Despite never having been ordered there,Vietnam played a substantial role in my life for about 7 years...6 of which were my Army years (active and Reserves). As a result I gave into the urge to go there in 2008.
From the moment we touched down at Tan Son Nhut I had a nasty feeling in my gut.While there we took a river "cruise" up the Mekong to An Lac and during it I couldn't help but think of the river boats...the "Brown Water Navy" (IIRC).
Very spooky...very sad.
Yes,with The Big Guy as "Commander-In-Chief" you guys would have been court martialed for war crimes.
We could proceed on these missions in light of guidance provided by the Geneva Conventions. Based on the obvious reading of Articles 28 and 29 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the VC were responsible for any civilian deaths in the areas we shelled. Those civilians qualified as Protected Persons within the enemy’s physical control and could not be used to render certain points and areas immune from military operations.
I was not sympathetic with the trauma displayed by protesters in the states, who willfully ignored the justification for our actions.