Immigrant escapes to freedom

Lia Tetreault was wrapping up her nursing education in her hometown of Gwangjiu, South Korea in 1980, with a future of service to others on her mind.

But, like millions of other students and citizens, the country’s military dictatorship also weighed heavily on her. Student unrest was widespread.

Just 20 years old, she was inspired to speak out. She and some fellow students organized a pro-democracy demonstration that drew thousands to the town square on May 18, 1980.

They weren’t prepared for what was coming. “It was just a normal day for me,” she told the Beacon last week. They carried signs and listened to speakers. It was a peaceful demonstration.

“We weren’t expecting anything at all,” she said. “We weren’t expecting the military to show up.”

There was a military draft then, so many of the soldiers were the same age as the students. That didn’t stop them from turning on the demonstrators.

“You know how people, when they put on a uniform, it changes who they are,” Tetreault said. The soldiers encircled the demonstrators, then began hitting them and, finally, opened fire. Tetreault and her fellow students fled.

“We were just running, running, running.” She and a friend ran into a nearby neighborhood where some residents were opening their gates to them.

“An old lady came out and said, ‘Get under the porch, under the porch!’ Then I heard the soldiers looking for us, and the lady told them, ‘No! Go away! Nobody here!’”

Tetreault said that old woman’s extreme bravery probably saved her life. “Without her, today I would probably be just a name written upon one of those cemetery rocks.”

She was one of the lucky ones. She estimated she never saw 90% of her friends again. “Even today, we don’t know how many people died there,” she said.

Forty-five years later, recounting that harrowing day, which became known as the Gwangjiu Uprising, still brings Tetreault to tears.

She hid in a basement for eight days. Then, with the help of her father and others, she escaped to America.

She continued her education before marrying a man who became a university president. They had two sons, Paul and James.

Now widowed, Tetreault found her way to Washington state, always emphasizing to her sons the importance of education and appreciation for the freedoms they’ve enjoyed here.

They got the message. James, after attending the U.C. Berkeley School of Law, joined the Marines.

Today, Tetreault owns Soundview Deli on Mukilteo Boulevard. Since the City of Everett closed the boulevard to replace an aging bridge, her store is literally at the end of the road, cutting off many of her loyal customers until it reopens.

Despite her stuggles, Tetreault holds her values for freedom and family close to her heart, and is grateful. This year’s Monumental Talks theme, “Freedom and Family,” honors those values on the anniversary of terrorists’ failed effort to destroy them.