Vietnam Amnesia

VIETNAM AMNESIA

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War’s turning point – A conflict that few recall firsthand. Half of our population was not even born during that fourteen year war starting in 1961 with JFK’s introduction of American military advisors to prevent the spread of monolithic communism in Southeast Asia. The “Domino Theory” became the pretext for our involvement. If South Vietnam fell into communist control, other SE Asian nations would topple like dominoes. Recall that theory? How’d that work out?

By 1965, Vietnam became our war under LBJ’s military escalation whose ill-fated strategy was not so much to win the war, but not to lose the war. Thus Vietnam became a war of attrition characterized by feckless self-imposed restrictions. A war fought from Washington DC under politicians’ directives. A war that often ignored the battlefield conditions and recommendations from flag officers and was characterized by an administration who ignored CIA intelligence estimates. Why ignore CIA recommendations? Their Indochina experience dated back to its OSS predecessor in post WWII 1945 and offered qualified advice.

Recall those restrictive rules of engagement that needlessly prolonged the fight and contributed to our loss of good troops, two-thirds who had volunteered ? Does that still piss you off if you are a vet?

I guarantee that if you served in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia you have no amnesia. While the memory has faded from the public’s memory, vets recall the events like it was yesterday. Some still suffer flashbacks.

Recent media articles and TV documentaries remind us that 1968 TET was the pivotal event in turning the public against our military intervention. The anti-war fever increased exponentially. But, did the media tell you that our troops lost not one major city of village in South Vietnam in intense battles? The noted pundit, Walter Cronkite, declared the war “Unwinnable.”  Was it? Really? Ask any Vietnam vet…. Better ask soon, since only a third of Vietnam vets still alive. The statistics are sobering.

The Vietnam War veteran death rate is alarming. Of the 2,709,910 serving in uniform, in country, less than 850,000 are still alive. The estimate for the youngest living vets is 62 years old and it is estimated few of these remaining veterans will survive to 2025, with 390 vets dying each day. Hopefully, you’ll show them some respect now since they received no gratitude for their service back in the ’60s. I witnessed the disrespect in San Francisco upon my return. It was an ugly reception. It seemed the whole world had gone mad.

If this upsets you, it should.There are so many misconceptions and myths about Vietnam. Get the factual data, a vet’s story in my recent historical narrative, RECALL.

I served as a USAF flight surgeon over there. We air evacuated wounded and body bags. Like others, I returned home to a hostile reception. The combat troops fought, we supported them. They are the real heroes. I salute them.

The record needs to be set right. I reviewed the CIA’s declassified intelligence estimates from this era. Declassified in the ’80s, I present some of the details in my novel, RECALL. The revelations  will shock you.

Every American should be acquainted with Vietnam’s history. We must learn the lessons of history and heed them. Otherwise, we are condemned to repeat our mistakes.

 

References for this post include:  American War Library & US Wings