Bob- My series on The Vietnam War Revisited will cover beginning to the end with attribution to historian, Barbara Tuchman ,plus my comments based on my research, over forty blogs on controversial subjects and my historical narrative, RECALL, published last year. Hope you follow along and comment.

You Loadmasters were incredible in how fast you could reconfigure an A/C . Never flew om a Provider. mostly 130’s, 135’s & 141’s

Joe – If you read my entire series of Vietnam war blogs, I think you will understand where I’m coming from and discover our views are not too far apart. I’m trying to present the big picture as I see it. It’s a complex subject. If you missed any they are here on my website: RLawsonAuthor.com. Also, I published a historical narrative, RECALL, that is full of facts about that war. In over forty blogs and my book I make the case mismanagement by our politicians lost the war, not our military. I back this claim up with factual data. I hope you will take time to read RECALL and my forty plus blogs and get back to me with your opinion. Bet I convince you. If you read the current series of blogs, The Vietnam War Revisited , I make the case we should not have gotten involved in a “civil war”, but the collective Cold War mindset dictated the”Domino Theory” threat/ We must defeat monolithic Communism i.e. generally accepted ‘group thought’ at that time. Hope you take the time and get back to me.

I didn’t take a mortar frag like you did, but I air evac’ed a lot of Purple Heart guys like you and have a good idea of what you went through. We flew wounded mostly to Clark, PI, but sometimes to Japan and Okinawa. What impressed me most about you fellows that there was no pissing and moaning. Just glad to be alive and going home. Tough guys . I salute you, man.

John – Please let me know when you publish your book, I’ll read it. In my historical narrative RECALL, published last year, the Vietnam War and its aftermath in the States is viewed through the experiences of four pals who played HS football together in the Fifties and end up in Vietnam together a decade later. I think you’d enjoy their story. When they returned home they experienced the discrimination and abuse you refer to in your story line. I hope you find time to read RECALL.

Jerry- Your comments are spot on. Santayana warmed us that if we do not learn the lessons of history we will be condemned to repeat them. I’ve researched the Vietnam War subject extensively and now am posting a series of blogs to educate the general public about the Vietnam War and its society effects on our Nation’s politics. I published a historical narrative last year, RECALL, giving my perspective on that decisive war. Many of those contentious issues persist today. I hope you continue to to read my current series of blogs- The Vietnam War Revisited based on my critique of Barbara Tuchman’s The Folly of War- From Troy to Vietnam and my personal research and experience in Vietnam. In case you missed them, I’ve posted over forty blogs last year addressing controversial issues about Vietnam .
Thank you for your comments, I wish more people would teach their kids history lessons.

Eric- Agree with your comments. Ho chi Minh would fight til the last man. I make this case in my blogs and historical narrative, RECALL. l hope you continue to read them. We seem to ignore the lessons of history. It did not have to turn out the way it did. The war fractured the fabric of our society, the effects persisting three or four generations til this day.

Jim- I think the Generals cared, but their advice from the field ignored or “filtered” so DC got their “desired message.” Politicians mismanaged the war by severely limiting the rules of engagement. I make this clear in my blogs and historical narrative, RECALL. My blogs are intended to educate the public since only half our population was alive during the Sixties and many others do not recall the facts.

Richard- That is a heartrending story all too familiar unfortunately. We need to get our Vets all the help they need to prevent these tragedies. I hope you follow my series of blogs on the Vietnam War and read my historical narrative, RECALL. I think you will connect with the story. RLawsonAuthor.com has all the information you need and more blogs.God bless your family.