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Colt Reissues Vietnam-era M16 Firearm +WTTMK\WZ[WNPQ[\WZQKÅZMIZU[ÅVLQ\ relatively easy to obtain weapons from the two world wars, but have had a tough time getting guns from \PM>QM\VIU?IZJMKI][MWNÅZMIZU[ laws and military policy. But now Colt Manufacturing Co. is bringing JIKS\PM5 )ZQÆMI[IXMZQWL̆ accurate reissue, according to Task & Purpose website. Expected to cost $2,499, the Colt Vietnam-era M16 ZMXTQKI[\Ia[\Z]M\W\PMLM\IQT[WN\PMZQÆM\PI\_I[\PM standard infantry weapon in Vietnam from 1967 through the end of the war. )VW\PMZKWUXIVaÅZMIZU[UIV]NIK\]ZMZ
,MNMV[MQ[WЄMZQVOZMXZWL]K\QWV[WN>QM\VIU[XMKQIT WXMZI\QWV[_MIXWV[[]KPI[\PM/)=̆ ))ZQÆMKIZried during the raid on the Son Tay prison camp in ! IVL\PM@5 -ZQÆM_PQKP_I[][MLJaIV elite covert force, the Studies and Observation Group, on missions in Laos and Cambodia.
FAREWELL
Retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, one of the most recognizable names of the Vietnam War because of a book and movie about his leadership in the Battle of Ia Drang, died Feb. 10, 2017, in Alabama. He was 94. During the November 1965 battle, Moore, a lieutenant colonel, commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), QV\PM)ZUa¼[ÅZ[\ÅOP\_Q\PITIZOM North Vietnamese Army force. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. Moore’s We Were Soldiers Once… and Young, co-written with journalist Joe Galloway, became a movie in 2002 with Mel Gibson as Moore. 12
VIETNAM
Charles Liteky, an Army chaplain during the Vietnam War turned outspoken peace activist, died Jan. 20, 2017, in San Francisco, at 85. Liteky was awarded the Medal of Honor for dragging 23 soldiers to safety without a weapon on Dec. 6, 1967, in Bien Hoa province. One of three chaplains who received the Medal of Honor in Vietnam, Liteky is believed to be the only person to return it. He left the medal at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to protest Reagan administration policies in Central America in 1986. Liteky, ordained in 1960, left the priesthood in 1975 and married a former nun in 1983. He recently wrote a memoir.
Marilyn Young, historian and anti-war activist, died Feb. 19, 2017, in New York, at 79. After attending Harvard University on a full scholarship, Young taught history at the University of Michigan and then for 35 years at New York University. Focusing on U.S. foreign relations, she wrote about the Vietnam War, other American military actions and human rights. One of her most noted works is The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990, which won the Berkshire Women’s History Prize. Young was a longtime anti-war activist and a founder of an organization of Asia scholars opposed to the Vietnam War.
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1LWV¼\[MMIVa\PQVO_ZWVO_Q\P giving veterans preference
What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of \PM,MXIZ\UMV\WN>M\MZIV[)ЄIQZ[' Once veterans OM\QV\W\PM[a[\MUIVLOM\\PMQZPMIT\PKIZMUW[\WN \PMUIZM[I\Q[ÅML8WTa\ZI]UI[XQVITKWZLQVR]ZQM[IVL \ZI]UI\QKJZIQVQVR]ZQM[IZM\PQVO[\PM>)Q[^MZaOWWL I\;\QTT\PMZMIZMTQUQ\I\QWV[ Born: June 27, 1959, QVIKKM[[\WKIZM
VIETNAM
OWTL[\IVLIZLQV\PQ[KW]V\Za
DAN WILLIAMS
Few members of Congress get as sweeping I^QM_WN^M\MZIV[Q[[]M[I[2MЄ5QTTMZ[I_ during six years as chairman of the House >M\MZIV[)ЄIQZ[+WUUQ\\MM5QTTMZJMKIUM chairman of the committee in January 2011 IVL[MZ^MLQV\PI\XW[Q\QWV]V\QTPMZM\QZML from Congress when his eighth term ZMXZM[MV\QVO.TWZQLI¼[[\+WVOZM[[QWVIT ,Q[\ZQK\M`XQZMLQV2IV]IZa
ROMAN GLADIATORS FROZEN IN TIME FOR OVER 1,600 YEARS
Found: 1,600-Year-Old Roman Gladiator Coins Hold the Glory of Rome In the Palm of Your Hand hen your famous father appoints you Caesar at age 7, you’re stepping W into some very big sandals. But when that father is Emperor Constantine the Great, those sandals can be epic! Constantius II, became Caesar at 7, and a Roman Emperor at age 20. Today, he is remembered for helping continue his father’s work of bringing Christianity to the Roman Empire, as well as for his valiant leadership in battle. But for many collectors, his strongest legacy is having created one of the most fascinating and unique bronze coins in the history of the Roman Empire: the “Gladiator’s Paycheck”.
the Gladiators Paycheck Roman bronze coins were the “silver dollars” of their day. They were the coins used for daily purchases, as well as for the payment of wages. Elite Roman Gladiators—paid to do battle before cheering crowds in the Colosseum— often received their monthly ‘paycheck’ in the form of Roman bronze coins. But this particular Roman bronze has a gladiator pedigree like no other! Minted between 348 to 361 AD, the Emperor’s portrait appears on one side of this coin. The other side depicts a literal clash of the gladiators. One warrior raises his spear menacingly at a second warrior on horseback. Frozen in bronze for over 1,600 years, the drama of this moment can still be felt when you hold the coin. Surrounding this dramatic scene is a Latin inscription—a phrase you would never expect in a million years!
Happy Days are Here Again The Latin inscription surrounding the gladiators reads: “Happy Days are Here Again” (Fel Temp Reparatio). You see, at the time these coins were designed,
the Emperor had just won several important military battles against the foes of Rome. At the same time, Romans were preparing to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Rome. To mark these momentous occasions, this new motto was added and the joyful inscription makes complete sense.
A Miracle of Survival for 1,600 Years For more than sixteen centuries, these stunning coins have survived the rise and fall of empires, earthquakes, floods and two world wars. The relatively few Roman bronze coins that have survived to this day were often part of buried treasure hoards, hidden away centuries ago until rediscovered and brought to light. These authentic Roman coins can be found in major museums around the world. But today, thanks to GovMint. com, you can find them a little closer to home: your home! Claim your very own genuine Roman Gladiator Bronze Coin for less than $40 (plus s/h). Each coin is protected in a clear acrylic holder for preservation and display. A Certificate of Authenticity accompanies your coin. Unfortunately, quantities are extremely limited. Less than 2,000 coins are currently available. Demand is certain to be overwhelming so call now for your best chance at obtaining this authentic piece of the Roman Empire.
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Another health issue facing many Vietnam veterans, \PW]OPVW\TQUQ\ML\W\PMUQ[XW[\̆\ZI]UI\QK[\ZM[[ What should be done to assist them?)[>QM\VIU^M\MZIV[IOM\PMaÅVL\PMU[MT^M[M`XZM[[QVOUWZMIVL UWZMXW[\̆\ZI]UI\QK[\ZM[[[aUX\WU[1\PQVSQ\¼[QUXWZ\IV\NWZITT^M\MZIV[\W]VLMZ[\IVL\PI\Q\LWM[V¼\UI\\MZ QN\PMWV[M\KWUM[ aMIZ[IN\MZKWUJI\)[UWZMXMWXTM [MMS\ZMI\UMV\W]ZPMIT\PKIZMXZW^QLMZ[_QTTJMIJTM\W better understand the triggers and treatments. The one thing that concerns me is that veterans who OM\ILQ[IJQTQ\aZI\QVOIVL[\IZ\ZMKMQ^QVOILQ[IJQTQ\aXIaUMV\IZMVW\ZMY]QZML\WOM\\ZMI\UMV\CNWZXW[\̆\ZI]UI\QK [\ZM[[E 1\¼[ QUXWZ\IV\ \W 6W KWUXMV[I\M ^M\MZIV[ÅVIVKQITTaNWZ\PMLQ[IJQTQ\aJ]\IT[W_MVMML\W ÅVL_Ia[\WPMTX\PMU\WLMIT_Q\P\PQ[LQ[WZLMZ A related issue is the comparatively high rate of suiKQLM[IUWVO^M\MZIV[0W_[PW]TL\PI\JMILLZM[[ML' Statistics show that veterans who seek treatment in the >)IZMTM[[IX\\W\ISM\PMQZW_VTQ^M[
VIETNAM
homeless won’t or can’t break an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Most homeless shelters require you not to drink, not to do drugs, and that’s LQЅK]T\NWZ[WUM I have worked with Bobby ;PZQ^MZCINWZUMZUIaWZWN;IV\I 5WVQKI+ITQNWZVQIIVLVMXPM_WN2WPV.3MVVMLaEIVL IOZW]XQV?M[\4)\WJ]QTLI^QTTIOMNWZPWUMTM[[^M\MZIV[WV\PMKIUX][WN\PM>)UMLQKITKMV\MZ\PMZMVM`\ \W=+4)1\Q[>)XZWXMZ\aJ]\IXZQ^I\MKWVKMZV_QTTJ]QTL the housing units, which will be near the medical center, IV]Z[QVOPWUMITTWN\PM\PQVO[aW]VMMLNZWUIPMIT\P KIZMXMZ[XMK\Q^M?MÅVITTaPI^MXI[[MLI]\PWZQbI\QWV TIVO]IOMITTW_QVO\PM>)\WLWQ\IVL1¼U^MZaIV`QW][ NWZ\PMU\WJMOQV
Mr. Chairman Issues of concern to Vietnam vets were often on the agenda when Jeff Miller led the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
The federal government has instituted hiring preferences for veterans, but some critics say those laws [P]\W]\WXXWZ\]VQ\QM[NWZY]ITQÅMLVWV^M\MZIV[,W they have a point?
STARS AND STRIPES
The VA has faced lawsuits and other challenges over MTQOQJQTQ\aNWZLQ[IJQTQ\aJMVMÅ\[KWVKMZVQVOM`XW[]ZM to the poisonous Agent Orange sprayed over South >QM\VIU
AN EXCEPTIONAL SALUTE
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TO 240 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE Our finest tribute, crafted of richly colored Heirloom Porcelain®
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Serving With Distinction
Neither the Department of the Navy nor any other component of the Department of Defense has approved, endorsed, or authorized this product. ©2016 BGE 01-24175-001-BIR
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With an illustrious history that stretches back to the struggles that founded our country, the U.S. Navy has served with distinction and produced generations of lionhearted men including six U.S. presidents. Now the Navy and the sailors who have made it great are given our finest tribute: The Navy 9345 Milwaukee Avenue · Niles, IL 60714-1393 YES. Please reserve the NAVY VALUES Values Masterpiece Stein. Crafted of Heirloom Porcelain® colored maritime blue, it’s filled with design Masterpiece Stein for me as described in this elements that mark it as uniquely Navy. The Navy Core Values, official symbol, and even the unofficial announcement. Limit: one per order. Please Respond Promptly Latin motto can all be found. The centerpiece however is the sculpted medallion that’s finished in 22K Mrs. Mr. Ms. gold and hand-set on the front. Flanking it are accurately rendered patch elements. A zinc alloy topper Name (Please Print Clearly) with an eagle adorned in the stars and stripes completes the top. A Navy emblem on the thumb rest atop Address the handle embellished with golden braiding finishes this stately, 32-ounce, drink-safe masterwork.
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June 4 Mission: Impossible wins three Emmy awards, including best drama and best actress in a drama (Barbara Bain).
MAY-JUNE
1967
May 12 The Jimi Hendrix Experience band LMJ]\[Q\[ÅZ[\ITJ]U Are You Experienced, showcasing the electric guitar sounds of the band’s leader—who served JZQMÆaQV\PM)ZUa¸_Q\P tracks like rock classic “Purple Haze.”
June 1 The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is released. The album, which includes “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “With a Little Help from My Friends,” was No. 1 in the U.S. from July 1 to Oct. 7. June 12 The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules in Loving v. Virginia that Virginia’s law banning interracial marriages was unconstitutional. Virginians Richard and Mildred Loving, legally married in the District of Columbia, had been arrested when they returned home. 18
VIETNAM
June 15
June 16-18 The Monterey International Pop Festival in California draws big stars and big crowds to one of the earliest outdoor rock extravaganzas. The musicians QVKT]LML2MЄMZ[WV)QZplane, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Simon & Garfunkel and Jimi Hendrix.
May 9 2WPV[WVILUQVQ[\ZI\QWVWЅKQIT :WJMZ\3WUMZQ[I[[QOVML\WKZMI\MIVL TMIL\PM+Q^QTQIV7XMZI\QWV[IVL:M^WT]\QWVIZa,M^MTWXUMV\;]XXWZ\KW]V\MZQV[]ZOMVKaXZWOZIUQV;W]\P>QM\VIU +7:,;W^MZ[I_\PMKWUJQVMLMЄWZ\[WN UQTQ\IZaIVLKQ^QTQIVWZOIVQbI\QWV[¸ QVKT]LQVO\PM;\I\M,MXIZ\UMV\+1) =;)OMVKaNWZ1V\MZVI\QWVIT,M^MTWXUMV\=;1VNWZUI\QWV)OMVKaIVL =;8]JTQK0MIT\P;MZ^QKM¸\PI\_MZM QV^WT^MLQV¹XIKQÅKI\QWVºIVQVQ\QI\Q^M \WKW]V\MZ+WUU]VQ[\QVÆ]MVKMQVZ]ZIT IZMI[\PZW]OPMKWVWUQKIVL[WKQIT LM^MTWXUMV\KWUJQVML_Q\PMVPIVKML ^QTTIOM[MK]ZQ\a May 18-28*I\\ITQWV[NZWU \P!\P IVL \P=;5IZQVMZMOQUMV\[IVL ;W]\P>QM\VIU¼[IZUa[]XXWZ\ML JaMTMUMV\[WN=;6I^a \P.TMM\ KWVL]K\7XMZI\QWV0QKSWZa[MIZKP̆ IVL̆LM[\ZWaUQ[[QWV[VMIZ\PM,MUQTQ\IZQbMLBWVMQVIVIZMIWN9]IVO
June 21
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2=6-
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Shotgun loader The process of opening the barrel to insert the round also cocked the weapon.
Accurate sighting The folding rear sight could be adjusted for range and provided accuracy up to 375 meters.
Shoulder saver A rubber pad absorbed some of the recoil.
Enhanced grip Some grenadiers wrapped electrician’s tape around the stock to reinforce it and improve their grip when sweating in the heat.
M79 GRENADE LAUNCHER ,M^MTWXMLQV\PM! [IVLMV\MZQVO[MZ^QKMQV! \WZMXTIKMZQÆMOZMVILM[I[IVQVNIV\Za platoon support weapon, the M79 single-shot grenade launcher looks like a large-bore sawedWЄ[PW\O]VIVLÅZM[I UUOZMVILM
VIETNAM
Rounds: ̆Jă UUOZMVILM[ Weight: 6 pounds MUX\a Overall length: 29 inches Barrel length: QVKPM[ Ammunition: PQOP̆M`XTW[Q^M tear gas, canister J]KS[PW\XMTTM\[ [UWSMZW]VL[ Ammo weight: W]VKM[ :I\MWNÅZM" \W ZW]VL[XMZUQV]\M Muzzle velocity: UM\MZ[ ! NMM\XMZ[MKWVL Maximum range: UM\MZ[ aIZL[
GREGORY PROCH
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“To you, it’s the perfect lift chair. To me, it’s the best sleep chair I’ve ever had.” — J. Fitzgerald, VA
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Our Perfect Sleep Chair® is just the chair to do it all. It’s a chair, true – the finest of lift chairs – but this chair is so much more! It’s designed to provide total comfort and relaxation not found in other chairs. It can’t be beat for comfortable, long-term sitting, TV viewing, relaxed reclining and – yes! – peaceful sleep. Our chair’s recline technology allows you to pause the chair in an infinite number of positions, including the Trendelenburg position and the zero gravity position where your body experiences a minimum of internal and external stresses. You’ll love the other benefits, too: It helps with correct spinal alignment, promotes back pressure relief, and encourages This lift chair puts you better posture to prevent back and muscle pain. safely on your feet!
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We’ve all had nights when we just can’t lie down in bed and sleep, whether it’s from heartburn, cardiac problems, hip or back aches – it could be a variety of reasons. Those are the nights we’d give anything for a comfortable chair to sleep in, one that reclines to exactly the right degree, raises feet and legs to precisely the desired level, supports the head and shoulders properly, operates easily even in the dead of night, and sends a hopeful sleeper right off to dreamland.
Easy-to-use remote for heat, recline and lift
A SERGEANT’S PRAYER IS ANSWERED
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The cavalry came to the rescue at Loc Ninh *a2MЄ0IZ^Ma
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VIETNAM
AP PHOTO/HORST FAAS
ieutenant Ed Knoll was awakened by his foot being gently pushed, the cautious and safe method of waking someone in combat. A handset was shoved in his face, and the radio telephone operator said, “EL TEE, ]ZOMV\KITTNZWU,MÅIV\º\PMJI\\ITQWVWXMZI\QWV[WЅKMZ¼[KITT[QOV1\_I[IVWXMZI\QWV[ ITMZ\NWZ3VWTTIÅZ[\TQM]\MVIV\IVLKWUUIVLMZWN)TXPI+WUXIVa[\*I\\ITQWV \P 1VNIV\Za:MOQUMV\\PM*TIKS4QWV[[\1VNIV\Za,Q^Q[QWV
On alert Two years before they were battling the North Vietnamese Army at Loc Ninh, soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, were fighting the Viet Cong in an operation 40 kilometers northwest of Saigon. JUNE 2017
23
Cambodia LOC NINH BATTLE Sept. 12-15, 1968
Loc Ninh
Quan Loi An Loc
South Vietnam
13
1st Division Area of Operations
Saigon
Alpha’s leader The Alpha Company commander at the Loc Ninh battle, Lt. Ed Knoll, in glasses, confers with Spc. 4 Washington Norfleet, holding an M79 grenade launcher, and radio operator Spc. 4 Dan Hatch.
24
VIETNAM
In the line of fire Staff Sgt. Terry Richardson of Alpha Company’s Lima Platoon, after calling in air strikes, was shot by a sniper in a tree.
OPPOSITE TOP: COURTESY TERRY RICHARDSON; BOTTOM: KEVIN BUCKLEY; THIS PAGE TOP: GUY ACETO; BOTTOM LEFT: U.S. ARMY; BOTTOM RIGHT: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The Reconnaissance Platoon was held at the airstrip. Each of the maneuver elements had only one gun of artillery. Fitzpatrick’s battalion was receiving all available artillery []XXWZ\NWZQ\[ÅOP\,MT\IUILMQ\[[_MMX without any contact and returned to the airstrip to provide night security. This would not be the case for Alpha and Charlie companies. At 2 p.m., a helicopter gunship was shot down southeast of Fitzpatrick’s men. The recon platoon from Rew’s battalion was ÆW_V\WITIVLQVObWVMVMIZ\PMLW_VML chopper.As the platoon moved out from the 4BQ\KIUM]VLMZI\\IKS[]ЄMZMLKI[]IT\QM[ IVLPILLQЅK]T\aZM\]ZVQVO\W\PMTIVLQVO [Q\M]VLMZ\PMPMI^aÅZM*a"XU_Q\P artillery and gunship support, the recon platoon got back to the LZ and was lifted out _Q\PQ\[KI[]IT\QM[JaXU Meanwhile, Alpha and Charlie made light KWV\IK\_Q\P\PMMVMUaIJW]\" XUJ]\ JaXUJW\P]VQ\[_MZMQVPMI^aÅOP\QVO with Knoll’s Alpha Company in the more KZQ\QKIT[Q\]I\QWV-
grenades and mortars to the barrage. Mike Platoon’s leader reported at least eight killed and four wounded. He requested help to get the casualties out. Knoll, howM^MZJMTQM^ML\PMMVMUaÅZM_I[\WWPMI^a NWZIZM\ZQM^ITMЄWZ\¸\PMKI[]IT\QM[_MZM “bait in the trap.” Therefore, he moved Lima and November platoons on line with a gap JM\_MMV\PMUTIQLLW_VIJI[MWNÅZMIVL directed Mike Platoon’s leader to pull his unit back through the gap. 3VWTT\PMV\WWS)TXPIJIKS \WUM\MZ[IVLM[\IJTQ[PMLI ̆LMOZMMLMNMV[Q^M perimeter. In front of the perimeter were placed Claymore mines, which shoot out hundreds of steel pellets after being detonated from a safe distance using an electric wire. ¹1KWV\IK\ML,MÅIV\QVNWZUQVOPQUWN our situation, the need for maximum artilTMZa[]XXWZ\IVLIVaW\PMZÅZM[]XXWZ\I^IQTable,” Knoll recalled. “While reporting, I could [MM \W 6>) _WZSQVO \PMQZ _Ia around us. The rubber plantation was crawling with NVA. In short order we were surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned with mortars and RPGs hitting the rubber trees.” )TXPI¼[ WVM UU PW_Q\bMZ _I[V¼\ enough in this situation. Two helicopter gun[PQX[¸=0̆ 1ZWY]WQ[ ¹0]Ma[º¸ÆM_ QV \W PMTX*]\ZIQV[\IZ\MLKWUQVOLW_V\WWPIZL for Alpha to mark its position for the copters with smoke grenades, and the Hueys returned to Loc Ninh. Private Himmer of Lima Platoon was crawling back into Alpha Company’s perimeter after setting up his Claymore mines when a RPG whooshed over his head, exXTWLQVOWVI\ZMM
There were rumors that the1st Battalion’s Alpha Co. in the Black Lions of the “Big Red One” division had been overrun and wiped out.
Enemy threat A female Viet Cong soldier fires a rocket-propelled grenade like those used against Alpha Company at Loc Ninh.
Perimeter protection Alpha Company placed Claymore mines between its men and the advancing enemy.
J= 2 U6 NE 2 0 1 7
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MAP: PAUL FISHER; TOP: AP PHOTO/HORST FAAS; CENTER LEFT: U.S. ARMY; CENTER RIGHT: BETTMAN/GETTY IMAGES: BELOW: U.S.ARMY
Loc Ninh Contacts with NVA, Sept. 12-15, 1968
Rescue crews The 11th Armored Cavalry, here near Saigon in 1966, rode to Alpha in armored assault vehicles.
Orders from above The 1st Division commander, Maj. Gen. Keith Ware, issued orders to Alpha Company’s Lt. Ed Knoll from his helicopter above the battlefield.
The big guns Troops of the 11th Armored Cavalry check out a newly arrived M1 155 mm howitzer at a rubber plantation near Loc Ninh a year after the September 1968 battle.
Fireworks Red tracer bullets from American guns are used to improve accuracy during fighting at Loc Ninh in fall 1967. JJUUNNEE 22001177
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On the move Armored cavalry assault vehicles roll across Vietnam’s war-torn terrain, in an unidentified location.
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red circle to mark targets for the jet pilots. For much of \PMVQOP\PMLZWXXMLÆIZM[IVLJZW]OP\QVIQZXW_MZ\W support the troops below. ?PMV7\\QVOMZÅVITTaLMXIZ\MLPM[IQLPM_W]TLJM JIKSÅZ[\\PQVOQV\PMUWZVQVOIVL3VWTTWЄMZMLPQUI bottle of Jack Daniels if he returned. The major was true to his word and stayed through the rest of the battle, leavQVOWVTaJZQMÆa\WZMN]MTI\\PM4WK6QVPIQZ[\ZQX?PMV )TXPIZM\]ZVML\W9]IV4WQIN\MZ\PMJI\\TM7\\QVOMZÆM_ in to get his Jack Daniels. “He earned that and more,” Knoll said. “He helped us survive the night.”) )\ÅZ[\TQOP\ on Sept. 13, a Mike Platoon patrol, supported by two ACAVs, searched for the platoon’s cloverleaf unit. Private Gruen remembers a sergeant giving the squad instructions: “Everybody out there is dead. I don’t want anyone to get mad and lose your head. We’re going to pick them up and put them on the ACAVs. Rule 6WLWV¼\OWQVNZWV\WN\PM)+)>[:]TM6WLWV¼\ lose your head!” As the search patrol approached the area of the cloverleaf squad, “we could see bodies,” Gruen said. “We heard someone saying ‘help me!’ Kinser hollered, ‘Who is it?’ ‘Steadman’ was the reply. As soon as we heard Steadman, everyone, led by Sergeant Kinser, rushed IPMILWN\PM)+)>[*MZVQM;\MILUIVIVL,W]O¸KIV¼\ ZMKITTPQ[TI[\VIUM\PMUIKPQVMO]VVMZNZWU8PQTTa¸ were alive but badly wounded from gunshots and stab wounds. The rest of the bodies had been shot, stabbed and cut up. We were PO’d. As they were being loaded into the )+)>[IV6>)[WTLQMZKIUMW]\NZWUJMPQVLI\ZMM ?I[PQVO\WV6WZÆMM\ÅZMLPQ[5 !COZMVILMTI]VKPMZE NZWU\PMPQXPQ\\QVO\PM6>)QV\PM[PW]TLMZIZMI1\_I[ too close for the grenade to explode [the round needed IXXZW`QUI\MTa UM\MZ[\WIZUQ\[MTNE
U.S. ARMY
Mike Platoon’s cloverleaf squad casualties were about 200 meters from the perimeter, and some wounded were inside. Knoll told Ware that his men weren’t in a position to move. “He insisted that the situation wasn’t as bad as I was reporting,” Knoll remembered. “He then radioed the E Troop commander, ordering him to move [to Charlie Company]. The cavalry commander agreed with my assessment. He wasn’t going to chance moving his ACAVs and dismounted troops at night, navigate around rubber trees _Q\PWVTa\PMQTT]UQVI\QWVWNIZ\QTTMZaÆIZM[_PQTM\ZaQVO \WÅOP\\PZW]OP\PM6>)MVKQZKTMUMV\?M[\IaMLX]\?M had probes, mortars and RPGs most of the night.” Later that night Alpha started knocking down rubber trees with explosives to make a landing zone for a UMLM^IKPMTQKWX\MZ
U.S. ARMY
\PI\?IZM¼[KPWXXMZPILJMMV[PW\LW_V )TTIJWIZL_MZMSQTTML[M^MVUMVIVL\PM OMVMZIT¼[LWO3QVO )QZ[]XXWZ\_I[KITTMLQVNWZ\W [\ZQSM[WV0QTT)TXPIUW^MLNWZ_IZL \WKWTTMK\\PMZM[\WN+PIZTQM¼[KI[]IT\QM[ IVL\PMV\PMJI\\ITQWVX]TTMLJIKS\W[M\]X Contested ground IVQOP\LMNMV[Q^MXMZQUM\MZ A South Vietnamese militia compound and the )VW\PMZI[[I]T\XTIV_I[NWZUMLNWZ\PM Loc Ninh airstrip are protected by a U.S. Army VM`\LIa;MX\ )TXPI_I[\WTMILIXartillery battery in the lower right corner. XZWIKPQVONZWUIUWZMVWZ\PMZVLQZMK\QWV [SQZ\QVO\PMPQTT
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BATTLE FOR PARACEL ISLANDS With U.S. troops gone from South Vietnam, China made a move at sea in 1974, and the ripple effects are still being felt By Carl O. Schuster
How the Chinese saw it The Battle of the Paracel Islands was depicted in a 1975 film, Storm on the South China Sea, a vessel for Chinese propoganda. 30
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O
V2IV! ;W]\P>QM\VIUM[MWЅKQIT[ZMKMQ^ML ZMXWZ\[WN+PQVM[MIK\Q^Q\aWV\_WWN\PMQZQ[TIVL[QV\PM 8IZIKMT1[TIVLKPIQV<_WLIa[TI\MZVI^ITPMILY]IZ\MZ[ WZLMZMLNZQOI\M[4ʃ
STORM ON THE CHINESE SEA. AT RIGHT: CHINA POST
The Paracel Archipelago KWV[Q[\[WNKWZITQ[TIVL[ZMMN[IVL JIVS[LQ[\ZQJ]\MLIKZW[[ [Y]IZM[UQTM[WNUIZQ\QUMIZMIITUW[\ MY]QLQ[\IV\NZWU+PQVI¼[0IQVIV1[TIVL VI]\QKITUQTM[IVL>QM\VIU¼[XWZ\WN,I6IVOVI]\QKITUQTM[
Collision course South Vietnamese frigate HQ-4 moves into position to ram Chinese trawler 407 on Jan. 18, 1974.
2=6-
China
Shantou
Zhajiang Hong Kong
Yulin
HAINAN ISLAND
Paracel Islands
Taiwan CHINA’S NINEDASH LINE
Da Nang
Vietnam
5IKKTM[ÅMTL Bank
South China Sea
Spratly Islands
Philippines Malaysia Suffering ship
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lands. Communist China took Listing South Vietnamese possession of the Amphitrite frigate HQ-16 is taken to /ZW]XIVL?WWLa1[TIVLQV! Da Nang harbor on +PQVM[MÅ[PMZUMVTIVLMLWV\PM Jan. 21, 1974, after the Crescent Group’s Duncan Island Paracel Islands battle. QV! !J]\\PM;W]\P>QM\VIUM[MOW^MZVUMV\M^QK\ML\PMU )[\PMÅOP\QVOQV\PM>QM\VIU?IZM[KITI\ML;IQOWV¸ KWVÅLMV\WN)UMZQKIVVI^IT[]XXWZ\¸_Q\PLZM_Q\[Q[TIVLOIZZQ[WV[*a! \PM;W]\P>QM\VIUM[MXZM[MVKM PILJMMVZML]KML\WI[QVOTM_MI\PMZ[MZ^QKM[\I\QWV China seemed to accept the status quo. <_WLM^MTWXUMV\[QV\PM! [KPIVOML\PMLaVIUQK[QV\PM;W]\P+PQVI;MI:MXWZ\[WNXW\MV\QITWQTLMXW[Q\[QV\PMZMOQWV[]ZNIKMLQVUQL̆! IVL\PM8IZQ[ 8MIKM)KKWZL[WN2IV]IZa! MVLML=;UQTQ\IZaQV^WT^MUMV\QV>QM\VIU)[QIVTMILMZ[[]LLMVTa[I_\PM South China Sea disputes as not just a political and ILUQVQ[\ZI\Q^MUI\\MZJ]\IT[WI[IVMKWVWUQKLM^MTWXment issue. Mao Zedong’s inner circle calculated that the probable economic rewards outweighed the risks of IXW[[QJTMUQTQ\IZaKWVNZWV\I\QWV5WZMW^MZ\PW[MZQ[S[ were diminishing. 5IWZMKWOVQbML\PI\IV)UMZQKIVOW^MZVUMV\_Q\Pdrawing from South Vietnam lacked the will to risk anW\PMZKWVÆQK\IVL_IV\ML+PQVI¼[[]XXWZ\IOIQV[\IV QVKZMI[QVOTaI[[MZ\Q^M;W^QM\=VQWV
MAP: PAUL FISHER; AP PHOTO
pan’s war with China—started in 1931 with Japan’s seizure of Manchuria—escalated when the Japanese pushed farther into China. The French, concerned that either China or Japan might seize the islands, put a Franco-Vietnamese garrison of about 100 men on Woody 1[TIVLQV! I[IJ]ЄMZ\WM`\MVL\PMLMNMV[Q^MXMZQUeter of France’s Indochina colonies. *ZQ\Q[PI]\PWZQ\QM[MVKW]ZIOML\PM.ZMVKPUW^MJMKI][MQ\IT[WM`\MVLML\PMLMNMV[MXMZQUM\MZWN*ZQ\IQV¼[ 5ITIaIKWTWVa*W\PVI\QWV[JMTQM^ML2IXIV¼[_IZ_Q\P China was merely a preliminary step toward seizure of European colonies in Southeast Asia. But instead of de\MZZQVOI2IXIVM[MUW^MQV\W\PM;W]\P+PQVI;MI\PM .ZMVKPWKK]XI\QWVWN\PM8IZIKMT[XZW^WSML2IXIV _PQKPTIVLMLI[UITTVI^ITQVNIV\Za]VQ\WV?WWLa1[land in 1938 just months after the French occupation.
MAP: PAUL FISHER
Saigon placed small platoon-strength garrisons on three of the islands. 1V7K\WJMZ+PQVM[MÅ[PQVO\ZI_TMZ[ IVL TIVLMLKZM_UMVWV,]VKIV1[TIVLM[\IJTQ[PQVOI[]XXTa XWQV\_Q\P[PMT\MZ[IVLXTIV\QVO+PQVM[MÆIO[IZW]VL\PM Q[TIVL;W]\P>QM\VIU[MQbML[M^MZIT+PQVM[MÅ[PQVO JWI\[QV6W^MUJMZIVLIZZM[\ML\PMQZKZM_[
IZZQ^MLWV[KMVM\PMM^MVQVOWN2IV )\LI_VWV2IV \PM+PQVM[M[PQX[TIVLMLWVM5IZQ\QUM5QTQ\QIXTI\WWVWV,Z]UUWVL1[TIVLIVW\PMZWV 8ITU1[TIVLIVL\_WXTI\WWV[WV,]VKIV1[TIVL
SOUTH CHINA SEA
Amphitrite Group
Jan. 19, 1974 naval battle
Crescent Group
;W]\P>QM\VIU+WV\ZWTTML
JUNE 2017
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HISTORYNET (2)
in daylight to face the larger, dug-in enemy on both Duncan and Palm islands. They were quickly repelled. The SEALs withdrew to their boats under PMI^aÅZMI[\PM;W]\P>QM\VIUM[MVI^IT]VQ\[NWZUML a line abreast and advanced toward the Chinese forma\QWVÅZQVOWV\PMMVMUa¼[XQTW\PW][M[IVLUIVM]^MZQVO to turn the engagement into a battle of long-range guns. Unfortunately for the South Vietnamese, their lack of speed meant the faster Chinese ships would get to determine the range at which the battle would be fought, and \PM+PQVM[MÆW\QTTITMILMZWZLMZML¹;XMMLNWZ_IZLÅOP\ close and hit hard.” Knowing his ships were ill-equipped and outgunned for a long-range duel, he had decided to MUXTWa¹SVQNMÅOP\º\IK\QK[?Q\PQVUQV]\M[\PMKWUbat, which had been taking place at a range 2 to 3 miles, dropped to just a few hundred yards. The Kronstadt[]JKPI[MZ[KWVKMV\ZI\ML\PMQZÅZMWV 09̆ _PQTM\PM
They’re ours A poster leaves no doubt about Vietnam’s position on the Paracels.
Meanwhile, Beijing was worried that Saigon might LQ[XI\KPZMQVNWZKMUMV\[\W;W]\P>QM\VIU¼[ZMUIQVQVO garrisons, containing a pair of infantry platoons on Robert, Pattle and Money islands and the surviving ;-)4[+PQVI¼[;W]\P;MI.TMM\[KZIUJTMLX]\\QVO\Wgether a patchwork force of all units that could get ]VLMZ_Ia"INZQOI\MÅ^M\WZXMLWJWI\[IVLMQOP\[UITT XI\ZWTJWI\[7ZOIVQbMLQV\W\PZMMIUXPQJQW][\ZIV[XWZ\ ÆW\QTTI[\PM[PQX[JWIZLMLVMIZTa \ZWWX[QV\PZMM QVNIV\ZaKWUXIVQM[IXMWXTM¼[UQTQ\QIKWUXIVaIVLIV armed reconnaissance group.
damaged versus two Chinese subchasers, one minesweeper and a Å[PQVO\ZI_TMZPMI^QTaLIUIOML
FROM TOP: DIGITAL GLOBE/GETTY IMAGES(3); USGS/NASA LANDSTAT; KYODO NEW/GETTY IMAGES
China spent the next two weeksQVKZMI[QVOQ\[VI^ITXZM[MVKM IZW]VL\PMQ[TIVL[IVL[\ZMVO\PMVQVO\PMQZLMNMV[M[QVKT]LQVO\PM LMXTWaUMV\WNI RomeŏKTI[[[]JUIZQVMIVL\PZMM ChengdŭKTI[[ O]QLMLUQ[[QTMNZQOI\M[MY]QXXML_Q\P;\a`IV\Q̆[PQXKZ]Q[MUQ[[QTM[
+IZT7;KP][\MZQ[IZM\QZML6I^aKIX\IQV_Q\P aMIZ[WN[MZ^QKM 0MÅVQ[PMLPQ[KIZMMZI[IVQV\MTTQOMVKMWЅKMZ;KP][\MZ_PWTQ^M[ QV0WVWT]T]Q[I\MIKPMZQV0I_IQQ8IKQÅK=VQ^MZ[Q\a¼[,QXTWUIKa IVL5QTQ\IZa;KQMVKMXZWOZIU
3 Expanding presence China has been adding land and buildings to Tree Island in the Paracels, shown in three photos, 2014-16. Below: Cresecent Group, 2016
Strong feelings Vietnamese protest in front of the Chinese Embassy on June 12, 2011. JUNE 2017
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“This won’t hurt” A Navy corpsman assigned to the Marine Corps gives a checkup to a girl in the village of Hao Hiep as part of an effort to improve the health of rural Vietnamese through a variety of medical and dental programs.
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CO RENTMESSTER/LIFE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES
FULL CIRCLE How a shared destiny brought together four men scarred by war and helped a village in Vietnam
T
By Jack Wells
he winds of war can take many years and long roads before the pain begins to ease. Sometimes on that journey fate draws you back to the long-ago but neverforgotten place that shaped the rest of your life. And along the way you may ÅVL\PI\aW]ZZW]\M converges with the journeys of others who seek healing. Such were the circumstances that brought the paths of four men together for a humanitarian venture 45 years after they had experienced the war in Vietnam, when one was a young boy in a battle-torn village, two were U.S. Marines and the fourth was the high school friend of an American soldier killed by a booby trap. Here are their stories. JUNE 2017
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Binh Nguyen
Binh Nguyen was just 9 years old when his father died in 1962. The family lived in the small village of Ky Khuong near Chu Lai, which is about 90 minutes by vehicle from Da Nang. The village was adjacent to Highway 1 in what was then called Quang Tin province (today part of Quang Nam province). Three years later the escalation of political turmoil in Vietnam and increased attacks by the Viet Cong brought thousands of U.S. Army, Navy, Navy Seabee and Marine forces to an air base being constructed at Chu Lai. The Marine Corps, which arrived in Vietnam in March 1965, implemented a unique civic action initiative called the Combined Action Program, or CAP, which put squads of Marines in key villages to supplement the local Popular Forces militia that provided security for the village. CAP became an integral part of the U.S. ¹XIKQÅKI\QWVºMЄWZ\\WIKPQM^MXMIKMIVLLMUWKZIKaQV Vietnam by assisting rural villages in a way that cultivated goodwill, improved security and helped destroy \PM>QM\+WVO¼[[\ZWVOQVÆ]MVKMQV\PW[MIZMI[ More than 5,000 Marines and sailors served in the program, which began in the summer of 1965. The last Marine to be awarded a Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War, Lance Cpl. Miguel Keith, was a member of the 1st Combined Action Group, 3rd Combined Action Company, 2nd Platoon, or CAP 1-3-2, operating south of Chu 38
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Lai in Quang Ngai province. Keith, credited with stopping a North Vietnamese assault at An Diem village on May 8, ! _I[UWZ\ITTa_W]VLMLQV\PMÅOP\ In conducting civic action programs, the Marines took their direction from Maj. Gen. Lewis W. Walt, commander of the III Marine Amphibious Force, in charge of all U.S. KWUJI\WXMZI\QWVQV;W]\P>QM\VIU¼[Å^MVWZ\PMZVXZW^inces. Walt was guided by his experiences as a young ofÅKMZQV?WZTL?IZ11IVL\PM;UITT?IZ[5IV]ITX]JTQ[PML by the Marine Corps in 1940. It states: “In small wars, tolerance, sympathy, and kindness should be the keynote of our relationship with the mass of population…the purpose should always be to restore normal government… IVL\WM[\IJTQ[PXMIKMWZLMZIVL[MK]ZQ\aº In June 1966, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, reported that Navy doctors and corpsman were treating an average of 170 Vietnamese patients a day in clinics established by the Marines. 1VMIZTa7K\WJMZ! \PMKQ^QKIЄIQZ[[MK\QWVWN\PM division’s 7th Marine Regiment and the Navy’s 1st Dental Company started treating Vietnamese children from Tri Binh village, south of the Chu Lai base. This program, Operation Toothbrush, was designed to bring basic dental hygiene to every child in the Binh Son school district In early 1967 dental clinics in the Chu Lai area had performed more than 13,000 treatments for villagers, acording to a report by Task Force X-Ray, activated in
TOP LEFT: U.S. MARINE CORPS; RIGHT: COURTESY JOHN ZORACK
Taking a closer look Marine Corps dental clinics in the Chu Lai area of South Vietnam treated thousands of children during Operation Toothbrush.
Bonding with a bike Lt. Col. John Zorack and Binh Nguyen show off the bicycle that the Marine bought for the industrious teenager who showed such potential.
June 1966 as an additional operating headquarters for the 1st Marine Division in Chu Lai, in advance of the division’s move to Da Nang in October. At age 14, Binh Nguyen started hanging around Task Force X-Ray to earn money by shining boots or doing other small jobs. The Marines called him “Charley,” and when one of them gave him a dictionary, Binh started learning English one word at a time until he became proÅKQMV\MVW]OP\W[XMIS¹JZWSMV-VOTQ[PºJM\\MZ\PIV\PM other children did.
BELOW: FEDEX; RIGHT: COURTESY NAVY CHAPLAIN RESOURCE BOARD
Marine Lt. Col. John Zorack )\
Binh also spent time with the Marines at Combined Action Platoon Kilo 1-4, (Camp Swann) near Ky Khuong village. He would go with the Marines on medical civic action programs (MedCap).
Marine 2nd Lt. Frederick Smith
In the summer of 1967 a young second lieutenant, Frederick W. Smith, reported to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, as a platoon leader in India Company. Largescale operations were occurring regularly as the Marines battled to clear Quang Tin province of Viet Cong and rising numbers of North Vietnamese Army forces. In September 1967, during Operation Swift, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, was engaged in a huge battle. The battalion’s beloved chaplain, Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno, was killed on Sept. 4. Capodanno, who served 16 months with Marine regiments in Vietnam and was known as the “grunt padre,” would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Smith’s XTI\WWV[MZOMIV\;\IЄ Sgt. Richard Jackson, was killed a few days later as the battle continued to rage.
A godsend Chaplain Vincent Capodanno, here in 1966, was an inspiration to the troops of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines.
Ready for action Leading Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, in early 1968, are, from left, lieutenants Jack Hewitt, Joe Campbell, Jack Ruggles and future Federal Express founder Frederick Smith, along with Staff Sgt. Dave Danford. JUNE 2017
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In January 1968, Smith was given command of Kilo +WUXIVaM^MV\PW]OPWVTaIÅZ[\TQM]\MVIV\JMKI][M\PM JI\\ITQWVPILI[PWZ\IOMWNWЅKMZ[7^MZ\PM[]KKMMLQVO months, Smith experienced the deaths of two of his platoon commanders, many other Marines in Kilo Company IVLINZQMVL1VLQI+WUXIVaKWUUIVLMZ+IX\0MVZa 3WTISW_[SQ2Z
Dr. Charles F. Craft
In the small rural \W_VWN0QKSUIV6MJZI[SI+PIZTM[. ¹.ZQ\bº+ZIN\TQ^MLVMIZ\PM+P]ZKPNIUQTaIVLZWLM\PM KW]V\Za[KPWWTJ][_Q\P:ITXP+P]ZKP\W6WZZQ[0QOP ;KPWWT1V2]VM! )ZUa[\4\:ITXP4MM+P]ZKP platoon commander of Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, [\1VNIV\Za:MOQUMV\[\)QZJWZVM,Q^Q[QWV_I[ [M^MZMTa_W]VLMLJaIJWWJă\ZIXXMLZWKSM\̆XZWXMTTML OZMVILM+P]ZKP¼[]VQ\PILJMMVWXMZI\QVOI\.QZMJI[M *ZQKS_M[\WN8P]4WK UQTM[[W]\PWN0]M+P]ZKP was evacuated to Japan and died 11 days later from [M^MZM_W]VL[ Craft was stunned, as was everyone in the community, _PMVPMPMIZL\PMVM_[IJW]\PQ[[KPWWTUI\M¸\PMWVTa 6WZZQ[0QOPOZIL]I\M\WTW[MPQ[TQNMQV\PM>QM\VIU?IZ +P]ZKPPILJMMVI[\IZJI[SM\JITTXTIaMZIVL^W\ML! PWUMKWUQVOSQVO.WZaMIZ[PQ[XWZ\ZIQ\P]VOQV\PM [KPWWTPITT_IaQVPWVWZWN\PM[WTLQMZ¼[[MZ^QKM It was a hard death for Craft to understand, and he VM^MZNWZOW\Q\+ZIN\OZIL]I\MLNZWUPQOP[KPWWTQV! IVLTI\MZWJ\IQVMLILMOZMMQVLMV\IT[]ZOMZaI\\PM=VQ^MZ[Q\aWN6MJZI[SI5MLQKIT+MV\MZ0MJMKIUMIKWUUQ[[QWVMLWЅKMZQV\PM=;8]JTQK0MIT\P;MZ^QKMIVL_I[ I[[QOVML\W)TI[SIQV!
Merging lives BWZIKSZM\]ZVML\W\PM=VQ\ML;\I\M[QV2]VM! IVL \_WaMIZ[TI\MZZM\QZMLNZWU\PM5IZQVM+WZX[BWZIKS had not forgotten Binh and knew that the teenager would never achieve his potential without a good educa\QWVBWZIKS_IV\ML\WOM\I^Q[INWZ*QVP\WI\\MVL [KPWWTQV)UMZQKI The retired colonel used every military and political KWV\IK\\PI\PMPILJ]\_I[]VIJTM\WWJ\IQVI[\]LMV\ 40
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^Q[INWZ*QVP7VWVMWKKI[QWVBWZIKSUM\_Q\P/MV?QTTQIU?M[\UWZMTIVL\PM\WXKWUUIVLMZWN=;KWUJI\ troops in Vietnam, and asked for his assistance in securQVO\PM^Q[IJ]\\PMOMVMZIT_I[]VIJTM\WPMTX .QVITTaPQ[T]KSKPIVOMLBWZIKS_I[_WZSQVOI[I legal adviser for the International Air Transport AssociI\QWVIVLPILUILMIJ][QVM[[KWVVMK\QWV_Q\P)VVI +PMVVI]T\^QKMXZM[QLMV\WNQV\MZVI\QWVITIЄIQZ[NWZ.TaQVO
TOP LEFT: U.S. ARMY; RIGHT: U.S. MARINE CORPS
Never forgotten The death of 1st Lt. Ralph Lee Church had a lasting impact on schoolmate Charles Craft, who entered into career as a public health dentist.
Little buddy Young Binh Nguyen, wearing a hat and sitting on sandbags, hangs around with Marines at Camp Swann near Ky Khuong.
COURTESY JACK WELLS
FedEx manager A FedEx team, including Binh Nguyen, second from right, goes to Chu Lai in 2012 to observe the dental outreach program. Jack Wells is third from right. camp on the Marine Corps base at Camp When Craft saw under harsh postwar conditions. Medical was almost nonexistent in the counPendleton, California. Two weeks after the poor children care tryside. As Craft reached the area south Binh and Khoa’s arrival in the U.S., a son with little hope of Hue, memories of Ralph Church at Norwas born. They named him John, after Lt. in their eyes, he ris High School returned. Suddenly all Col. John Zorack. those confusing names and places Craft Back in the United States, Binh took began to truly had heard in newscasts during his youth adult-education classes and received his understand the to make sense. In 1992 there high school diploma. (He would later []ЄMZQVOWN\PM started were still remnants of former U.S. miliearn an MBA from the Massachusetts Vietnamese tary bases, and he was able to talk with Institute of Technology in 2006.) Zorack former South Vietnamese soldiers. When people during recommended Binh for a position with Craft saw the poor children with little a rapidly growing air transportation the war. hope in their eyes, he began to truly uncompany called Federal Express Corp., LMZ[\IVL\PM[]ЄMZQVOWN\PM>QM\VIUM[M founded in 1973 by the former compeople during the war. UIVLQVOWЅKMZWN3QTW+WUXIVaZL In 1995 Craft returned to Vietnam and met Mark ConBattalion, 5th Marines—Frederick W. Smith. By 1989 Binh had worked his way into management ZWaKW]V\ZaLQZMK\WZNWZ\PM,I6IVŎJI[MLVWVXZWÅ\ at Federal Express. That year, he traveled to Vietnam to organization East Meets West Foundation, founded in apply for a petition so his mother could immigrate to the 1989 to partner with the Vietnamese people in health, United States. At that time business with Vietnam was education and development projects. Conroy was one of forbidden by a U.S. trade embargo, but Binh foresaw a \PMÅZ[\)UMZQKIV[\WTQ^MQV,I6IVOIN\MZ\PM_IZ0Q[ possible future market for Federal Express as Vietnam two older brothers had served in Vietnam during the war. Craft wanted to establish a dental program for the slowly recovered from the long war. After listening to Binh’s observations from his trip to poor children of central Vietnam, and Conroy agreed to Vietnam, Smith started making plans for Federal Express help him with the project, which would be based in Da to expand into Southeast Asia and Vietnam when the Nang. In setting up the program, Craft used the knowltiming was right. In February 1994 the U.S. trade em- edge he had gained working for the U.S. Public Health bargo was lifted, and two months later Federal Express Service. He obtained more than $250,000 of donated dental equipment and supplies from hospitals, clinics and WXMVMLIVWЅKMQV0W+PQ5QVP+Q\a Also venturing into Vietnam in the early 1990s was dentists in Alaska. +ZIN\IXXZWIKPML\PM)VKPWZIOMWЅKMWN.ML-`¸I[ public health dentist Charles Craft. During his service in Alaska, Craft traveled to parts of Asia to provide volun- the transportation service had become known—and asked if the company would consider shipping a large amount teer dental care, and he visited Vietnam in 1992. Craft traveled from Ho Chi Minh City north along High- WNLMV\ITMY]QXUMV\\W\PM-5?WЅKMQV,I6IVONWZI _Ia\W0IVWQ0M[I_\PI\^QTTIOMZ[_MZM[\QTT[]ЄMZQVO minimal fee. The Anchorage manager said the shipping JUNE 2017
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Helping hands Dentists in the East Meets West dental program treat patients at a school in Da Nang.
Fred Smith and Binh Nguyen today.
All smiles The Phan Chau Trinh school, funded by FedEx, hosted a March 2012 event commemorating the 100,000th patient served by East Meets West dental programs.
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TOP: EMW DENTAL;; BOTTOM: JACK WELLS; UPPER RIGHT INSET: JOSHUA ROBERT/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES; LOWER RIGHT INSERT: COURTESY BINH NGUYEN
“It was only the veloping world. (In 2014, East Meets cost could be as high as $20,000, but two West Dental became a stand-alone orgaweeks later Craft got a call from the manAmericans who nization.) ager, who told him in January 1996: came into our Six of the program’s original sponsors “You’re good to go. Our truck will pick up villages, built were at the Chu Lai ceremony: Conroy, the equipment at your garage tomorrow.” roads, bridges Craft, Dr. Robert J. Allen, Dr. Ron BerOver the next two years, FedEx shipped and schools. quist, Dr. Wendy Crisafulli and Dr. Stan to Vietnam several more containers with Shulman. Joining them were internadental supplies at no cost. They provided The EMW dental clinic opened on medical care for tional dental volunteers, several Marines who served during the war and Binh, now 5IZKP !! _Q\P>QM\VIUM[M[\IЄ us and our FedEx’s Indochina senior country manand a few international volunteers in a children.” IOMZ¸_PW[MXZM[MVKMZMÆMK\ML\PMQVÆ]building near the old Marine Corps Marence of Colonel Zorack’s kindness. The ble Mountain Air Facility. Later, a beautransportation required to move 2 tons of tiful marble plaque was placed outside the entrance and inscribed on it were the names of more dental equipment and supplies from Da Nang to Chu Lai than 50 donors who made the clinic possible. At the top and back was provided by the FedEx licensee in Vietnam. Since the Phan Chau Trinh school opened, FedEx has of the plaque, next to the names of Craft’s parents, is “1st continued to build schools in Vietnam. The second opened Lt. Ralph L. Church.” Beginning in 1998, Craft and Conroy, loaded with por- in 2004 and was dedicated to a man Smith had never table dental equipment, made trips into the rural areas forgotten: Father Vincent Capodanno, the grunt padre of central Vietnam, where villagers had not seen foreign- whose posthumous Medal of Honor was awarded in Janers in almost 25 years. The two men were not sure how uary 1969. A third school was completed in 2006 and named in they would be received, but they were given warm welcomes when the villagers found out they were Americans. honor of Smith’s Yale University classmate Richard W. The Vietnamese shook their hands, embraced them and Pershing, grandson of legendary World War I Army Gen. John J. Pershing. Army 2nd Lt. Dick Pershing was killed wanted them to meet their families. Craft did not expect that reaction. These were the in Vietnam near Hue on Feb. 17, 1968, while serving with [IUMXMWXTM_PW[]ЄMZML[WU]KPL]ZQVO\PM_IZ+ZIN\ the 101st Airborne Division. “Dick Pershing was one of the most interesting friends _I[X]bbTMLJa\PMW]\_IZLLQ[XTIaWNIЄMK\QWV\PI\WKcurred again and again. He asked his interpreter to have I ever had,” Smith recalled. “Dick was a great wit, wellTQSMLIVLPQOPTaQV\MTTQOMV\1¼UKWVÅLMV\,QKS_W]TLPI^M a village elder explain the warmth shown to them. This is the general translation: “The rural people of been a great success after Vietnam. I think about him… >QM\VIU]VLMZ[\IVL_IZ?MSVW_[]ЄMZQVONMIZIVL and many other friends on the [Vietnam Veterans Memodeath. For over 50 years our countryside and homes were rial] Wall, often.” The fourth FedEx school, completed in April 2012, hontorn apart by war from many armies; the Japanese, French, Viet Cong, American, the former Army of the ors the memory of two lieutenants who served as Smith’s South, and the Army from the North. Only the soldiers platoon commanders in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th from one of these armies tried to help and not exploit us. Marines, and were killed: Joseph T. Campbell and John Our lives have improved very little over all these years. R. Ruggles III. By 2017, the EMW dental program had treated more It was only the Americans who came into our villages and built roads, bridges and schools and dug wells. They than 150,000 patients with over $27 million worth of free helped us farm the land and provided medical care for us care, Craft said. “It has truly been a professional honor and our children. Some of the American Marines lived to serve the Vietnamese people and to carry on the traside by side with us. The Americans showed us promise dition of humanitarian assistance implemented by the for a better life someday in the future. It is the memory [Marines], whose legacy lives on within the hearts of of that brief time of hope that allows us to forget the pain many who lived near the CAP villages.” 7]\WN\PMXIQVIVL[]ЄMZQVOL]ZQVO\PM_IZ¸IVLNZWU of the past and smile today when we see an American.” UIVaaMIZ[WNZMJ]QTLQVO\PZW]OP\PMMЄWZ\[WNLMLQKI\ML and compassionate people—has come a new time of promClosing the circle The Vietnam War experiences of Binh, Zorack, Smith and ise and hope for a better life that the Marines and General Craft came full circle during a March 2012 EMW dental Walt envisioned 50 years ago for the rural villagers in outreach event at the Phan Chau Trinh junior high school Vietnam. V in Tam Giang Commune, near Chu Lai. Construction of the school, which opened in December 1999 near where 2IKS?MTT[[MZ^MLQV>QM\VIUL]ZQVO! ̆ !I[IÅZ[\ Smith had served, was funded by FedEx working through lieutenant with Alpha and Bravo companies, 1st Battalthe Vietnam Children’s Fund. ion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and The 2012 event commemorated the 100,000th pa- TI\MZI[M`MK]\Q^MWЅKMZWN0*I\\MZaZL*I\\ITQWV tient treated during the 15 years since the founding of 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He has the EMW dental program, which has grown into one of been involved in fundraising for East Meets West Dental \PMÅVM[\LMV\ITVWVXZWÅ\WZOIVQbI\QWV[[MZ^QVO\PMLM- for the past eight years. JUNE 2017
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Wisconsin Three red granite columns represent troops killed in action, POW/MIA and those who returned home.
LEFT: RAYMOND BOYD/GETTY IMAGES; TOP RIGHT: NJ VIETNAM VETERANS’ MEMORIAL FOUNDATION; BOTTOM RIGHT: ROBERT GANGI
New Jersey The memorial includes a Huey restored by veterans, above, and statues, as well as a War Dog Memorial and tributes to Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families.
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State Tributes to the Fallen Vietnam veterans memorials across the country By Deborah Stadtler
TOP: MICHIGAN VIETNAM MONUMENT PROJECT; BOTTOM LEFT: AGE FOTOSTOCK/ALAMY; BOTTOM RIGHT: JIM LANE/ALAMY
Michigan The monument, near the state Capitol, features a 120-foot long steel wall suspended 3 feet above the ground by steel tension cables.
Kentucky The plaza contains the names of the Kentuckians who died in the war. The shadow of the sundial touches each name on the anniversary of the person’s death.
North Carolina Titled “After the Firefight,” the sculpture shows two soldiers evacuating a wounded comrade.
AJPURNI L E 2 20 01 17 7
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New Mexico In the only state park dedicated exclusively to Vietnam veterans, the memorial chapel, right, is open 24 hours a day.
TOP LEFT: SUNPIX TRAVEL/ALAMY; TOP RIGHT: M L PEARSON/ALAMY; BOTTOM: ANDRE JENNY/ALAMY
Arkansas The memorial, believed to be the first on the grounds of a state Capitol, was dedicated by Gen. William C. Westmoreland.
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Texas Enclosed inside the monument are 3,417 personalized dog tags of the Texans who died or are unaccounted for in Vietnam.
New York Opened in 1985, the memorial was revitalized and rededicated in November 2001, just weeks after 9/11.
Arizona Ten black granite columns engraved with names of the lost or missing surround the “Fallen Warrior” sculpture.
JUNE 2017
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Georgia A marble representati0n of Vietnam in the center of a reflecting pool holds a helmet, rifle and boots to honor fallen troops.
FLORIDA
Washington The semicircular wall engraved with names is broken by the outline of Vietnam.
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TOP: CVVM.ORG; MIDDLE: WILLIAM MANNING/ALAMY; BOTTOM: LYNETTEPEIZER/ALAMY
California A popular monument in Capitol Park, the memorial’s bronze map of Vietnam at the entrance was replaced due to wear from visitors’ footsteps.
Maine The steel silhouette represents “the strength of the veteran in enduring the horror of war while still preserving the sprit of compassion.”
Florida Located adjacent to the State Capitol Complex, the memorial has two columns engraved with the names of Floridians lost in the war.
TOP LEFT: MICHAEL WALSH; TOP RIGHT: TALLAHASSEE DOWNTOWN; BOTTOM: AP PHOTO/NANCY PALMIERI
Massachusetts Three sections display flags, letters from soldiers who died and the engraved names of the fallen.
JUNE 2017
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Divide and conquer Defense Secretary Robert McNamara announces plans to build a barrier between North and South Vietnam to curb communism.
Excerpted from McNamara’s Folly: The Use of Low-IQ Troops in the Vietnam War, by Hamilton Gregory, published by Infinity Publishing. Copyright 2015 by Hamilton Gregory. 50
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BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES
MCNAMARA’S FOLLY DESPERATE FOR TROOPS TO SEND TO VIETNAM, DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT MCNAMARA HAD A PLAN TO LOWER ENLISTMENT STANDARDS. HIS PLAN BACKFIRED. By Hamilton Gregory JUNE 2017
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I
n 1966, the U.S. war in Vietnam was heating up rapidly. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara were faced with a problem: The armed forces needed more troops for the war zone, but there was a shortage of men who were considered fair game for the military draft. There were plenty of men of draft age (18-26), but most of them were unavailable. Many were attending college, using student deferments to avoid the draft. Others had found safe havens in the National Guard and Reserves, which by and large were VW\[MV\\W>QM\VIU;\QTTW\PMZ[_MZMLQ[Y]ITQÅMLJMcause they scored poorly on the military’s mental and physical entrance tests. How could Johnson and McNamara round up enough men to send to war? They realized that they would anger the vote-powerful middle class if college boys were drafted and National Guardsmen and Reservists were sent to Vietnam. So they decided to induct the low-scoring men, whom Johnson referred to (in a secret White House tape) as “second-class fellows.” On Oct. 1, 1966, McNamara launched a program that lowered the mental standards for the armed forces. It was called Project 100,000. The government intended to add 100,000 troops each year through the revised standards. By the end of the war, McNamara’s program had taken 354,000 substandard men into the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy. The troops often referred to those men as “McNamara’s Morons” or “the Moron Corps” or “McNamara’s Boys.” Military leaders—from William Westmoreland, the commanding general in Vietnam, to lieutenants and sergeants at the platoon level—viewed McNamara’s program as a disaster. Because many of the Project 100,000 men _MZM[TW_TMIZVMZ[\PMaPILLQЅK]T\aIJ[WZJQVOVMKM[sary training. Because many of them were incompetent in combat, they endangered not only themselves but their comrades as well. Most of the 354,000 men of Project 100,000 went to Vietnam, and about half were assigned to combat units.
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Meeting of military minds McNamara and Gen. William Westmoreland talk with President Lyndon B. Johnson.
A total of 5,478 of them died while in the service, most in combat. Their fatality rate was three times that of W\PMZ/1[)T\PW]OPXZMKQ[MÅO]ZM[IZM]VI^IQTIJTMNWZ nonfatal injuries, an estimated 20,270 were wounded, and some were permanently disabled, including an estimated 500 amputees. Sending low-IQ men into combat was shocking and shameful. Joseph Galloway, a war correspondent who earned a Bronze Star with a “V” (denoting valor) in Vietnam, said the men, “were, to put it bluntly, mentally deÅKQMV\1TTQ\MZI\M5W[\TaJTIKSIVLZMLVMKS_PQ\M[ hailing from the mean big city ghettos and the remote Appalachian valleys. By drafting them the Pentagon would not have to draft an equal number of middle class and elite college boys whose mothers could and would raise hell with their representatives in Washington. The young men of Project 100,000 couldn’t read....They had to be taught to tie their boots. They often failed [in basic training], and were recycled over and over until they ÅVITTaZMIKPML[WUMTW_[\IVLIZLIVL_MZMLMKTIZML trained and ready. They could not be taught any more demanding job than trigger-pulling, [so most of them] went straight into combat where the learning curve is steep and deadly.” ?M[\UWZMTIVL[IQLTW_̆Y]ITQ\aWЅKMZ[I[_MTTI[ low-quality enlisted men were sent to Vietnam during the last years of the war. He cited 2nd Lt. William Calley, convicted in the murder of more than 100 unarmed ci^QTQIV[QV\PM! 5a4IQ5I[[IKZM+ITTMa¹Æ]VSMLW]\ of Palm Beach Junior College with two Cs, a D, and four .[ QV PQ[ ÅZ[\ aMIZ IVL ZMXWZ\MLTa UIVIOML \W OM\ \PZW]OPWЅKMZKIVLQLI\M[KPWWT_Q\PW]\M^MVTMIZVQVO to read a map or use a compass,” according to Arnold R. Isaacs, the Vietnam war correspondent for The Baltimore Sun. The Army had to take Calley “because no one else was available,” said Marine Corps Col. Robert D. Heinl. Calley’s own attorney used the lieutenant’s low intelligence as a courtroom defense: The Army, he said, was to blame for My Lai because if it hadn’t lowered mental standards, men like Calley never would have been commissioned. Richard A. Gabriel, who spent 22 aMIZ[I[I=;)ZUaWЅKMZ[Ia[¹-^MV\PM[\I]VKPM[\ defenders of the Army agree that in normal times a man
BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES (2)
Becoming soldiers More recruits are inducted into the Army as the need for troops in Vietnam increases.
In Vietnam and Washington McNamara visits the troops in 1965 and meets with Johnson in 1968.
TOP LEFT: AP PHOTOS, RIGHT: YOICHI R. OKAMOTO/WHITE HOUSE
of Lieutenant Calley’s intelligence and predispositions would never have been allowed to hold a commission.” Tony Zinni, a four-star Marine general, said, “During Vietnam, the need for bodies had been so great that recruiters were sending people into the military who never should have been there. Promotions came too fast….People were suddenly wearing grades they were too inexperienced to wear; they did not have the education and training needed to perform complex jobs.” During the early years of the Vietnam War, when McNamara was campaigning to draft low-aptitude men, military commanders and veterans were warning against his misguided idea. For example, in 1964, two years before Project 100,000 started, the American Bar Association’s journal published an article by Capt. William F. Walsh, a Texas attorney and Air Force reservist, who wrote: “Warfare is steadily growing more complex.
to begin with. Sgt. Maj. Francis T. McNeive, who served with the Marine Corps in Vietnam in 1966-67 and again in 1969-70, said that “people who were borderline retarded did not respond fast enough...and that’s how people became casualties.” Describing soldiers in the 60th Infantry Regiment who fought in a battle for Saigon in May 1968, military historian Keith William Nolan writes that Lt. Frank Neild had a radioman, Pfc. James Hewitt (not his real name), who was “big, dumb, and nice—a nineteen-yearold piece of cannon fodder from rural Pennsylvania. He was nicknamed Lurch because of his glazed expression and half-opened mouth.” The private’s superiors “found it hard to believe that anyone as slow as Hewitt could have passed the aptitude tests required for military service, and chalked him up as one of McNamara’s 100,000, the infamous program by which the services were forced to accept a hundred-thousand substandard recruits per year, the better to protect the sons of the upper class from Vietnam.” Hewitt “wanted desperately to do a good job as the \MIUZILQWUIVJ]\KW]TLVW\ÅO]ZMW]\PW_\WILR][\ frequencies,” Nolan wrote. Neild “tried to coach him, but VW\PQVO[\]KSºIVL\PMTQM]\MVIV\ÅVITTaI[SMLPQ[[]XMrior to replace Hewitt “with a trooper who actually knew how to operate a radio.” Hewitt’s “character was impeccable,” Neild said. “His only problem was that he couldn’t think.” While waiting to be replaced, Hewitt was grievously wounded in combat, and he died two weeks later. “Men who could not understand simple orders or perform simple tasks clearly posed a danger to themselves and the other members of their unit,” said Marine Capt. David Anthony Dawson, who gave this example: “While serving as a battalion commander in Vietnam, Brig. Gen. William Weise watched a squad leader give an order for an ambush patrol. The squad leader gave a simple, clear order, but one Marine couldn’t remember any of the crucial details, including the password. That night, this Marine left the ambush to relieve himself without telling anyone. When returning, he wandered into the kill zone. The squad leader sprang the ambush and his squad killed him.” ¹
53
Cohen, “does not simply get himself killed—he causes the LMI\PWNW\PMZ[I[_MTTº+PQMN?IZZIV\7ЅKMZ ?QTTQIU S. Tuttle, a Vietnam veteran, said: “If you take someone _Q\PIV19WN IVLOQ^MPQUIZQÆMPM¼[UWZMLIVOMZW][ to you than he is to the enemy. I almost got shot twice and had one guy almost nail me with a LAW [light anti-tank weapon] when he was startled by a sudden noise. If you put [a low-IQ man] in an infantry patrol, you have to [XMVLUW[\WNaW]Z\QUMUISQVO[]ZMPMLWM[V¼\SQTTI NZQMVLTaCIKWUZILMEJaIKKQLMV\IVLLWM[V¼\OM\PQU[MTN SQTTMLL]ZQVOKWV\IK\JMKI][MPM¼[\W\ITTa]VI_IZMWN _PI\¼[OWQVOWVIZW]VLPQUº Mines and booby traps were a major cause of deaths and injuries in Vietnam, especially for new guys. An estimated 1,300 of the 5,478 Project 100,000 men who died in the service were killed by mines and booby traps. John L. Ward rejoiced when Project 100,000 came into his life. He grew up in poverty in a black neighborhood of Glasgow, Missouri, living in a shanty with no running
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water. “When I was in high school, black people still could not sit in a white-owned restaurant and drink a soda or eat a hamburger. They had to go to the back door, the side ITTMaWZ[WUMW\PMZXTIKMLM[QOVI\ML»NWZKWTWZMLWVTa¼º Ward dreamed of escaping Glasgow by joining the military when he got out of high school. But his hopes were LI[PML_PMVPM[KWZML\WWTW_WV\PMUQTQ\IZa¼[MV\ZIVKM test. With the military option closed to him, he planned to move to a big city. “Then, to my utter surprise,” Ward said, “the Marine Corps recruiter showed up and explained to me that I could join them now”—despite the low test score. Thanks to Project 100,000 and the newly lowered standards, “I could now pursue my dream of getting out of Glasgow and seeing the world.” ?IZL¼[XZM[MVKMQV8ZWRMK\UMIV\\PI\PMPIL scored in Category IV on the mental test, but his later accomplishments revealed that he was not a man with intellectual disabilities. He possessed sound native intelligence and a desire to succeed—characteristics that McNamara
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54
VIETNAM
On trial for My Lai U.S. Army 2nd Lt. William Calley leaves military court aafter hearings for his role at My Lai..
TOP LEFT: RONALD S. HAEBERLE/LIFE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES, RIGHT: BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES
Stoking the fire A U.S. soldier adds to the burning house fires during the My Lai massacre in Vietnam in 1968.
assumed (erroneously) would be shared by all Project 100,000 men. Ward became a proud Marine and quickly won a promotion to corporal, but unfortunately his dreams were shattered in Vietnam. During the night of Aug. 18, 1968, enemy troops attacked and overran Marine bunkers at Phu Loc, killing 17 Marines and wounding many more. Ward suffered severe injuries and returned to the United States for a long, painful recovery. His disabilities included brain damage, migraine headaches, dizziness, ocular imbalance, loss of memory, post-traumatic stress disorder, depres[QWVIUX]\I\MLÅVOMZ[[S]TTNZIK\]ZMIVLUWZM After leaving the service (with the rank of sergeant), Ward spent 15 years just trying to survive his physical and mental torments. Eventually he became a counselor and advocate for Project 100,000 veterans. In 2012, he wrote a book titled Moron Corps, describing his experiences as one of McNamara’s “morons”—a term he hated but nevertheless embraced to remind America that Project 100,000 was “insensitive, morally unjust and inhumane.” The men accepted under McNamara’s program served their country honorably, Ward said. “Even with our socalled limited abilities, we were willing to lay down our lives for our country.” But the program was carried out in a “morally shameful” manner. Project 100,000 men “died in disproportionate numbers.” Those who managed to survive were “thrown back into society without the skills promised us.” Many of the men were homeless and []ЄMZMLNZWU¹Q[WTI\QWV]VMUXTWaUMV\LZ]OILLQK\QWV and medical neglect.” They often failed to receive the assistance that they were supposed to receive from the DeXIZ\UMV\WN>M\MZIV[)ЄIQZ[ Ward and many other men on the lower rungs of the economic ladder went to Vietnam to make up for the absence of men on the upper rungs. “In the South, mostly all-white draft boards often discriminated against blacks,” writes Natalie M. Rosinsky, author of The Draft Lottery. She cited the case of Edward Neal, a black youth in Mississippi who “had two jobs and was the sole support of his mother, disabled father, and eight brothers and sisters. He went to his draft board to request a hardship deferment but was denied.” Neal ended up in Vietnam. While it was true that men who had grown up in poverty were disproportionately represented in combat, it wasn’t only the extremely poor who fought in Vietnam.
In infantry units, the poor were joined by many men from working-class families—described by historian Christian G. Appy as “the nineteen-year-old children of waitresses, NIK\WZa_WZSMZ[\Z]KSLZQ^MZ[[MKZM\IZQM[ÅZMÅOP\MZ[ KIZXMV\MZ[ K][\WLQIV[ XWTQKM WЅKMZ[ [ITM[XMWXTM clerks, mechanics, miners, and farmworkers.” Men from lower economic levels (poor and working class) constituted 80 percent of combat forces, while the remaining 20 percent came from the middle class, half of them servQVOI[WЅKMZ[ Some commanders tried to keep low-IQ men out of danger. Historian Nolan wrote that in the 31st Infantry Regiment’s combat operations in Saigon in May 1968, Sgt. Kenneth Davis reported that he had several unreliable soldiers in his squad, including “blank-eyed” members of McNamara’s 100,000. “Davis used these unreliable men as pack mules to carry extra ammunition and extra weapons. ‘If you can’t do anything else,’ Davis instructed these duds, ‘just bring the weapons and ammo up to me and the team leaders when we need ’em.’” One veteran who was appalled by Project 100,000 was Leslie John Shellhase, who had been wounded in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and had served as a lieutenant colonel under McNamara at the Pentagon in the 1960s. Shellhase said he played a central role in planning Project 100,000, which he and others considered a bad idea from the start. “We [Pentagon planners] resisted Project 100,000 because we knew that wars are not won by using marginal manpower as cannon fodder, but rather by risking, and [WUM\QUM[TW[QVO\PMÆW_MZWNIVI\QWV¼[aW]\Pº The Pentagon planners tried to persuade McNamara \WLZWX8ZWRMK\?PMV\PI\MЄWZ\NIQTML\PMaXZWposed altering the program so that military commanders would be prohibited from sending low-aptitude men into danger zones. “We never envisioned that these men would be used in combat. Instead, we intended for them to be used in service and support areas, where their mental limitations would not cause them to be killed.” =VNWZ\]VI\MTa;PMTTPI[MIVLPQ[NMTTW_WЅKMZ[NIQTML QV\PMQZMЄWZ\\WSMMX8ZWRMK\UMVW]\WN\PM JI\\TMÅMTL
Hamilton Gregory, who served in Army Intelligence in Vietnam in 1968-69, is the author of McNamara’s Folly: The Use of Low-IQ Troops in the Vietnam War, which recounts the experiences of dozens of McNamara’s Boys. JUNE 2017
55
Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War by James Wright, Thomas Dunn Books, 2017
The “meat grinder” battle Wounded troopers of the 101st Airborne Division are loaded onto a Huey during the fighting on Hamburger Hill in May 1969.
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VIETNAM
The operative word in the title of James Wright’s superb book is “enduring.” It applies not only to members of all military branches who were “enduring” the horrors of combat alternating with the soul-numbing boredom of an assignment far from home but also to the families back home “enduring” the wait for their loved ones to return, while being bombarded daily with media reports primarily featuring bad news. Enduring Vietnam succeeds on several levels as it looks at a generation and \PW[MWNQ\¹_PW[MZ^MLIVL[IKZQÅKMLº On one level it is a well-researched, cogently written and thoughtful history of the war. On another, it gives Vietnam vets and their families the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words. .QVITTaQ\QVKT]LM[?ZQOP\¼[W_VZMÆMK-
tions on “why America in the 1960s sent its young to war…and why this genera\QWV[MZ^MLIVL[IKZQÅKMLQVI_IZ\PI\ drifted in purpose and declined in public support.” In a vivid example of the combat suffered by those who fought in Vietnam, Wright focuses on the May 1969 assault and capture of Hill 937 in the A Shau Valley near the Laotian border. The Vietnamese name for Hill 937 is Dong Ap Bia, but the 101st Airborne Division troopers who launched multiple frontal assaults up its steep slopes to dislodge \PMÅZUTaMV\ZMVKPML6WZ\P>QM\VIUese Army aptly called it “Hamburger Hill”—a veritable human meat grinder. Wright chose that battle because it encapsulated “many of the elements of the American War: elusive tactical goals,
BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES
THE HIGH COST OF VICTORY AT HAMBURGER HILL
hen Vietnam Veterans pass into eternity they don’t just fade away, they depart with sound and fury! And they leave a huge hole in the heart of the Vietnam Community. The fine art print, “The Offering” by military artist Britt Taylor Collins is a farewell tribute to a Vietnam Veteran. Proudly displaying the American flag to a passing formation of Hueys, the old soldier never suspects they are angels on a mission to escort him home.
During the Hamburger Hill battle, “herorism was there, but the tales of it were missing... There was VWÆIO raising on the top of Dong Ap Bia.”
unexpected sustained resistance from disciplined and tough enemy forces who seldom followed the American expectations, American troops who despite those surprises fought with courage, and a growing controversy in the United States about the need for the battle.” *W\P =; IVL 6>) \ZWWX[ ÅOP\QVO NWZ Hamburger Hill were surprised. The Americans because the NVA, unlike in previous engagements, stood and fought. The NVA JMKI][M\PM)UMZQKIV[LM[XQ\MPWZZQÅKKIsualties, kept coming time after time for 10 agonizing days. The Americans eventually took the heavily bombed, burned and blasted hill, but at a high cost—more than 100 dead and another nearly 400 wounded. The NVA []ЄMZMLIVM[\QUI\ML SQTTMLQVIK\QWV and likely several hundred more wounded. But, as was so typical in America’s Vietnam War battles, Wright notes, “The heroism was there, but the tales of it were missing….
tographers captured their victory with an inspiring, iconic image.” Wright highlights the irony that the vic\WZa)UMZQKIV\ZWWX[PIL[IKZQÅKML[WU]KP to gain was seized upon by anti-war politicians to criticize the war. Sen. Ted Kennedy publicly lambasted the Nixon administration’s political leadership and criticized the tactical skill and competence of the military leadership that caused “American boys…to JM[IKZQÅKMLNWZINIT[M[MV[MWNUQTQ\IZa pride.” Unlike in America’s previous wars, during the Vietnam War it became acceptable to score political points using the blood and bodies of U.S. troops. Further insight into Wright’s motivation for writing this history of the Vietnam War KIVJMOTMIVMLNZWUI>M\MZIV[,Ia[XMMKP the author delivered at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2009. Wright said the casualties of war cry out to be known as persons, not as numbers or names on a memorial. We can remember them for history and for those in the future who would send the young to war. ¸2MZZa,5WZMTWKS
“I want to convey the real face of war, both its mindless carnage and its nobility of spirit.”— Frank Boccia
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MEET ME IN VIETNAM JOHN BLACK
2 Tour Vietnam Vet 1967, 1971-72
Thirty-one great, original gut-wrenching songs written and sung by John Black from the heart. FEATURING
Go to YouTube for latest John Black Music Videos: Dear Dad, and I’m Just Hangin’ On
Visit John Black’s website at www.meetmeinvietnam.net Two-CD set available at www.cdbaby.com or Order directly from John Black at 206-353-0979
Company of Heroes, by Eric Poole From their deployment during the Tet 7ЄMV[Q^M\W\PM LMILTa5W\PMZ¼[,Ia )UJ][P4M[TQM;IJW 2ZIVL\PM[WTLQMZ[ WN*ZI^W+WUXIVa 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, [\)QZJWZVM,Q^Q[QWVLQ[XTIaMLJZI^MZaIVL[IKZQÅKM ;IJWZMKMQ^ML\PM Medal of Honor 42 aMIZ[IN\MZPQ[IK\QWV[
______________ Written By ______________
dianA Rahe taylor & james d. johnson
Combat Trauma: The Spousal Response To PTSD Combat Trauma: The Spousal Response to PTSD is about the residual effects of war--a malady that enslaves the warrior and sabotages relationships between warrior, spouse, and family members. Then it takes one more step --it presents ways to survive, to build trust, and a future.
Combat Trauma: A Personal Look At Long- Term Consequences Much has been written of the short-term experience of combat trauma. Almost nothing has been documented about how that trauma impacts individuals years after their first conflict experiences and into later life. Here, Johnson relates the stories of fifteen of his combat brothers to share with the world what their terror of four decades ago has done to them and how it affects them to this day.
Available on Amazon.com
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Sammy Davis Jr. Tour Of Vietnam
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Golden 50th Anniversary Tours
It has been over 50 years since the 173rd Airborne and the US Marines began combat operations in Vietnam. Return with us to historic battlefields, villages and famous cities where you spent part of your youth. Bring your family, your friends and buddies. Consider a reunion in Vietnam! We have a variety of tour programs to suit your interests. Check them out on our website today!
History of Heroism: The Story of the Medal of Honor
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Viet Cong threaten U.S. air base
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October 2017 led by Butch Sincock
I Corps: Khe Sanh to Quy Nhon IV Corps: The Mekong Delta Panorama of Vietnam: The Best All-Country Tour Your places & your dates for individuals, families, buddies or groups
Linda Ronstadt spurs career with ’67 album
Marine Recruit’s Long Walk
FEBRUARY 2017
Why Corky Foster hiked 400 miles
HistoryNet.com
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7/13TH ARTILLERY (VIETNAM) REUNION ALL RED DRAGON BATTERIES. Embassy Suites, Savannah, Georgia. September 24th, 2017 through September 28th, 2017. Call Robert Adams: (859) 8065199 or Jon Taylor: (603) 6776570.
Ann-Margret, other celebs visit Vietnam
From Ia Drang to 9-11 The Extraordinary Heroism of Rick Rescorla
Uphill Battle
The struggles of a counterinsurgency
Bridge Showdown OCTOBER 2016
TANKED!
HISTORYNET.COM
One Marine against an NVA tank battalion
HistoryNet.com
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Fear of Losing: The Force That Drove LBJ, Nixon Policy
NESE WHY JAPA AT ARMOR FELL FL
BREAKOUT ROLE Candice Bergen stars in 1966 Sand Pebbles
THE FILM THE ARMY DIDN’T WANT YOU TO SEE TAKING ON NAZI DEATH SQUADS FDR’S MODEL SHIP FLEET MARCH/APRIL 2017
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The Marine rushed through a hail of enemy fire By Doug Sterner
Harvey Curtiss “Barney” Barnum Jr. was born a Marine. It simply took 18 years for him to grow into the uniform and sign the paperwork. From early on, he exhibited a drive to face every challenge, seize every opportunity and make the most of each moment. Barnum, born in Cheshire, Connecticut, on July 21, 1940, decided to become a Marine during a high school “Military Day” when various recruiters pitched their programs to a group of unruly and disrespectful students. The Marine Corps recruiter bluntly told them, “There is no one here worthy of being a United States Marine.” Barnum was determined to prove otherwise. While earning his degree at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, Barnum took the Marines’ Platoon Leaders Class. By the fall of 1965, 1st Lt. Harvey *IZV]U_I[IVIZ\QTTMZaWЅKMZI\\PM5IZQVM*IZZIKS[ in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. When a new program was introduced to send the barracks’ company-grade 64
VIETNAM
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U.S. MARINES
HARVEY BARNUM
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VIETNAM magazine
Rolling Thunder XXX
May 26-29
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COURTESY PATRICK J. HUGHES
WELCOME TO ROLLING THUNDER XXX Much accomplished, but still work to do I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the literally millions of people who have helped with or participated in Rolling Thunder runs over the past 30 years since the first ride on Memorial Day, May 30, 1988. Rolling Thunder is a “First Amendment Demonstration” that draws attention to the POW/MIA issue, which—simply put—demands that we account for all who served in defense of our country and are still listed as missing in action. At this moment, there are over 82,000 unaccounted for, mostly from World War II, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. In the past year we have recovered the remains of over 40 Marines on the island of Tarawa, Kiribati, which in November 1943 saw some of the worst fighting of World War II’s Pacific theater. These Marines were returned home through the hard work and dedication of a recovery team from History Flight Inc., a nonprofit organization that searches for the war dead of 20th century conflicts. Rolling Thunder Inc.’s own Patrick J. Hughes, a professional photographer, documented that work. As we mark Rolling Thunder’s 30th anniversary, we can be proud and thankful for what we have accomplished but mindful that our mission still continues... …until they all come home. Walt Sides Executive director, Rolling Thunder Washington, D.C. Inc.
From left, Walt Sides, executive director, Rolling Thunder Washington, D.C. Inc., retired Air Force Master Sgt. Rob Wilkins, vice president, Rolling Thunder, Washington, D.C. Inc.; Patrick J. Hughes, Rolling Thunder Inc.
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EVENT MAP
FRIDAY, MAY 26 9 p.m. Candlelight Vigil, Vietnam Veterans Memorial. SATURDAY, MAY 27 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Thunder Alley open. The official vendor site for Rolling Thunder XXX is on 22nd Street and Constitution Avenue Northwest. Rolling Thunder patches, pins, T-shirts and leather goods are on sale, along with food and drink. Featured speakers will also be at Thunder Alley. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Barbecue at Harley-Davidson of Washington, 9407 Livingston Road, Fort Washington, Maryland. RT4
SUNDAY, MAY 28 6 a.m. Reveille wake-up call for all riders taking part in the Rolling Thunder XXX First Amendment Demonstration Run. Bikers rally in the North and South Pentagon parking lots at 7 a.m. for a noon departure. 9 a.m. Thunder Alley opens. 12 noon Rolling Thunder XXX First Amendment Demonstration Run. Bikes leave the North Pentagon parking lot to begin their run through the National Mall area.
After the run, police will direct riders to West Potomac Park, where they will pay tribute to their fallen brothers and sisters. 1:30 p.m. Rolling Thunder XXX speakers program and musical tribute to veterans, Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial. 8 p.m. Memorial Day Concert at the Capitol.
MONDAY, MAY 29-Memorial Day 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Thunder Alley open. 11 a.m. Wreath-laying ceremony, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery. 2 p.m. National Memorial Day Parade, marching bands and veterans units from 50 states. Begins at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street Northwest. 3 p.m. National Moment of Remembrance.
Go to www.RollingThunderRun.com for the latest news and updates.
MAP SOURCE: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE; COVER: (FLAG) STILLFX, (MOTORCYCLE) BALDUR TRYGGVASON, (INSET) MAYA
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GALLERY
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Rolling Thunder XXIX The 2016 Rolling Thunder run in the nation’s capital on Sunday, May 29, was a festival of waving flags, colorful vehicles, rousing cheers for the riders and quiet moments at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to honor Americans who were lost in Vietnam or remain missing.
PHOTO CREDIT
Photos by Jennifer E. Berry
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ACCOUNTED FOR Honoring the Vietnam servicemen whose remains were recently identified
Lt. Cmdr. Frederick P. Crosby U.S. Navy, age 32, of Orlando, Florida. Lost June 1, 1965, when his RF-8A Crusader was hit during a combat mission in Thanh Hoa province, North Vietnam. Wall Panel 1E, Row 129
Col. Patrick H. Wood, U.S. Air Force, age 36, of Kansas City, Missouri. Lost Feb. 6, 1967, while piloting an HH-3E “Jolly Green Giant” helicopter shot down during a recovery mission near the border of Laos and North Vietnam. Wall Panel 15E, Row 1
Maj. Dean A. Klenda, U.S. Air Force, age 25, of Marion, Kansas. Lost Sept. 17, 1965, while piloting a F-105D Thunderchief stuck by gun fire in the Son La province, North Vietnam. Wall Panel 2E, Row 85
1st Lt. Donald W. Bruch Jr., U.S. Air Force, age 24, of Montclair, New Jersey. Lost April 29, 1966, when his F-105D was struck with anti-aircraft artillery on the way to a target north of Hanoi. Wall Panel 7E, Row 7
Sgt. 1st Class Alan L. Boyer, U.S. Army, age 22, of Chicago, Illinois. Lost March 28, 1968, while conducting a classified reconnaissance mission in Savannakhet province, Laos. Wall Panel 46E, Row 52
Maj. Donald G. Carr, U.S. Army, age 33, of San Antonio, Texas. Lost July 6, 1971, while flying over southern Laos to study sites for intelligence operations. Wall Panel 3W, Row 101
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ALL IMAGES COURTESY VIETNAM VETERAN MEMORIAL FUND
For a full listing of all POWs/MIAs, consult the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website at www.dpaa.mil.
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Wall volunteer Dan Arant meets with Tina James, the daughter of Lee Roy James, below, and her husband, Dominic Grazioli in November 2012.
WALL STORIES
National Park Service volunteers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., have a term for the special things that have happened there since the memorial was dedicated in 1982. It’s “Wall Magic.” A communion with a fallen loved one that can’t be felt anyplace else. An item of great personal meaning that’s placed at the Wall to symbolically leave the war behind, at last. A chance meeting of two strangers who discover a common bond. The touch of an engraved name that brings peace and healing.
On Sept. 5, 1993, a young couple faced the Wall, she in front, he in back with his arms wrapped around her. Tears began to flow down the woman’s cheeks as they stood perfectly still. She then walked up to the Wall and laid a bouquet of flowers at the base of panel 2E. A small handwritten note was attached loosely to one of the flower stems. It read: To Lee Roy James Killed Sept. 5, 1965 Sept. 5, 1993 Dear Dad—Yesterday, your baby girl married a wonderful, wonderful man. Although I did not see you there, I felt your presence in my heart and in the hearts of your family and friends. I am leaving you the flowers I carried down the aisle when Tom escorted me. It should have been you. I love you. Always, Tina Leigh Marine Gunnery Sgt. Lee Roy James, assigned to U.S. RT10
Naval Advisory Group, had been killed while on a patrol with a Vietnamese Regional Forces Company in I Corps, the military designation for South Vietnam’s northern provinces. His “baby girl” visited the memorial 28 years to the day. I reached out to Tina and met her at the Wall in June 2012. She said, “I think it’s so important for visitors to the Wall to really understand that each of the soldiers listed is more than just a name; every single one of them had loved ones they left behind. They were brothers, sisters, friends, sons, daughters, and in my case, a father who left his pregnant (with me) wife and three children too soon. Every single casualty left behind numerous people whose lives would never be the same….So I left the note and my wedding flowers at the Wall, the place where I feel more connected to my dad than any other place in the world.” —Wall volunteer Dan Arant, U.S. Naval Advisory Group, Vietnam, 1967-1968
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Wall volunteers John Berry, Dan Kirby and I were near the apex of the memorial. I was showing a visitor the name Mary Klinker and relating the story of Operation Babylift, an American program to fly orphans out of South Vietnam as the Communists were completing their takeover of the country in April 1975. One plane experienced mechanical problems shortly after takeoff and was forced to do a crash landing, killing many of the passengers, including 78 children. Air Force Capt. Mary Klinker, a flight nurse, shown left, also was killed. As I described the plane crash, a woman standing near me exclaimed, “My son was on that plane! And here he comes now!” I said to John and Dan, “Come here. You need to hear this.” We talked to the woman’s adopted son, Damien, who had survived that terrible plane crash when he was only 8 months old. According to Damien and his mom, many of the parents adopting those children knew exactly which child they were to adopt. Some crash survivors were cared for in a Denver hospital, and the staff called Damien’s mom to let her know that her son was there. A wristband identified him and the parents who adopted him. Needless to say, the three of us were in awe at this story and enjoyed meeting this delightful young man and his family. Damien expressed gratitude that he survived the crash and was able to grow up in this country with loving parents. —Wall volunteer Jeri McMahon, whose son and daughter entered the Army after 9/11 and served in Iraq. Friends and college classmates went to Vietnam.
Crowds gather at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during the dedication of the Wall on Nov. 13, 1982.
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Wall volunteers John Berry, far left, and Dan Kirby pose with Operation Babylift plane crash survivor Damien and his mother in 2011.
LEFT: WILLIAM LECKY; RIGHT: JERI MCMAHAN; INSET: VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL FUND
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The Peaceman
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—Wall volunteer Bill Shugarts, 23rd Supply and Transportation Battalion, 23rd Infantry Division (Americal), Vietnam, 1969-70
BILL SHUGARTS
in case he wanted to reach out. He gave me his card, which had the word “Peace” on it and a creative graphic circling the famous peace icon. His email address on the card begins with “peaceman.” He shared his name and address as well. He said he and his partner were from Mendocino, California, and this was their first trip to the Wall. The healing power of the Wall for this man 42 years after Vietnam amazes me.
PHOTO CREDIT
It was an unusually warm, springlike day at the Wall on March 1, 2012. While I was working in the midmorning hours, a man approached and asked if I was a docent. He had a female friend with him, and they appeared to be close to my age. The man was dressed in an outfit that included a boonie hat, peace signs, multicolored peace shirt and even a peace belt bucket. He also had a colorfully decorated artificial arm with a hook on the end of it. He wanted to know if I could take care of the artificial arm, which he wanted to leave behind. He also wanted to know if it would go into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection of objects left at the Wall and therefore be saved. I said, yes, I could help him. His arm would be protected while on display at the Wall that day and then become part of the Vietnam Collection at the National Park Service archives in Maryland. I was somewhat startled as he took off the prosthesis and laid it at the foot of Panel 1W in line with a small American flag and some paper crosses that had been left there. He seemed relieved, and his friend took a few pictures of him doing this. I asked him politely if I could take a couple of pictures as well to send to the archive and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the organization that built the Wall and helps preserve it. He said that would be fine and began telling his story. He lost his arm in Vietnam in 1970. His dad and brother had also served in the Vietnam War. He was quite proud of his family’s service. He had some newspaper clippings he wanted to leave and placed them inside his artificial arm. He talked a bit about his family and then said, “I am closing the chapter on Vietnam now and don’t need this anymore.” His eyes were misting as he began to walk away. I was trying to hold it together myself and enable him to grieve and heal. I then gave him a contact card for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
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Bob Hopkins in Vietnam
I can’t fully describe what happened; I don’t know how. The first time I saw it (or rather experienced it) was at the dedication in November 1982. It rained all the way from New Jersey, but cleared up shortly after our bus arrived. We were a ragtag bunch of vets from Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 12. We lined up on the National Mall, marched up Constitution Avenue and were funneled into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It took my breath away! Finally, something positive. After the ceremony, we were permitted to see it, touch it, cry next to it. To this day, it is hard to describe the feeling. Too many layers, too many emotions. I felt compelled to return to the Wall, and I did, every year, until 1994. In 1983 I visited the Wall with several vets who were attending the Founding Convention of Vietnam Veterans of America. I was one of the two delegates from New Jersey.I had a newly acquired friend, Lynda Van Devanter, who had been an Army nurse in Vietnam and over the years had schooled me on women’s veteran issues. On that night, she told me how lucky we men were to know the names of our comrades who had died. She didn’t remember the names of the many who had taken their last breaths in her arms as she tended to them in the wards of Vietnam. She couldn’t touch the names nor feel the imprints. She would be joining them in RT16
2002, as rapacious Agent Orange took another veteran. I returned each year on Veterans Day, compelled by an internal force. I felt guilty. I thought I had not done enough, seen enough, experienced enough in Nam. Although I was in combat, I wasn’t a grunt. I had been slightly wounded during a rocket and mortar barrage, found myself alone one night, running from Charlie, finally catching up with my unit. I had tasted fear that shook me to my core. None of that mattered. There was a hole in me that could not be filled. In November 1992, I returned to the Wall for the 10-year anniversary of the dedication. Restless still, I went to an area that only had a couple of people. I placed my hand on a panel and started crying. That’s when I heard the voice. “It’s OK, you don’t belong here.” Startled, I looked around. No one was anywhere near me. A peace came over me. The Wall had spoken to me. The guilt was gone. I retuned on Veterans Day 1993 for the dedication of the Women’s Memorial and to see my friend Lynda. I got to see the pride in her eyes. I have never gone back since that day. I have never felt the need. My comrades who rest there healed my spirit in 1992. I didn’t belong with them. I was truly home. RT —Bob Hopkins, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Vietnam, 1968-69
PHOTO CREDIT COURTESY BOB HOKINS
Closure
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A PLACE CLOSER TO HOME Inspired by the Wall in Washington, veterans in Illinois embarked on a new mission Cool rain fell steadily in Spitler Woods State Park on the Fourth of July in 1984 as Mike Ferguson made his way to the bandstand to address the crowd at the start of a fundraising effort for the proposed Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Slipping in the mud he dropped his canes and fell forward onto his hands. Slowly Ferguson regained his balance, which wasn’t easy because he had lost both legs after stepping on a land mine in Vietnam. Declining assistance from a nearby woman, the gritty, determined former Marine grabbed the microphone and harkened back to the weather in Vietnam. “Monsoon, guys. Get your parkas out,” he said. “Come on now, we’re not going to let a little rain stop us are we? Hell, we’ve slept in worse than this. Heard the Jaycees went home. Did they leave any beer?” “Oh yeah,” somebody yelled, holding up a can. Ferguson responded, “Well put it on ice, man, we’ve got business to tend to.” One last horseshoe clanked in the pits, and the scattered crowd of men, women and children gathered before the bandstand, impervious to the chilling drizzle. “Hey, it’s great that we could all get together RT18
like this,” Ferguson told them. “Been a long time comin’. This is what it’s going to take to get that memorial built at Oak Ridge [Cemetery] in Springfield. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not about to let the people of this country forget about the ones who never made it back. The time has come to honor them and to remember the ones who are still unaccounted for.” Ferguson’s voice leveled off into a gravely, serious tone. “When duty called we answered, no questions asked,” he said. “Generations before us did the same, so why shouldn’t we? But many who answered that call paid a heavy price, with their lives. And those of us who were lucky enough to make it back are paying still. We’ve been bearing the burden of an entire nation’s guilt for that war. Enough is enough—no more!” “Right on, brother, right on. No more, no more!” A graying bearded man with a ponytail began to chant, like a ’60s anti-war demonstrator, but his message was Like the national memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Springfield, Illinois, features a black granite wall engraved with the names of the fallen and missing.
AP PHOTO/SETH PERLMAN
By Mike Shepherd
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Medal of Honor recipient Sammy Davis urged people attending a Fourth of July event in Illinois to help fund a state memorial for Vietnam veterans.
began to shine, “let us commit ourselves to building that memorial to them.” The fundraising began in earnest that day for the $1 million memorial, designed by Jerome Lager of Breese, Illinois. Vets, their families and friends brought in thousands of dollars selling hats, T-shirts, POW/MIA bracelets and other memorabilia. There were dinners, dances and raffles in veterans’ clubs all over the state. Individual contributions came from everywhere. One of the leaders in the fundraising effort was Jim Mathes, an adviser to South Vietnamese troops during the war. The G. Heileman Brewing Co. contributed $485,000, matched with an equal amount provided by the state of Illinois. The city of Springfield donated nearly 2 acres in Oak Ridge Cemetery for the memorial site. Groundbreaking took place on Nov. 9, 1986. The Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial was officially dedicated on May 7, 1988, under sunny skies. The long-awaited ceremony ended when a flight of F-4 Phantom jet fighters thundered overhead in the traditional missing man formation. As the last plane disappeared, the crowd dispersed to celebrate, but many lingered, paying their respects in more solemn ways. Dorothy Semrau of Assumption, Illinois, was among them. Her missing son, Timothy Bodden, a Marine chopper gunner, was shot down in 1967 near the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. Semrau remembered what she felt the first time she saw his name on the black granite wall. “Well, of course, the pain of not knowing his fate, it’s always with you, but I felt pride too,” she said. “Tim was on his second tour in Vietnam. They were on a rescue mission. He volunteered because the regular gunner had an injured leg. That’s just the way Tim was. A North Vietnamese soldier captured near the crash site said someone continued to fire the machine gun after Tim’s helicopter went down. It might have been him. He could still be alive. I’ll never stop hoping.” Today the Illinois memorial’s eternal flame burns night and day as a tribute to those who fought and died for freedom in a long and difficult war halfway around the world. The flame also symbolizes the undying devotion surviving vets feel for their fallen and still missing compatriots. Five black granite walls contain the names of nearly 3,000 Illinois servicemen—many still unaccounted for. They are not, and never will be forgotten. RT Mike D. Shepherd, a retired public information officer for the state of Illinois, was a reporter with the 7th Air Force Combat News Unit in Da Nang. He is the author of Like Another Lifetime, in Another World.
U.S. ARMY
much different. Others joined in. “No more, no more...” “All right, listen up,” Ferguson interrupted. “Time is precious. We’re losing more and more Nam vets every day. Our suicide rate is staggering. Agent Orange and alcoholism and drug abuse have taken their toll too. Broken marriages, lost jobs, homelessness—the list goes on and on. But let’s not wallow in self-pity or hang our heads in shame. Too many have given too much for that. So let us pay tribute to them with a monument at Oak Ridge where their names will be etched in stone forever. It’s imperative that we start raising funds for it today! Whataya say? Pass the hat!” The crowd cheered. “Ten hut!” Ferguson boomed. Old Glory snapped in the breeze as a ragtag color guard, assembled near the flagpole, came to attention. “Present arms!” Rifle fire rang through the steel gray skies, and a bugler in faded battle fatigues blew taps. The last haunting note lingered in the misty woods as Donna Buechler came to the bandstand to speak. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity to finally talk about my Vietnam experience,” Buechler said, her voice quivering, as tears welled up in her green eyes. “It’s not that I haven’t been willing, or that I was ashamed. To the contrary, I am proud of what I did in Vietnam, but I didn’t think anyone really cared, until now.” She started to break down, but quickly regained her composure. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not condoning war. As a nurse I saw firsthand how horrible it is and what it has done to many of you. But I’d also like to say how much I appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made for the freedom of others. That’s what this memorial is all about to me.” As Buechler left the bandstand she was embraced by several veterans who expressed their appreciation for what she had done in Vietnam as one of the unsung heroes of he war. Among them was speaker Sammy Davis, who was born in Dayton, Ohio, completed high school in Mooresville, Indiana, and was now a resident of Flat Rock, Illinois. Davis received the Medal of Honor for his bravery as an artilleryman and his role in rescuing three wounded soldiers during a massive attack by the North Vietnamese Army on Nov. 18, 1967, when he was a private first class in the 9th Infantry Division. “When I visited the Wall in Washington,” Davis paused to clear his throat, “the enormity of the sacrifices and horrible cost of the struggle finally came home. We must have a place like this, closer to home, I thought, where people can stand before it and remember the men and women of Illinois who gave so much.” “So today,” Davis said, as the rain stopped and the sun
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund salutes Rolling Thunder on 30 years of keeping the promise to never forget
4 days. 65 hours. 58,315 names.
will be read aloud by volunteers. Join VVMF for this monumental event, as a reader or as a spectator, in
www.thewall35.org
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ONE EMPTY SEAT The POW-MIA National Chair of Honor Program By Patrick J. Hughes
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team play. D’Entremont secured an agreement there and reached out to Hussey again. Then on July 4, 2013, a Chair of Honor was placed in Fenway Park, home field for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Today POW-MIA honor chairs can be found not only in big sports stadiums but also in small-town city halls and a variety of public spaces in between. I created a plan to put honor chairs in and around Philadelphia. Now we have more than 40 of them in the Philadelphia area. Accompanying each chair is a plaque with these words: “You are not forgotten. Since World War I, more than 92,000 American soldiers are unaccounted for. This unoccupied seat is dedicated to the memory of these brave men and women and to the sacrifices each made in serving this country. God Bless You. God Bless America.” Information on the POW-MIA Chair of Honor Program can be found at POWMIAChairofHonor.org. RT Patrick J. Hughes is a professional photographer and combat veteran who served with Marine Air Group 12 in Vietnam, January 1967-February 1968. Rolling Thunder member Joe D’Entremont, above, began a campaign to place POW-MIA chairs in professional sports stadiums, including Boston’s Fenway Park.
PATRICK J. HUGHES
Joe D’Entremont, a locksmith from Boston and a member of Rolling Thunder Inc., noticed that a seat at the NASCAR track in Bristol, Tennessee, was left purposefully empty to remind people of service members who had been prisoners of war and those who are still missing. Inspired by that gesture, he was determined to make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to have POW-MIA chairs in all of its professional sports venues. D’Entremont began his quest at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots football team and New England Revolution soccer team. His proposal for an honor chair received enthusiastic support from Robert Kraft, the owner of both teams and the stadium. Kraft introduced D’Entremont to Hussey Seating Co., based in North Berwick, Maine, and Hussey agreed to donate a black Fusion seat. On Veterans Day 2012, Gillette Stadium became the first professional sports stadium with “one empty seat,” a POW-MIA Chair of Honor. The next target was TD Garden, the arena where the Boston Celtics basketball team and Boston Bruins hockey
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A SOLDIER AND A BIBLE The scripture that may have saved a young infantryman’s life in Vietnam BY JAN C. SCRUGGS
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John Weber, at home with his Harley and Cadillac in Annapolis, Maryland, holds the Bible he carried in Vietnam.
Weber wanted out of law enforcement. He went law school at Northern Illinois University and was hired as an attorney for automotive-equipment maker Borg-Warner Corp. in Chicago. He is now a top intellectual property lawyer at BakerHostetler in Washington, D.C. For many Vietnam veterans, their injuries led to an early death. But for some, getting wounded changed them, not for the worst, but for the better. My wounds allowed me an all-expensepaid education at American University in Washington. Through the research I did there, I became an authority on post-traumatic stress. From that work flowed the idea and plans for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Weber is a legal adviser for the proposed Global War on Terror Memorial in Washington honoring post-9/11 troops for their service in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Weber hopes the memorial, like the Wall, will be a place where troops are remembered and reunited. Legislation is moving through Congress to authorize a site. The effort to build the memorial, led by veterans of the ongoing warfare, will take five to seven years. Weber has not recovered from being a motor head. His vehicles include two motorcycles—a Harley Davidson V-Rod and a Honda CB100R— and a 565-horsepower, six-speed Cadillac CTS-V sedan Did the Bible save Weber’s life? Well, it did stop a small piece of shrapnel from hitting his chest, while a couple of dozen entered his body and remain there. Regardless, Weber’s life after the war is a good story. Like him, many Vietnam veterans have had great careers and successful lives. Let’s celebrate that. Psalm 37 is the verse the shrapnel hit. It was written late in the life of King David and later echoed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. “The meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Beautiful words. RT Jan C. Scruggs is president emeritus of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. He is chairman of the National Appeals Board of Selective Service and an adviser to the Global War on Terror Memorial.
JAN C. SCRUGGS
I recently had dinner with a friend who handed me a Bible. He showed me a piece of shrapnel embedded in it. While serving in South Vietnam’s Quang Tin province in 1969, he carried the Bible in his chest pocket. Even though he had never actually read it and has never had any particular exposure to or interest in religion, he nonetheless put the book there as a good luck charm. And good fortune has followed him. John Weber, born in Belleville, Illinois, was in his last semester of high school when he volunteered for the draft. He turned 18 that summer and was inducted a few days later. After infantry training at Fort Ord in California, Weber became a rifleman with the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal). Weber planned to use the GI Bill after the war to start a career as a diesel mechanic. His dad, a truck driver, was sure that would be a good fit for John, a “motor head” who kept his 1956 Oldsmobile in top condition. On March 18, 1969, after watching a U.S. airstrike, Weber’s squad set off to rejoin its platoon. Suddenly, the unit was in a close-range fight. An enemy rocketpropelled grenade exploded near Weber, lifting him off the ground and pelting him with fragments. Then a round from an AK-47 assault rifle hit his leg. Weber, one of more than 150,000 Americans wounded in the Vietnam War, floated in and out of consciousness and was medevaced to the nearby U.S. base at Chu Lai. After a stay in Cam Ranh Bay, north of Saigon, he was taken to an Army hospital in Japan. His physical condition remained grim. May 1969 found him in a hospital quarantine ward at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. The wounds were infected. Weber spent days barely conscious. Finally the fever lifted. He would live. By 1970 Weber was a discharged Army specialist 4 after 18 months on active duty. He feels he had some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Even today Weber avoids watching war movies or reading about warfare and violence. “Why should I focus on something that stresses me out?” he says. Weber recovered well enough to become a policeman and again experienced his share of unpleasantness. His partner was killed by another police officer over a love triangle, he says, noting that the killer was a draft evader.
THERE IS NO SINGLE TRUTH IN WAR
A LANDMARK DOCUMENTARY EVENT
SEPTEMBER 2O17
Funding provided by: BANK OF AMERICA; CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING; PBS; PARK FOUNDATION; THE ARTHUR VINING DAVIS FOUNDATIONS; THE JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION; THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION; NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES; THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS; FORD FOUNDATION JUST FILMS; ROCKEFELLER BROTHERS FUND; AND MEMBERS OF THE BETTER ANGELS SOCIETY.
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