My mil told me so many stories about the war.
1. While running away from the enemies, my mil and her group came across a baby. The mother was dead and already rotten. The only part that still look fresh was her boob which was still producing milk and even leaking out milk for the baby( baby's about 6 month). Since her uncle and his wife don't have a child, they decided to take the child making a small quick ritual telling the mom that they're taking the baby as their own. My mil said that probably her spirit was there watching over her child since her body was so rotton and smelly that the baby was still alive and safe.
2. Story that my mil heard from one of her uncle before he came back to their hideout. Her uncle went out looking for food. On the way back, the enemy was around that area so he hide in a hole. That night, he dreamt that he was in between 2 houses. One was an old guy and the other was a lady. They were both yelling at him to get out and away from their houses all night long. When he woke up during the day, he found out that he was sleeping between two graves.
3. My mil was always the one that usually run ahead without caring about what's up ahead of her. Even though at the time everyone was told to be careful and to look for those bomb that are hung on branches, she still run. She was 1 inches away from the bomb before touching it when her brother yell and pulled her away from it. If not for that, the whole group would had die that instant. It's those bomb where they hung in bushes/branches at waist level where if you touch it, it would activate and metal pieces would come flying out. To this day, she said that if it weren't for her brother, her mistake would had killed that whole group.
4. My mil heard this from one of her cousin. There was a family of 3. The mother, daughter, and father. Since they only have 2 bag, the father told the mother and daughter to go first and he'll follow afterward when he find something to float on. Halfway across the river, they could hear the enemy afar. The current was pushing them back but then the husband suddenly pop up from behind them. He told them, "koj niam kuv mam li thawb neb mus os" (wife I'll push you both). They didn't even kick or anything, the husband was doing all the work while they both hold on to the bag floatie.When they got to the other side, they looked behind them but the husband was gone. Looking over to the other side, they could see that the father was dead already and the enemy was over there too having them both realize that the husband spirit came back to save them before going.
5. My mil said that if it weren't for animals (she believed that it's the spirit of the forest), many wouldn't had make it to the river. Whenever the enemies come, an animal such as a deer would wait at a certain area and cried until the group see them and run into the safe direction which they would follow it. When it comes to a stop, they would know that it's a safe spot. Afterward, the animal would disappear. Another is that, you see the dead everywhere, already rotten or those that are old, sick, or even babies are being left on the way. No one can do anything whether they want to or not. At the time, she was even too scare to even complain about the rotting smell from the dead or even remember smelling it. All you think about is run and watch out for bombs.
Those that did pay Thai to cross over the river, most of them turned out dead. What the thai did was make them pay, then take them to a small island and kill them. The small process goes over again, if not, kill them on the other side.
I don't know much from my mom side since except that she fell down hill and if it werent for her mom that pushed her from behind, she probably couldn't run up the hill.
Forgot to mention this one, my mil also said that an enemy was shooting them from behind and if it weren't for that huge bag of rice that she was carrying on her back, she would had die. The bullet hit though the bag of rice barely hitting her back.
If you ask an og and if they're willing to share, they would tell you their story. It seem like my mother didn't really wanna tell me what happen during the war since probably she doesn't want to remember those times. I know a cousin who had a bullet that went through his mouth and got stuck on the back. It's still there but he pass away due to sickness about 6 years ago. As my for mil brother, a bullet's stuck inside his head at the top which the doctor didn't want to do surgery but he's still alive.