty Halyburton spent a week assessing some of the foundation’s projects. She taught English and enrichment classes at a public high school for gifted and talented students in Dong Ha, Quang Tri province, which is one of the poorest in Vietnam.

Marty Halyburton visited five houses under the auspices of Da Nang Street Kids, an organization that feeds, houses and provides medical treatment and schooling for at-risk street kids as young as 8 years old.
These five houses have a total of 150 beds, but only about 100 kids because they lack funding.

Although the government of Vietnam has done much to relieve the suffering of many Vietnamese people, a multitude are still very poor and their living standards have not improved very much.

“Children come into the cities hoping to earn money as street sellers for their families in the countryside,” Marty Halyburton said. “Unfortunately, they are in danger of being preyed upon by drug dealers and sex traffickers, to name a few of the dangers they face.”

Marty Halyburton wants to raise $10,000 to fill 50 empty beds at the homes.

The Halyburtons and their next door neighbors are co-sponsoring two Vietnamese refugee families through Church World Service.

Through help from the Barnabas Network, the Halyburtons furnished two apartments for Vietnamese refugee families.

The Halyburtons are planning to invite their sponsored Vietnamese families and other refugees to their house for their first Thanksgiving.

“I can’t decide whether to cook a turkey or Vietnamese food as they don’t yet have a taste for Western cuisine,” Marty Halyburton said.

To suggest a person or organization that is “Making a Difference” or has in the past, in Guilford County, contact Peggy Longmire at rlongmire@triad.rr.com or 288-9040.