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Have
you noticed that the Democrats almost always seem to be sitting at the controls
when they send us into wars? A notable exception to that was our involvement
in Desert Storm. That was on the watch of President George Bush (That would
be the first President George Bush). In what
would prove to be the most successful prosecution of a war in United States
history, President Bush let the military do it's job!
He did not make weekly changes in his position based upon public opinion polls like a more recent President. He identified the objective, stayed focused on the mission and then eliminated the problem! Bush disallowed interference by politicians. "Get Out of Jail Free" cards were not issued by the CIA. to protect 'questionable' operatives, and most of all, "no fire zones" were virtually nonexistent. A President who acts like a true Commander in Chief is like a breath of fresh air.
This was a sharp contrast to the bungling of inept Democratic President Lyndon Johnson and his staff. An unorganized pack of ultra-liberal sycophants, stumbling through almost six years of what appeared to be an un-controlled freefall, as they casually destroyed the integrity of our military and the honor of our country. This came at a time when our nation was exposed to the New Left's reprehensible attempts to ensure the American and South Vietnamese defeat. I believe that Judge Robert H.
Bork was correct in his assessment of the motives of the leftist demonstrators,
and the fact that North Vietnam's
resolve was greatly fortified by the demonstrations against the war in the
United States.
It is clear to me that the actions of leftist (students and other) demonstrators against the war were directly responsible for the deaths of many American Soldiers In Vietnam, including some of those in my own company. While I can, and have, forgiven those who ran or left the country because of cowardice, I will never forgive those who joined ranks against us. Bui Tin, a former Colonel on the General Staff of the North Vietnamese army who left after the war because he became disillusioned with his country's communism, said in an interview that Hanoi intended to defeat the United States by fighting a long war to break America's will. The American anti-war movement was "essential to our strategy. Support for the war from our rear was completely secure while the American rear was vulnerable. Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9:00a.m. to follow the growth of the American anti-war movement. Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda, former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, and various clergy gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses. We were elated when Jane Fonda, wearing a red Vietnamese dress, said at a press conference that she was ashamed of American actions in the war and that she would struggle along with us." Reprehensible
as well were the timid strategies of President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of
Defense Robert MacNamara --- their refusal to bomb the North, allowing
sanctuaries for enemy troops, absurd limitations on the bombing of North
Vietnamese missile sites, even in the South; and generally fighting a half
hearted war. Bui Tin said that "Hanoi could not have won if Johnson had approved
General William Westmoreland's requests to enter Laos and block the Ho Chi Minh
Trail." Instead, the bungling of our liberal political leadership ensured that the war
could not be won.
My Vietnam experience was far different than anything I had expected. I remember it as a place where seemingly every blade of grass or leaf had a sharp edge on it; ready to leave it's mark as a new cut or slash on your skin as you passed by. A place of beautiful mountains, rushing streams, laughing children collecting their toll of candy as we passed through their village. And then I remember the deadly explosion of a mine or booby trap, or the speed of everyone's reaction to incoming fire as we were instantly on the ground reducing the target area. I remember that most of us developed the ability to fall asleep and then be awake and absolutely alert at the slightest sound. Shelter for the night (when you were not awake on your watch) was sometimes your poncho as you slept in a squatting position, leaning against a tree or bushes so you would not fall over in your sleep onto the soaked ground. I remember periods of weeks at a time where everything was soaking wet from the incessant rain. Sometimes my goal in life at the time was to just keep a single thing dry when everything else was soaked.. It was a washcloth that I carried in a plastic bag. The ability to just dry my face or my hands for a short time during the monsoons was somehow a great comfort! There were other times of course when we were back in our base area. In comparison to being out on an operation, it was like an oceanfront room at the Adam's Mark hotel here in Daytona Beach. While we were at LZ Bronco, up on top of Montezuma, one of the FDC sergeants and I, constructed a great apartment out of dirt filled mortar shell boxes with a sandbag covered steel drain culvert as a roof. It was only about 5-1/2 ft. by 7- 1/2 ft. long inside but it was dry and more than big enough for two of us in there (You can find a picture of it in the photo gallery). The technical training we received was fine. Sure, everyone could strip and reassemble their rifle in the dark without being able to see it, but the short lectures about what to expect in country came far short of the real thing. How exactly are you supposed to react when a guy that you went through training with, and shared a drink or two with in Hawaii, suddenly has his legs and a hand blown off by a mine? I don't remember them covering that part in our training.
More Vietnam photos and maps - Go to Photo Gallery from main page |
