Vietnam 2016-08 (Vol.29 No.02)

The War Photography of Philip Jones Griffiths

YESTERDAY

Beatles’ last concert, San Francisco, 1966

Colin Powell

AUGUST 2016

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On the Cover:

Colin Powell looks up K\YPUNH[PJRLY[HWLWHYHKL PU5L^@VYR[VJLSLIYH[L ]PJ[VY`PU[OL .\SM>HY 7/6;6!(5+9,>/63)9662,.,;;@ 04(.,:"05:,;!05;,9-6;6(3(4@ :;6*27/6;6

22

COLIN POWELL’S VIETNAM

On the rise Major Colin Powell, Z[HɈVɉJLYMVY operations in the (TLYPJHS+P]PZPVU takes a break V\[ZPKLOPZI\URLY H[*O\3HPPU 

2

VIETNAM

COURTESY COLIN L. POWELL

;OLMVYTLYPUMHU[Y`VɉJLYPU Vietnam talks about the war’s PUÅ\LUJLVUOPZKLJPZPVUZHZ 1VPU[*OPLMZJOHPYTHUHUK ZLJYL[HY`VMZ[H[L

6 8 14 16 18

Feedback Today In the News Homefront July-August 1966 Then & Now Arsenal The First Stealth Aircraft

21 Editor’s Notebook 58 Media Digest 64 Rewind Actor Jon Provost

36

THE FIRST BATTLE OF KHE SANH

In April 1967, Marines in western Quang Tri province moved to sweep NVA from bunkers in Hills 861 and 881. By Arnold Blumberg

28 SKY WARS

How Hanoi forced U.S. airwar leaders to improve battle space management, aircraft paint schemes and precision weapons. By Carl O. Schuster

50

THEY CAME, AND DIED, TO KEEP THE PAST UPON ITS THRONE

44

STARK IMAGES OF MEN AT WAR 7OPSPW1VULZ.YPɉ[OZ» photographs show the universal struggles of people everywhere.

A seasoned war JVYYLZWVUKLU[YLÅLJ[Z on his time in Vietnam, before, during and after the fall of Saigon. By H.D.S. Greenway

JOIN THE DISCUSSION AT VIETNAM MAG.COM

MICHAEL A. REINSTEIN CHAIRMAN & PUBLISHER DAVID STEINHAFEL ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

AUGUST 2016 VOL. 29, NO. 2

CHUCK SPRINGSTON EDITOR DEBRA NEWBOLD MANAGING EDITOR JERRY MORELOCK SENIOR EDITOR SARAH RICHARDSON SENIOR EDITOR ELIZABETH HOWARD COPY EDITOR JON GUTTMAN RESEARCH DIRECTOR DAVID T. ZABECKI EDITOR EMERITUS HARRY SUMMERS JR. FOUNDING EDITOR STEPHEN KAMIFUJI CREATIVE DIRECTOR BRIAN WALKER GROUP ART DIRECTOR PAUL FISHER ART DIRECTOR LORI FLEMMING PHOTO EDITOR ADVISORY BOARD ROBERT H. LARSON, JAMES R. RECKNER, CARL O. SCHUSTER, EARL H. TILFORD JR., SPENCER C. TUCKER, ERIK VILLARD, JAMES H. WILLBANKS CORPORATE ROB WILKINS Director of Partnership Marketing MICHAEL ZATULOV Finance DIGITAL JOSH SCIORTINO Associate Editor

The siege of the U.S. Marine base at Khe Sanh in 1968, one of the most prominent battles of the war, was preceded by the Khe Sanh hill fights of 1967, which are recalled in this issue. To learn more about both battles, visit HistoryNet.com and search “Khe Sanh.”
VIETNAM

ADVERTISING COURTNEY FORTUNE Advertising Services [email protected] TERRY JENKINS Regional Sales Manager [email protected] RICK GOWER Regional Sales Manager [email protected] RICHARD VINCENT Regional Sales Manager [email protected] JOSH SCIORTINO Web Sales [email protected] DIRECT RESPONSE ADVERTISING RUSSELL JOHNS ASSOCIATES 800-649-9800 [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION 800-435-0715 or SHOP.HISTORYNET.com. Yearly subscriptions in U.S.: $39.95. List Rental Inquiries: Belkys Reyes, Lake Group Media, Inc. 914-925-2406; [email protected] Vietnam (ISSN 1046-2902) is published bimonthly by HistoryNet, LLC. 1600 Tysons Blvd., Suite 1140, Tysons, VA 22102-4883; 703-771-9400 Periodical postage paid at Leesburg, VA, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster, send address changes to Vietnam, P.O. Box 422224, Palm Coast, FL 32142-2224 Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 41342519 Canadian GST No. 821371408RT0001 © 2016 HistoryNet, LLC The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of HistoryNet LLC. PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA

GETTY IMAGES/BETTMANN

THE BATTLES OF KHE SANH

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A Door Gunner’s Close Call Your “Flying Banana” article (April 2016) refers to the mission of the 81st Transportation Company, out of Tuy Hoa, on Dec. 22, 1962. I was the door gunner on the aircraft that was shot down. The bullet came right by my head and lodged in the hoist control panel. One of our forward transmission oil lines took a direct hit. Since the pilots _MZMJMQVOLZMVKPML_Q\PPW\\ZIV[UQ[[QWVÆ]QLIVL_MPILTW[\ transmission oil pressure, they decided to make an emergency landing. Our wingman landed beside us and we all clambered aboard. Later that day, after the [South Vietnamese army] had secured the area, we went back out and repaired the aircraft so we could get it back to Pleiku. Enclosed is a photo of me and the oil line. Al Doucette Stockton, Calif.

Location, Location, Location I read with great interest Chuck Springston’s Editor’s Notebook, “The Core Question and the Search for an Answer” (June 2016). As a young Marine with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, who walked almost the entire 50-mile length of the DMZ [separating North and South Vietnam] during 1967-68, the search for an answer is easier: Look at the Korean War. In Korea, the DMZ was 160 miles long, and because Korea is a peninsula it reached from sea to sea, so U.N. troops were eventually able to hold it. In Vietnam, had Laos instead been a “Southeast Asian Sea,” the 50-mile DMZ could have been sealed, preventing any invasion from North Vietnam. And we 6

VIETNAM

would still have a presence there, just as the 2nd Infantry Division stands guard in Korea. It was all about the geography. James Cool Tucker, Ga.

Remembering the Kids I enjoyed your issue with the GIs and the Vietnamese kids (photo feature, April 2016). I served with the 1st Cavalry Division, Wild Card Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, between Tay Ninh and Loc Ninh 1968-69, near Landing Zone Grant and LZ Buttons. Every so often we would go through small villages, and the kids would always be looking for a handout. I’d see these two little girls together [in photo above],

probably sisters. Every time I look at this picture, I wonder if they survived the war. Kenny Cellilo Florida Keys

If Goldwater Had Won I read “Nightmare Up North,” by Paul Novak (February 2016), the B-52 navigator who participated in Linebacker II in December 1972. Apparently he is a contemXWZIZaWNUQVM1ÆM_\PM.̆ Phantom in 1968 and 1970, while stationed at Cam Ranh Bay. In 1964 I voted for Barry Goldwater. Had he been elected, I believe an operation similar to Linebacker II would have occurred as early as 1965. If that had happened, the Vietnam War would have ended more like the Korean War did. David Herbert Billings, Mont. Corrections: Because of a typographical error, the 33rd H-21 company was UQ[QLMV\QÅMLQV¹
Send letters and email: Vietnam Editor 1600 Tysons Blvd., Suite 1140 Tysons, VA 22102-4833; or [email protected]

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A pair of Vietnam-era OV-10 Broncos, which performed reconnaissance and attack functions in the war, ZMKMV\Ta[XMV\\PZMMUWV\P[JMQVO\M[\MLNWZÆaQVOUQ[sions in the Middle East. The U.S. Central Command, responsible for the military’s operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, would not say exactly where the OV-10s were based or where they attacked but did specify that the planes, with their distinctive twin tail booms, ÆM_QV[]XXWZ\WN7XMZI\QWV1VPMZMV\:M[WT^M\PM=;̆ TMLQV\MZVI\QWVITKIUXIQOVIOIQV[\\PM1[TIUQK;\I\MQV 1ZIYIVL;aZQIKWUUWVTaKITTML1;1; The Broncos are part of an experiment to see if “light turboXZWXIQZKZIN\IZMUWZMMЄMK\Q^M in conducting counterinsurgency operations,” a U.S. military representative told CNN. During their deployment, the planes completed 134 sorties, including 120 combat missions, over a span of 82 days beginning in May 2015 or shortly thereafter. Originally the Pentagon proposed to spend $20 million on the OV-10s in 2012, but Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, objected. “There is no urgent operational reY]QZMUMV\NWZ\PQ[\aXMWNIQZKZIN\º\PMNWZUMZ>QM\VIU prisoner of war said in a statement. Lawmakers subseY]MV\TaKIVKMTMLUW[\WN\PM*ZWVKWN]VLQVOJ]\\PM military eventually succeeded in paying for a trial for two planes by diverting money from other programs. The idea for deploying the Broncos is that these older 8

VIETNAM

KW]V\MZQV[]ZOMVKaIQZKZIN\KIVUWZMKW[\̆MЄMK\Q^MTa ÆaKTW[M̆IQZ[]XXWZ\UQ[[QWV[\WPMTX=;OZW]VL\ZWWX[ and pilots better see and attack low-tech insurgents. The turbo-prop planes were the perfect middle ground between drones and more technologically advanced RM\[IKKWZLQVO\W8I]T;KPIZZMINWZUMZ)ZUa:IVOMZ _PW[MZ^MLQV1ZIYIVL)NOPIVQ[\IVIVLQ[VW_I[MVQWZ fellow at the Center for a New American Security, Y]W\MLJa+66 The military also wanted to know if Broncos or similar XTIVM[KW]TL\ISMW^MZNWZRM\ÅOP\MZ[ such as F-15 Eagles and F/A-18 Hornets, which conduct most U.S. airstrikes in the Middle East but are much more expensive to buy and operate than a propeller-driven plane like the OV-10, said Central Command spokesman Bryant Davis. North American Aviation, now part of Boeing Co., developed the Bronco in the 1960s to provide the Pentagon with a small, cheap attack XTIVM\PI\KW]TL\ISMWЄNZWUZW]OPIQZ[\ZQX[KTW[M\W\PM ÅOP\QVO
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KERRY AND KISSINGER SPEAK AT VIETNAM WAR SUMMIT

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Fifty years later 1VOU2LYY`YLÅLJ[Z VU[OL=PL[UHT>HY K\YPUNHKPZJ\ZZPVU H[[OL3)1SPIYHY` VU(WYPS

2][\_MMS[JMNWZM8ZM[QLMV\*IZIKS7JIUI¼[[KPML]TMLÅZ[\^Q[Q\ to Vietnam in May, Secretary of State John Kerry attended a Vietnam War summit at the presidential library for Lyndon B. Johnson QV)][\QV
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)ZMXWZ\WV\PMPMIT\PMЄMK\[WN)OMV\ Orange, released in March by the Institute of Medicine, recommends that the ,MXIZ\UMV\WN>M\MZIV[)NNIQZ[OQ^M [MZ^QKM̆ZMTI\MLLQ[IJQTQ\aLM[QOVI\QWV\W ^M\MZIV[_PWPI^MJTILLMZKIVKMZIVL hypothyroidism and exhibit “Parkinson’sTQSM[aUX\WU[ºJ]\LWVW\PI^M8IZSQVson’s disease. “There is no rational basis for exclu[QWVWNQVLQ^QL]IT[_Q\P8IZSQV[WV¼[̆TQSM [aUX\WU[NZWU\PM[MZ^QKM̆ZMTI\MLKI\MOWZaLMVW\MLI[8IZSQV[WV¼[LQ[MI[Mº the report stated. 1V!>M\MZIV[)ЄIQZ[ILLML8IZkinson’s to its list of diseases possibly associated with exposure to the chemical defoliant. VA officials said a working group will study the report and prepare a response to department Secretary Robert McDonald on whether Parkinson’s-like diseases should be added to the 15 disMI[M[\PI\ITZMILaY]ITQNa>QM\VIU^M\MZIV[NWZLQ[IJQTQ\aJMVMÅ\[IVLPMIT\P care. The process could take up to two aMIZ[IKKWZLQVO\W>)WЅKQIT[ The Institute of Medicine report, in another finding, determined that scientific research does not support a XZM^QW][TaPMTLJMTQMN\PI\[XQVIJQÅLI WKK]Z[I\PQOPMZZI\M[QV\PMWЄ[XZQVO WNM`XW[ML^M\MZIV[

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Report Links Agent Orange to Bladder Cancer, Hypothyroidism

REFUGEE’S BOOK WINS PULITZER FOR FICTION

The Sympathizer, the best-selling debut novel by Vietnamese refugee and University of Southern California professor Viet Thanh Nguyen, was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The Sympathizer is a tale of a Communist Party spy who escapes Vietnam in 1975 and goes to the United States, where he lives a double existence—as a resident and an informer. Nguyen, who escaped Vietnam in 1975 when he was 4 and grew up in California’s Bay Area, has always been fond of spy novels, he said in an interview with The Guardian. The life of the spy in his novel, who makes his way by duality and subterfuge, resonated with someone who grew up as an immigrant in America, he said. “There’s that experience of feeling between two worlds, seeing things from two sides, being the lone minority in an environment.” 6O]aMVZMKMV\TaX]JTQ[PMLIVWVÅK\QWVJWWSNothing Ever Dies, which examines the way memory of the Vietnam War—and war in general—is made, curated and abused by those in power.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: VIETNGUYEN.INFO, PHOTO BY ANNA MIN; PHOTOS BY JENNIFER E. BERRY; TWITTER/@PLANTU; WENN US/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Vietnam Dove Artist Draws Brussels Solidarity Cartoon

Plantu, a French political cartoonist whose Brussels tribute went viral on social media after the March 22 attacks in Belgium, made his debut during the VietVIU?IZ0Q[ÅZ[\X]JTQ[PMLLZI_QVOI dove holding a question mark in its beak, appeared in 1972 in the French newspaper Le Monde, shortly after Plantu, the pen name of Jean Plantureux, had started working there. The peace dove, a commentary on hopes for a resolution of Vietnam War, ZMÆMK\[WVMWN8TIV\]¼[UIRWZ\PMUM[" international violence and corruption, according to France’s English-language newspaper The Connexion. He also does humorous takes on French politics. Plantu’s Brussels cartoon illustrates the solidarity between Belgium and France in the wake of the closely spaced terrorist I\\IKS[QVJW\PKW]V\ZQM[1\[PW_[\_WÅO]ZM[MUJZIKQVOWVM _MIZQVO.ZIVKM¼[ÆIO\PMW\PMZ_MIZQVO*MTOQ]U¼[)PMIZ\Q[ above their heads and the dates of the recent terrorist attacks in 8IZQ[IVL*Z][[MT[IZM[KZQX\ML]VLMZVMI\P\PMÅO]ZM[ Plantu co-founded the association Dessins pour La Paix (Cartooning for Peace) in 2006 and is its president.

Lapel Pin for Veterans A specially designed Vietnam War lapel pin is available to all living veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces at any time from Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of location. The pins are engraved with an American bald eagle, a blue circle, a laurel wreath and six stars representing the six nations that fought as allies in Vietnam. Embossed on the back of the pin is “A Grateful Nation Thanks and Honors You.” The pins are part of the Defense Department’s 50th anniversary commemoration of the war. They generally are presented at public events held by organizations that have chosen to become commemorative partners in the program. >QM\VIU^M\MZIV[KIVÅVLKWUUMUWZItive events in their communities by visiting www.vietnamwar50th.com/events. New events are frequently added to the TQ[\>M\MZIV[KIVIT[WÅVLIKWUUMUWZItive event by using an email link available at www.vietnamwar50th.com/lapelpins. AUGUST 2016

11

ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXAMINE MYSTERIOUS PLAIN OF JARS

The Rev. Daniel Berrigan, 94, a Jesuit priest who led protests against the Vietnam War, died on April 30, in New York. Berrigan and eight others, including his younger brother and fellow priest, Philip Berrigan, stole draft records from ;MTMK\Q^M;MZ^QKMWЅKM[QV+I\WV[ville, Maryland, on May 17, 1968, IVL[M\ÅZM\W\PMU][QVOPWUMUILM napalm. They were arrested, and the Å^M̆LIa\ZQITZM[]T\MLQVI\PZMM̆aMIZ prison sentence for Daniel, which he evaded for several months by going underground. He served about two years. Berrigan wrote a play about the event, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine , which also became a movie. Philip died in 2002. 12

VIETNAM

put in ceramic vessels; others were buried in a pit covered with limestone blocks. In the third type of burial, the body was placed in a grave. -^MV_Q\P\PMVM_ÅVLQVO[\PMN]VK\QWVWN\PM[\WVM RIZ[ZMUIQV[IUa[\MZa
Santiago Erevia, 70, a Vietnam War veteran and retired mail carrier who had been denied the nation’s highest military honor for 45 years because he was Hispanic, died on March 22 in San Antonio. In 2014, following a 12-year Pentagon investigation, President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Erevia and 23 other Army veterans, most of them Hispanic, who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Erevia, who served in the 101st Airborne Division, singlehandedly wiped out four enemy bunkers while his comrades lay wounded near Tam Ky City on May 21, 1969.

Country music legend Merle Haggard,79, died on his birthday, April 6, at his home in Palo Cedro, California. The Country Music Hall of Famer wrote and recorded for more than 40 years, releasing dozens of albums and No. 1 hits. He was perhaps best known for “Okie From Muskogee,” a patriotic anthem released in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam War. The song reached No. 1 in the Billboard country singles charts and quickly became noteworthy for its anti-hippie lyrics proclaiming, “We don’t burn our draft cards down on Main Street; we like living right and being free.” Haggard changed his tune in 2005, writing “America First,” an anti– Iraq War song that included the lyrics, “Let the rest of the world help us for a change, and let’s rebuild )UMZQKIÅZ[\º

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; KRISTOFFER TRIPPLAAR/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; DOD PHOTO/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; AP PHOTO

The Plain of Jars, an area encompassing 85 ancient sites in Laos, is being explored once again by archaeWTWOQ[\[\PIVS[\WMЄWZ\[W^MZ\PMTI[\LMKILM\WKTMIZ unexploded bombs and mines left from the Vietnam War. Scientists can now excavate those sites, many in remote areas, BBC News explained. The excavation is part of a VM_Å^M̆aMIZXZWRMK\JM\_MMV\PMOW^MZVUMV\WN4IW[ IVL)][\ZITQIVZM[MIZKPMZ[QV\MV\WVÅVLQVOKT]M[\W\PM origin and purpose of the giant urns, which range from 3 to 9 feet tall and 2 to 6½ feet in diameter. )ZKPIMWTWOQ[\[[XMV\Å^M_MMS[\PQ[aMIZM`KI^I\ing a site where they found 384 of the pots and human remains estimated to be 2,500 years old, according to Smithsonian magazine. :M[MIZKPMZ[QV\PM![\PMWZQbML\PI\\PMRIZ[_MZM a type of crematory, and archeologists this year found three burial types at the Plain of Jars. Some bones were

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Honor with pride the brotherhood of courage that answered their country’s call to action over the years with the Veteran’s Pride and Brotherhood Ring—a fine jewelry exclusive honoring those who served and forged a bond that remains to this day.

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Your Complete Satisfaction Guaranteed To assure a proper fit, a ring sizer will be sent to you after your reservation has been accepted. ©1984. VVMF and F.E. Hart. ©2016 The Bradford Exchange 01-07794-001-BIR

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July 13 Richard Speck, right, breaks into a Chicago townhouse where student nurses are staying and strangles or stabs to death eight women, one of whom is raped. He was arrested July 17 and spent the rest of his life in prison.

JULY-AUGUST

1966

July 2 Tennis star Billie Jean King wins the ÅZ[\WNPMZ six Wimbledon singles championships, putting her on the path to 12 career singles titles in the four major tennis tournaments. July 11 The Newlywed Game, hosted by Bob Eubanks, premieres on ABC. It was a ratings hit with its risqué chatter about “making whoopee.”

14

VIETNAM

Aug. 1 Former Marine sniper Charles Whitman, perched atop a 28-story tower at the University of Texas in Austin, begins a shooting spree that kills or wounds more than 40 people. About 90 minutes later, he _I[[PW\LMILJa\_WXWTQKMWЅKMZ[

Aug. 10 NASA launches its Lunar Orbiter I to photograph lunar surfaces that could help determine future landing sites. On Aug. 23, the spacecraft transmitted \PMÅZ[\XPW\WWN-IZ\PI[ seen from the moon.

Aug. 24 Michael Caine and Shelley Winters star in )TÅM, a comedy-drama about a selfabsorbed womanizer who must face the consequences of his actions. Caine was nominated for a best actor Academy Award.

July 6 Fifty-two American prisoners of war are forced to march 2 miles through the streets of Hanoi past thousands of civilian spectators, some of whom physically attack the POWs. The brutal spectacle shocked the American public and drew widespread condemnation.

Aug. 15
Aug. 29 At Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the Beatles perform \PMQZÅVITTQ^M concert, afterward playing primarily in recording studios. The concert ended an 18-day, 14-city North American tour.

July 7 Task Force Delta of the Marine 3rd Division begins Operation Hastings just south of the Demilitarized Zone to block North Vietnamese Army troops moving into Quang Tri province. South Vietnamese soldiers were also involved in the operation, which ended successfully on Aug. 3. The death toll was 126 Marines, 21 South Vietnamese and more than 800 North Vietnamese. July 20 Navy pilot Lt. j.g. Dieter ,MVOTMZJMKWUM[\PMÅZ[\)UMZQKIVQV the war to successfully escape a POW camp. After sneaking out of a Laos prison, Dengler walked south for 23 days and was spotted near the DMZ by Air Force reconnaissance pilot Lt. Col. Eugene Deatrick, who called in a rescue helicopter that picked up Dengler. Aug. 111VI¹NZQMVLTaÅZMºQVKQLMV\ )QZ.WZKM*̆JWUJMZ[IVL.̆ÅOP\ers mistakenly attack Coast Guard cutter Point Welcome, patrolling about a mile south of the DMZ. The attack killed cutter commander Lt. j.g. David *ZW[\ZWU\PMÅZ[\+WI[\/]IZL[UIV killed in Vietnam, and Engineman 2nd Class Jerry Phillips. Nine other crewmen and two passengers were wounded. Aug. 18 Delta Company, 6th Battal-

ion, Royal Australian Regiment, wins the Battle of Long Tan, on a rubber plantation 42 miles southeast of Saigon, when 124 Aussies defeat a 1,500man force of the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong. Killed were 18 Delta soldiers and 245 enemy troops. CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE TOP LEFT: ALLSPORT UK/ALLSPORT; AP PHOTO/CHARLES HARRITY; NASA; PICTORIAL PRESS LTD/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; BETTMANN/CORBIS; HERITAGE AUCTIONS, DALLAS (2); ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES/ABC VIA GETTY IMAGES

AUGUST 2016

15

NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL HO CHI MINH CITY

AGE FOTOSTOCK/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; INSET: AP PHOTO

Bell towers of the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral frame a Marine helicopter on April 29, 1975, as evacuation of the city begins ahead of approaching Communist forces. The cathedral, today surrounded by the growth of modern Ho Chi Minh City, was built during French colonial rule. Construction began in 1877, and the cathedral was dedicated in 1880. V

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VIETNAM

24-ounce fine porcelain food-safe stein is fullysculpted according to time-honored tradition

Shown much smaller than actual size of appr. 9¾ inches tall

® Officially Licensed Product of the United States Marine Corps Proud Supporter of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Museum Historical Society

Thumb rest features the Eagle, Globe and Anchor symbol

TOAST the Devil Dogs! Few mascots deserve a toast hoisted in their honor as much as the Devil Dog of the United States Marine Corps! Now the all-new USMC Devil Dog Collector’s Stein celebrates the Corps’ rough and ready symbol in historic tradition as a fully-sculpted porcelain stein. Of
cially licensed by the U.S. Marine Corps and available exclusively from The Bradford Exchange, this tough dog comes attired as a drill sargeant with spit and polish showing in the golden detailing on his hat and on the handle and body of the stein. With a tattoo on his arm and the Latin words of loyalty on the base, this Devil Dog is a perfectly fun way to show off your Marine Corps pride. Act now to get yours in four installments of only $24.99 each, for a total of $99.95*. Edition limited to just 95
ring days and porcelain requires intensive hand-crafting. Our 365-Day Guarantee assures your complete satisfaction. To order, send no money now. Just complete and mail the Reservation Application to reserve your USMC Devil Dog Collector’s Stein today! ©2015 BGE 01-21931-001-BIU

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Revolutionary “turboramjet”: The turbojet 1\ZLKHZPUNSLZWVVSMVY[HRLVќHUKJSPTIPUN employing a unique fuel bleed from compressor [VHM[LYI\YULY[VHJOPL]LZ\WLYZVUPJÅPNO[

Long range at high speed: The aircraft was equipped for aerial refueling en route to the target and home base.

He’s got the pilot’s back: (YLJVUUHPZZHUJLZ`Z[LTZVѝJLYVWLYH[LK electronic warfare and sensor systems, which improved survivability, signals and optical intelligence collection.

Going dark: The airframe’s shape reduced its radar signature as well as drag. Dark, absorptive WHPU[THKL[OLWSHULKPѝJ\S[[V spot in the stratosphere.

THE FIRST STEALTH AIRCRAFT *a+IZT7;KP][\MZ

18

VIETNAM

LOCKHEED SR-71 BLACKBIRD Crew: 2 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojets at 34,000 lbs. of thrust Wingspan: 55 ft. 7 in. Length: 107 ft. 5 in. 4H_[HRLVќ^LPNO[! 172,000 lbs. Max. speed: Mach 3.4 Cruising speed: Mach 3.2 Max. range (unrefueled): 2,900 miles Max. altitude (service ceiling): 85,000 ft. Operating altitude: 82,000-84,000 ft. Sensor suite: Sidelooking airborne radar; Fairchild high-resolution tracking cameras (one HRB Singer camera infrared), electronic intelligence, electronic countermeasures GREGORY PROCH

7V2]Ta! \PM6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[MÅZML\_W;)̆[]ZNIKM̆\W̆IQZUQ[[QTM[I\;:̆) 6W!6MQ\PMZKZM_UIV[I_\PM;)5[LM\WVI\MIJW]\UQTM[JMPQVL\PM[]XMZ[WVQK¹*TIKS̆ JQZLº_PW[MKZM_[KITTMLQ\¹0IJ]ºIN\MZ\PMLMILTaXQ\^QXMZQV7SQVI_I2IXIV6WUQ[[QTMQV \PM_WZTLKIUMI[KTW[MI[\PM6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[M;)5LQL\WKI\KPQVOI*TIKSJQZL QZ\]ITTaM^MZaI[XMK\WN\PMIQZKZIN\PIL\WJMLM^MTWXMLNZWU[KZI\KP8ZWJTMU[ _Q\P\PM8ZI\\IVL?PQ\VMa2̆ MVOQVM[LMTIaML\PMQVQ\QIT)̆ÆQOP\]V\QT2IV! QM\VIUWV5IZKP,]ZQVO\PMVM`\ [M^MVaMIZ[3ILMVĬJI[ML;:̆[ÆM_UWZM\PIVUQ[[QWV[W^MZ6WZ\P>QM\VIU+IŬ JWLQIIVL4IW[7VTa\_W_MZMTW[\IVL\PI\_I[JMKI][MWNUMKPIVQKITNIQT]ZMQZ\]ITTaM^MZa\PQVOIJW]\Q\_I[IÅZ[\"\PM[\MIT\P NMI\]ZM[KWUX]\MZ̆I[[Q[\MLI^QWVQK[QVMZ\QITVI^QOI\QWV[a[\MUIVLMVOQVM[
Videos For Vietnam Veterans SCENES FROM IN-COUNTRY BASES: ‡ Dong Ha Base & $LU¿HOG 1966-68, 50 min. ‡ Assault on Long Binh Tet 1969, 60 min. ‡ Takhli AB 1964-1970, 110 min. ‡ Bien Hoa AB 1964-69, 80 min. Some DVDs are narrat‡ Tuy Hoa AB 1966-1968, 75 min. ‡ Phan Rang AB 1965-70, 60 min. ed, some are not. ‡ Cu Chi 1967-70, 50 min. Most are in color, some ‡ Phu Bai 1968-71, 60 min. AB 1965-1968, 60 min. are in black and white. ‡ Tan Son Nhut ‡ An Khe, 1965-67, 75 min. ‡ Long Binh 1967-72, 60 min. Each one is different! ‡ Chu Lai AB 1965-68, 75 min. Call or visit the ‡ Camp Eagle 1971, 35 min. ‡ Phu Cat AB 1966-68, 70 min. website for details. ‡ Cam Ranh Bay AB 1966-68, 70 min. ‡ Dong Tam Base 1967-1969, 45 min. ‡ Nakhon Phanom AB 1966-70, 60 min. NSA Da Nang, Camp Tien Sha 1966-71, 60 min.

Hard To Find Video Titles!

‡ Marine Tankers In Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ Road Warriors: Truckers Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ American POWs in Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ USMC Camp Reasoner, Hill 510, 3rd MAF, 45 min. ‡ Da Nang Outer Limits: Dog Patch, Danang 500, 60 min. ‡ 1st Air Cav. Div. Battle For Ia Drang Valley, 70 min. ‡ 25th Inf. Div. Search & Destroy Missions, 45 min. ‡ 4th Infantry Division Search & Destroy Missions, 45 min. ‡ 11th Armored Cavalry, Black Horse Regiment, 80 min. ‡ Army Engineers In Vietnam, 110 min. ‡ Operation Pegasus: Khe Sanh Rescue 1968, 45 min. ‡ Andersen AFB, Guam 1965-75, 70 min. ‡ 9th Inf. Division Search & Destroy Missions, 50 min. ‡ 11th Light Infantry Brigade Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ Combat Trackers & Their Dogs 45 min. ‡ Combat Inf. Soldier: Life In Field, 60 min. ‡ Dogs of the Vietnam War: Scout, Sentry, Patrol, 100 min. ‡ 23rd Infantry Div. “Americal” In Vietnam, 80 min. ‡ NVA Easter Offensive Of 1972, 60 min. ‡ Special Forces With Montagnard Training, 100 min. ‡ Special Forces in Vietnam: Early Years, 60 min.

Navy In Vietnam ‡ Small Boat Warfare, 90 minutes ‡ USS Oriskany Fire Off Vietnam 1966, 60 min. ‡ USS Oriskany Off Coast of Vietnam, 40 min. ‡ USS Forrestal 1967 Fire Off Vietnam, 70 min. ‡ USS Forrestal (CV-59) 1950s-60s, 90 min. ‡ USS Enterprise Fire Off Hawaii, 1969, 45 min. ‡ USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) 1960-70, 90 min. ‡ USS America (CVA-66) 1965-68, 60 min. ‡ USS Midway (CVA-41) 1945-70, 60 min. ‡ USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) 1961-79, 75 min. ‡ USS Constellation (CVA-64) 1964-70, 45 min. ‡ USS Independence (CVA-62) 1960s, 90 min. ‡ USS Princeton (CV-37) 1950s-60s, 80 min. ‡ USS Shangri-La (CV-38) 1944-1968, 45 min. ‡ USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) 1965-70, 50 min. ‡ USS Intrepid (CV-11) Off Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ USS Yorktown (CV-10) Vietnam, 45 min. ‡ USS Bon Homme Richard 1950s-60s, 45 min. ‡ USS Franklin D. Roosevelt 1960s, 85 min. ‡ USS Repose & Corpsmen, 60 min. ‡ USS Ticonderoga, 60 min. ‡ Coast Guard in Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ LST Operations in Vietnam, 40 min.

Newer Releases ‡ 101st Airborne Div: Search/Destroy Missions, 50 min. ‡ 173rd Airborne Div: Search/Destroy Missions, 55 min. ‡ Bangkok, Thailand R&R In The 1960s, 50 min. ‡ National Route 9, A Journey along Route 9 near the DMZ., 60 min. ‡ “Rocket City”: Attacks On Da Nang AB, 70 min. ‡ 1st Aviation Brigade In Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ Op. Pershing, 1st Air Cav., May 1967, 60 min. ‡ Destroyers In The Vietnam War, 65 min. ‡ 3rd Brigade 82nd Airborne In Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ 5th Special Forces Group Vietnam, 55 min. ‡ African Americans In Vietnam, 60 min. ‡ Op. MacArthur, 4th Inf. Div. in the Battle Of Dak To 1967, 60 min. ‡ 1st Air Cavalry, 1965-1967, 60 min. ‡ Southern Man: The Road To Vietnam Training at Forts Jackson, Campbell, & Gordon in the 1960s, 70 min.

Marines In Vietnam ‡ Marines 1965/ Ops Starlite/Harvest Moon, 90 min. ‡ Marines 1966, Ops Macon/Hastings/Prairie, 70 min. ‡ Marines 1967 with Op Independence, 90 min. ‡ Marines 1968, Op. Baxter Gardens, 80 min. ‡ San Diego Boot Camp ‘69 & 73, 45 min. ‡ Parris Island Boot Camp 1960s, 45 min. ‡ Marine Staging Battalion, Camp Pendleton, 30 min. ‡ Khe Sanh Base with 1st Marines, 45 min. ‡ Con Thien & Op. Buffalo, 60 min. ‡ Battle for Hue City, 45 min. ‡ Marine Aviation: 1st MAW, 90 min. ‡ Siege Khe Sanh & USAF, 45 min.

Sammy Davis Jr. Tour of Vietnam

Were you at Long Binh, Can Tho, FS Base or ‡ 101st Airborne A Shau Valley 1969-71, 60 min. Aboard USS Hancock ‡ 101st Airborne Div. In Vietnam, 90 min. A r m y ‡ 5th Infantry Div. Vietnam 1968-70, 45 min. when he toured in 1972? ‡ 1st Inf. Div: Vietnam & Germany, 102 min. In See it all again in the ‡ 196th Light Infantry Brigade, 52 min. Vietnam ‡ 198th Light Infantry Brigade, 60 min. original documentary plus ‡ 173rd Airborne Battle for Dak To, 50 min. outtakes and photos! ‡ Military Police (MPs) Vietnam, 70 min. ‡ 9th Infantry Division In Vietnam, 60 min. 7KLV'9'EULQJVEDFNWKHÀOP ‡ Huey UH-1: Training to Vietnam, 115 min. that never saw wide release ‡ Army Helicopter Units Vietnam, 90 min. and faded into obscurity ‡ 1st Div. Search/Destroy Missions, 60 min. ‡ 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, 60 min. plus you’ll experience ‡ Army Artillerymen in Vietnam: Fire a behind-the-scenes Support & Fire Support Bases, 80 min. ‡ Army Basic at Fort Ord & Advanced perspective from a combat Training 1960s, 90 minutes cameraman who accompanied ‡ 199th Light Inf. Bde 1967-70, 60 min. Sammy from Los Angeles to Questions? Call Us Because All Sales Are Final Vietnam to Hawaii. First DVD 29.95 60 Min. Color.

$

Air Force In Vietnam

‡ F-4 Phantom In Combat, 60 min. ‡ B-57 Canberra at Phan Rang, Bien Hoa, Danang, 60 min. ‡ C-130 Operations In Vietnam, 81 min. ‡ C-7 Caribou In Vietnam, 70 min. ‡ Jolly & Super Jolly Green Giants, 85 min. ‡ Tactical Air Recon With RF-4, RF-101, 90 min.

‡ Camp Evans & Op. Delaware 1968, 60 min. ‡ Nha Trang/Camp McDermott 1965-69, 60 min. ‡ U-Tapao, Thailand 1967-72, 60 min. ‡ Korat AB, Thailand 1965-1970, 70 min. ‡ Camp Carroll & Rock Pile 1967-1970, 30 min.‡ Binh Thuy Naval Base 1968-69, 50 min. ‡ Lai Khe, Di An & Phu Loi 1966-1970, 80 min. ‡ Da Nang AB/USMC 1965-1970, 100 min. ‡ Camp Enari (Dragon Mtn) 1968-1969, 30 min. ‡ Ubon & Udorn, Thailand 1966-69, 60 min. ‡ Dau Tieng Base & $LU¿HOG 1965-70, 45 min.

‡ Tet: Attack on Tan Son Nhut AB, 60 min. ‡ C-47, EC-47 & AC-47 Vietnam, 80 min. ‡ Close Air Support & Forward Air Controllers, 100 min. ‡ F-105 Wild Weasel at Korat AB 1966, 20 min. ‡ F-105 Thunderchief In Combat, 75 min. ‡ AC-119 Gunships, 100 min.

Additional DVDs In The Same Order Are $19.95 FREE SHIPPING USA $15 International Call

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A bad war for presidents Antiwar protesters rally outside the White House on May 9, 1970, during Richard Nixon’s presidency.

DAVID FENTON/GETTY IMAGES

A War That Didn’t Produce a President

The United States will shortly be electing a new president. No one knows for certain who that will be, but we can be fairly sure— from the list of top contenders—that the winner won’t be a Vietnam veteran. At least one combat veteran from almost every other major war in American history ended up in the White House. What’s more, most U.S. wars also propelled a top general \W\PMVI\QWV¼[PQOPM[\WЅKM The Revolutionary War: As we all know, it made General George Washington famous IVLPMTXMLPQUJMKWUM\PMÅZ[\XZM[QLMV\ +WV\QVMV\IT)ZUaWЅKMZ2IUM[5WVZWMJMKIUM\PMÅN\PXZM[QLMV\QZOQVQI militia, where they performed administra\Q^ML]\QM[IVL_MZMV¼\QV\PMÅOP\QVO War of 1812: Generals William Henry HarZQ[WVIVL)VLZM_2IKS[WV)T[WBIKPIZa
World War I: Harry S. Truman and Dwight ,-Q[MVPW_MZ_PW[MZ^ML[\I\M[QLMIOIQV[\ PQ[_Q[PM[ ?WZTL?IZ11"/MVMZIT-Q[MVPW_MZ2WPV. 3MVVMLa4aVLWV*2WPV[WV:QKPIZL6Q`WV IVL /MWZOM 0? *][P :WVITL :MIOIV [MZ^ML[\I\M[QLMJMKI][MWNXWWZMaM[QOP\ 6WXZM[QLMV\[_MZM3WZMIV?IZ^M\MZIV[ J]\NIZNM_MZ\ZWWX[XW\MV\QITXZM[QLMV\[ [MZ^MLQV\PI\KWVÆQK\\PIVNW]OP\QV;W]\Peast Asia during the Vietnam War, about 1.8 million compared with almost 3.4 million. Among Vietnam combat veterans, DemWKZI\2WPV3MZZaQVIVL:MX]JTQKIV 2WPV 5K+IQV QV   MIKP VIJJML PQ[ party’s nomination but lost in the general MTMK\QWV8ZM[QLMV\/MWZOM?*][P[MZ^ML [\I\M[QLMQV\PM
21

Colin Powell’s Vietnam And the Making of an American Statesman

The young captain Colin Powell leans against his hooch in the A Shau Valley in 1963 wearing his ¸ZOV^VɈ¹\UPMVYT 6UWH[YVS[OLUHTL tag and silver bars were gone, and the grenade was carried TVYLJHYLM\SS`

22

VIETNAM

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL IMAGES COURTESY COLIN L. POWELL

M

any Vietnam veterans had their lives and careers shaped by military, political and diplomatic actions during the war, but Colin Powell is the only one who helped shape military, political and diplomatic actions at the highest levels after the war. 0M[MZ^MLQV\PMWЅKMWN,MNMV[M;MKZM\IZa0IZWTL Brown during Jimmy Carter’s administration and in \PMWЅKMWN:WVITL:MIOIV¼[LMNMV[M[MKZM\IZa+I[XIZ?MQVJMZOMZ:MIOIVUILM8W_MTTPQ[VI\QWVIT[MK]rity adviser in 1987. Two years later George H.W. Bush IXXWQV\MLPQUKPIQZUIVWN\PM2WQV\+PQMN[WN;\IЄI position he continued to hold in Bill Clinton’s presidency until October 1993. He culminated his government career as George W. Bush’s secretary of state from January 2001 to January 2005. 8W_MTTI+Q\a+WTTMOMWN6M_AWZS:7<+OZIL]I\MKWUmissioned a second lieutenant in June 1958, served in >QM\VIUI[IKIX\IQVIL^Q[QVO;W]\P>QM\VIUM[M]VQ\[ NZWU,MKMUJMZ!\PZW]OP6W^MUJMZ!IVLI[ IUIRWZQV\PMZL1VNIV\Za,Q^Q[QWV)UMZQKITNZWU 2]VM! \PZW]OP2]Ta!! )N\MZZM\]ZVQVO\W\PM=VQ\ML;\I\M[PMMIZVMLIV 5*)NZWU/MWZOM?I[PQVO\WV=VQ^MZ[Q\aQV!IVL was selected for the White House Fellows program, which enabled him to spend a year working in PresiLMV\:QKPIZL6Q`WV¼[7ЅKMWN5IVIOMUMV\IVL*]LOM\ His rise up the ranks included positions as a battalion commander in Korea, a brigade commander in the 101st )QZJWZVM,Q^Q[QWVIVLKWUUIVLQVOOMVMZITWN>+WZX[ QV/MZUIVa1V)XZQT! !8W_MTT_I[XZWUW\ML\W four-star general and that October became Joint Chiefs KPIQZUIVVW\WVTa\PMÅZ[\)NZQKIV̆)UMZQKIVQV\PI\ XW[Q\QWVJ]\IT[W\PMaW]VOM[\WЅKMZIOMIVLÅZ[\ :7<+OZIL]I\M 0MW^MZ[I_\PM,MKMUJMZ! !QV\MZ^MV\QWVQV8IVama to oust dictator Manuel Noriega, who refused to relinquish power after democratic elections and had been KPIZOML_Q\PLZ]O\ZIЅKSQVO*]\8W_MTT¼[ZMITZQ[M\W fame occurred during the 1991 Gulf War’s Operation ,M[MZ\;\WZUTI]VKPMLIN\MZ;ILLIU0][[MQV¼[1ZIYQ forces invaded neighboring Kuwait. Powell’s tenure as secretary of state was marked by [WUMWN\PMUW[\\]U]T\]W][M^MV\[QVZMKMV\)UMZQKIV PQ[\WZa"\PM;MX\\MZZWZQ[\I\\IKS[\PMQV^I[QWVWN)NOPIVQ[\IVQV7K\WJMZIVL\PMQV^I[QWVWN Iraq in March 2003. 8W_MTT\ITSMLIJW]\PQ[M`XMZQMVKM[QV>QM\VIUTQVgering controversies of the war, the lessons he drew from it and why he never ran for president in an interview with Vietnam-LQ\WZ+P]KS;XZQVO[\WV

In your memoir, My American Journey, you recall a conversation with South Vietnamese Captain Vo Cong Hieu at a base in the A Shau Valley during your first assignment in the field. He said something that would come to sum up the war in your mind. I got out of the helicopter, looked around and saw that the base was against the side of a mountain, and the other side of the mountain was Laos. There we were, in a huge tripleKIVWXaNWZM[\)VLTWOQK[Ia[?PaQ[\PQ[JI[MPMZM' ?PI\[\ZI\MOQKX]ZXW[MQ[Q\[MZ^QVO'QM\VIUE?PMV1 AUGUST 2016

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went over there in 1962, I felt I was doing something []ЄMZQVONZWU\PM6>)IVL\PM>+ And what would we have done? Occupy the whole noble, and that’s what President Kennedy thought when country with a million American soldiers and keep them he was sending us over. The original mission was to advise the South Viet- there? Remember, we were not invading Vietnam. We namese on how to defend themselves. Time passes, and _MZMÅOP\QVOI>QM\VIUM[M_IZQV;W]\P>QM\VIUQM\+WVOEPILI[IVK\]IZaQM\VIUM[M[MMSQVOQVLMXMVLMVKME PI^MV¼\_WV8TIVM[ÆaJIKS\W\PMQZJI[M[;PQX[IZMI\ when he was asked. He was very careful about getting sea. If you want to really win a war, you’ve got to have into foreign entanglements. There has been speculation IO]a_Q\PIZQÆM In World War II we bombed Germany into total destructhat if Kennedy had lived, he would not have continued. tion, but it wasn’t until the Russian army entered Berlin I don’t know what he would have done. As I ended my year as an adviser in ’63, I realized and we met the Russians at the Elbe that the war was brought to a conclusion. In Japan, we sent an we had been stomping around in the forest army to take control after the destruction of and chasing people who were not catchable. I love air power. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We were starting to do things we thought I used air would help us, such as destroying crops. We After we left in 1973, could the South were walking through planted areas with power in every Vietnamese have prevailed against the chemical sprayers, spraying manioc plants KWVÆQK\1PI^M North’s invasion if the United States had and rice plants. Then we started burning been seriously continued to fund them? That’s the view hooches. I thought, the hooches can be reinvolved in. of a lot of Vietnam veterans—that it was built in a day, and this will be replanted. So \PM+WVOZM[[_PWTW[\\PQ[_IZ1KIV¼\J]a where is this all going? But I’m also an By the time I left in 1969, after my second QVNIV\ZaWЅKMZ into that. By that point, it didn’t make any LQЄMZMVKM_PM\PMZ_MKW]TLPI^MC_WVEJMtour, it was clear that we had gotten into a If you can’t hold cause the American people had made a deciwar we didn’t fully understand. It was not a and control the sion. We are a people’s army. And the losses war of communism vs. capitalism or totalwere hundreds a week. I do not think that itarianism vs. democracy. It was a war of ground, you \PM)UMZQKIVXMWXTMPIL\PM_QTT\WÅOP\ nationalism. The North Vietnamese were haven’t won. the kind of war that the North Vietnamese determined to reunite Vietnam into one 8TIVM[ÆaJIKS _MZMOWQVO\WÅOP\ country. You have to remember what was going on to their bases. Do you think we could have beat the Ships are at sea. in the country at the time. I arrived home CNZWU\PMÅZ[\\W]ZE\PMLIa3MVVMLa_I[ North Vietnamese and won the war? They If you want to SQTTMLIVL\PMVÅ^MaMIZ[TI\MZPQ[JZW\PMZ were prepared to put every life at risk. They really win a war, was killed. Martin Luther King was killed were truly willing to lose whatever it took April 4, 1968. The country was really comto win. I remember seeing a statistic that you’ve got to ing apart. We had racial problems. The vice said their birth rate is higher than any kill have a guy with president resigned in disgrace and then the rate we can impose upon them. This will go IZQÆM president got caught in Watergate and he on forever. And they were going to be susresigned in disgrace. There was still a Sotained by outside powers. ^QM\=VQWV
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Helo down Major Powell looks at circling helicopters after the November 1968 crash landing of a copter that carried him, Maj. Gen. Charles Gettys, commander of the Americal Division, and others. Powell pulled a barely conscious Gettys from the wreckage. All of the men survived. Bottom, Powell receives the Soldier’s Medal for heroism from Gettys.

Little troopers Powell and South Vietnamese Captain Vo Cong Hieu visit children from a Montagnard tribe at an A Shau Valley base in 1963.

three of my CCNY classmates, including one of my dearest friends, Tony Mavroudis. But \PI\¼[_IZ1\_I[\PMÅZ[\WVM we ever lost like that. It was a biggie. But we came out of it. America is a country of enormous resilience. What are the lessons of the Vietnam War? The major lesson I used as chairman, national security adviser and secretary of state was to advise leaders: Make sure you ]VLMZ[\IVL_PI\aW]¼ZMOM\\QVOQV\W,WV¼\ÅOP\I_IZ with somebody who has a greater investment in it and a greater cause than ours. That’s manifested itself in other things I have said over the years, such as “You break it, you own it.” The second lesson is once you decide something is worth it and you’re prepared to invest military force, QVILLQ\QWV\WXWTQ\QKITIVLLQXTWUI\QKMЄWZ\[UISM[]ZM you don’t just send a few advisers and think that will work. This has become known as the Powell Doctrine, but it really is classical military doctrine. If you look at the basic principles of war, the two captured in my thinking are objectives and mass. First, what is the objective? What are we trying to do? Have we analyzed the enemy, the terrain, the weather and all the other aspects of the situation? An objective should have a political basis to it. Why are we doing this politically? Not just can we do it militarily. And once you’ve got the objective, the other part is mass. What I call decisive force. People are forever calling it Powell’s “overwhelming” force doctrine. I used that word once, and I realized it was a bad word. Never

used it again. “Decisive” means make sure you put enough in so that you will prevail, will have a decisive outcome. Desert Storm is a perfect example. Panama is an even better example. When Manuel Noriega killed one of our people [a Marine stationed in Panama] and assaulted some others, we had a plan ready. We’ve got 13,000 stationed there already, and let’s send another 13,000 in. We have a [Panamanian] president in waiting, hiding under a bed. He’s been elected, so once we take the country over, we’ve got a guy to swear in that same day. We got rid of the Panamanian army, but we brought it right back, reconstituted it, which is what we did not do in Iraq many years later, to my distress. We didn’t take charge of Iraq. We disbanded the army, which was a huge strategic error, compared to what we did in Panama, where we rebuilt it as fast as we took it apart, which was what we were supposed to do in Iraq. But that was not the decision made in the Pentagon. We did not secure the country. And it goes south for four years until President Bush orders a surge, but the surge should have come at the beginning, not in the end. And [W_M¼ZM[\QTTQV\PQ[KWVÆQK\1ZIY¼[VW\aM\I[]KKM[[QV my judgment. Should a corrupt dictatorial leadership, like South Vietnam’s, deter us from joining forces with a country even though we have a common enemy? It should deter us, but deter doesn’t mean stop. It means there is a yellow blinking light, and we ought to be very, very careAUGUST 2016

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On patrol Powell poses in the A Shau Valley, where he was an adviser to a South Vietnamese battalion.

At the White House Powell meets Richard Nixon in the fall of 1972 after being selected as a White House Fellow.

In charge As chairman of the Joint *OPLMZVM:[HɈ Powell oversaw Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

After the Vietnam War, how did you and the other young career officers size up the condition of the U.S. Army and determine any changes that needed to be made? The advisers who went in were very professional. The Army and Marine Corps troops that started deploying in ’65 were very professional. They had good leadership. But over the next several years, we started to lose a lot of people and were rotating a lot of people with one-year tours and six-month command tours. The quality of the force deteriorated. We started to have drug problems. There were some fragging problems, not as many as people suggested, but I used to be careful in my own hooch, move my bed around because there was the potential to be fragged by your own troops. The young soldiers coming in ref lected the society they were coming from. Support for the war was dropping. Racial tension was rising. Conscription was seen as a problem. When I was in Korea as a battalion commander, we were at the beginning of the all-volunteer force. It hadn’t been funded adequately, so the youngsters we were getting tended to be not high school graduates. Judges had said to some: Go to the Army or go to jail. A high percentage did not speak English. The challenge was immense, but it was the most rewarding year I’ve ever had—getting these kids in shape. I told them,“If you do drugs, I’m going to throw you out.” Every morning I got up with them, and we ran 4 miles and got them tired. And we kept them tired all day long, so when night fell they were too tired to get into too much trouble. We constantly had competitions. Best clerk, best mess hall, best anything, to make sure that every youngster who had never been successful in high school

had a chance to win. Some of my WЅKMZ[PIL_Q^M[_PWKIUMQV\W teach these kids, get them GEDs, send them home better than we got them. A couple of years later I was a brigade commander in the 101st, in ’76 to ’77. By then you could see the quality improve because we were taking 95-98 percent high school graduates. The real end to this period and the beginning of a new era was Ronald Reagan. He and my boss, Cap Weinberger, put tons of money into the military and restored pride. And from then on it’s been a fabulous force. What was your favorite music from the 1960s and ’70s? In the ’60s I was pretty much in the forest, but Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” was one of my favorites. I knew Elvis Presley. I liked his music. I really remember the songs of the early ’70s because I was in Korea NZMMbQVOUaJ]\\WЄQV\PQ[UM\IT hut that I lived in. AFN [American Forces Network] would come on in the morning and play “Rock the boat, don’t rock the boat baby,” by the Hues Corporation. Also Fifth Dimension songs, and there was “Hotel California” [by the Eagles]. That era was noted for some unusual clothing styles. What did you wear when you were off duty? I could not keep up with the troops. They were wearing bell-bottoms. And the black troops had some sharp clothes that you wouldn’t believe. Go look at some of those old Super Fly movies, and you’ll see what they wore. There’s a picture of me shaking hands with President Nixon, and you’ll see my hair is a lot longer. I had something of a fro, but not a full fro, and I was wearing a hideous double-knit suit. Which political or military leaders do you admire most? Lincoln was a remarkable political and military leader. And Washington, who lost over and over but learned as he lost and became a brilliant strategist. Eisenhower

MIDDLE: PHOTO BY OLLIE ATKINS/WHITE HOUSE/THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES; BOTTOM: AP PHOTO

ful about getting deeply involved in these places. But sometimes the politics and the strategic situation require you to do so.

was not noted as a great tactician in his MIZTaaMIZ[J]\PM_I[IOZMI\[\IЄWЅKMZ and a great strategist. He went from colonel to four stars in three years and got command of Europe. One person I should mention is George Marshall. Roosevelt had to decide who was going to go to Europe to lead the invasion. Marshall badly wanted it, and Roosevelt gave it to Eisenhower, who had been a juVQWZWЅKMZ]VLMZ5IZ[PITT:WW[M^MT\[IQL “George, I could not sleep well at night if you were not here.” And Marshall said, “Yes, sir.” And that was the end of it. “Yes, [QZº0M_I[\PI\SQVLWN[MTÆM[[TMILMZ\PI\ I have always admired. In almost every major war in American history, someone who served in it became president. How come one of the longest wars, Vietnam, never produced a president? We didn’t win. None of the generals emerged from Vietnam with political reputations. Do you ever regret not having run for president? No. I found other ways to serve our nation and my fellow citizens. V

Colin Powell Born: April 5, 1937, New York City Residence: McLean, Va. Education: City College of New York, bachelor’s degree in geology; U.S. Army Command and :[HɈ*VSSLNL-VY[3LH]enworth, Kan.; MBA, George Washington HY *VSSLNL-VY[4J5HPY Washington, D.C. Military service: June 1958-September 1993, assignments included: ࠮7SH[VVUSLHKLY*VTpany B, 2nd Armored 9PÅL)H[[HSPVU[O Infantry Regiment, Germany ࠮,_LJ\[P]LVɉJLYHUK commander, Company +UK(YTVYLK9PÅL )H[[HSPVU[O0UMHU[Y` Regiment, Germany ࠮*VTTHUKLY*VT pany A, 1st Battle .YV\W0UMHU[Y`

Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade, 5th Infantry +P]PZPVU4LJOHUPaLK -VY[+L]LUZ4HZZ ࠮(K]PZLYZ[(9=5 (YT`VM[OL9LW\ISPJ VM=PL[UHT0UMHU[Y`+P]Psion, Military Assistance (K]PZVY`.YV\W=PL[UHT ࠮0UZ[Y\J[VY<:(YT` 0UMHU[Y`:JOVVS-VY[ Benning, Ga. ࠮,_LJ\[P]LVɉJLYYK Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry +P]PZPVU(TLYPJHS Vietnam ࠮+P]PZPVU.VWLYH[PVUZZ[HɈVɉJLYYK 0UMHU[Y`+P]PZPVU(TLYPJHS=PL[UHT ࠮6WLYH[PVUZYLZLHYJO HUHS`Z[6ɉJLVM[OL Assistant Vice Chief of :[HɈ>HZOPUN[VU ࠮*VTTHUKLYZ[ Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry

+P]PZPVU,PNO[O<: Army, Korea ࠮6WLYH[PVUZYLZLHYJO systems analyst, 6ɉJLVM[OL(ZZPZ[HU[ Secretary of Defense 4HUWV^LYHUK9LZLY]L (ɈHPYZ>HZOPUN[VU B.LYHSK-VYKWYLZPKLU[" James Schlesinger, defense secretary] ࠮*VTTHUKLYUK Brigade, 101st Airborne +P]PZPVU(PY(ZZH\S[-VY[ Campbell, Ky. ࠮:LUPVYTPSP[HY`HZZPZ[HU[ to the deputy secretary of defense, Washington [Jimmy Carter, president; Harold Brown, defense secretary] ࠮(ZZPZ[HU[KP]PZPVU JVTTHUKLY0UMHU[Y` +P]PZPVU4LJOHUPaLK -VY[*HYZVU*VSV ࠮+LW\[`JVTTHUKPUN general, U.S. Army Combined Arms Combat +L]LSVWTLU[(J[P]P[`

-VY[3LH]LU^VY[O ࠮4PSP[HY`HZZPZ[HU[[V[OL secretary of defense, Washington, [Ronald Reagan, president; Caspar Weinberger, defense secretary] ࠮*VTTHUKPUNNLULYHS V Corps, Germany ࠮(ZZPZ[HU[[V[OLWYLZPdent for national security HɈHPYZUH[PVUHSZLJ\YP[` HK]PZLYB9LHNHUD ࠮*VTTHUKLYPUJOPLM -VYJLZ*VTTHUK -VY[4J7OLYZVU.H ࠮*OHPYTHU1VPU[*OPLMZ VM:[HɈ>HZOPUN[VU [George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, presidents] Civilian government service: secretary of state, January 2001January 2005 [George W. Bush, president] Today:*\YYLU[HJ[P]P[PLZ include: ࠮*OHPYIVHYKVM]PZP[VYZ *VSPU7V^LSS:JOVVSMVY

*P]PJHUK.SVIHS Leadership, City College of New York ࠮-V\UKLYHUKJOHPYTHU emeritus, America’s 7YVTPZL(SSPHUJLH NYV\WVMVYNHUPaH[PVUZ with programs to help youths graduate from high school and succeed in life ࠮)VHYKVMKPYLJ[VYZ *V\UJPSVU-VYLPNU Relations ࠮)VHYKTLTILY Smithsonian Institution’s African American Museum of History and Culture ࠮*OHPYTHU,PZLUOV^LY-LSSV^ZOPWZHU international program for emerging leaders in ]HYPV\ZÄLSKZ ࠮(K]PZVY`HUKIVHYK WVZP[PVUZ^P[O]LU[\YL JHWP[HSÄYT2SLPULY 7LYRPUZ*H\ÄLSK )`LYZ HUK)SVVT,ULYN`

AUGUST 2016

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Bombs away Air Force F-105D ;O\UKLYJOPLMZÅ`PUN ^P[OH)+LZ[YV`LY center, drop their loads VU5VY[O=PL[UHTK\YPUN a raid on June 14,1966. Inset: Thunderchiefs strike North Vietnamese [HYNL[ZPU-LIY\HY` 

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SKY WARS Starting from scratch, North Vietnam created the world’s strongest air defense system, forcing U.S. air power to rise to the challenge

USAF PHOTO; INSET: AP PHOTO/DOD

By Carl O. Schuster

AUGUST 2016

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O

n March 2, 1965, 250 U.S. and South Vietnamese aircraft struck two enemy targets near the town of Dong Hoi, just north of the Demilitarized Zone. Operation Rolling Thunder had begun. The U.S. Air Force attacked one of the targets, Xom Bang Ammunition Depot, with 160 aircraft. Five were shot down; four others were damaged. The South Vietnamese air force planes struck the more lightly defended Quang Khe Naval Base with 90 planes. Two were damaged. President Lyndon B. Johnson had ordered the U.S. military on Feb. 24, 1965, to launch the attacks even though assessments by the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency and State Department’s Intelligence Bureau indicated that bombing alone would not break Hanoi’s will. Unfortunately for Johnson and his advisers, the intelligence analysis turned out to be correct. North Vietnamese Communist Party leader Le Duan, who consolidated his hold on power in December 1963 by pushing aside Ho Chi Minh and other party officials, was committed to unifying Vietnam rapidly. He placed the military on a wartime footing in July 1964 and sought Chinese and Soviet military assistance. Le Duan received virtually everything he requested. Some IQLPILITZMILaIZZQ^MLQVMIZTa!)UMZQKI¼[ÅZ[\ airstrikes took place on Aug. 5, 1964, as the Johnson

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administration retaliated for an August 2 torpedo boat attack on a U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin. Within days, North Vietnam’s allies began sending advisers, \MKPVQKQIV[IVLUQTQ\IZaMY]QXUMV\\WÅTT0IVWQ¼[IQZ defense requirement. The Soviet Union and China had previously established training programs for Vietnamese pilots. The initial group of pilots went to the Soviet Union for instruction in 1956, the year the North Vietnamese air force was founded. Moscow’s advanced jet aircraft trainQVOXZWOZIUOZIL]I\MLQ\[ÅZ[\>QM\VIUM[MXQTW\[QV,Mcember 1963. Two months earlier Hanoi had combined the North Vietnamese Air Force and the Air Defense Force under one command that oversaw ground-based anti-aircraft systems. The Soviet Union delivered 36 MiG-17s in February 1964, and that month North Vietnam formed its first ÅOP\MZ]VQ\\PM![\;IW,IW:ML;\IZ.QOP\MZ:MOQUMV\+PQVIXZW^QLMLNW]Z;PMVaIVO.̆[I^MZ[QWVWN \PM;W^QM\5Q/̆IVL.̆[5Q/̆[QVTI\M)]O][\ )QZÅMTL[KIXIJTMWNPIVLTQVORM\[QVKZMI[MLNZWU\_WQV 1958 to 33 by December 1964 and to 44 by June 1965. In September 1964 North Vietnam and China set up a joint air warning system that enabled Hanoi to track air \ZIЅKW^MZ\PM/]TNWN
BETTMANN/CORBIS

SAM site A North Vietnamese unit just outside Hanoi mans an SA-2 surface-to-air missile in October 1967.

Deadly blast A SAM’s warhead is detonated as it nears an F-105D and throws fragments that strike the plane (trailing smoke). The pilot was killed.

Unmatched in the sky No SAM ever came within 2 miles of damaging an SR-71 Blackbird, a supersonic “stealth” spy plane.

TOP: USAF PHOTO; INSET: LOCKHEED

teries and radars. Hanoi brought its air defense systems together in an integrated network in January 1965 and [M\]X\PMWXMZI\QWV¼[PMILY]IZ\MZ[I\*IK5IQ)QZÅMTL _PMZM\PMIQZNWZKMIT[WPILQ\[PMILY]IZ\MZ[7VM[MK\QWVI\\PMIQZLMNMV[MPMILY]IZ\MZ[\PM)QZ;Q\]I\QWV +MV\MZXZWKM[[MLIQZLMNMV[MLI\I)VW\PMZ[MK\QWV\PM ?MIXWV[+WV\ZWT;\IЄKWWZLQVI\ML\PMZM[XWV[M\WIXproaching enemy aircraft and decided which air defense KMV\MZ_W]TL\ISMWV\PMI\\IKSMZ[;WUM;W^QM\ IQZLMNMV[MXMZ[WVVMTJW\PKQ^QTQIVIVLUQTQ\IZaPIL IZZQ^ML]VLM\MK\MLJaUQL̆.MJZ]IZa! 5W[KW_LMTQ^MZMLZILIZ̆O]QLML;)̆[]ZNIKM̆\W̆IQZ UQ[[QTM[\W6WZ\P>QM\VIUQV5IZKP[]ZXZQ[QVO)UMZQKIVUQTQ\IZaTMILMZ[QVKT]LQVO:WTTQVOQM\VIUM[MPIL \PMM`XMZ\Q[M\W][M\PM;)5[IVLÅO]ZML;W^QM\\MKPVQKQIV[QV>QM\VIU_W]TLVW\ZQ[S[\IZ\QVOI_IZ_Q\P\PM =VQ\ML;\I\M[JaI\\IKSQVO)UMZQKIVIQZKZIN\;)5[Q\M[ _Q\PUQ[[QTM[QVXTIKMJMKIUMN]TTaWXMZI\QWVITQV2]Ta The first SAM strikeKIUMWV2]Ta!_PMVIV ;)̆LW_VMLIV)QZ.WZKM.̆+8PIV\WU117VMKZM_UIV_I[SQTTMLIVL\PMW\PMZ_I[KIX\]ZML5K6IUIZI \PMVLMXTWaMLIQZKZIN\MY]QXXML_Q\PZILIZ̆RIUUQVO MY]QXUMV\\W1VLWKPQVIIVLIOZMML\WKWV[QLMZZM\ITQI\WZa[\ZQSM[WVIKI[M̆JăKI[MJI[Q[IOIQV[\\PM[XMKQÅK ;)5[Q\M[\PI\I\\IKSML=;NWZKM[0IVWQNWZM_IZVML WN\PMÅZ[\IXXZW^ML=;KW]V\MZ[\ZQSM[\PZW]OPQ\[QV\MTTQOMVKMWXMZI\QWV[LMXTWaMLIV\Q̆IQZKZIN\O]V[ IZW]VLMIKP\IZOM\ML[Q\MIVLUW^ML\PM;)5JI\\MZQM[ \WVM_TWKI\QWV[QM\VIUM[M;)5ZMOQUMV\[_MZMIK\Q^MJa)]O][\!J]\;W^QM\LWUQVI\QWVWN\PM;)5 KWUUIVL̆IVL̆KWV\ZWT[a[\MU[KZMI\MLXW\MV\QITKWWZLQVI\QWVXZWJTMU[JMKI][MTIVO]IOMLQЄMZMVKM[KW]TL \ZQOOMZTI]VKPM[IOIQV[\NZQMVLTaIQZKZIN\0IVWQ¼[IQZ

defense headquarters reduced that risk by adding a third [MK\QWVIJQTQVO]ITOZW]X\PI\\ZIV[TI\MLIQZ[]Z^MQTTIVKM [a[\MUZMXWZ\[IVL^MZQÅML\PM;)5[¼\IZOM\QLMV\Q\QM[ QM\VIUM[MXMZ[WVVMT\WWSW^MZ\PMKZQ\QKITWXMZI\QWVITXW[Q\QWV[QV\PM;)5]VQ\[ *a;MX\MUJMZ!)UMZQKIVI^QI\WZ[NIKMLIKWV[\IV\TaQUXZW^QVO6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[MIQZLMNMV[M[a[\MU *MKI][MUW[\)UMZQKIVXTIVM[TIKSMLZILIZ_IZVQVO LM^QKM[IVLMTMK\ZWVQKKW]V\MZUMI[]ZM[[]KPI[ZILIZ̆ RIUUQVOMY]QXUMV\\PMXQTW\[PIL\WZMTaWV^Q[]ITTa [QOP\QVOUQ[[QTMTI]VKPM[QV\QUMNWZI¹;)5̆JZMISº UIVM]^MZ¸I\QOP\\]ZVIVLLQ^M¸\WM^ILM\PMUQ[[QTM*]\ that meant ditching their bombs and descending into antiIQZKZIN\O]VVMZaZIVOMQM\VIU¼[ÅOP\MZXQTW\[_PW¸IT\PW]OPW]\V]UJMZMLIVL \MKPVWTWOQKITTaPIVLQKIXXML¸\ZQML\WQV\MZKMX\Q[WTI\ML =;IQZKZIN\TMI^QVO\PM\IZOM\IZMIWZIUJ][PQVJW]VL XTIVM[MVK]UJMZML_Q\PJWUJ[7\PMZ6WZ\P>QM\VIUese aircraft protected the interceptors from American ÅOP\MZM[KWZ\[)[_Q\P;)5MVOIOMUMV\[\PMI\\IKSML QVJW]VL=;IQZKZIN\LQ\KPML\PMQZJWUJ[\W[]Z^Q^M1N MZZIV\JWUJ[PQ\KQ^QTQIV[\PM\ZIOMLaJMKIUMOZQ[\NWZ 0IVWQ¼[XZWXIOIVLIUQTT AUGUST 2016

31

Leading the way Air Force Colonel Robin Olds gets ready for another mission in his F-4C Phantom. He was credited with four MiG kills over North Vietnam.

32

VIETNAM

HANOI’S AIR DEFENSES 120 100 80 60 The enemy Major Tran Hanh, a regimental commander in North Vietnam’s air force, is in a MiG-21 PFM.

McNamara’s emphasis on maximizing sorties and bomb tonnage aided Hanoi’s air defense. To achieve UWZM[WZ\QM[XMZLIaXQTW\[PIL\WÆaLQZMK\ZW]\M[\W \PMQZ\IZOM\[ZML]KQVO\PMLQ[\IVKMIVLNTQOP\\QUM QM\VIU¼[SVW_TMLOMWN=;IQZ WXMZI\QWV[ _MV\ NIZ JMaWVL \PM XZMLQK\IJQTQ\aWN\PM[WZ\QM[KPML]TM[.ZWU! \W! 0IVWQKWV[Q[\MV\TaIKY]QZML\W  PW]Z[¼VW\QKMWN\PMLIQTa\IZOM\TQ[\IVL [\ZQSM\QUM[MVIJTQVOQ\[NWZKM[\WXW[Q\QWV IQZLMNMV[M[IZW]VL\PMUW[\KZQ\QKIT\IZOM\[ IVL\ZIV[Q\ZW]\M[;XMK]TI\QWVIJW]\\PM [W]ZKMWN\PI\QV[QLMQVNWZUI\QWVKWV\QV]M[ \W\PQ[LIaJ]\=;KWUUIVLMZ[QV;W]\PMI[\)[QI\WWSIOOZM[[Q^M[\MX[\W[P]\WЄ [MK]ZQ\aTMIS[ 0IVWQIT[WOW\_IZVQVO[NZWU;W^QM\[PQX[ UWVQ\WZQVO=;KIZZQMZ[QV\PM;W]\P+PQVI ;MI7\PMZITMZ\[KIUMNZWUWXMZI\Q^M[IVL TQ[\MVQVOXW[\[QV4IW[IVLVMIZ=;JI[M[QVQM\VIUQM\VIUM[MQLMV\QNa\ZIKSIVLKW]V\MZ\PMIQZ[\ZQSM[ /ZW]VL̆KWV\ZWTQV\MZKMX\WXMZI\WZ[WN\MVSVM_\PM )UMZQKIV[¼_MIXWV[IVLN]MT[\I\][IVL[PIZML\PI\ QVNWZUI\QWV_Q\P\PMQZXQTW\[ QM\VIUM[MIQZ[XIKM_Q\PW]\[]ЅKQMV\IMZQIT

40 20 0 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 Does not include the 5,000+ small 7.62mm-14.5mm weapons Anti-aircraft artillery x 100 SAM batteries MiG fighter planes Trained fighter pilots

[]Z^MQTTIVKMWZILMY]I\M[QOVIT[QV\MTTQOMVKM[]XXWZ\ =;NWZKM[QV\PM:WTTQVOQM\VIUM[M[PW\LW_V\_WWNNW]Z.̆QM\VIUM[M)QZ.WZKMQ\[ÅZ[\\Z]Ta UWLMZVÅOP\MZ̆QV\MZKMX\WZ *]\Ja\PM\QUM\PMXQTW\[_MZMN]TTaY]ITQÅMLWV\PM;W^QM\RM\[0IVWQPILJMO]V \WTW[MQ\[QV\MTTQOMVKMIL^IV\IOM
OPPOSITE AND ABOVE: USAF PHOTO

NORTH VIETNAMESE SUCCESSES SPURRED THE UNITED STATES TO ESTABLISH FIGHTER SCHOOLS SUCH AS THE NAVY’S “TOP GUN”

AUGUST 2016

33

KWVN][QWVIJW]\XW\MV\QIT\IZOM\[;WUM\QUM[ÅOP\MZ[ IZUMLNWZIQZ̆\W̆IQZKWUJI\ÆM_ITWVOZW]\M[\ZILQ\QWVITTa][MLJaJWUJMZ[)TTWN\PW[MKPIVOM[KWUJQVML _Q\PW\PMZVM_UMI[]ZM[IVLMY]QXUMV\XIQLWЄQV\PM []UUMZWN!_PMV=;ÅOP\MZ[LW_VMLXMZKMV\ WN6WZ\P>QM\VIU¼[ÅOP\MZ[UW[\Ta5Q/̆[ QM\VIUM[MY]QKSTaKPIVOML\PMQZ\IK\QK[ and became adept at close-in combat maneuvering— [WUM\PQVO\PM=;PILLZWXXMLNZWUUW[\WNQ\[XQTW\ \ZIQVQVOXZWOZIU[QV\PMMIZTa¼[*M\_MMV7K\WJMZ !IVL5Ia! 6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[M5Q/̆[LW_VML =;IQZKZIN\IVLTW[\WVTaWVM5Q/̆[QVÆQK\ML XMZKMV\WNITT=;IQZKZIN\TW[[M[QV!  QM\VIUM[M[]KKM[[M[[X]ZZML\PM=VQ\ML ;\I\M[\WZM̆QV[\Q\]\MIQZKWUJI\\ZIQVQVOIVLM[\IJTQ[P ÅOP\MZ[KPWWT[[]KPI[\PM6I^a¼[¹QM\VIUWN\MVQLMV\QÅMLKW]V\MZUMI[]ZM[IVL \IK\QK[_Q\PQVLIa[WN\PM)UMZQKIV[¼¹ÅZ[\ ][Mº.WZM`IUXTM;)5]VQ\[NWQTML)UMZQKIVRIUUQVOMY]QXUMV\IVLVM_=;IV\Q̆ ZILQI\QWVUQ[[QTM[¸_PQKPTWKSMLWV\W\PM ZILQI\QWVMUQ\\MLJaZILIZ[I\;)̆[Q\M[¸ Ja X]\\QVO \PM ;)5 O]QLIVKM ZILIZ[ QV [\IVLJaUWLM]V\QT\PMÅVITXPI[M[WNIV MVOIOMUMV\)[\PM)UMZQKIV[LM^MTWXML [a[\MU[\WLM\MK\\PMZILIZ[WV[\IVLJa 0IVWQZMKMQ^MLUWLQÅKI\QWV[NZWU5W[KW_ \PI\MVIJTML;)5]VQ\[\WO]QLM\PMUQ[[QTM[^Q[]ITTa\W\PM\IZOM\QM\VIUM[MVM^MZLM^MTWXML[]KKM[[N]T\IK\QK[\WKW]V\MZ\PM)QZ .WZKM¼[;:̆*TIKSJQZLI[]XMZ[WVQK[Xa XTIVM _Q\P ZILIZ̆IJ[WZX\Q^M XIQV\ \PI\ OI^MQ\¹[\MIT\PºKPIZIK\MZQ[\QK[;MM)Z[MVITXO  6W6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[MÅOP\MZ[KW]TLZMIKPQ\[̆ NWW\WXMZI\QWVITIT\Q\]LMIVLVW;)5M^MZKIUM_Q\PQV UQTM[WNLIUIOQVOWVM.ZWUQ\[ÅZ[\ÆQOP\W^MZ6WZ\P >QM\VIUWV5IZKP! \WQ\[TI[\QV!\PM ;:̆¼[KIXIJQTQ\QM[IVL_MTT̆XTIVVMLUQ[[QWV[MVIJTML Q\\WWXMZI\MW^MZ6WZ\P>QM\VIU_Q\P^QZ\]ITQUX]VQ\a

IVLMVTIZOM\PMKW]V\Za¼[LIUIOMLQVNZI[\Z]K\]ZMM`XIVL\PMIQZNWZKMIVLZMQVNWZKM\PMIZUaXIZ\QK]TIZTa \PM\ZWWX[OWQVO\W\PM;W]\P 0IVWQ¼[IQZLMNMV[MKWUUIVLMZ[IT[WZMWZOIVQbML QM\VIUM[MMUXTWaMLLMKMX\QWV]VQ\[\WUISMQ\IXXMIZ\PI\\PZMM\QUM[\PI\ V]UJMZZMUIQVMLQVXTIa5WZM\PIV [UITT̆KITQJMZ_MIXWV[UIVaWXMZI\MLJa _WUMVIVL[\]LMV\[_MZMKWVKMV\ZI\ML IZW]VL\PMUW[\KZQ\QKIT\IZOM\[ =XWV\ISQVOWЅKMQV2IV]IZa!!8ZM[QLMV\:QKPIZL6Q`WVTQUQ\MLIQZWXMZI\QWV[ W^MZ\PM6WZ\P\WIMZQITZMKWVVIQ[[IVKMJ]\ PMI]\PWZQbMLKW]V\MZ[\ZQSM[IOIQV[\6WZ\P >QM\VIUM[MNWZKM[\PI\ÅZMLWV\PMZMKWVVIQ[[IVKMIQZKZIN\LMTMOI\QVOZMOQWVITKWUUIVLMZ[LQ[KZM\QWVIZaI]\PWZQ\a\W[\ZQSM 6WZ\P>QM\VIU¼[IQZJI[M[QM\VIU¼[IQZLMNMV[MNWZ\]VM[ZIXQLTaLMKTQVML 0WXQVO\WOM\IVW\PMZJWUJQVOPIT\0IVWQQV^Q\ML ¹XIKQÅ[\[ºIVL[aUXI\PQbMZ[NZWUIZW]VL\PM_WZTL\W _Q\VM[[\PM)UMZQKIVJWUJMZ[¼¹KZQUQVITLM[\Z]K\QWVº 8ZWOZM[[I\\PM8IZQ[XMIKM\ITS[QV7K\WJMZ!TML 6Q`WV\WMVL4QVMJIKSMZ1WV7K\WJMZ*]\\PM6WZ\P >QM\VIUM[MTMN\\PMVMOW\QI\QVO\IJTM_PMV\ITS[JZWSM LW_VQV,MKMUJMZIVL6Q`WVWZLMZML7XMZI\QWV4QVMJIKSMZ11_PQKPJMOIVWV,MK ! 4QVMJIKSMZ11)UMZQKI¼[TIZOM[\JWUJQVOKIUXIQOV JM\_MMV?WZTL?IZ11IVL7XMZI\QWV,M[MZ\;\WZUQV !!QVKT]LMLUI[[Q^M*̆[\ZQSM[WVKZQ\QKIT\IZOM\[ QVIVLIZW]VL0IVWQIVL0IQXPWVO0IZJWZ0IVWQIOIQV QV^Q\ML¹XIKQÅ[\[º\W_Q\VM[[)UMZQKI¼[QVP]UIVMJWUJ-

HOPING TO GET ANOTHER BOMBING HALT, HANOI INVITED “PACIFISTS” TO WITNESS AMERICAN BOMBERS’ “CRIMINAL” ACTS

Despite the Air Defense .WZKM¼[XMZKMQ^ML[]KKM[[ 4M,]IVNIKMLXWTQ\QKITXZWJTMU[QV! 0IVWQ¼[IZKPQ^M[QVLQKI\M\PI\PMNIKMLITUW[\WXMVZMJMTTQWVQV\PM XIZ\aZIVS[IN\MZ\PI\aMIZ¼[PWZZMVLW][TW[[M[L]ZQVO \PM+WUU]VQ[\[¼
VIETNAM

U.S. AIRCRAFT COMBAT LOSSES 400 300 200 100 Target hit The U.S. Air Force bombs the Phuc @LUHPYÄLSKUVY[O of Hanoi in 1967.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE US AIR FORCE

ing, but Nixon didn’t relent until Hanoi returned to the Paris peace talks and accepted his terms. The Paris Peace Accords were signed on Jan. 27, 1973. But Le Duan had no intention of honoring the agreement, which removed the bulk of U.S. troops from South Vietnam and enabled him to reconstitute his devastated NWZKM[QV\PM;W]\PQVXZMXIZI\QWVNWZ\PMÅVITWЄMV[Q^M that captured Saigon on April 30, 1975. By war’s end North Vietnam had built the world’s densest integrated air defense system, and the American response can still be seen in integrated air campaign procedures, comprehensive battle space management XZWKML]ZM[XZMKQ[QWV̆\IZOM\ML_MIXWV[ÅZMLNZWUW]\side the range of anti-aircraft artillery, paint schemes \PI\UISM=;XTIVM[UWZMLQЅK]T\\W[XW\\IK\QK[\W suppress air defenses and intense air-combat training. Hanoi’s air defenders gained their greatest successes largely because of shortcomings in American planning, policies and operations early in the war. Despite the UMVIKMWN;)5[IVL6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[MÅOP\MZIKM[ anti-aircraft guns remained the primary threat to American planes during Rolling Thunder. The later introduction of precision bombing all but eliminated that threat during the Linebacker operations. The North Vietnamese air defenses’ real success was political, not military. Although the air defense network never threatened American air superiority, it prevented American air power from forcing Hanoi to abandon its plans for conquering South Vietnam. It also weakened America’s political will by reducing the bombing KIUXIQOV¼[IKK]ZIKaIVLMЄMK\Q^MVM[[_PQTMQVÆQK\QVO heavier losses than Americans expected. North Vietnam’s Air Defense Force was but one component of a comprehensive war strategy directed at a single objective—unifying Vietnam under Hanoi’s rule. As long as Le Duan enjoyed Chinese and Soviet support, only invasion, his army’s total destruction or his ZMUW^ITNZWUXW_MZ_W]TLNWZKMPQU\WIJIVLWV]VQÅKI\QWV0IVWQUWLQÅMLUQTQ\IZaIVLLQXTWUI\QK\IK\QK[ in response to American actions and technology, but the strategic objective remained unchanged. Negotiations

0

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

Anti-aircraft artillery/small arms MiG fighter planes

1971

1972

SAMs Total

_MZMWЄMZMLWVTa\WOIQV\QUM\WXZMXIZMNWZ\PMVM`\ step toward conquering South Vietnam. If Johnson had ramped up his Rolling Thunder operation before or during the 1968 Tet Offensive and bombed North Vietnam with the force of Linebacker II, \PMKWUJQVI\QWVWNIVMЄMK\Q^MJWUJQVOKIUXIQOVIVL devastating troop losses might have forced Le Duan to sign a peace agreement earlier. Le Duan likely would have ignored that agreement too; however, it seems unlikely that the Johnson administration and Saigon regime would have completed the economic and political reforms needed to withstand a Communist assault. Thus, the ultimate outcome of the war would probably have been the same as it was in 1975. But America’s large-scale involvement would have ended much sooner, saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Historians may debate whether the United States should have resumed the bombing or continued supporting Saigon when North Vietnam breached the 1973 peace agreement, but renewed bombing was unlikely because America had lost its will to continue the war. South Vietnam’s political shortcomings and its long, almost indefensible border also would have complicated any attempts at a sustained defense. What’s more, another U.S. intervention risked a negative reaction in the international community and a response from China and Russia that could have harmed diplomatic initiatives to improve relations with those countries. North Vietnam’s leaders entered the war with a strategy, a thorough knowledge of their opponent, a complete understanding of the resources required to achieve their objective and a willingness to do whatever it took to win. America’s most senior leaders understood neither their enemy nor the impact of their operational restrictions on U.S. forces. V

Carl O. Schuster is a retired Navy captain with aMIZ[WN[MZ^QKM0MÅVQ[PMLPQ[KIZMMZI[IV QV\MTTQOMVKMWЅKMZ;KP][\MZ_PWTQ^M[QV0WVWT]T] Q[I\MIKPMZQV0I_IQQ8IKQÅK=VQ^MZ[Q\a¼[,QXTWUIKa and Military Science program. He wrote “The Rise of North Vietnam’s Air Defenses” in the June 2016 issue. AUGUST 2016

35

The First Battle of Khe Sanh 36

VIETNAM

A year before the famous 1968 siege of the remote American outpost, Marines fought a brutal struggle to seize its surrounding hills

AP PHOTO

A

By Arnold Blumberg

s Sergeant Donald E. Harper Jr. led his squad up a small rise during a routine patrol just west of the airstrip that served the Marine base camp at Khe Sanh, 50 North Vietnamese Army regulars hit \PM]VQ\_Q\P[UITT̆IZU[ÅZMSQTTQVOWVM)UMZQKIVIVL _W]VLQVOIVW\PMZ0IZXMZX]TTMLJIKSIVLZMY]M[\ML artillery support. After several artillery barrages and \_WOZW]VLI[[I]T\[\PM5IZQVM[ÅVITTa\WWS\PMPMQOP\ _Q\PPMI^aKTW[M̆QVÅOP\QVOQM\VIU)][ML\W protect troop-staging areas and secure supply caches.

)N\MZ\PMTI\M.MJZ]IZaÅOP\QVO\PMZL5IZQVM,Q^Q[QWVJWT[\MZML]VQ\[QV\PM3PM;IVPIZMI7V5IZKP the division reinforced Bravo Company, led by Captain Michael W. Sayers, with troops from Echo Company, 2nd *I\\ITQWV!\P5IZQVM[KWUUIVLMLJa+IX\IQV?QTTQIU *)NZWU\PMKZM[\WN\PMPQTTIVL JW\P)UMZQKIV]VQ\[WKK]XQML\PM[]UUQ\
Taking a stand U.S. Marines are positioned on Hill 881 North near Khe Sanh in early May 1967.

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The combat losses in February and March 1967 were a prelude to the “First Battle of Khe Sanh,” one of the Vietnam War’s hardest-fought battles, which began on April 24. That morning 2nd Lt. Thomas G. King’s 2nd Platoon in Sayers’ company moved to Hill 700, a little south of Hill 861, and positioned mortars to provide ar38

VIETNAM

tillery support for a sweep that 1st and 3rd platoons were conducting north of Hill 861 to see if enemy troops were in nearby caves that 1st Platoon had found the day before. Five men from the 2nd Platoon mortar team went to Hill 861 to set up an observation point at the top, where they could direct the artillery ÅZMLNZWU0QTT,]ZQVO\PM climb they were ambushed, and four were killed. T h e g u n f i r e o n H i l l 8 61 prompted King to send a squad to make contact with the mortar observation team. They too came under savage small-arms fire and returned to Hill 700, where King’s mortars, along with artillery at Khe Sanh base, shelled the NVA on Hill 861. The Marines then went back and recovered two of the bodies. The other two couldn’t be found. Captain Sayers, who had left the Khe Sanh base, accompanied by a security platoon, joined King on Hill 700 and ordered the 1st and 3rd platoons to move southeast across Hill 861 and hit the NVA from the rear. The two platoons started forward, but were soon struck by five 82mm mortar rounds and heavy fire on their right, forcing them to pull back. The 1st and 3rd platoons dug in for the night at the base of Hill 861. Sayers, his security platoon and 2nd Platoon returned to the base camp. The Battle of Khe Sanh’s initial action cost the Marines 12 killed, 17 wounded and two missing. Five NVA were known dead. The Marines surmised from the April 24 engagements that the enemy was positioning itself in the hills to prepare for an allout attack on the Khe Sanh base. To counter the expected NVA assault, the III Marine Amphibious Force headquarters at Da Nang sent elements of 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, to Khe Sanh on April 25. Regimental commander Colonel John P. Lanigan ordered Lt. Col. Gary Wilder, chief of the regiment’s

THE MARINES PLASTERED THE HILLS WITH 325 TONS OF BOMBS AND ARTILLERY SHELLS

AP PHOTO; OPPOSITE TOP RIGHT: AP PHOTO/JOE HOLLOWAY, JR; BOTTOM RIGHT: AP PHOTO

The Marines cleared a landing zone on 861’s summit for a helicopter evacuation of their casualties, but enemy harassment continued for the next several hours. “After arriving at the top of Hill 861 we came under heavy enemy mortar attack,” Price said. One of the attacks killed Sergeant Harper, whose squad PILJMMV\PMÅZ[\\WMVOIOM\PM NVA just a few weeks earlier, the former medic said in a posting on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial’s Web page for Harper. Terrill and Echo’s 2nd Platoon were transported to the landing zone by helicopter and spent the next two days in a fruitless sweep of the area north and west of the hill. The NVA had slipped away. The March 16 action cost the Americans 20 killed and 59 wounded, almost all from Terrill’s company. The last of the American casualties _MZMÅVITTaTQN\MLWЄ0QTT WV March 17. In the following weeks, the Khe Sanh base, with Sayers in charge, received welcome reinforcements in the form of a tank section, some Ontos armored fighting vehicles—each mounting six 106mm recoilless rifles—and a few armored trucks carrying 40mm cannons or .50-caliber machine guns. Artillery support was provided by Battery F, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, sporting a mix of 155mm howitzers and 4.2-inch UWZ\IZ[7Є[M\\QVO\PM[MOIQV[ was the departure of Terrill’s company on March 27. By early April, Sayers’ command totaled less than 1,000 men.

What’s the exit? Highway 9, jokingly labeled an interstate, takes Marines to Khe Sanh.

Rising casualties A Marine cares for a wounded comrade on Hill 881 North in May 1967 after a North Vietnamese attack.

Marking the spot Marines lay down smoke to guide airstrikes near Khe Sanh in February 1967 and then scurry for cover.

AUGUST 2016

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3rd Battalion, to take his unit to Hill 861. Wilder’s lead unit, Kilo Company under Captain Bayliss L. Spivey Jr., moved two platoons up the hill. The [\8TI\WWV_I[JI\\MZML_Q\PÅZMNZWUIV6>)KWUXIVaXZW\MK\MLJaJ]VSMZ[IVL[]XXWZ\MLJaUWZ\IZ[ )X]UUMTML?QTLMZ¼[JI\\ITQWV KWUUIVL XW[\ JMTW_ 0QTT  _Q\P UWZM \PIV  UUUWZ\IZZW]VL[ÅZMLNZWU0QTT ;W]\P¼[MI[\MZV[TWXM
VIETNAM

BRIAN WALKER

;OLOPSSÄNO[ZVM  An ambush on Hill 861 that killed all but one member of a Marine team from the Khe :HUOJVTIH[IHZLZWHYRLKHÄYLZ[VYTVM YPÅLHY[PSSLY`HUKN\UZOPWYV\UKZ[OH[ZWYLHK to Hill 881 North and Hill 881 South between (WYPSHUK4H` ILMVYLIH[[HSPVUZMYVT the 3rd Marine Division forced the North =PL[UHTLZL(YT`[VYL[YLH[

/QTM[PMTXMLXZW^QLMKW^MZQVOÅZM\PI\MVIJTML Spivey to withdraw. 1V\PMUMIV\QUM;IaMZ[¼KWUXIVaI\\MUX\QVO\WTQVS_Q\P?QTLMZI\\PMJI\\ITQWVKWUUIVL XW[\ _I[ IUJ][PML IVL []NNMZML [W UIVaKI[]IT\QM[\PI\Q\KW]TLVW\UW^MNWZ_IZL WZJIKS_IZL;IaMZ[_I[IUWVO\PM_W]VLML )\WIJIVLWV\PMXW[Q\QWVIVL\PMJ]VSMZ[IVLNW`PWTM[LMNMVLQVOQ\ 7VKM0QTT _I[[MK]ZML5QSM+WUXIVaWN?QTLMZ¼[ JI\\ITQWVUW^ML]XWV,MTWVO¼[_M[\MZVÆIVSNZWU3PM ;IVP) VQOP\I\\IKS_I[JZWSMV]XJaIZ\QTTMZaÅZM )\LI_VWV)XZQT?QTLMZXZMXIZML\WI\\IKS0QTT ;W]\P_PQTM,MTWVOUW^ML\W_IZL0QTT 6WZ\P\W [MK]ZM?QTLMZ¼[ZQOP\ÆIVSIVLÅVLI[Q\M\WI[[I]T\\PM PQTT)ÅMZKMÅZMÅOP\JZWSMW]\JM\_MMV0W\MT+WUXIVa WN,MTWVO¼[JI\\ITQWVIVL\_W6>)XTI\WWV[PWTML]XQV IJ]VSMZKWUXTM`VMIZ\PM[]UUQ\6QVM5IZQVM[LQML IVL_MZM_W]VLMLL]ZQVO\PMKTW[M̆QVÅOP\QVO 4I\MZ\PI\IN\MZVWWVIN\MZIPMI^a=;IZ\QTTMZaJWUJIZLUMV\NWTTW_MLJa\PMXZWTWVOMLKWUJI\WNIOZW]VL I[[I]T\\PM5IZQVM[ÅVITTaLQ[TWLOML\PM6>)[WTLQMZ[ NZWU\PMQZJ]VSMZ[ ¹
before the Marines began their climb. The NVA hit them _Q\PI]\WUI\QK_MIXWV[ÅZMNZWUKWVKMITMLJ]VSMZ[ IVL[VQXMZ[QV\ZMM[=VIJTM\WOWNWZ_IZLWZ\WZM\ZMI\¸ JMKI][MWN6>)XW[Q\QWV[JaXI[[MLWV\PM_Ia]X¸\PM 5IZQVM[\ZILMLO]VÅZM_Q\P\PMMVMUaNWZ[M^MZITPW]Z[ JMNWZM\PMaKW]TLUW^MJIKSLW_V\PMUW]V\IQV_Q\P \PMPMTXWNI0]MaPMTQKWX\MZ¼[O]V[
AP PHOTO

In the earlyTQOP\WN5Ia\PM5IZQVM[XTI[\MZML 0QTT[ 6WZ\PIVL ;W]\P_Q\P\WV[WNJWUJ[ IVLIZ\QTTMZa[PMTT[)XTI\WWV\WJWT\NZWUQ\[J]VSMZ[WVTa\WJM UW_MLLW_VQV\PMWXMVJa)UMZQKIVIQZKZIN\)JW]\ MVMUa[WTLQMZ[_MZMSQTTML\PI\_Ia )_Q\PLZM_NZWU\PM[Q\M _PMZMQ\PILJ]QT\TWŎIVL̆LQZ\̆KW^MZMLJ]VSMZ[ 5MIV_PQTM,MTWVO¼[UMVIL^IVKML]X0QTT 6WZ\P _Q\P/WTN+WUXIVaI\\IKSQVONZWU\PMMI[\IVL-KPW +WUXIVaNZWU\PM[W]\P0MTLQVZM[MZ^M_I[0W\MT +WUXIVa)N\MZ\_WI\\IKS[[]XXWZ\MLJaIZ\QTTMZa/WTN VMIZML\PM[]UUQ\]VLMZPMI^aUWZ\IZÅZM-KPW_I[ ÅOP\QVOQ\[_Ia\W\PM\WX]V\QTI[Y]ITT_Q\PPMI^aZIQV[ IVLUXP_QVL[NWZKML,MTWVO\W[][XMVL\PMI[[I]T\ IVLX]TTJIKSNWZ\PMVQOP\ <_W6>)KWUXIVQM[KW]V\MZI\\IKSML]VLMZKW^MZWN LIZSVM[[\PMUWZVQVOWN5Ia[\ZQSQVOI\\PMVWZ\P̆ MI[\[QLMWN,MTWVO¼[ÆIVSWV0QTT 6WZ\P1VPIVL̆ \W̆PIVLNQOP\QVO\PMMVMUa\ZWWX[XMVM\ZI\ML-KPW +WUXIVa¼[TQVM[IVLZMWKK]XQML[WUMJ]VSMZ[QV\PM UQLLTMWN\PM5IZQVMXW[Q\QWV QM\VIUM[MIXXMIZML\WJMUW^QVO\W_IZL-KPW NZWU\PM_M[\J]\_MZM[\WXXMLJaUUZMKWQTTM[[ZQÆM ÅZMNZWU?QTLMZ¼[UMVXMZKPMLWV0QTT ;W]\P ,]ZQVO\PMUWZVQVOWN5Ia,MTWVO¼[UMVKIX\]ZML 6>)̆WKK]XQMLJ]VSMZ[IN\MZ[I^IOMKTW[M̆QVÅOP\QVO\PI\ ZM[]T\MLQV\PMLMI\P[WN5IZQVM[IVL\PM_W]VLQVO WN UWZM6>)[WTLQMZ[NW]OP\\WVMIZTa\PMTI[\UIV _Q\PSQTTMLIVL\PZMM\ISMVXZQ[WVMZ 7V5Ia,MTWVO¼[UMV_MZMZMILa\W\ISM\PM[]UUQ\ of Hill 881 North. After blasting the hill with artillery ÅZM-KPWIVL.W`\ZW\KWUXIVQM[[\IZ\MLW]\I\IJW]\ !IU-VMUaZM[Q[\IVKMNWZKML\PW[M]VQ\[\WJIKSWЄ J]\NZQMVLTaIQZKZIN\IVLIZ\QTTMZa_WZSML\PMPQTTW^MZ _Q\PUI[[Q^MKWVKMV\ZI\QWV[WNJWUJ[IVL[PMTT[.W`̆ \ZW\IVL/WTNKWUXIVQM[I\\IKSMLWVKMUWZMIVLMV̆ KW]V\MZQVOWVTa[VQXMZÅZM\WWS\PM[]UUQ\R][\JMNWZM XU?Q\P\PI\[]KKM[[\PM5IZQVM[KWUUIVLML\PM PQOPOZW]VL[]ZZW]VLQVO3PM;IVP For the next\PZMMLIa[\PM5IZQVM[PILTQ\\TMKWV\IK\ _Q\P\PM6>)IVL\PMV[XW\\ML\PM+,Q^Q[QWV_Q\P̆ LZI_QVO\W_IZL6WZ\P>QM\VIUIVL4IW[<_WXTI\WWV[ NZWU.W`\ZW\+WUXIVaQV,MTWVO¼[JI\\ITQWV\IVOTML_Q\P ZMIZO]IZLW]\Å\[WN\PM+WUU]VQ[\LQ^Q[QWVWV5Ia!

Fire away An M60 machine gun on Hill 881 5VY[OPZÄYLK at the enemy in May 1967.

_PQTM[KW]\QVO0QTTINM_UQTM[VWZ\P_M[\WN0QTT  6WZ\P-KPW+WUXIVaRWQVML\PMÅOP\IVLÅVITTaIN\MZI ̆UQV]\ML]MT\PM6>)[\IZ\ML\WZM\ZMI\5IZQVMIQZ XW_MZIVLIZ\QTTMZa\MIZQVOQV\W\PMMVMUa¼[ZIVS[\]ZVML IVWZLMZTa_Q\PLZI_ITQV\WIZW]\?PMV\PMÅOP\MVLML 5IZQVM[_MZMLMILIVL!_W]VLML) [WTLQMZ[TW[\\PMQZTQ^M[ ) TW[[WN!LMILUW[\TaNZWU+,Q^Q[QWV¼[ \P :MOQUMV\)N\MZ\PMJI\\TM5IZQVM[JI[MLI\3PM;IVP XI\ZWTTML\PMPQTT[J]\LQLVW\UIQV\IQVIN]TT̆\QUMXZM[̆ ence there. *a\PMMVLWN!\PM6>)WVKMIOIQVJMOIVJ]QTLQVO ]XQ\[NWZKM[QV\PM3PM;IVPPQTT[IVLJMOIVI[QMOMWN \PM5IZQVMJI[MWV2IV! QM\VIUM[M\W_Q\PLZI_V

)ZVWTL*T]UJMZOIVI\\WZVMaQV*IT\QUWZM[MZ^ML QV\PM)ZUa:M[MZ^M! ̆MVLQVOPQ[\MZUI[I [\IЄ[MZOMIV\QVIUIQV\MVIVKMKWUXIVa0M_ZQ\M[ on military topics for history publications. AUGUST 2016

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Solemn moment Bodies from the hill ÄNO[ZHYLWYLWHYLK MVY[YHUZWVY[VU 4H` 

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PHOTOS: AP PHOTO

Why Khe Sanh? )UMZQKIV\ZWWX[ÅZ[\IZZQ^ML in the Khe Sanh area in August 1962, when an Army Special .WZKM[LM\IKPUMV\M[\IJTQ[PML a camp at the tiny airstrip just VWZ\PMI[\WN\PM^QTTIOMWN3PM ;IVPQM\VIUKWV[QLMZML3PM;IVP IOWWLTWKI\QWV¸LM[XQ\MQ\[Q[Wlation from other U.S. opera\QWV[¸NWZOI\PMZQVOQV\MTTQOMVKM ITWVO\PM6WZ\P>QM\VIU·;W]\P >QM\VIU·4IW[JWZLMZIVLK]\ting off the Ho Chi Minh Trail as a Communist supply route. During the fall of 1966, intelTQOMVKMZMXWZ\[VW\MLQVKZMI[ML UW^MUMV\ Ja \PM 6WZ\P >QM\namese Army on an east-west trail that ran into the region NZWU4IW[
KQIT .WZKM[ KIUX I\ 4IVO >MQ IJW]\UQTM[[W]\P_M[\WN\PM KWUJI\JI[M *M[QLM[JMQVO]VLMZUIVVML IJW]\\ZWWX[\PM[UITT ] V Q \ [  L M NM V L Q V O  \ P M  J I [ M _W]TL PI^M \ZW]JTM OM\\QVO ZMQVNWZKMUMV\[ IVL []XXTQM[ Ja ZWIL JMKI][M 0QOP_Ia ! the main east-west thoroughNIZMQV\PMIZMIPIL JMMV K]\ WNN IJW]\ 18 miles east of Khe ;IVPJa\PM6>)[QVKM )]O][\!TMI^QVO air transport the only means of relief. All through 1966 IVLMIZTa!\PM1115IZQVM )UXPQJQW][ .WZKM¸ZM[XWV[QJTMNWZLMNMVLQVO\PM3PM;IVP IZMI¸_IV\ML \W IJIVLWV \PM JI[MJMKI][MWNQ\[ZMUW\MVM[[ ]VNI^WZIJTM _MI\PMZ KWVLQ\QWV[XZW`QUQ\a\W6>)[]XXTa TQVM[IVL\PMQUUMV[MTWOQ[\QKITMNNWZ\VMMLML\W[][\IQVQ\ L]ZQVOI[QMOM *M[QLM[KWVL]K\QVOI[\I\QK LMNMV[M I\ 3PM ;IVP _I[ ZMX]OVIV\\W\PM4MI\PMZVMKS[ _PW[MKWUJI\LWK\ZQVMKITTML NWZUWJQTMWЄMV[Q^MIK\QWV*]\ ?M[\UWZMTIVLIVLWЅKQIT[QV ?I[PQVO\WV _IV\ML \PM 5IZQVM[\WPWTL\PMJI[MJMKI][M \PMa [I_ Q\ I[ I _Ia \W LZI_ I TIZOM 6>) NWZKM QV\W JI\\TM IVL LM[\ZWa Q\ _Q\P []XMZQWZ ÅZMXW_MZIVLIKW]V\MZ\PZ][\ QV\W4IW[ QM\VIUL]ZQVO \PM! +WUU]VQ[\) ¸)ZVWTL*T]UJMZO AUGUST 2016

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STARK IMAGES OF MEN AT WAR 8PQTQX2WVM[/ZQЅ\P[\ZI^MTML\PMOTWJM\ISQVOXQK\]ZM[IVLPQ[ XPW\W[ZMÆMK\\PM]VQ^MZ[IT[\Z]OOTM[IVLMUW\QWV[WNXMWXTM M^MZa_PMZMQM\VIU¹AW] LQLV¼\PI^M\WJMIOMVQ][QV¼\W_WZSW]\\PI\\PMZM_I[[WUM\PQVO^MZaQUXWZ\IV\PIXXMVQVOQV>QM\VIUº/ZQЅ\P[[IQLQVIV QV\MZ^QM_QV\_WaMIZ[JMNWZMPQ[LMI\P ?WZSQVONWZ\PM5IOV]UXPW\WIOMVKaPM[PW_ML\PMPIZ[PZMITQ\QM[WN_IZQVXPW\WOZIXP[\PI\_MZMWN\MV\WWKWV\ZW^MZ[QITNWZ 5IOV]U\W[MTT5W[\_MZMVW\[MMV]V\QTX]JTQ[PMLQVPQ[JWWS >QM\VIU1VKQV! 1V.MJZ]IZa/ZQЅ\P[¼LI]OP\MZ3I\PMZQVM0WTLMVIVVW]VKML\PI\INW]VLI\QWV[M\]XJa/ZQЅ\P[_W]TLM[\IJTQ[PIV I_IZL\WMVKW]ZIOMQVLMXMVLMV\XPW\WOZIXPMZ[_WZSQVOQVQV\MZVI\QWVITKWVÆQK\bWVM[\WKWV\QV]MPQ[TMOIKaWNKW^MZQVO[\WZQM[ W\PMZ_Q[MQOVWZMLV *MPQVL/ZQЅ\P[Q[PQ[XPW\W WNI_WUIV\IOOML_Q\P \PMLM[QOVI\QWV>6+NWZ ¹>QM\VIUM[MKQ^QTQIVº

INTENSITY )QZKZM_[WVI KIZZQMZQV\PM ;W]\P+PQVI;MI ZM[XWVL\WI ZMY]M[\NWZJWUJ [\ZQSM[!

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TOP LEFT: JEFF MORGAN 04/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; ALL OTHER PHOTOS: PHILIP JONES GRIFFITHS/MAGNUM PHOTOS

PHILIP JONES GRIFFITHS

BRAVERY This 10-year-old South Vietnamese soldier was referred to as a “little tiger,” 1968. AUGUST 2016

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PHOTO CREDIT

COMPASSION American GIs show concern for a wounded >QM\+WVOÅOP\MZ _PQKP/ZQЅ\P[[IQL sprang from a soldierly admiration for their enemy’s dedication IVLJZI^MZa! 

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AUGUST 2016

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CAMARADERIE ¹5MVSVM_\W ÅTT]X_Q\P\PM VI\]ZIT^IZQM\aº WN_I\MZ/ZQЅ\P[ [IQL! 

SORROW A refugee from U.S. bombing ÆMM[_PI\PIL JMMVI¹[PW_KI[MºLQ[\ZQK\WN ;IQOWV! 

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REGRET
DARING )[WTLQMZNZWU \PM!\P1VNIV\Za ,Q^Q[QWVÅZM[JIKS I\\PM>QM\+WVO L]ZQVOÅOP\QVO QV\PM[]J]ZJ[WN ;IQOWV;MKWVL[ TI\MZ\PMJ]QTLQVO _I[LMUWTQ[PMLJa IZWKSM\!  AUGUST 2016

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They Came, and Died, to Keep the Past Upon Its Throne A war correspondent, on the front lines for five decades, tells why he doesn’t buy the argument that Saigon fell because the United States took away its logistic and air support By H.D.S. Greenway

The Americans Depart Upon joining the Washington Post in the summer of !1UW^MLUaNIUQTa\W?I[PQVO\WV7VMWNUaÅZ[\ assignments was to cover a press conference that Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had called in October of 1972 in which he stunned the world with the words “peace is at hand.” At long last the North Vietnamese, after torturous negotiations in Paris, had agreed to a KMI[M̆ÅZMWVW]Z\MZU[PM[IQL.WZ\PW[MWN][QV\PM audience who had reported from Vietnam, it was an electrifying moment. We didn’t learn until later that Kissinger had trouble explaining the terms of his peace treaty to South Vietnam’s president, Nguyen Van Thieu. When he did so, Kissinger cabled President Richard Nixon from Saigon to say: “We face the paradoxical situation that the North, _PQKPPI[MЄMK\Q^MTaTW[\Q[IK\QVOI[QNQ\_WV#_PQTM \PM;W]\P_PQKPPI[MЄMK\Q^MTa_WVQ[IK\QVOI[QNQ\ has lost. One of the major tasks now is to restore realities and get the psychological upper hand.” Kissinger 50

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thought that Thieu did not understand the scope of Hanoi’s concessions. But Thieu understood the situation better than Kissinger. “The issue is the life and death of South Vietnam and its 17 million people,” Thieu told the American ambassador, Ellsworth Bunker. “Our position is very unfortunate. We have been very faithful to the Americans, and now _MNMMTI[QN_MIZMJMQVO[IKZQÅKML°1N_MIKKMX\\PM LWK]UMV\I[Q\VW_[\IVL[_M_QTTKWUUQ\[]QKQLM°IVL I will be committing suicide.” QM\VIUMЄMK\Q^MTaW]\ÆIVSQVO\PM;W]\PIVLX]\\QVO\PM+MV\ZIT0QOPTIVL[QV peril should the North Vietnamese decide to attack again QVLMÅIVKMWN\PM\ZMI\a_PQKPQ[M`IK\Ta_PI\\PMaLQL .ZWU\PMJWWS.WZMQOV+WZZM[XWVLMV\Ja0,;/ZMMV_Ia +WXaZQOP\Ja0,;/ZMMV_Ia:MXZQV\MLJaXMZUQ[[QWV of Simon & Schuster Inc.

OPPOSITE: COURTESY WILLIAM TUOHY

)6I^IT:M[MZ^MWЅKMZ,I^QL/ZMMV_Ia[\IZ\MLPQ[KIZMMZI[ITime magazine war correspondent in Indochina QV[XZQVO!¹1\_I[>QM\VIU\PI\WJ[M[[MLUM\PMVº/ZMMV_Ia[IQLIVLPMIKY]QZMLIZMX]\I\QWVNWZJMQVO T]KSa0Q[T]KSZIVW]\QV0]ML]ZQVO\PMQM\VIUM[MÆMMI[\PMaPILLWVM I\9]IVOQM\VIUM[MUIZQVM[IZUML_Q\PVM__QZM̆O]QLMLIV\Q\IVSUQ[[QTM[ÅZMLIOIQVIVL IOIQV¹1\_I[Y]Q\MIVQOP\J]\\PM5a+PIVPTQVMPMTLº/ZMMV_IaZMXWZ\ML <_WUWV\P[TI\MZPM_I[WЄMZMLIRWJ_Q\P\PM Washington Post. In an excerpt from his recently published UMUWQZ/ZMMV_IaTWWS[JIKSWV_PI\PM[I_I[\PM_IZ_I[_QVLQVOLW_V.

PHOTO CREDIT

Bloodied in battle A wounded H.D.S. Greenway rests after being hit at Hue during the Communists’ February 1968 Tet 6ɈLUZP]L

AUGUST 2016

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To be fair to Kissinger, he thought that if the North Vietnamese cheated on the peace agreement, the entire might of the United States could come down hard on the cheaters. But even as Kissinger was negotiating in Paris, the political will to continue the war was crumbling in the United States. American troops were leaving, and ConOZM[[MЄMK\Q^MTaMVLML)UMZQKI¼[ZM\ITQI\WZaKIXIJQTQ\QM[ JaJIVVQVOIVaN]Z\PMZIQZ[\ZQSM[\PMNWTTW_QVO[]UUMZ After some months, the Post named me as its bureau KPQMNQV0WVO3WVO_PMZMUaNIUQTa[M\\TMLJ]\Q\_I[ to Saigon that the Post[MV\UMMIZTaQV!1[WWV LQ[KW^MZML3Q[[QVOMZ¼[KMI[M̆ÅZM_I[QVVIUMWVTa>QM\VIUM[MWVJW\P[QLM[_MZM[\QTTLaQVOJMKI][MMIKP[QLM _I[\ZaQVO\WKWV[WTQLI\MQ\[XW[Q\QWVIVLM`XIVLQ\[ \MZZQ\WZaQM\+WVO ÆIO[5IVaWN\PMIZMI[\PI\\PM)UMZQKIV[PIL\PW]OP\ XIKQÅMLIVL[WTQLTa]VLMZOW^MZVUMV\KWV\ZWT_MZMVW\ 1VIKKWZLIVKM_Q\P\PM\ZMI\a)UMZQKIV\ZWWX[_MZM \WTMI^M>QM\VIUNWZ\P_Q\P7V5IZKP!\PMTI[\ KWV\QVOMV\LMXIZ\MLNZWU;IQOWV¼[QM\VIU /MVMZIT.ZMLMZQKS?MaIVL[\WWLI\I\\MV\QWVQVI[]V52

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JISMLXIZSQVOTW\_PQTMIZMKWZLQVOWN¹QM\VIUM[MKQ^QTQIV[JZWSM\PZW]OP\PM_QZMM^MV JMNWZM\PMTI[\)UMZQKIVPILLMXIZ\MLQM\VIUM[MUQTQ\IZaXWTQKMPMTXML\PMUUW^M\PM[\WTMV goods through the wire. *MKI][M\PM>QM\+WVO_MZMIV`QW][\WTMOQ\QUQbM\PMQZ IZMI[WNKWV\ZWTQV\PI\[XZQVOWN!\PMZM_I[IV WXXWZ\]VQ\a\WQV\MZ^QM_\PMU\PI\PILV¼\JMMVXW[[QJTM JMNWZM.ZIVKM[.Q\b/MZITLIRW]ZVITQ[\WVI[[QOVUMV\ for the 6M_AWZSMZIVL1PI\KPML]XI[KPMUM\W^Q[Q\ the Viet Cong in their forest lair in the contested provQVKMWN+P]WVO
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: AP PHOTO; AP PHOTO/FRANCES STERNER; AP PHOTO/NEAL ULEVICH

At the table Delegates from the United States, South Vietnam, the Viet Cong and North Vietnam sign the Paris Peace Accords, Jan. 27, 1973.

Ticket out A Catholic priest in Saigon watches a helicopter on the U.S. Embassy roof during an evacuation on April 29,1975.

Climbing to safety South Vietnamese attempting to escape a Communist takeover try to scale a 14-foot wall at the U.S. Embassy on April 29, 1975.

was a sort of no-man’s-land between government-controlled areas and the territory of the Provisional Revolutionary Government, as the Viet Cong called themselves. We had sent a small boy into the forest to make contact for us, taking a message saying we were American journalists who would like to tell their story to the world. After a wait that seemed hours long, armed men began to emerge from the tall grass at the forest’s edge. I was very nervous. They were surprisingly young. Only a few carried AK-47s, the standard Soviet assault rifle. Most were armed with captured American M16 rifles and grenade launchers. They carried American field radios too, and most wore dressy Seiko watches with expansion wristbands such as could be bought in the better shops in Saigon. There seemed to be some question of whether we were prisoners or guests, but eventually we were brought to a jungle camp, where a handsome man, obviously in authority, said: “We welcome you, and it does not matter if you are journalists or CIA because we have won the war.” Just before midnight we _MZM\WTL\PI\I[MVQWZWЅKQIT would receive us now. He was clearly an educated man. His conversation ran from battle to Vietnamese poetry. His drift was the absolute conviction that they had won the war. The importance of the Paris agreements was that the Americans had admitted their defeat. I contrast this certainty on the part of the Viet Cong with what the Americans were saying at the time. General Creighton Abrams thought Hanoi was agreeing to peace “because they [have] lost and they [know] it.” But the men of the forest thought otherwise. The Paris accords were just another milestone in the long history of Vietnamese fighting foreigners, said our host. The Americans were sim-

ply going the way of the “Mongols, the Chinese, the Japanese, the French.” These Provisional RevolutionIZa/W^MZVUMV\WЅKQIT[UILM VWMЄWZ\\WPQLM\PMNIK\\PI\\PM North Vietnamese Army was also in the region. The Northerners had come to help their brothers in the South, they said, because there was only one Vietnam. We were given some food, and the talk went on and on into the small hours of the morning. When we started to nod, we were told that it wasn’t every day we got to talk to a high official and that we should stay awake. But it did begin to feel like Scheherazade working on her 900th tale. For Kissinger and Nixon, the peace accords had awarded them peace with honor, or so they thought. But, as I wrote for the Washington Post at the time: “To the PRG of Long My it seemed that peace with honor meant nothing less than the completion of the Vietnamese revolution started so long ago by Ho Chi Minh, and that the American withdrawal and the ceaseÅZMIOZMMUMV\_MZM[QOVQÅKIV\ victories, but by no means the last step along that road.” That TI[\[\MX_I[VW\NIZWЄ The Fall of Saigon In the spring of 1975, on orders from the Washington Post, I went back to Saigon from Phnom Penh, where I had been for many weeks, just before that city fell to the implacable Khmer Rouge. South Vietnam appeared to be collapsing, and that was a bigger story in the eyes of the Post. The entire American enterprise in Indochina was falling apart with a speed no one had anticipated. Thieu, without telling his American allies, had decided on a military evacuation of the Central Highlands to consolidate his forces. The evacuation was illplanned and ended in panic and rout. Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang AUGUST 2016

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On the scene Laotian tribesmen supported by the United States are being evacuated in spring 1970 ahead of a North Vietnamese advance. Greenway is at the top left, reporting for Life magazine.

Trying to get out A South Vietnamese family crouched outside the U.S. Embassy in Saigon goes over evacuation plans on April 24, 1975.

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9PÅLH[[OLYLHK` A Viet Cong soldier with an AK-47 participates in a militia exercise in the Mekong Delta in spring 1973. Greenway was in the delta interviewing =PL[*VUNVɉJPHSZ during that period.

OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY ARNOLD VON BOHLER; AP PHOTO; AP PHOTO/FRANJOLA

and all the coastal cities were falling as South Vietnam’s JMTW_I[_MTTI[ÆW\QTTI[WNPWXMTM[[TaW^MZÅTTMLJWI\[ XIKSML_Q\P>QM\VIUM[MTQSMÆW\[IUIVLRM\[IUTMN\WV once-proud army simply disintegrated. I quoted President Gerald Ford as having recently said the surface after a gigantic ship has gone down. I jotted in my notebook a quote from a James Russell \PI\¹\PM_QTTWN\PM;W]\P>QM\VIUM[MXMWXTM\WÅOP\NWZ their freedom is best evidenced by the fact that they are Lowell poem that is inscribed near the graves of British redcoats who fell at Concord bridge back in MassachuÆMMQVO\PM6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[Mº ¹QM\VIU VIUM[MIZUa¼[JM[\]VQ\[LQ[[WT^ML_Q\PW]\ÅZQVOI[PW\ to do the same thing. The evacuation went on through the night, the last When discipline was gone some of the soldiers vented their rage and frustration by looting and killing peo- JMQVO\ISMVWЄ\PMZWWNMIZTaQV\PMUWZVQVO\PMVM`\ LIa_PMV6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[M\IVS[J]Z[\ ple, and many of the refugees speak with through the gates of Saigon’s presidential contempt and hatred about the venality 1V! \PM palace. and corruption of the Saigon government. Russians were Many central Vietnamese hate the Saigon everywhere, Returning to Saigon OW^MZVUMV\º Seven years later I returned to Saigon, QM\VIUM[MNWZKM[LZM_KTW[MZ they were not hit during the ancient régime’s last days. strangers would clutch at foreigners in the popular. When 6W_W]\[QLM\PMNZWV\LWWZ\PMIJIVLWVML streets of Saigon begging to be rescued. Vietwalking through TMOIKaWN)UMZQKI¼[TW[\_IZ\PMUQ`ML̆ namese friends I had known for years would race children left behind, begged for coins. come with drawn faces to plead for help. It the streets, Upstairs, when the door to my room closed was hard to look into their eyes and not see children would behind me and the bellboy departed, to my an accusation of betrayal. shout “Russian, surprise I found myself in tears. )[LIaTQOP\JZWSMWV)XZQT!![M^:][[QIVº7VM )[1UILMUaZW]VL[QV\MZ^QM_QVO;IQeral of us went across the street and up to gon’s new masters, it became clear that the roof of the Caravelle Hotel. With sinkkid threw a bag Southerners in what had been the Viet Cong ing stomachs we watched the lazy arc of WNM`KZMUMV\ PILJMMV[PW^MLI[QLMJa\PM6WZ\PMZVMZ[ IPMI\̆[MMSQVOUQ[[QTMZQ[M]XIVLÅVLQ\[ at me. and that everything was going to be done way to an airplane, which immediately Hanoi’s way. disintegrated. We knew that very few of Wrongheaded agricultural practices, abandoned in ][_W]TLTMI^M\PMKQ\aITQ^MQN\PM6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[M LMKQLML\WWXXW[M\PM)UMZQKIVIQZM^IK]I\QWV\PI\_I[ later years, were being imposed on Southern farmers. 7VMIT[W[I_[QOV[\PI\6WZ\PMZVMZ[_MZM\ISQVOTIZOM about to begin. AMIZ[TI\MZ\PM6WZ\P>QM\VIUM[MKWUUIVLMZ/MV- Y]IV\Q\QM[WNT]`]ZaOWWL[NIV[IQZKWVLQ\QWVMZ[M^MV eral Van Tien Dung, wrote that he had received instruc- refrigerators, away from Saigon to use in Hanoi and tions from Hanoi to press on with the attack on Saigon W\PMZ6WZ\PMZV\W_V[ 1[XMV\-I[\MZWN! QV0IVWQ\PMÅZ[\\QUM1PIL J]\VW\\WQV\MZNMZM_Q\PIV)UMZQKIVM^IK]I\QWV¸IV JMMVQV\PM6WZ\PQM\VIUQVZM^MITMLIKW]V\Za 1V\PM;W]\P+PQVI;MIIV)UMZQKIVÆMM\TIa_IQ\QVO AUGUST 2016

55

South Vietnam falls ;OLÄYZ[*VTT\UPZ[ ;[HUR[VLU[LY[OL 7YLZPKLU[PHS7HSHJL NYV\UKZ(WYPS 

trying on the garments of capitalism while still keeping political control, much as China had done. Saigon was on its way to becoming a miniature Hong Kong with buildings sprouting and growing ever higher. Like all American visitors, I was surprised by the lack of bitterness. I got a good explanation of that when I met with Vietnamese WЅKQIT[_PW_MZMY]QKS\W[Ia\PI\Q\_I[QUportant for Vietnam to have normal relations with the world’s leading power, especially with a growling China next door. “And it helps to have won,” said a veteran of that long war.

The Revisionists In the years since the fall of Saigon, revisionist theories have sprung up like weeds. It was said that we had actually won the war by 1972, that the South Vietnamese could have held on after our troops had left if only Congress had not closed down the war and refused to allow the United States to retaliate when the North Vietnamese broke everything agreed upon in Paris. But the South Vietnamese leader[PQX_I[VM^MZIJTM\WQV[\QTTI[MV[MWNLMLQKI\QWVIVL[IKZQÅKMNWZ their cause. The Communists represented nationalism, while the South always appeared to be the puppet of foreigners, and steeped in corruption at that. I had seen the South Vietnamese hold the My Chanh line against +WUU]VQ[\I\\IKSQV\PM-I[\MZ7ЄMV[Q^MWN!_Q\P\PMPMTXWN )UMZQKIVÅZMXW_MZJ]\VW\)UMZQKIVOZW]VL\ZWWX[:M^Q[QWVQ[\[ have used this battle to say that if only we had supported the South in 1975, Saigon wouldn’t have lost the war. I do not buy that argument. Once the Paris Peace Accords allowed the North Vietnamese to ZMUIQVQV\PM+MV\ZIT0QOPTIVL[W]\ÆIVSQVO\PM;W]\P>QM\VIUM[M the country’s fate was sealed. Besides, no matter how many times the North Vietnamese were halted, they always had the option to OWPWUMTQKS\PMQZ_W]VL[IVLXZMXIZMNWZaM\IVW\PMZWЄMV[Q^M 5IVaaMIZ[IN\MZ\PM_IZ1UM\NWZUMZ,MNMV[M;MKZM\IZa:WJMZ\ McNamara, who had just written a book admitting that he and the Kennedy and Johnson administrations had been all wrong about the war. He said he had never understood that the war was more about Vietnamese nationalism than it was about communism. He and a team of Americans journeyed to Hanoi to talk to Vietnamese about how it had all seemed from their point of view. The AmeriKIV[PILJMTQM^ML\PI\QN\PMaQVÆQK\MLMVW]OPXIQVWV\PM>QM\VIUese—bombed them and killed them in great numbers—there would come a time when they would throw in the towel. When McNamara brought this up with his Vietnamese interlocutors, they told him, to the contrary, the bombing had actually increased morale. No strategy or tactic short of genocide, McNamara concluded, would have won the war for us. In Vietnam it was the other side who, in President John F. Kennedy’s words, were willing to pay any price, bear any burden, in defense of what they considered most QUXWZ\IV\"\PMZM]VQÅKI\QWVWN\PMQZKW]V\ZaIVL\PMM`X]T[QWVWN foreign armies. V 56

VIETNAM

AP PHOTO/YVES BILLY

Americans believed if \PMaQVÆQK\ML enough pain on the Vietnamese— bombed them and killed them in great numbers— there would come a time when they would throw in the towel. The bombing had actually improved morale.

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Blood on His Hands: JFK’S Costly Blunders The Lost Mandate of Heaven: The American Betrayal of Ngo Dinh Diem, President of Vietnam Ja/MWЄZMa,<;PI_ 1OVI\Q][8ZM[[

58

VIETNAM

Being re-evaluated President John F. Kennedy talks with Averell Harriman, assistant secretary of state for the Far East, on July 18,1963.

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Even if you are unswayed by Shaw’s revisionist presentation of Diem’s character and leadership, you have to question the Orwellian logic of the Kennedy administration’s support for his removal: Led by the Harriman faction, Kennedy’s top advisers concluded that Diem was not “democratic enough” to suit them, so they colluded in a bloody coup d’état that murdered Diem and replaced his elected government with a military dictatorship! The Kennedy administration’s complicity in the military cabal’s coup was hardly a shining example of democracy in action. Even North Vietnam’s leadership was astonished that the United States had conspired to eliminate the South Vietnamese leader the Communists most feared.

Shaw also recounts another inexcusable Kennedy blunder that arguably was his administration’s worst mistake LQZMK\TaQVÆ]MVKQVO\PM war: the egregiously inept decision binding the United States by interna\QWVIT\ZMI\a\WWЅKQITTa honor the “neutrality” of Laos. Signed in Geneva on July 23, 1962, by the United States and 14 other nations—notably North Vietnam and its principal Communist supporters, China and the Soviet Union, who enthusiastically approved it—the one-sided treaty, based on “unenforceable neutrality,” was a farce from inception. Hanoi immediately violated the agreement, sending thousands of North Vietnamese Army troops (joining Laotian Communist allies, the Pathet Lao) to occupy Laos’ entire eastern half and construct the extensive logistical network,

known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was vital for North Vietnam’s prosecution of the war. North Vietnam had maintained logistical routes and bases in Laos since at least 1958 to supply Viet Cong guerrillas in South Vietnam. It is hardly an exaggeration to state that every American killed in ground combat in South Vietnam during the war died from a bullet, rocket-propelled grenade, mortar round, artillery shell or hand grenade brought south via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. There was no other practical means for Hanoi to get the instruments of death south other than through “neutral” Laos. Thanks to Kennedy’s unconscionably foolish Laos treaty—“forged by Harriman,” Shaw points out— North Vietnam had free rein to exploit this monumental advantage. Although the United States bombed the Laotian trails, the massive MЄWZ\_I[LQ[IXXWQV\QVOTaQVMЄMKtual. And the ill-fated 1971 Laos

incursion by U.S.-supported South Vietnamese ground troops proved far too little and much too late. Shaw’s insightful book shows that Vietnam War historians must stop giving Kennedy a pass. Clearly, Kennedy has blood on his hands— Diem’s and that of an untold number of American GIs. —Jerry D. Morelock

A Noble Cause: American *I\\TMÅMTL>QK\WZQM[QV>QM\VIU by Douglas Niles, Berkley Caliber, 2015 Those who enjoy reading accounts of American ground combat actions in the Vietnam War will undoubtedly like this book on battles fought and won by the Army and

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the Marine Corps between 1965 and 1972. It covers the engagements you would expect to be included—Operation Starlight (1965), Ia Drang (1965), Operation Attleboro (1966), Iron Triangle (1967), Operation Junction City (1967), Siege of Khe Sanh (1968), Tet Offensive (1968) and Hamburger Hill (1969)—but also discusses some that are less well known, such as 5IZQVMIK\QWV[I\\PMÅZ[\JI\\TMWN 3PM;IVP!IVL\PMÅOP\\W secure Dong Ha (1968). The book features 14 battles, and \PMÅVITIK\QWV)V4WK!Q[I departure from the others, which were waged by U.S. Army and Marine ground forces. The Battle WN)V4WKWVMWN\PMSMa^QK\Wries during the North Vietnamese -I[\MZ7ЄMV[Q^M_I[NW]OP\IVL won by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, accompanied by U.S. advisers and decisively supported by American air power. The battle is a welcome addition, showcasing the often-overlooked but vital role XTIaMLJa)UMZQKIVWЅKMZ[IVL VWVKWUUQ[[QWVMLWЅKMZ[NZWUITT the services who trained, guided IVL_PMVVMKM[[IZaI[I\)V4WK fought alongside their South Vietnamese counterparts. After a brief introduction, chapters on each of the 14 combat actions are presented in chronological order. These are all solid accounts, which is to be expected, since it seems from the short bibliography that the author has based them XZQUIZQTaWVWЅKQITPQ[\WZQM[X]Jlished by the U.S. Army Center of Military History and the U.S. Marine Corps History and Museums Division. All 16 maps are reproduced from the ones created for \PW[MWЅKQITPQ[\WZQM[5IVaWN\PM Army and Marine Corps histories, however, can be read in full online— readers seeking new information and fresh insight on these battles _WV¼\ÅVL\PMUQVA Noble Cause. A further criticism is that the JWWSMVL[IJZ]X\Ta_Q\P)V4WK1\

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SPECIAL EVENTS 7/13TH ARTILLERY (VIETNAM) REUNION ALL RED DRAGON BATTERIES. Louisville, KY, Embassy Suites. September 28th - October 2nd. Call Robert Adams: (859) 806-5199 or Jon Taylor: (603) 677-6570.

_W]TLPI^MJMVMÅ\\MLNZWUIÅVITKPIX\MZQV_PQKP\PMI]\PWZ UQOP\PI^M[PIZMLPQ[\PW]OP\[IVITa[M[IVLKWVKT][QWV[JMaWVL\PW[MJZQMÆa\W]KPML]XWVQV\PMQV\ZWL]K\QWVIVLQVPQ[ KTW[QVO[MV\MVKM[QVMIKPWN\PMJI\\TMKPIX\MZ[.WZM`IUXTM _PI\KWUUWV\PZMIL[¸TMILMZ[PQX\IK\QKIT[SQTTÅZMXW_MZIVL UWJQTQ\a\PMKW]ZIOMIVL[IKZQÅKMWN[WTLQMZ[IVL5IZQVM[¸_MZM \PMSMa[\W\PM[MJI\\TMÅMTL^QK\WZQM[[XIVVQVO[M^MVaMIZ[' 6WZLW_MTMIZVPW_\PMI]\PWZKPW[M\PM\Q\TM#XZM[]UIJTa Q\¼[NZWU:WVITL:MIOIV¼[)]O][\! XZM[QLMV\QITVWUQVI\QWVIKKMX\IVKM[XMMKP"¹1\¼[\QUM_MZMKWOVQbM\PI\W]Z[_I[ QV\Z]\PIVWJTMKI][MºQM\VIU?IZ\PMUIQV[\Ia)UMZQKIV TWVOIZU_I[\PM/IZIVL5[MUQI]\WUI\QKZQÆMWN?WZTL ?IZ11NIUM#I\Q\[KWVKT][QWVQ\_I[\PM5*]\NWZ\PMLMKILMWZ[WQVJM\_MMV=;NWZKM[ZMTQMLXZQUIZQTaWV\PM5 QM\VIU QM\VIUQ\_I[VM^MZKWUXTM\MTaIJIVLWVML)[MZQM[WN5[[XMKQITTaUILMNWZIKK]ZIKaQVUIZS[UIV[PQXKWUXM\Q\QWV[M^WT^MLQV\W\PM@5IVL5[VQXMZ ZQÆM[\PI\ITWVO_Q\P\PM5[I_M`\MV[Q^M][MQVKWVÆQK\[ NZWU>QM\VIU\W)NOPIVQ[\IV >IZQIV\[WN\PM5IZM[\QTT][MLJaUIVaIZUQM[IVLQ\[ XWX]TIZQ\aPI[SMX\\PMZQÆMQVKQ^QTQIV][M)OWWLUIVaWN \PW[M5[IZMTQKMV[M̆XZWL]KMLJaQZWVQKITTa\_WJ][QVM[[M[ QV\PM8MWXTM¼[:MX]JTQKWN+PQVII[]XXWZ\MZWN\PMMVMUa\PI\ )UMZQKIV[_MZM\ZaQVO\WSQTT_Q\P\PMZQÆMQV>QM\VIU )]\PWZ
63

A dog’s best friend Jon Provost made his mark on American popular culture at the tender age of 7, when he played Timmy 5IZ\QVQV\PMKTI[[QK<>[PW_Lassie. Provost, who had

started acting as a toddler in 1953, played Timmy for seven years !̆[\IZZQVO_Q\P2]VM4WKSPIZ\IVL0]OP:MQTTaI[PQ[ adoptive parents. Provost left showbiz at 18 and moved to Northern California. In 2008 he wrote his autobiography, Timmy’s in the Well. Today Provost still does some acting and is an active supporter of IVQUITZQOP\[0MPI[[MZ^MLWV\PMJWIZLWN+IVQVM+WUXIVQWV[ for Independence for more than two decades. The red-checkered sports shirt and blue jeans Timmy wore are in the Smithsonian 1V[\Q\]\QWV¼[6I\QWVIT5][M]U WN)UMZQKIV0Q[\WZa8ZW^W[\¼[ website is www.jonprovost.com.

On Lassie’s continuing popularity: We did over 250 PITN̆PW]ZMXQ[WLM[5WZM\PIVaMIZ[TI\MZ\PM[PW_ is still on in over 50 countries. I get fan mail from all over the world. I’ll be walking down the street or in a supermarket, and somebody will come up to me and say, “Excuse me. You look like that boy who was on Lassie.” It’s good because nobody ever came up and said they hated Lassie. What the show meant to the troops in Vietnam: I got a letter from a veteran who said that while he was in the hospital they ran some Lassie episodes on TV and he was able to escape mentally, if only for half an hour, and NWZOM\PQ[W_VXIQVIVLMVRWa\PM[PW_0M[IQL¹AW]OW\ quite a few of us through some hard times.” 64

VIETNAM

Growing out of the part: I had a seven-year contract. The studio wanted to extend it for three more years, but I was 14. I was tired of being Timmy. I was going through puberty. I was looking at girls, and they were looking at me like I was that little boy. I wanted out. Supporting the troops: After Lassie, I did a lot of USO shows in the States. Lassie and I would do a little show on the stage. And I’d talk to the guys. On June Lockhart: June Lockhart is doing great; just turned 90 and is still working. For years we’ve talked about doing a remake of Lassie, where I have moved to the big city and have a family and want to get back to my roots, back to the farm. But producers would rather do Naked and Afraid or something. Supporting war dogs: When we left Vietnam, we left \PMLWO[1\_I[PWZZQJTM6W_\PIVS/WLCUQTQ\IZaE dogs are adopted by their handlers when they return. The United States War Dogs Association sends care packages all over the world—mainly Afghanistan, to \PMO]a[NWZ\PMQZLWO[¸_Q\P\ZMI\[IVL\Wa[IVL[\]Є They asked if I would get a photograph of me and Lassie to include in this package. I’m signing 4,000 photos, and I hope it brings a smile to their faces. ¸1V\MZ^QM_Ja5IZK4MMX[WV

LEFT: PHOTO BY CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT: COURTESY JON PROVOST

How he got the role in Lassie: I had already been in more than 10 movies and some early live television. In 1956 the producers of Lassie were looking for a young boy to replace Tommy :M\\QO_PWXTIaML2MЄC5QTTMZ QV\PMÅZ[\\PZMM[MI[WV[E0M had outgrown the part. I met with the proL]KMZ[
0W_\PQVO[_MZMLQЄMZMV\\PMV" I would get hundreds of pieces of fan mail, and my mother would answer all of them. She would put our return address on the envelope and even our telephone number. People would show up to our house unexpectedly, but they _W]TLV¼\ JM Z]LM 5WU _W]TL MVL up bringing some of these kids to \PM[\]LQW1\_I[ILQЄMZMV\\QUM

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