[CedarDave]

Recall that. I was in Danang at the time. 1968 was a watershed year with the assassinations of MLK and RFK. Tensions were particularly high in Danang after MLK’s assassination. Black US troops held a candlelight memorial on the beach.

And I was in port at Vung Tao at the time and had to intervene in an arguement between a black knife-wielding crewman and a white crewman who said MLK's death was good riddance. I was lucky that both still respected officer authority enough to break it it up without it becoming physical with someone getting hurt.

[kabar]

Definitely tension. And with so many of us with weapons, it wouldn't take much to spark fratricide. Cooler heads prevailed as blacks were given space to vent. Two months later RFK was assassinated. Not much reaction to that.

The 60s make today look like a walk in the park. The civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Cuban missile crisis. Demonstrations and clashes with the police were commonplace. Our institutions were under constant attack.

[Chgogal]

Amazing story! I remember MLK’s death. My father took us to Montrose Harbor in Chicago. The skyline was haloed with the the south side burning down.

Then:

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Now:

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