About Ron

On February 28, 1968, Ron Reyes was born in Southern California while his young father, Ronald “Ronnie” Reyes, was fighting at Khe Sanh in the height of the Vietnam War’s landmark Tet Offensive. Ronnie served with the Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, from July 1967 through March 1968. On March 30th, 1968, Ronnie was retrieving a seriously wounded Marine Brother in battle, when he himself was mortally wounded. At just 19 years old, Ronnie had been a father for one month, to a son who would carry his name though they’d never meet. Ron grew up knowing his father through photographs, stories, and memories. He learned about the Vietnam War as a child, and as he grew into adulthood he came to realize that the war held more to his relationship with his father. He started learning more about the war, and meeting others whose families had been marked like his. Ron came to feel that after so many years, he was living a life in the shadow of the Vietnam War. He visited the AV Wall in 2013 when it was in Simi Valley. That visit moved Ron to honor his father and come out of the shadows, to embrace the scarred history as he never had before. Ron traveled to Vietnam in 2015, and again in July 2019. During both visits, he stood on the very ground where his father last stood, and formed lifelong friendships with people around the world, all through a common bond of the Vietnam War. Ron shares his story and experiences through spoken word, and has been featured in multiple news outlets including the New York Times and the Washington Post. Ron has also been featured in two documentaries about Gold Star Children and the Vietnam War, both of which have been broadcast nationally on PBS. 

Through sharing his journey across the country and around the world, 

Ron hopes to inspire others to know and embrace their past, while always striving for a better future.

Ron is the father of a Danielle (24) and Ronnie (21).

Ron's girlfriend Stephanie ( www.FindMyVietnamVetDad.com ) is Amerasian and does not know her father. He was an American Serviceman that served in Vietnam during the late 60's to early 70's.

Stephanie and Ron are connected by war. 

Together they have joined forces to locate Stephanie's father. 

Stephanie has submitted DNA to the following:

Ancestry DNA

23 and Me DNA

Family Tree DNA

My Heritage

GED Match

The best chance of finding her father is through a DNA match.