Today she is in Vietnam at a special ceremony to honour Kiwi and Australian servicemen, with several Vietnam vets and a Wellington history class learning about the war. This is her sixth tour to Vietnam.
"Dad left when I was a baby and as I got older I was intrigued by why a new parent would want to go to the other side of the world and had a real desire to take him back there one day."
She got to her early 30s and had failed to convince him to go back, so she went as a travel agent, taking five clients in 2003.
"It was a voyage of self-discovery for me. We took a lot of video and I ... showed Dad and then Mum and Dad decided to go back."
It would be another three years before Lee returned with a full company of 67 veterans.
"Word had spread among vets that there was someone putting together tours for them. Going as a group is a way for them to go back and feel safe.
"They are all apprehensive going over and often it is their family or friends who have talked them into it.
"I talk to them a lot before we go about their concerns. At the end of it there is not a single one who would not go back at the drop of a hat. They walk away with a different view of Vietnam; it is very healing for them."
For wives and family who accompany them, it is often the first time they hear stories about the veterans' experiences during the war.
The Kiwi soldiers were predominantly based in Nui Dat, in Phuoc Tuy Province, east of Saigon.
Nui Dat was established in 1966 and abandoned in 1972, when the main body of Australians left. The camp held between 4000 and 6000 Australian and Kiwi personnel.
"When you speak to the vets, a lot of them volunteered for the adventure. They arrived there to 40 degree Celsius, red dirt and bugs climbing over them. That was a big shock to an 18-year-old soldier as they were not as well travelled as people are now.
"It is important for people to remember they had volunteered; if they hadn't, people would have been drafted. I think they should be shown a bit more gratitude. People were very quick to judge our soldiers."
CHANCE TO HEAL ON TOUR
This year's tour group will attend an Anzac Day service at 5am. It will be held at Long Tan, where many Australian soldiers lost their lives in the Battle of Long Tan. There are only two foreign memorials in Vietnam and this is the site of the Australian one. The original cross was erected in 1969 and is now held at Dong Noi museum. The cross there now was erected in 1992.
"A wreath is laid; normally it is just laid by an Australian soldier but I am trying to get a New Zealand representative to lay a wreath as well.
"It is held in a plantation owned by a local farmer. You have to get permits to go there and no pollution can be left after the ceremony."
The villagers make disposable poppies for the veterans to wear.
Lee is passionate about getting a memorial built at Nui Dat for the Kiwi veterans.
"Last year we sang the New Zealand national anthem and then sang it in Maori. Half the Kiwi soldiers were Maori so it is important to include the Maori national anthem.
"This was a first and definitely not an official part of the proceedings, raising the eyebrows of the Vietnamese officials."
Tomorrow the tour heads to Baria orphanage, which the Australians and Kiwis supported during the conflict.
"The troops sent surplus food and supplies. During the conflict it was mostly children of mixed race, a Vietnamese mother and American father.
"We spend two or three days here and do some community service. Sometimes it is just painting or talking to the kids or helping build something."
Lee said on the last trip to the orphanage the veterans collected their toothbrushes from the hotel and gave them to the children.
EMOTIONAL MEETING FOR OLD FOES
Often a ceremony is also held at the old battlegrounds.
They visit two key sites. One is the horseshoe, a permanent fire support base during the war, which gave cover to the troops on patrol and shelled the Viet Cong.
The Minefield was also significant. It was 100 metres wide and 11 kilometres long and contained 23,000 jumping jack mines.
Once tripped they would jump about waist height and explode, causing horrific injuries or death.
"Last time we came across a busload of North Vietnamese Army [NVA] vets who were touring," Lee said.
"It is only recent that the NVA vets are touring the battlegrounds. Through an interpreter, the Kiwi vets invited them to sit down and have a beer with them. The guys were absolutely buzzing over it, it was quite emotional for them actually.
"You find in the south the Vietnamese do have a lot of respect for the Kiwi soldiers."
The New Zealand Government will pay $1800 toward the veterans' trip back. While the tour costs more than that, Lee tries to keep the cost down to make it as accessible as possible for the veterans.
"A time will come when they are too old to go.
"I think Long Tan should become as important as Gallipoli is, just as in 20 to 30 years Afghanistan will be.
"We need to remember the contribution of all of our solders regardless of the politics of the conflict."
