The Summer of 1968- The Vietnam War and World Events Fifty Years Ago

– 50 Years Ago – The Summer of 1968 and The Vietnam War –

When it comes to international turmoil and American history, 1968 is without parallel. There was a lot more going on than the Vietnam War at that time. Most of the major events occurred against the backdrop of the Cold War tensions. The threat of mutual nuclear destruction led to bomb shelters and “get under your desk” drills at schools. DEFCON levels of graduated threat entered our vocabulary. Stress levels ran high. Anxiety clouded perception. America was about to come apart at its seams. To say times were tense would be an understatement.

Russia and China posed existential threats, dominating the general mindset. Their Communist threat led to our involvement in South Vietnam to prevent SE Asia falling under communist control- i.e. the “Domino Theory.” JFK bought into the Eisenhower/ Truman dogma and decided to make a stand in Vietnam.

You probably recall how that worked out. But, if you don’t, let me share some facts with you since half of our population was not even born then and have no recollection. I am going to summarize the key events that may serve as a primer for that pivotal period in our nation’s history fifty years ago, an unforgettable year or one we may want to forget, but cannot ignore.

In South Vietnam, North Vietnam Regulars allied with the Viet Cong and continued their major Tet offensive on 35 cities hoping to cause an uprising of the local populace to turn coat on the American troops. The year 1968 became the height of the war.  As the attacks raged on, the local uprising the North counted on never materialized and their losses mounted, estimated to be about 200,000 by year-end. The fiercest  fighting took place in February when the enemy lost 165,000 killed in action. By military standards the US forces were winning, but suffered almost 4000 casualties (KIA) and six times as many WIA. The VC never really recovered and the NVRs retreated to the north to regroup. In retrospect, we never pressed our military advantage to end to war with a definitive victory by pursuing them there.

Why?

Because the political tide had turned against the war back home in the United States.The antiwar activism and hippie cultural revolution divided America into ideological camps. The negative Vietnam media fanned the flames of dissent. Cronkite declared the war “unwinnable.” The publication of Eddie Adams’ iconic photo of Saigon’s security chief , General Loan, executing a VC operative  the capital’s downtown  street caused an uproar. If the back story had been told, it might have been a different story and elicited a different reaction. But, I’ll save that for another blog. Suffice it to say, the Pulitzer prize winning photographer of the image mentioned above said in 1998 after the chief’s death: “Two people died in that photograph. The General killed the Viet Cong, I killed the General with my camera.”

The influence of the media in 1968 cannot be understated. News reports and TV media pounded the public with negative images of Vietnam night and day. No one would ever guess our military was winning.  Sound familiar?

On the verge of anarchy, protests became violent on campuses and surged into race riots in cities. Draft dodgers burned their cards in public and thousands fled to Canada. The first domino to fall was American public opinion as support for the war faltered. Returning vets were treated with disrespect. Hostility became unbridled. America became divided to the extent that three generations later resentment and bitterness persist. Worldviews now are so divergent that civil discourse now is in tatters.

This overreaction can be traced to the Vietnam era’s chaos in my opinion. Here are some examples of what happened fifty years ago. I was there in SF to personally observe the turmoil after returning from SE Asia duty including Vietnam air evac’s of wounded and body bags. The ugly scene will never escape my memory.

Significant events marked that turbulent year. Some boggled the mind:

• LBJ sensed the pivotal moment in our history and eventually decided not to run for reelection later in ’68 after losing the New Hampshire primary.
• Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated, rattling the nation’s consciousness.
• In the summer Olympics in Mexico City, during the Star Spangled Banner, Carlos and Smith each raised a black-gloved fist on the award stand in protest. Booed, they were later banned from competition.
• Apollo 8 orbited the moon, a feat lost in the chaos of other events.
• North Korea captured the Pueblo in international waters increasing world tensions.
• The Soviet Union occupied Czechoslovakia, as tanks rolled through Prague.
• To top off the summer, violent rioters fought with Chicago police disrupting the Democrats’ convention. Among those arrested in the tear gas fracas Abby Hoffman, founder of the Yippie Party antiwar movement.

The summer of 1968 proved the Kerner Commission Report prophetic: America has two societies, “separate and unequal.”

In my historical narrative, RECALL, a story about Vietnam and its aftermath, I make the point that the conservative side views America as fundamentally good, but always able to improve. The liberals appear to want to radically change America.

In 1968, half the country went right, the other half left. Political and civil culture were transformed, polarizing the country. The transformation did not end well, making it difficult to resolve our current-day differences generations later.

See any parallels in today’s political discourse? In my novel, RECALL, I trace the birth of our polarized society as seen through the experiences of four characters who played high school football together and end up in  Vietnam a decade later. You will find their take on the war very interesting. I urge you to read the fictional historical narrative and learn more about that history that greatly influenced who we are and why we are today.

 

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Image courtesy of Manhai