Replies

During WWII, in my family, four of six sons enlisted to fight in the war. The other two were too young. There were three daughters, one of which volunteered for the USO, the other two were too young also. My Aunt who volunteered met her future husband, who also enlisted and served in the war. Each gave 8 years of service except my father, who served twenty, not just the two, three or four year enlistments common during the Viet Nam era. The commitment was whole hearted, serious and met.

During the Viet Nam conflict, two groups of youth emerged; one which would serve, even if with reluctance and trepidation, and one which would not. Those that would not honor obligations to their country paraded their objections loudly, self serving and effectively during the period of time their siblings, former classmates and friends of their youth were away.

During the war in Viet Nam, we faced several problems that were eventually overcome. The Viet Cong were a guerrilla organization spread throughout SVN, disrupting normal commerce, raiding and intimidating villages for supplies and conscripts. Skirmishes and ambushes took a toll but the overall effectiveness of the group was problematic. The General Uprising during Tet in 1968 however combined the VC with the NVA, it's objective to seize provincial capitals and coerce the populace to rise against the American forces protecting the SVN gov't. The VC battalions led the way and were decimated, the NVA backing them got their asses kicked on the way back north. Contrary to news reports in the US, the American Embassy was never overrun, the ARVNs didn't retreat and the populace of the South didn't join into the uprising. In Hue and Quang Tri there were massacres committed by the NVA and the place was a hot spot, eventually extinguished. General Vo Nguyen Giap, Commanding General of the NVA was defeated.

The Air War. During the Air War, we took losses of A/C which resulted in a number of POWs held in the north. SAMs and the little MiG 21 wreaked havoc on larger US A/C. PRK pilots arrived to aid the NVNAF against the American and lost several MiG 19s in a single engagement. (Rumor was some pilots were Russians.......but that's moot.) The NVNAF had some very good aviators, some very bold but none old. By '71 the NVNAF was defeated and its remaining assets stashed in caves along the Red River valley in NVN. 'Rolling Thunder' and 'Arc Light' missions flew over the north and the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Kissinger was in Paris, wheeling and dealing. Le Duc Tho was hedging and Vo Nguyen Giap was holding out. One more time oughta do it.....

Easter 1972 (I left in Aug '71, the Marines in I Corps pulled out during this time too, so someone else should pick this up.), the NVA tried again to overrun the south and once again failed; Giap's campaign was toast. The North was done.........except for the political, social and media led campaign that raged in the streets, the towns and congress back home in the US. The Lao Dong party of North Viet Nam and General Vo Nguyen Giap seized the 'Hearts and Minds' of the fearful and reluctant, the safe and pampered in our homeland. They parlayed defeat for victory, conscripting fools and useful idiots to achieve the unachievable in battle and in political determination in their own area.

The Sunshine Patriots and Faint Hearted are attempting once again to inflict another generation with the undeserved scar of defeat. We served to defend, our duty never ends. Our duty is clearly to defend those who now defend us.

Never forget!