Tu Lam: Escaping Vietnam at 3, Becoming a Green Beret & The Journey That Led Him to Christ

What happens when a three year old boy escapes Vietnam on a wooden fishing boat, drifts for 30 days left for dead in the South China Sea, survives refugee camps in Indonesia, lands in Fayetteville, North Carolina surrounded by Green Berets, and grows up to become a Special Forces warrior who fights for the oppressed before finding Christ and walking away from everything to share his story? This week on The AJ Buckley Show, AJ sits down with Tu Lam, the former Green Beret, author of The Way Ronin, and the man whose journey from genocide to grace is packed with raw emotion, brutal honesty, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from dying to your ego and surrendering to God. Tu opens up about escaping Vietnam at three years old when his family paid a fishing boat to smuggle them out after the fall of South Vietnam in 1974, the 30 days drifting in the South China Sea when their ship broke down, the tropical storm that washed them further out into the ocean, and the Russian supply boat that picked them up and dropped them off at refugee camps in Southern Indonesia. He shares the story of living in a grass hut in the jungle, sleeping on a dirt floor, witnessing murders and survival at four years old, and his uncle who was an American Special Forces Green Beret sponsoring their paperwork to get to the United States after a year and a half. Tu walks AJ through landing in Fayetteville, North Carolina at five years old, growing up surrounded by Green Berets and Vietnam era warriors, getting picked on and spit on in a predominantly black school, and the moment at 10 years old when he saw a samurai documentary that changed everything. He talks about the power of Bushido, the way of the warrior, Miyamoto Musashi and the Book of Five Rings, and why a broken refugee boy needed that image of discipline and strength. Tu reflects on turning his eyes toward his stepfather at 13 years old and realizing this is the warrior's path, the Special Forces motto de oppresso liber meaning to free the oppressed, and why God put him in a family of Green Berets to understand the mission and give him the tools to go back and fight for the oppressed. 00:00 Intro: Escaping Vietnam at 3 on a Wooden Fishing Boat 00:46 Meeting Tu Lam: From Refugee to Green Beret Warrior 05:35 The Three Minds: Understanding Thought, Heart & Gut 06:48 The Ripple Effect: Life Is Here & Expands Outward 09:04 Letting Go of Thought: The Nine Year Journey 16:25 Childhood Trauma: Refugee Camps & The Subconscious Mind 26:07 From Oppressed to Free: The Special Forces Mission 27:16 Fayetteville & The Samurai: Finding the Warrior's Path at 13 37:32 PTSD & The Enemy's Greatest Weapon: Shame 39:06 God Wakes His Warriors First: The Spiritual Battle 48:53 Psychedelics & Plant Medicine: The Four Year Journey 53:55 Accepting Death: The Light & The Tunnel 57:05 Reincarnation vs. Christ: The Dalai Lama & The Warrior's Death 59:04 The Nine Year Death: Confronting the Shadow 1:08:19 Surrender & The Morning Routine: Feeding Spirit vs. Flesh 1:12:41 Breath Is Reality: Yahweh & The Wisdom in Stillness 1:33:02 The Vessel: Let Your Will Be Done, Father 1:33:57 Your North Star: Wife, Family & Walking with Christ 1:47:08 Emotional Regulation: Conscious of the Subconscious 1:50:40 The Warriors Are Coming: God's Army & AJ's Journey Follow Tu Lam Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tulam047/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ronintactics/?hl=en) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/p/Ronin-Tactics-100064816893518/) Ronin Tactics Inc - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbWCJCruG_3HlRlMaIq6xA) Follow AJ Buckley IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckley/ Fb: https://www.facebook.com/AJBuckleyOfficialPage TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Follow AJ Buckley Show IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckleyshow/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/ajbuckleyshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aj-buckley-show/id1885802753 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Em0btYFt8QNKJPX2tFJhq https://www.ajbuckley.com Sponsors: http://www.ghostbed.com/buckley Code word Buckley for 10% off http://aj.purerx.co write "Time to shine" In notes http://www.bornofdiscipline.com http://www.coretrex.com