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... the average Joe Vietnamese really didn't care much one way or the other. They just wanted to live their lives in peace, to conduct their business or farm their rice paddies...
On this I absolutely, 100%, agree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stillkit
The Vietnamese people were never our enemy and I'm confident that their natural entrepreneural bent and co-operative spirit will erode Communism from the inside out. That country is already far, far less Communist and autocratic than it was in 1975.
Once again, 100% agreement. Collectively they are some of the finest people I have ever met, both then and now. And talk about wonderful food! [Even nuoc mam, if you can get it past your nose...]
When end Iraq occupations to military power USA?
USA occupied Iraq, more, than 7 years, population drags the wretch existence. Why this so occurs, finally uncle Sem good small but behave as lousy boy.
I think ones view of the police action in Vietnam is based on ones experiences there. I was a combat corpsman. A wound is a wound no matter who fired the shot. The biggest difference I remember is that the vast majority of troops were from poor/middle class families where in WWII everyone served.
It was reoccupied for the very purpose you mentioned in 1971.
It was occupied for an ARVN operation to enter Laos and block the Ho Chi Minh trail. It was a fiasco and US forces had to send choppers to pull the ARVN forces out before they disintergarted. I think US forces should have did this operation years earlier like in 1967. This might have choked off Tet and saved thousands of American and Vietnamese lives.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A GAME CHANGER. Remember the McNamara Line?
It was occupied for an ARVN operation to enter Laos and block the Ho Chi Minh trail. It was a fiasco and US forces had to send choppers to pull the ARVN forces out before they disintergarted. I think US forces should have did this operation years earlier like in 1967. This might have choked off Tet and saved thousands of American and Vietnamese lives.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A GAME CHANGER. Remember the McNamara Line?
Ah, American forces along with those of South Vietnam, Thailand and Laos had been doing just that since 1961.
Ah, American forces along with those of South Vietnam, Thailand and Laos had been doing just that since 1961.
Well...they'd been trying, but never seriously affected the flow of troops and material down the trail.
When ARVN went in, in spite of the monumental screw ups (not all of which was their fault), they disrupted the trail so much that the bad guys couldn't mount another offensive for a year. And, even then, half of the Easter Offensive of 1972 came out of the North, just beyond the DMZ.
I thnik the worse part of vietnam was the unwelcome ,may got when returnig really that didn't help . But that doesn't mean that all vietnam vets even some of the most decorated are all having problems. WWI and WWII vets had the same problems but society treated them much different on returning.That is one reaso you see so mnay turnout to welcome veterans of dessert storm;riaq and afganistan home and recognise the unselfish sacrafice they have made ofr us all.How vietbam veterans were treated by mnay liberals is a shame that will not go way really.
My grandfather was the first black general to command a brigade in vietnam (and the first black general to command a division, though that was in West Germany). The unit in NAM was 199th LIB, I believe. Known as the "red catchers". General Abrams pinned the stars on him.
Apparently during tet, when he was a full bird colonel, the unit was north of Saigon. A company was in danger of being over run, and my grandfather was the 2nd in Command of the brigade. Apparently the commanding general was busy and so my grandpa "assessed the situation" himself. And by asses the situation I mean he got on a belle heuy, pushed aside the crew chief, and grabbed the machine gun and went to town on those little suckers.
For a full-bird to do something like this was pretty daring and I guess that secured his destiny of later commanding the unit.
My mom still has all the red catcher china and regalia from when he passed. It was crazy, he always talked about ww2. Even how he killed nazi's as company commander, but he never talked about nam. Even the story of what he did in tet, came second hand during his wake, from an old solider of his.
My dad by contrast was a 19 year old draftee. He could have used a college deferment but he declined. He did his duty like a man, unlike a sizable chunk of baby boomers. He was wounded during his tour from grenade and has a purple heart medal. He always noted that LBJ's parting gift to him was a notice to report for induction. Due his mom growing up under Facist and Nazi occupation in Italy, and his experience as a draftee, he has a very strong dislike of the military and government. Growing up I learned respect, he had a strong taste for Rye and a firm back hand. When I tried to join the military in college the weekend after 9/11 happened he was quick to tell the recruiter I was not qualified to serve due to my heart murmur (in a very crude manner). He has ptsd issues but the booze takes the edge off a lot and hes a functioning alcoholic of sorts. No dui's, six figures, kids all college educated, owns a home etc.
I try to keep an eye on him even though he likes my younger brother much more than he likes me.
I thnik the worse part of vietnam was the unwelcome ,may got when returnig really that didn't help . But that doesn't mean that all vietnam vets even some of the most decorated are all having problems. WWI and WWII vets had the same problems but society treated them much different on returning.That is one reaso you see so mnay turnout to welcome veterans of dessert storm;riaq and afganistan home and recognise the unselfish sacrafice they have made ofr us all.How vietbam veterans were treated by mnay liberals is a shame that will not go way really.
IMHO The key mistake we made was not addressing the root cause of the Viet Cong's existence. The population of Vietnam is 95% Bhuddist, but the Saigon government was Catholic. We kept Catholics in power until Big Minh (way, way too late). Our media reported on monks burning themselves as protesting the war, but they were protesting no representation in their government. You could talk young Americans into going to war to fight communists, but it's not so easy to talk them into going to war against Bhuddists.
FWIW I did four tours in Vietnam between 1966 and 1973. I was at, in chronological order, An Khe, Vung Tau, Bien Hoa, Saigon (Hotel 3), Vinh Long (Tet '68), Dian, Phu Loi, Long Thanh, Vung Tao again, DaNang. I was a civilian, not military.
Last edited by Bideshi; 02-18-2011 at 04:02 AM..
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