Friday-Free-for-All: Vietnam Edition
by PubliusToday, in 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, ending America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Of course, the war in Vietnam would continue condemning millions of people to decades of totalitarian rule.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
92 Comments
I came home May 26th 1970, a lifetime ago for many of you, after serving 18 months on the Mekong. Sometimes it seems like a hundred years ago sometimes like yesterday and sometimes I ask myself… was I really ever there at all. No I was there… I was there…I can still feel it.
Brother,
My war was 20yrs later but I have the same feelings.
Somethings are so fresh in my mind, the smells, the sounds, the faces…Other times I cry because I cannot remember the name of someone I knew since boot but I remember the names of the kids I gave candy bars to or changed their dressings.
Why them?
And life goes on.
Thank you brother.
Now its Iraq, Afghanistan and maybe Iran next.
May God bless EVERYONE who fought in that horrific war, that seemed to last a lifetime! I remember the way this country treated the young soldiers that made it back….it was a time that I was ashamed of my country, and at the same time proud that so many were able to come home! May we NEVER use something, like the draft again!!
We shouldn't have been there. No wonder the kids back then got all confused and became liberals! Without this war we could have kept liberalism, communisim, and progressive politics at bay (if indeed any of these current cancers would have taken root)
I blame the French.
Can we impeach Obama now?
Thank you both for your service.
Military service has become a chosen selfless deadly obligation, a duty to all, freedom for all and a cross only the brave few will bare.
your government has cause but no balls to do so
Nice beaches.
I recommend it as a tourist destination today.
I was in Saigon when the Paris Peace Accords were signed. And I still go back a lot.
Cambodia is an incredible place today. Siem Reap. That's the place to be.
It was our biggest foreign policy mistake up until 2003, when we invaded Iraq. Hopefully we don't go down that road again, and start a war with Iran. War with Iran would be an even bigger disaster than both of those debacles.
Despite the war drums there will be no war with iran unless they attack. We are trading with iran.
I guess storming the US Embassy and taking Americans hostage ISN'T a provocation of war.
People that went to that war came back to a different country. They came back aged. Many of the people who remained here have not grown up to this day.
We have done nothing since hostage crises. They gave weapons to insurgents that killed our soldiers for years and they have done nothing. I predict iran will go nuke because of libya and nothing will be done
Democrats use troops to make political points not win wars.
May we never forget those who have given their all so that we can remain free. Those ladies and gents are the true heros.
My "Alma Matta".
Here ➽ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh
Feb 1968 – April 1969. Bravo Co. 1st Btn, 26th Marines.
Not a day of my life goes by without me thinking of that time.
Time to take our Republic back from the commie rat bastards I fought against all those years ago now occupying Capitol Hill.
Anyone but Obambi is my vote.
In your face Ellen the Screamer.
Not Over.
My widowed mother cried on the day I went off to boot camp,…..
because she, obviously, did not want me to go. but…….
her parting words really stuck.
"If you must go, than go and do your duty, but………
do not come back unless it is honorable".
Maybe it is wrong of me, but,……
I sure would like to know why is it that,……
not one of Romney's five sons served.
A Mormon I served with, Ralph, told me his father was a conscientious objector in WWII and that that option also was available to him.
A refugee from Vietnam gave his life to Christ in my church, he then spent several years back in Communist Vietnam preaching the gospel and advancing Christianity. It would not have been possible without your service. Many people are grateful for what you did.
I guess it's possible that Ho Chi Minh might have adopted Capitalism if it meant he could throw-off colonial rule… guess we'll never know…
You old gray Vietnam Vets move to front for honor, show us how to fight, how to lead, don't take your wisdom to the grave unshared….
Glad to have you with us.
Thanks for your condescension. We don't get enough of that from the Left.
Being politically hypocritical about war, like Obama is one thing, but,……..
a potential conscientious objector in the White House,……
is something that maybe should, at least, be discussed.
No. We have to have a Republican Congress with a lack of Marxists to do that.
There's a BIG difference between a conscientious objector and an anti-war leftist.
A conscientious objector has a conscience. And is not afraid to use it.
Such a small percentage of our non-vet population comprehends what service before self means.
I did not take it that way.
I was just offering a possible explanation for why none of Romney's sons served.
No s**t, Sherlock. For a few of the COs, it actually was a conscience issue.
Good for you, Joe.
Thank you. God bless
Thank you
Eight or nine years ago on the National Mall, at a rally in support of the troops, I saw about the best tribute to Vietnam veterans I could imagine. A group of Vietnamese parents with children in the service (there's a sizeable immigrant community in northern Virginia) carried a huge banner adorned with the RVN flag that read: "Your fathers fought for us; Our sons and daughters are fighting for you."
Back in the late 60s I wore one of those bracelets with the name of the guy I was writing to while he was in Vietnam. We wrote each other for a long time and then I didn't hear from him again. I google his name periodically but I don't believe any of the names that come up is him. Anyone know where I can find out what happened to him? It's been such a long time and I hope he came home okay.
Cam ranh bay, 1969
Sgt York
Gee I never knew that, but the real issue is,…….
do we want either in the White House….?????
It's the best one I have heard up to this point.
IT seems to me that we get involved in so military/police action conflict every few years.
Korean war 50's
Vietnam in the 60's & 70's
Multiple little skirmishes in the 80's involving the middle east
Desert Storm in the 90's
Afghanistan & Iraqi wars in the 2000's
Libya in 2010's
How can we as country continue to afford the cost of war?
44 years ago I was at Khe Sanh during the siege. That I can deal with. What I have a difficult time with is the fact that the cowards that met us at the airports on our return are now in the White House. How sad.
Semper Fi
It was the biggest happening for my generation and, in some odd reasoning process, I would have hated to have missed it. So long ago, but the red dust and red mud still intrude and influence me – I can't explain it nor do I speak of it. I know I am mentally stronger than most because of Vietnam, but tears well up at every reference to "The Wall". I can't imagine not having been there.
We can't but the banks make money and they run the country.
The actor Lew Ayres ("All Quiet on the Western Front") claimed CO status as a pacifist but later went on to serve as an Army medic in New Guinea.
I was going to say "old gray Vietnam f*rts"
I never cleaned the uniform that was spit on….
One wonders if there's still some indentifiable DNA….
SEMPER FI
Hotel 2/26 Nov. '67-June '68
Semper Fi
China would just love to have the South Korea penisula.
Money is one of the cost, but what about all those who have lost their lives?
To all of you who proudly served in the war in Vietnam.
Thank you for your patriotism and service.
God Bless you all and those who didn't return.
Good to have you home too Marine. (Are all your "parts and pieces" still with you?). I still have my 2 PH's in a shadow box hanging in my living room).
Let's work together to keep it a free Republic like we did watching each others backs in the bush.
Semper Fi back at cha.
Not Over
Hey, I had my 5 man bunker on the line 100 feet from the "Arti" bat. when the ammo dump got a direct hit and blew for days and days.
Man, I remember all of us manning the trenches day and night waiting for the "Bonsi Charge" from the 40,000 entrenched NVA out there.
Ahh…good times…good times.
Remember Marine…we won that big one with honor…we'll take our country back this time too.
Not Over.
Another war we lost thanks to the Spineless Politicians! The something is happening in Iraq & Afghanistan. We veterans gave our sweat, blood & Lives to be sold out again and have to fight again in some God awful Place.
WW1 ended in a stalemate & we had to fight Germany again. WW2 did not in a stalemate and peace. Korea ended in a stalemate & we still are on duty there. Vietnam ended in a stalemate the only reason we are not fighting any one in that area is USSR fell & China is making money. We are going to fight Islamist again this time in a Big way.
Wow! You tore me a new on with that!
Just scars brother, both kinds. Always doing what I can to change this mess we're in.
Semper Fi
It was a joke, trying to see if you were one of those "strength" masculine types that doesn't accept compliments as compliments only insults as complements. Trying offer complements here, not insults.
I arrived in Cam Ranh in May, 1971. For some reason they shipped me down to Saigon.
I lucked out. Been coming back ever since.
Beautiful beaches around Cam Ranh. Nha Trang, Hoi An, Danang.
I have no idea what "trying to see if you were one of those "strength" masculine types" means.
Instead of "You old gray Vietnam Vets move to front for honor, show us how to fight, how to lead," why don't you find your balls and your brains and fight and lead on your own?" I'll "complement" (sic) that with STFU and go away.
All American,Indy, thanks for your service.I came home April 30th 1967, the thing that comes to mind is about a month before I came home my mom, knowing I planned to hitch, sent me some civilian clothes and shoes and a little note that said "I sent you these because the people out there aren't very friendly toward soldiers." Kind of shook me up to say the least.I come from the SF bay area ,a pretty dicey area full of protesters.
The bankers don't give a damn about lost lives. That's the problem.
Not sure where to find this GI but I can tell you the Viet Nam War memorial website has the names of the fallen.
Are you a member of the Khe Sanh Veterans Association?
Semper Fi
I serverd with a Mormon in the Gulf War. He geared up everyday and never took off his underclothing… not once in four months.
Ouch! Put some cream on that nasty yeast infection.
I came home on a hospital plane in Sept 1971…right to Fitzimmons Army hospital in Denver. However, I came home on a charter flight…very well advertized..a new thing for the military in liu of R&R in Bangkok or one of those other places. The flight I was on landed in Los Angeles…we were met and attacked by protesters from the getgo..they threw bags of dog crap at us, spit on us (the left like to call this a ..myth)….. The home visit was nice as it related to seeing family and old friends, but I wish I had never came home on that one. While I was home, my platoon walked into an ambush..4 guys KIA… dozen or more hurt…..April 20, 1971….one of the KIA was my close friend…..
The whole story is here…this book is the first of a kind…the stories of vets in first person….blows all the stereotypes and mythology history classes are teaching now. This book has stories that will touch you to the soul……
http://www.amazon.com/Strength-Honor-Americas-Bes...
You must be very blessed although I gotta wonder why you know that.
Ignorant and angry is no way to go through life. In 1968 the President was seven years old. He's not the cause of your sad life.
Vietnam was not a stalemate. It was a loss. Not the fault of the men and women who served, but a loss just as sure as if we had been defeated on the battlefield. GWB didn't learn from that lesson and we will be paying for that mistake for the next 50 years… in interest on the $1 trillion of debt and the dead and wounded servicemen and their families.
Bill Ayers, etc. And FY
Casting furtive, sidelong glances at my ass, again?
You could try the websites like ancestry.com. If you have other clues, like where he was from, his birthday, relatives names, (did he ever mention a brother or sister?)places he lived, etc. you may be able to figure out where he is or if he is still alive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei4zHAYsDNE
We will not believe them so easily if the claim iran sinks a ship because of the treason they admit to staging the gulf of tonkin.
Bingo!!!
I came home in July, 1969, after treatment for wounds received in the runup to the Battle for Hill 937, commonly known as "Hamburger Hill". Primarily, my wounds consisted of eardrums burst, and minor burns, when a 152mm howitzer shell burst about ten feet from me (this shell also killed my best friend). Somehow, I wasn't hit by a single bit of shrapnel, but was left temporarily deaf. Also, what I intended to be a career in the Army ended on that day in May.
I landed in San Diego, and I will never forget the "welcome" we received from the Lefties. God help me, I hate them to this day. Now, they run the country. They are the establishment, and I'm keeping my powder dry (just in case).
Showing respect for genuine heros is leadership, pointing out that there must be a source for your bitterness is also a form of respect and leadership. Telling you to seek counseling for your emotional/mental wounding is also a form of respect and leadership.
Telling you to go to do something profane is not a sign of respect or leadership…. and finally…. Letting you have the last word is another form of respect and leadership…. now… go ahead…. you have the floor… have the last word…..
I'm sorry you're hurt. Not my doing. Man up. Stunningly stupid definitions of leadership, BTW. Obama-voter much?
I didn't tell you to do anything profane, I told you to f**k off. That means "leave."
The most likely sign that your a pud-hurt lib is that you have to negatively redefine everything I say to save face.
Lecture me again on leadership–I getta a kick outta watching drooling morons trying to sell stupid.
A very dear friend of mine recently passed away from exposure to Agent Orange while in the Army in Vietnam. He died being a true conservative Patriot who never questioned his service to his country, unlike the ignorant people you mentioned in your post above. I am sorry you had to go through that. Thank you for your service.
And they used war funding during the Bush administration as their own personal Pork acurals. After the Senate got a majority, and especialy after Obama got elected and they knew they had an open check book would they do anything but spur the continuation of both wars. How many times did they hold War Funding Bills hostage?
They need to be tryed for treason
So true Ralph, so true. We need a leader with "True Grit" in the White House more than ever. The agressions against the United States have increased since 9/11- not subsided as Obama, Paul, or Romney would have you believe.
What is Newt angry about- Heck I don't care- I just like his passion and the fact that he still has some cowboy in him. The cowboy has been "bred" out of Romney. I have my doubt that he'd pickup the Red Phone if it rings at 3AM.
Like his PAC ads,….
he would probably say the phone call,….
isn't his.
We don't want a leftist in the white house, we already see how they don't use a conscience.
Sorry for the long delay in responding…busy day.
But yes, I am.
Not Over.
Thank you for the suggestion.
Thank you for the suggestion. I only know where he originally was from, and with this old mind I'm lucky I remember my own birthdate!
I thought of something else you could try. It worked for me once. If you find out the names of the high schools in the town he was from, check their websites. Most of them have info on alums going back decades. My own high school has a section for those who died in Vietnam. There is also a website called classmates dot com that has info for a zillion schools all over the country.
Thank you! When I google his name a very rich guy in medical instruments comes up, just not in the area he was from originallly. If my memory serves me correctly he was in some sort of medic platoon. If they showed a photo of him I think I'd know him. Perhaps I should just email the company and take my chances.
Medical instruments? Really? I spent over 30 years in that business. I probably know him…………OK, this is getting spooky, I'm hearing Twilight Zone music. : ))
Wish I could say his name on here but don't want to just in case it isn't. Is there a way to email you??
You must be logged in to post a comment.