WELCOME TO DAILY NEWS UPDATE, I'M PETTY OFFICER MARK SCHULTZ. IN 1975, A FIVE-YEAR OLD VIETNAMESE BOY AND HIS FAMILY LEFT THEIR COUNTRY DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF THE VIETNAM CONFLICT. THEY WERE PICKED UP BY A U-S NAVY SHIP OFF THE COAST AND IMMIGRATED TO AMERICA. THIRTY-FOUR YEARS LATER, THAT BOY IS NOW THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER U-S-S LASSEN. COMMANDER H-B LEE WILL LEAD THE LASSEN ON A GOOD WILL VISIT TO VIETNAM IN NOVEMBER. LEE BECAME A U-S CITIZEN IN 1985 AND GRADUATED FROM THE U-S NAVAL ACADEMY IN 1992. WHEN LEE ASSUMED COMMAND OF LASSEN IN APRIL, HE BECAME THE FIRST VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN TO COMMAND A U-S NAVY SHIP. HIS MISSION TO VIETNAM WILL BE THE FIRST TIME HE'S BEEN BACK TO THE COUNTRY SINCE HE LEFT AS A CHILD. FROM WASHINGTON I'M PETTY OFFICER MARK SCHULTZ.