A good friend who flew close combat missions in A-4’s out of Chu Lai in 1967 and 1968 recently sent me a copy of a fellow Marine’s recollections of Vietnam which I wanted to pass along to you with my recall of that experience. His descriptions offer a capsule summary of an aspect of the […]
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 […]
Is the World Less Chaotic Today than Fifty Years Ago? Comparing 2018 to 1968
Comparing Today’s World to 1968 I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago and as timing would have it, CNN is airing a four part documentary this weekend on the pivotal and chaotic year of 1968. Think the world is a mess today? Facing existential threats- Iran and North Korean nuclear ambitions? Continuing wars […]
VIETNAM : The “Forgotten War?”… Really?
Vietnam, The Forgotten War? Before the Vietnam War, Korea was dubbed the “forgotten war.” That terminology has also been applied to Vietnam by some pundits and historians. But is it appropriate? Ask any vet, I think not. That war still haunts many who suffered wounds, both physically and mentally, and suffered from PTSD and drug […]
Vietnam – “The Road Not Taken”
That was the title of Max Boot’s recent biography of Edward Lansdale , the famous CIA operative in the clandestine war in the P.I. before his participation in the Vietnam War. Lansdale played a vital role propping up Diem’s government in Saigon in the 1950’s and the 1960’s. The book documents his covert operations and […]
“Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics”
Below is an excerpt from the Epilogue in my novel, RECALL. The Vietnam War’s aftermath led to ingrained mindsets and perpetuated confused perceptions lasting decades and into the present. It’s difficult to unravel the complex issues, determine what’s relative, what’s credible in the fog of a war with so many conflicting versions and opinions preserved […]
