More Reflections on the Vietnam War

Reflections on Vietnam

Looking back fifty years ago to the 1968  North Vietnamese Tet offensive, I decided to write a series of blogs to jar the memory of those who lived though that era and who may not recall some of the facts and statistics of that controversial conflict. Plus, half of our current population was not born during that time and these blogs could serve as a capsule summation for them. I feel it’s important to know that war’s history lessons and try to set the record straight with factual data.

For the historical record, over nine million served tours over the extended fourteen year period, beginning with the introduction of military advisors by JFK in 1961 and our complete withdrawal by helicopters from rooftops in 1975. That represents 9.7 % of this generation compared to the 1% currently serving in our military. Two-thirds of the enlistments were voluntary and one third were drafted, quite a disparity from today’s professional military. There were and continue to be a lot of myths associated with the Vietnam War. I wrote a blog about that subject recently that dispels them. Many of these myths were anti-war propaganda.

During Tet In 1968, 550 thousand served in Vietnam. Out of that large number, I’m sure a lot of opinions were formed regarding the war’s conduct, the politics, and the dissent at home magnified by slanted media reports that we were losing the war when in fact no major cities or villages were lost and our troops inflicted overwhelming enemy losses. But, few had a forum to express their frustration at the misrepresentation. My blogs have offered an outlet for vets to vent and express their viewpoints decades after that fact. Passions and resentment die hard. I’ve enjoyed replying to their comments which, in general, have been polite and printable. It’s good to get frustration off your chest. And, a considerable number have vented I might add.

I have an idea what the experience meant to them as I air evaced many as a USAF flight surgeon in Vietnam. Our conversations reflected proud servicemen glad to be alive and going home despite their wounds, physically and emotionally. There were no whiners. The disrespectful, sometimes hostile reception in the States bred resentment, described by many as “a world gone mad.”

Vietnam is not a warm and fuzzy story. Many complex issues were involved. CIA intelligence reports were declassified in the 1980’s. I read them and summarized many in my historical novel, RECALL. I invite you to read more about this war and the aftermath in the United States. It explains a lot of why we are such a polarized society today.