The  Exchange Club of Effingham County listened to Father Nguyen Bah Thong (known as Fr. Martino) speak about Vietnam and his experiences growing up there after the war.

Fr. Martino, the new pastor at St. Boniface Catholic Church, told how he was thrown into prison several times, interrogated, beaten and repeatedly struck with the butt of an AK-47 for practicing his faith.

They heard him talk about his family qualifying for a repatriation program when he was 17 and, on Feb. 5, 1993, the Nguyens landed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

The Exchange Club of Effingham County meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month for lunch, fellowship and to hear guest speakers.

To learn more about the Exchange Club, call Jimmy Rutland at 655-2952 or Yvette Carr at 657-5423, email effinghamexchange@live.com or visit Facebook at Exchange Club of Effingham County, GA.