Norm will present a combination of photos that he took in Vietnam in 1968, as well as current photos of those same areas that he took in 2018 and 2023 while participating in Citizen Diplomacy Trips sponsored by PeaceTrees Vietnam.
These trips include visiting the actual demining operations, meeting with staff from the US Embassy in Hanoi and visiting several cultural sites.
PeaceTrees has been the recipient of a grant from the Rotary International Foundation as well as support from several Rotary Clubs’ local foundations.
This organization has been providing unexploded ordnance clearance and Mine Risk Education in Vietnam for 28 years. They also provide several types of support for families that have suffered death and/or injury from contact with unexploded ordnance.
About Norm Knodt:
Norm is a Financial Advisor with Cetera Advisor Networks, LLC, and lives and works at Eagle Crest.
In 1966 he enlisted in the US Army and became a helicopter pilot, and served in Vietnam from January 1968 until January 1969. He flew UH-1B & C armed helicopters (gunships) and participated in operations at the Battle of Hue, Khe Sahn and the A Shau Valley.
Norm worked in the civilian helicopter industry as Chief Pilot for the Pan American World Airways helicopter operation in New York, New York and as Director of Operations for Omniflight Offshore Inc. supporting the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico. He was also employed by Columbia Helicopters located in Aurora, OR, and was Chief Pilot for Columbia’s operation in Papua New Guinea.
While no longer an active Rotarian, Norm was a member of the Manteca Rotary Club in Manteca, CA and served two years as President (one for the Centennial Year). He also served as an Assistant District Governor and at the district level on the Rotary International Foundation Committee as sub chair for the Permanent Fund (now the Endowment Fund).
In 2015, Norm learned of the PeaceTrees Vietnam organization. He has made two trips to Vietnam as part of their Citizen Diplomacy Program and is now a member of their Board of Directors.
We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.
