PBS- Vietnam by Ken Burns

[Budnicks]

I watched a few hr's of it
while sitting around BS-ing with my neighbor...

I lost a cousin & an Uncle over there,
I also lost another Uncle after he came back,
not so well, to problems from rampant drugs
& a few other medical issues/caused from over there...

Anyway;
It was a great documentary,
learned even more about the liberal bias politics &
the commies, on both sides, also why & when most
the **** started, the French bailed/retreated like normal...

Rep. Pres. Ike {one of my favorites, very smart leader} really didn't
want anything to do with it...
It was a no win situation, he knew it,
sounded like he was kind of forced to react, send some aid...
Dem.'s Kennedy on the other hand was all in, so was Johnson...
Ho chi min stabbed them in the backs, they poured US $$$ at it,
he still went commie with their US dollars too, they tired to
help him get Viet Nam independence, they meddled in the
wrong part of the world & they didn't understand...
Rep. Nixon was who got US out...
Such a total waste, in so many ways, so many great men/women...

 

[ws23jrt]

Tip of the hat for all Vietnam vets!!

Also a tip of the hat to Ken Burns for his effort to bring this huge story together as best he and his crew know how.
The size of the project tells me about the effort to avoid leaving stuff out.

I lived those days as a 351 lottery number. ----In my working life, I have met many that served and few---very few-- wanted to chat about it.

Am looking forward to hearing more about why most don't want to talk about it. With a ten-part series and Ken Burns's history, I expect a proper eye-opening.

 

[snakeyes]

there is no way to sugar coat it

 

[monaco66coupe]

it was a tough time. Nobody cared that you were in the service at that time, except your family. You had to serve, hope you lived, and to come back. Equipment resembled more WW2 stuff. 13 months of "what will happen today"? a shitty M-16 on top of it. The only real way to get an accurate picture of the war is to spend a great deal of time Interviewing survivors, if they agreed to speak. I was stationed elsewhere, and never got Permanently assigned there. many of my friends did though, and it was always the luck of the draw.
I do know it was a helpless feeling being there, and flying in and out of there TDY didn't count as time on the ground. USAF Helicopter Units were rotated 89 days at a time, so my being there in and out did not rival being at an Army Firebase on a Huey for 13 months. For example: The VC had a nasty habit of hanging out in the jungle nearest the Air base, hoping to get a shot at a departing Soldier. It happened to my Older brother's best friend in 1967. Mike Smith had spent 13 Months as an Infantryman,and while
Boarding a 707 to go home, as he was walking up the steps, he was shot dead by a sniper hiding in the forest.
The Flight attendant closed the door before him, and they flew off. The Medics had to retrieve him lying at the top of the ramp. Game over. His Brother-in-law became a a Helicopter gunner in 1968, was shot twice,and crashed twice. he was on drugs for the rest of his life, and died about three years ago. The war was a total waste of resources.

 

[oldbee]

One Sunday we had the radio tuned to aircrew channel and heard a chopper over DaNang (1971) taking fire thru the floor & having to ask for permission to fire back(?). That's when I fully realized we weren't fighting the way we should have!

 

[Dennis H]

Also a tip of the hat to Ken Burns for his effort to bring this huge story together as best he and his crew know how.
The size of the project tells me about the effort to avoid leaving stuff out.

I lived those days as a 351 lottery number. ----In my working life, I have met many that served and few---very few-- wanted to chat about it.

Am looking forward to hearing more about why most don't want to talk about it. With a ten-part series and Ken Burns's history, I expect a proper eye-opening.

I was #280 in the Draft Lottery. Poor bastards born the day before were #06! Thanked my Mom for holding off to just after midnite. That said, I was prepared to go and just figured it was a matter of time. Married at 19 and the draft ended. I have had an easy ride, no thanks to anything I did. I appreciate those who picked up the slack for me. On the job, I sometimes cross paths with VN Vets. Some are beyond down and out. Heartbreaking knowing what they went through.

 

[monaco66coupe]

Lots of funny things did happen. In Jan 1973 Two Army MP's showed up at my mother's door looking for me and asking where I was. She Immediately got angry, and asked: What? did you lose him? They were taken aback, and said: he NEVER registered for the draft. (To my mom all Uniforms looked the same) She Informed them that I left her in sept 70', and they better damn well find him! They apologized, and left. The red cross called me with an emergency call to home, when I was told of the event. I then asked my NCOIC if I had to register since I enlisted at 17. he said, no, they are a bunch of Dummies! The record would show you enlisted. I said apparently not!
My Mother advised me that should I get hurt I better call her first! MOM's.
Gotta love them.

 

[mopar 3 B]

I went in on March 31, 1974. Had instructors that had been there and came back. Most would talk about it after you got to know them.
Some strange stuff happened there. Most were p.o.d. because they were not allowed to fight a war. Just a ferking police action. You can not win if you are told not to. I really doubt if Burns gets into some of what I have heard went on.

 

[snakeyes]

RVN vets should recognize her

 

[snakeyes]

these women died in Viet Nam

 

[YY1]

I think they played audio of four US president's saying something to the effect of "there's no way to win a war in Vietnam"- Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and IIRC had in writing the same from Truman.

 

[BeeKool]

I read an interesting Article in Military History Quarterly.
It basically said that Nixon came very close to winning the way for us with Operation Rolling Thunder. Hanoi was bombed into near oblivion as was much of the Viet Conf and NVA supply depots and lines.

I forget who wrote the article but his opinion was another 6-12 months of Rolling Thunder and we would have had them at the Negotiating Table out of necessity on their part

 

[Ranger16]

RVN vets should recognize her View attachment 516286

Chris Noel? I have a picture of her and I standing together at FSB "Sicily 6".

I also have a picture of Gypsy Rose Lee sitting on the edge of my hospital bed at Camp Zama Army Hospital leaning over with her arm around me. Now how many guys can say they have a picture of themselves in bed with Gypsy Rose Lee. (Younger guys may have to Google Gypsy Rose Lee).

 

[Ranger16]

I read an interesting Article in Military History Quarterly.
It basically said that Nixon came very close to winning the way for us with Operation Rolling Thunder. Hanoi was bombed into near oblivion as was much of the Viet Conf and NVA supply depots and lines.

I forget who wrote the article but his opinion was another 6-12 months of Rolling Thunder and we would have had them at the Negotiating Table out of necessity on their part

I find that hard to believe. They where so dedicated to the cause that they'd still be fighting us today had we not left.

 

[oldbee]

Hopefully there might be a little CCR tonite or tomorrow.. Probably more like Peter,Paul&Mary.

 

[YY1]

Speaking of the soundtrack-

It's Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

Interesting choice.

 

[snakeyes]

Chris Noel? I have a picture of her and I standing together at FSB "Sicily 6".

I also have a picture of Gypsy Rose Lee sitting on the edge of my hospital bed at Camp Zama Army Hospital leaning over with her arm around me. Now how many guys can say they have a picture of themselves in bed with Gypsy Rose Lee. (Younger guys may have to Google Gypsy Rose Lee).

nope it was Bobbie Keith she was the weather girl

http://www.historynet.com/interview-with-bobbie-keith-the-weathergirl.htm

 

[snakeyes]

Chris Noel? I have a picture of her and I standing together at FSB "Sicily 6".

I also have a picture of Gypsy Rose Lee sitting on the edge of my hospital bed at Camp Zama Army Hospital leaning over with her arm around me. Now how many guys can say they have a picture of themselves in bed with Gypsy Rose Lee. (Younger guys may have to Google Gypsy Rose Lee).

lChris Noel

 

[Ranger16]

No wonder I didn't recognize her. We didn't have any TV's where I was.

 

[OK charger]

I find that hard to believe. They where so dedicated to the cause that they'd still be fighting us today had we not left.

As Gen. Curtis Lemay (commander of S.A.C.) said.."you kill enough of them and they'll stop fighting". That would have been a perfect time to try that out.