Vietnam.
For years, the mere mention of the name cast a pall over veterans of that war.
The conflict came to embody a splintered era of social unrest. Anti-war protests raged on college campuses, the surging civil rights movement was coming to a head, women jostled for equal rights and blue-jeaned hippies flaunted a beatific message of peace and love.
On March 29, 1973, the last U.S. ground troops left Vietnam. Many veterans returned home only to be treated as outcasts, enduring a blemish of shame for decades.
"The Vietnam veterans came home, and it was a turbulent time," said Ron Miriello, who pulled duty as a "River Rat" on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. "They stayed away from speaking. They were called baby killers and spit on. I never thought anybody wanted to hear it."
Now, more than four decades after the height of the conflict, Fort Bragg and Fayetteville are uniting in celebration of the men and women who served in Vietnam. Heroes Homecoming, billed as a long-overdue welcome home for Vietnam veterans, will run Nov. 4-13.
"I don't think I deserve or need anything special for what I did. It was my duty," Miriello said. "I think there should have been more learning back in the day. Still, I think it is a great gesture."
In conjunction with the community tribute, Miriello and four other Vietnam veterans shared some of what they brought back from the nightmarish conflict. They are five who proudly wore the uniforms of their country, overcame the combat horrors and achieved success in Cumberland County after Vietnam.
Tony Murzyn
Army paratrooper with A Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry
Three times, North Vietnamese soldiers ransacked Tony Murzyn's body as he lay prone and motionless.
Finally, he was left for dead.
Murzyn had been shot four times - in his left ankle, left shoulder and both legs - on June 22, 1967, during the battle of the Slopes. It was his first significant combat after three months in Vietnam.
His company had been searching for North Vietnam Army troops on a mountainside when it was pinned down by a large enemy force. Ammunition started to run low, and radio contact was lost.
"It was a couple of hours, it seemed like," Murzyn said from his home in the Briarwood subdivision. "I could hear some moaning and groaning of other people around. I couldn't get to them. Then, all of a sudden, I heard Vietnamese talking, so it had to be the enemy."
The first enemy soldier snatched Murzyn's rifle from his hand and walked off. A dazed and disoriented Murzyn then felt a hand reaching for his shirt pocket. The soldier nabbed his notebook.
"Then I felt his hand going across my back like he had put an 'X' across my back. I was really nervous at that time," he said. "Then another individual came along and took whatever food out of my pants legs."
Murzyn and other surviving members of his company who waited through the night heard shots punctuated by screams as the enemy executed the American wounded. Forty-three soldiers, according to accounts, died from head wounds inflicted at close range.
Once the soldiers left, Murzyn rolled around and grabbed a nearby gun. The signal to attract friendly troops was one shot in the air every 30 minutes. Murzyn managed to fire while going in and out of consciousness.
"You're 20 years old. Your thoughts are different than at this age," said Murzyn, now 65. "You sort of think everything will be all right."
After being discharged from the Army in late 1967, he landed a job with Westinghouse Electric Corp. In 1984, he was transferred to what is now Eaton Corp.
Murzyn worked for 38 years with the company, eventually becoming an engineering supervisor.
Looking back, he said, Vietnam didn't change him.
"I think about it a lot," Murzyn said. "I pray about the guys who have passed away, but it doesn't haunt me. It was just another time in my life, like going to work and back. It was then, and now it's gone."
Ron Miriello
Navy machine gunner with the Navy Mobile Riverine Force
Ron Miriello spent a year behind a 50-caliber machine gun on Naval river assault craft, pulling search-and-destroy missions on the Mekong Delta.
"It's always in the back of my mind. It is a moment that will never go away," he said. "You hear that expression about a 'Kodak moment.' But Kodak moments are not just good pictures. Some are bad. They'll never go away. I see them just as visibly today of a mangled body I saw 40-something years ago."
For the past 12 years or so, Miriello has presented a first-hand account of his Vietnam experience for audiences that cross generations - from teens to World War II veterans.
"I talk about statistics, and I tell about the 58,267 (American service members) killed in Vietnam," he said. "I talk about preparing for combat, what it's like during combat. What it's like to return home from combat and all of a sudden being in a peaceful situation, which is hard to adjust to."
By the grace of God, he said, he was lucky during those 300 or so "River Rat" missions with the Navy Mobile Riverine Force.
Miriello, who found himself in vulnerable, risky situations from July 1968 to July 1969, never got hit while patrolling the rivers as a machine gunner.
"It was a year of living off tension and adrenaline. It was an exhausting time every day, your adrenaline so high," he said. "We were under fire often every day. When you hear a round from an AK-47 and hear it whiz by and know if you leaned an inch to the right that you'd get hit, that's scary. We all experienced such things at that time."
Miriello spent four years in the Navy. Afterward, he changed directions, posting a 30-year career in higher education, beginning at Fayetteville Technical Community College. In 2008, he retired as vice president of Central Carolina Community College.
Although his wartime experience was bad, it taught the former petty officer to appreciate the small things in life. Among them, he cites clean water and being able to switch on night lights.
But that stretch of duty also changed him from a trusting, mild-mannered man into someone easily angered and often suspicious.
"I will not sit down at a restaurant until I see everybody in front of me in the restaurant," he said. "It is an uncomfortable feeling not knowing what is coming around you. If people are behind me, I'm not comfortable."
Retired Lt. Col. Arturo Macaltao
Army infantryman with the 1st Calvary Division (Air Mobile)
Arturo Macaltao used to skim over the section in history books on the Vietnam War when he was teaching at Douglas Byrd High School.
Macaltao, who retired from Special Forces as a lieutenant colonel nearly two decades ago, was severely wounded on a search-and-destroy mission on Sept. 23, 1966, in the Hai Lang Forest of South Vietnam.
His voice drops as he recalls a brush with death and the valiant men who died around him, including those who tried to pull him to safety. It explains the difficulty he faced teaching about the war in a classroom.
"It was rough," he said. "You might say I would glide over it, even though some of my students wanted to know more. I always had the memories of guys who I served with and about the war itself."
Macaltao carved out a 28-year military career, enlisting out of high school at age 19 in July 1964.
He taught social studies at Douglas Byrd from 1996 through 2007. Macaltao always had an interest in history, and teaching came natural since training soldiers had been part of his job in the service.
Macaltao, 66, said people tend to ask him about Vietnam.
"I don't really get too much into it," he said.
On that fateful September day in Vietnam, he had been airlifted onto a hilltop. Trapped there were a couple of North Vietnamese regiments. A South Vietnamese unit flanked the American soldiers as Huey helicopters blasted the countryside with rocket artillery.
"I jumped in a depression on the trail and started exchanging fire," said Macaltao, a native of Puerto Rico who grew up in Chicago. "Next thing I knew, I felt like I was lifted up, like someone hit me with a telephone pole."
Macaltao, the fire team leader of about five soldiers, suffered bullet wounds in his lower back just above the right hip and in the left leg and shoulder. Fortunately, a hedge separated him from the enemy.
They knew he was there, he said, but they could not see him.
Macaltao called for a medic and recalls "another kid calling my name - Joseph T. Williams, who was the machine-gunner." He heard gunfire and found out later that Williams had been killed.
Platoon Sgt. 1st Class Antonio R. Osuna, who tried to pull Macaltao out, also was slain in the battle.
"I believe I've got closure with it, as far as looking back. I don't dwell on it," he said. "It brings back bad memories. I think about those guys, and I'm so grateful I'm alive. I guess I feel guilty I'm still alive. I lived a full life, married, had three children and have granddaughters.
"I think about the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice. I accepted it because I always wanted to be a soldier. Those things come with the job."
The Rev. Roy F. Hill
Army administrator with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Special Forces Fifth Group
When the Rev. Roy F. Hill looks back at himself during his years in the military, he sees a hell-raiser. His first sergeant once told him he was going to put Hill's stripes on with Velcro because he was so often in trouble.
"I was a rah-rah guy," he said. "I was one of the devil's disciples."
Converted to Christianity on Oct. 16, 1983, the Kinston-born serviceman went on to become an ordained nondenominational minister.
He attended Bible college, worked for TV host Pat Robertson and the Christian Broadcasting Network, and was a director of the 700 Club (and now Operation Blessing) in Fayetteville.
He doesn't have his own church, but he presides at funerals, burials, weddings and baptisms. Hill also helps widows of retired Special Forces families.
Six years ago, he compiled a "Survivors Guide: What My Family Should Know" that he gives to Special Forces veterans and their families.
In public speaking, Hill likes to incorporate anecdotes from his long tour of duty in Vietnam. "It has helped me share the gospel," he said. "I'm a man of simple faith."
Hill said he doesn't linger on the baggage of Vietnam.
"We need to get on with life," he said. "We were treated like crap. It's my past. By grace, I got through it, and, by grace, I get through today."
Hill logged nearly 19 months in the Dong Nai province, doing administrative work before returning home in July 1967.
"I think it gave me an understanding of how war worked - how politicians get into it, and when the politicians get into it, how they handcuff the soldiers," he said. "We kept the American people out of it. They weren't telling the truth on what we were doing over there."
Ladell Williams
Army squad leader, demolition leader and platoon sergeant with over three tours of duty in Vietnam
Ladell Williams cannot bear to watch the 1968 John Wayne movie "The Green Berets."
In one scene, a Special Forces camp is attacked and overrun by Viet Cong. It gave him nightmares after his second tour of duty in Vietnam.
The scene is said to be loosely based on the July 6, 1964, Battle of Nam Dong.
"I guess it was just the violence of that particular scene," Williams said from his Hope Mills home. "That was one of the things that keyed my nightmare - that continuous nightmare - the same nightmare that I used to have when I first came back. I never got overrun, but something about that scene was the trigger. I won't ever watch it."
From 1965 to 1972, the St. Louis native served three deployments in Vietnam, anchoring a nearly 30-year career in the military. Later, he married a Vietnamese woman after meeting her on a blind date.
After his retirement from the Army, he worked for three years with Aims Rental Property and Storage and another 15 years at J.C. Penney in Cross Creek Mall.
Though he mostly keeps his perspective on the Vietnam engagement to himself, disturbing images from the war remain embedded in his mind.
"The first time I went, about the worst thing you run into, drug-wise, was maybe somebody smoking a joint," said Williams, who is 69. "Then you went from there, the last time I went back - a whole bunch of folks are strung out. You walk through an area, but instead of finding cigarette butts you'd find these little plastic heroin vials lying all over the place."
Williams long felt responsible for the death of a combat buddy in a helicopter accident. Williams sobbed softly as he recalled the soldier, who died in a burn center in Texas.
He blamed his hurried-up process to book a flight back to base camp in Thuy Hoa in the northern part of South Vietnam after some R&R in Thailand. After Williams was dropped off, the soldier took the same chopper out. The rotor clipped a tree, and the aircraft crashed.
Williams and his wife try to visit Vietnam about every other year. He has passed through areas where he once trudged as a soldier, but it's no longer recognizable to him.
"The good thing I can see: When we were there, you had a divided nation fighting among themselves," he said. "Before, you had two countries, and now there's one. And I can appreciate that. The time I was there, I had chosen the military as my career, and I had to do what I had to do."
Monday, October 31, 2011
Five Vietnam War veterans haven't let their memories of combat control their lives
From FayObserver: Five Vietnam War veterans haven't let their memories of combat control their lives
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The U.S. Army's Rock 'N' Roll Past
From NPR: The U.S. Army's Rock 'N' Roll Past
The thought of army music evokes a certain tradition — say, trumpets and drums in the style of "Pershing's Own." But that tradition was set on its ear back in the late 1960s and early '70s, when the PFCs stationed overseas formed their own pop bands. Instead of breaking them up, Army brass sent them on tour.
East of Underground was one such band — a multiracial, seven-piece group stationed in Germany at the tail end of the Vietnam War. They were selected during something called "The U.S. Army's Original Magnificent Special Services Entertainment Showband Contest" — let's just call it a battle of the bands. The winners toured other military bases and made records.
Those recordings were lost for decades, until a collector discovered an East of Underground LP in 1997. After that, the search was on — for as many of these Army bands as they could find. A new compilation pulls together some of those old records — it's called East of Underground: Hell Below.
David Hollander produced the compilation. He also wrote the liner notes, which reveal a surprising fact: The U.S. Army spends an estimated $200 million a year on music, and is the largest single employer of musicians in the country.
"I was shocked when I found that out myself, but it kind of makes sense," Hollander tells Guy Raz, host of weekends on All Things Considered. "All the branches of the armed services have always included music as part of their mission. It's there to boost morale, it's there to provide entertainment and comfort for soldiers, it's there to sort of represent what the U.S. is — musically, culturally — to the rest of the world."
Lewis Hitt played guitar in East of Underground. Like all the other members, he was a draftee, and had come from a tiny town in Mississippi. Hitt says he had already been in one Army band by the time he joined the group.
"I initially was stationed in Korea. I was able to get into a band there. When I left Korea, the first thing I did when I got to Germany was to find Special Services, which happened to be right next to my barracks," Hitt recalls. "I met the singers and the other players and we got together and played, and it just kind of all meshed together."
The songs East of Underground played weren't your run-of-the-mill patriotic marches — in fact, some of them included controversial lyrics about race and politics. Hollander says it's not a mistake to read a hint of resistance into the band's repertoire.
"The song selection includes songs that were playing in the States, and very much expressed the countercultural sentiments of political resistance in this country at that time," Hollander says. "Bear in mind that these bands were all engaged in a show band contest in 1971 and 1972, and the winners of the that contest would then be able to tour Europe, and would also record an LP in the Armed Forces Network studios in Frankfurt.
"So this was a very viable way to avoid active duty in Southeast Asia."
Hollander says it isn't clear what the Army planned to do with these recordings, especially since so few copies of them have surfaced — just three dozen in East of Underground's case. It's also a mystery what happened to the bands — apart from Lewis Hitt, none of the members have come forward.
"I've done my own searches on Google and so forth, but I cannot find anything," Hitt says. "I'm just amazed that [the band's] three singers didn't have hit records after they left the Army. They were so talented, I just assumed they would have a contract with the first studio they walked into."
The liner notes of East of Underground: Hell Below conclude with a sort of benediction, lifted wholesale from the U.S. Army Field Manual:
Because of the unique ability of music to communicate, bands will serve in different capacities of publicity and recruiting, and in the support of civil affairs. Most of all, Army bands will strive to honor General George Washington's observation, "Nothing is more agreeable and ornamental than good music."
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Impact of war on language
From the Egyptian Gazette: Impact of war on language
The date itself signifies that research into all aspects of the Vietnam War continues to strongly capture the interest of researchers and scholars at all levels and in all fields of specialisation.
The anonymous publisher said: “As you know, history is a very sophisticated subject with loads of data to remember. American history research papers and those about Vietnam War in particular are the most difficult but nevertheless absorbing ones.
“The Vietnam War was one of the longest and significant wars of the modern history of the US. This war was fought between 1964 and 1974 in South Vietnam.
“Writing on this topic is probably one of the most interesting and challenging assignments for students. This is the way to show their respect to their history and their soldiers.
Vietnam War research paper writing tips: You are to choose the topic for your Vietnam War research paper. There can be many ways to approach a solid topic on Vietnam War. For example, we can propose you such themes as US forces operations, the causes and results of the war.
This is a drop in the bucket of ideas that can be used for Vietnam War research papers. Actually speaking, it is almost impossible to find a new aspect of Vietnam War research paper. That is why the topic should be interesting to you and this tip is vital.
Your interest should last during the whole process of research. Strain every nerve when thinking over creative ways of disclosing ordinary topics. Remember, that even barely statistical data can help you to create an unusual research paper topic.
You have to choose the appropriate format for your research paper. Try one of the most common and used styles, for example, MLA or APA. Take into consideration, that every format has its’ own limitations and peculiarities. Mind them when writing your research paper!
Write an outline for your topic. You are able to use an outline template to streamline the research paper writing. Remember that every research paper should have five sections: introduction, background study, the main body, discussion of sources and the concluding sector.
Since there are loads of information, try to use solid sources for your paper. Use statistics and loaded evidences for proving your thesis.
Presentation of the Vietnam Research Paper: You have to co-opt the data you have collected with help of your outline. Then structure that statistics in the appropriate format.
Remove data that does not add value to your research paper. It is advisable to present information that deals with your research topic and helps to answer the questions of your research proposal.
Keep your research paper easy to follow.
Provide headings and subheadings so that your audience would be able to keep tabs on your work.
You should proofread your work. Grammar and spelling mistakes would worsen the mark of your work.
The date itself signifies that research into all aspects of the Vietnam War continues to strongly capture the interest of researchers and scholars at all levels and in all fields of specialisation.
The anonymous publisher said: “As you know, history is a very sophisticated subject with loads of data to remember. American history research papers and those about Vietnam War in particular are the most difficult but nevertheless absorbing ones.
“The Vietnam War was one of the longest and significant wars of the modern history of the US. This war was fought between 1964 and 1974 in South Vietnam.
“Writing on this topic is probably one of the most interesting and challenging assignments for students. This is the way to show their respect to their history and their soldiers.
Vietnam War research paper writing tips: You are to choose the topic for your Vietnam War research paper. There can be many ways to approach a solid topic on Vietnam War. For example, we can propose you such themes as US forces operations, the causes and results of the war.
This is a drop in the bucket of ideas that can be used for Vietnam War research papers. Actually speaking, it is almost impossible to find a new aspect of Vietnam War research paper. That is why the topic should be interesting to you and this tip is vital.
Your interest should last during the whole process of research. Strain every nerve when thinking over creative ways of disclosing ordinary topics. Remember, that even barely statistical data can help you to create an unusual research paper topic.
You have to choose the appropriate format for your research paper. Try one of the most common and used styles, for example, MLA or APA. Take into consideration, that every format has its’ own limitations and peculiarities. Mind them when writing your research paper!
Write an outline for your topic. You are able to use an outline template to streamline the research paper writing. Remember that every research paper should have five sections: introduction, background study, the main body, discussion of sources and the concluding sector.
Since there are loads of information, try to use solid sources for your paper. Use statistics and loaded evidences for proving your thesis.
Presentation of the Vietnam Research Paper: You have to co-opt the data you have collected with help of your outline. Then structure that statistics in the appropriate format.
Remove data that does not add value to your research paper. It is advisable to present information that deals with your research topic and helps to answer the questions of your research proposal.
Keep your research paper easy to follow.
Provide headings and subheadings so that your audience would be able to keep tabs on your work.
You should proofread your work. Grammar and spelling mistakes would worsen the mark of your work.
RSL folds on Vietnam War reconciliationF
From 9 News (Australia): RSL folds on Vietnam War reconciliation
The RSL national executive has decided against developing a plan to reconcile Australian veterans and their Vietnam War foes.
The plan had angered some Australian veterans of the war who accused the RSL of a gross betrayal.
The RSL folded on Tuesday, announcing it would not proceed with its plan to establish a memorandum of understanding with the Veterans Association of Vietnam.
The RSL national executive has decided against developing a plan to reconcile Australian veterans and their Vietnam War foes.
The plan had angered some Australian veterans of the war who accused the RSL of a gross betrayal.
The RSL folded on Tuesday, announcing it would not proceed with its plan to establish a memorandum of understanding with the Veterans Association of Vietnam.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
A Contest Inspired by a Traveling Vietnam War Veterans Memorial
From Cupertino Patch: A Contest Inspired by a Traveling Vietnam War Veterans Memorial
Follow the link above, on a computer, to enter the Cupertino Patch's contest.
Follow the link above, on a computer, to enter the Cupertino Patch's contest.
As America looks to end the war in Iraq, the City of Cupertino is preparing for Veterans Day when a replica memorial of a past war—the Vietnam War—goes on display in Memorial Park.
The City and Cupertino Patch are partnering on holding a contest based on the traveling replica of the Vietnam War Veteran's Memorial wall by asking children to tell us what they believe is the significance of a war that ended decades before they were born.
The traveling wall is 80 percent to scale and holds all the names of the fallen soldiers. If you've never seen the original take the opportunity to visit the replica when it arrives in Cupertino Nov. 9.
The arrival of the traveling wall provides an opportunity to reflect on a controversial and unpopular war and the men and women who fought in it, and the more than 58,000 who died in it for their country. How do we teach our children about this war? What have they learned about it? How did it affect our country? What does it mean to today's youth?
Maybe a grandfather fought in Vietnam and has shown your child his dogtags and medals. Maybe you've taken your child to get a pencil rubbing of a fallen soldier's name off the etched wall in Washington, D.C. Or maybe your child learned about the war in school.
We want to know what Cupertino's children believe is significant about the Vietnam War.
Get creative and show us through a visual presentation. It could be a slideshow with a series of pictures of Vietnam War statues, medals, uniforms, tributes or memorials.
Or maybe the story could be told in a video of interviews with a Vietnam War veteran.
Or maybe a sketch or a painting is the way your child can best illustrate their feelings of the meaning of the war.
Win Stuff!
Photos of all entries will be posted on Cupertino Patch and the winner will be selected through readers' votes and a panel of judges. The Grand Prize winner will take home a $100 iTunes gift card, and two First Prize winners will each get a $50 iTunes gift card, courtesy of the City of Cupertino.
The contest is open to students ages 13 to 18; no more than two entries per child please. Slideshows and videos should last no more than two minutes, and any artwork submitted should be done through a digital photo of the art emailed as an attachment to the Editor at anne.ernst@patch.com (arrangements for the display of original artwork will be made at a later date.)
Winners will be invited to a special ceremony on Nov. 10 at Memorial Park where the traveling wall will be displayed.
Watch the video on the City's website to learn more about the American Veterans Traveling Tribute.
What does the Vietnam War mean to you? Tell us in the comments.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vancouver production breathes new life into macabre Morrison death
From The Province: Vancouver production breathes new life into macabre Morrison death
In November 1965 Norman Morrison, a Quaker, peace activist and teacher, drove to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., doused himself with kerosene and lit a match.
By setting himself on fire, Morrison made the ultimate sacrifice in protest of the Vietnam War. The message was aimed directly at Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara, whose office was above Morrison’s chosen location for self-immolation.
His death became headline news and not just for its extremeness. Also drawing the world’s attention was his daughter Emily. Just nine days shy of turning one, Morrison had brought her with him, though she was found completely unharmed.
More than forty years later, Morrison’s death has long faded from public memory. But when Vancouver playwright Sean Devine first read about this real-life tale three years ago, he was immediately struck by Morrison’s act.
Devine, who’s first play Re:Union is based on Morrison’s story, instinctively knew this was a tale worth exploring, with all its complicated questions about social and personal responsibility and the messy implications of taking action, or not.
“Regardless of whether he intended to kill her [his daughter], he knowingly accepted a fate that he would no longer see her again. He knowingly said ‘I’m willing to give up seeing that amazing little girl for the rest of my life, as well as my other two kids, as well as my wife, as well as life itself’ and that kind of commitment that is not from an insane person, but is from someone who just cares so deeply, it just blew me away,” said Devine, a father of two.
Re:Union, produced by Vancouver’s Pacific Theatre, is not a strict re-telling of historical events but rather a story rooted partly in fact, partly in fiction. It starts with Morrison’s death (fact) and fast-forwards to post 9/11 when a grown-up Emily returns to the scene of her father’s death and confronts McNamara (fiction).
There are difficulties, of course, in writing a play based on real people and partially real events. Devine knew it was important to get the family’s input. So after writing his first draft based on as much available research as possible, including a memoir written by Morrison’s widow, Anne, he contacted the family.
Feeling slightly terrified, he sent them his play.
“They sent back a really long letter and basically said although they completely appreciate my intentions, there’s so much in what I’ve written that they can’t support because it was so factually wrong and not just factually wrong but wrong according to their characters,” says Devine.
With the family’s feedback, the character of Emily went from passive and broken-up about her father’s actions to an ardent supporter of her father’s act, something the real Emily clearly expressed to him, says Devine.
Re:Union could be read both on a macro and micro level. On the one hand, it asks big questions about our role in shaping society and how we live by our beliefs. On a more intimate level, it’s about a father’s relationship with his daughter.
In real life, the consequences of Morrison’s death would not be fully revealed for decades. While cynics perhaps saw only that his sacrifice did not end the war, McNamara admitted in a 1996 memoir that he had misgivings about the war and that Morrison’s death stirred those feelings and deepened public dissent.
Evan Frayne, who plays Morrison, says the play speaks directly to our times and the constant struggle to do what’s right for society, our families and ourselves.
“It’s a lovely story about a father and his daughter and it’s about a moment of them connecting. It’s how his passion re-ignites her passion to live the way she believes is right,” he says.
In November 1965 Norman Morrison, a Quaker, peace activist and teacher, drove to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., doused himself with kerosene and lit a match.
By setting himself on fire, Morrison made the ultimate sacrifice in protest of the Vietnam War. The message was aimed directly at Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara, whose office was above Morrison’s chosen location for self-immolation.
His death became headline news and not just for its extremeness. Also drawing the world’s attention was his daughter Emily. Just nine days shy of turning one, Morrison had brought her with him, though she was found completely unharmed.
More than forty years later, Morrison’s death has long faded from public memory. But when Vancouver playwright Sean Devine first read about this real-life tale three years ago, he was immediately struck by Morrison’s act.
Devine, who’s first play Re:Union is based on Morrison’s story, instinctively knew this was a tale worth exploring, with all its complicated questions about social and personal responsibility and the messy implications of taking action, or not.
“Regardless of whether he intended to kill her [his daughter], he knowingly accepted a fate that he would no longer see her again. He knowingly said ‘I’m willing to give up seeing that amazing little girl for the rest of my life, as well as my other two kids, as well as my wife, as well as life itself’ and that kind of commitment that is not from an insane person, but is from someone who just cares so deeply, it just blew me away,” said Devine, a father of two.
Re:Union, produced by Vancouver’s Pacific Theatre, is not a strict re-telling of historical events but rather a story rooted partly in fact, partly in fiction. It starts with Morrison’s death (fact) and fast-forwards to post 9/11 when a grown-up Emily returns to the scene of her father’s death and confronts McNamara (fiction).
There are difficulties, of course, in writing a play based on real people and partially real events. Devine knew it was important to get the family’s input. So after writing his first draft based on as much available research as possible, including a memoir written by Morrison’s widow, Anne, he contacted the family.
Feeling slightly terrified, he sent them his play.
“They sent back a really long letter and basically said although they completely appreciate my intentions, there’s so much in what I’ve written that they can’t support because it was so factually wrong and not just factually wrong but wrong according to their characters,” says Devine.
With the family’s feedback, the character of Emily went from passive and broken-up about her father’s actions to an ardent supporter of her father’s act, something the real Emily clearly expressed to him, says Devine.
Re:Union could be read both on a macro and micro level. On the one hand, it asks big questions about our role in shaping society and how we live by our beliefs. On a more intimate level, it’s about a father’s relationship with his daughter.
In real life, the consequences of Morrison’s death would not be fully revealed for decades. While cynics perhaps saw only that his sacrifice did not end the war, McNamara admitted in a 1996 memoir that he had misgivings about the war and that Morrison’s death stirred those feelings and deepened public dissent.
Evan Frayne, who plays Morrison, says the play speaks directly to our times and the constant struggle to do what’s right for society, our families and ourselves.
“It’s a lovely story about a father and his daughter and it’s about a moment of them connecting. It’s how his passion re-ignites her passion to live the way she believes is right,” he says.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Historic Hanoi hotel discovers Vietnam War bunker where Joan Baez and Jane Fonda sheltered
From The Washington Post: Historic Hanoi hotel discovers Vietnam War bunker where Joan Baez and Jane Fonda sheltered
HANOI, Vietnam — The siren’s wail at the historic Metropole Hotel sent American folk singer Joan Baez and other guests scampering across a garden and into an underground bunker. Even through five feet of concrete, they could still hear the roar of American bombs raining on parts of Hanoi.
Nearly four decades have passed since the so-called Christmas Bombings rocked parts of Vietnam’s capital in December 1972. After the war ended three years later, the bunker was sealed and all but forgotten.
Its exact location remained a mystery until this summer, when a worker’s drill pierced its thick concrete roof during renovations of a poolside bar. Since then, workers have been excavating the flooded and low-ceilinged space. Not much has been found in the seven rooms: a wine bottle, a rusty paint can and a light bulb still in a socket. But a few tales remain, some involving famous guests.
“If these walls could talk, they would tell a lot of stories,” says hotel general manager Kai Speth, while giving The Associated Press an exclusive first glimpse. The bomb shelter “needs to be brought back into the life of the hotel as a reminder of what this hotel and this town went through.”
The North Vietnamese government used the French colonial-era hotel, a stately four-story building in the shadow of Hanoi’s Opera House, to house foreign guests during the war.
Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong, now 82, remembers staying in the bunker during the Christmas Bombings with anti-war activist Baez. On one of the 12 nights that B-52s pounded areas around the city, the lights went out, prompting a few foreigners to scream in the darkness.
“Can you sing a song?” Phuong asked the young singer. “We may not change the situation, but your songs may help calm people down.” When Baez’s voice rang out as someone plucked a guitar, the bunker was revitalized, Phuong recalls.
Others who sheltered there included war correspondents and American actress Jane Fonda, says Phuong, who worked for the government as a doctor assisting foreign guests.
Fonda’s visit to enemy territory ignited fury at home. She criticized U.S. policy on North Vietnamese radio and earned the nickname “Hanoi Jane” after posing for a photo atop an anti-aircraft gun — an incident that Fonda later said she regretted.
Publicists for Baez and Fonda did not respond to requests for comment.
French entrepreneurs opened the Metropole in 1901, calling it the “the largest and best appointed hotel in Indo-China.” Over the years, it welcomed celebrities from Charlie Chaplin — who came in 1936 on his honeymoon — to Graham Greene, who wrote parts of his famous novel, “The Quiet American,” at the hotel.
The Metropole was renamed the Thong Nhat (Reunification) Hotel after Vietnam gained its independence from France in 1954. But after communist forces won the Vietnam War in 1975, the hotel languished under state management as a reunified Vietnam struggled to recover from fighting that killed some 58,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese.
It wasn’t until the early 1990s, after a French company assumed partial ownership, that the Metropole regained its earlier name and its place as one of the city’s spots to see and be seen.
Today, with Vietnam emerging as one of Asia’s fastest growing economies, Hanoi’s nouveau riche roll up in Bentleys and Rolls-Royces and toss down $70 per person on Sunday brunch. Upscale boutiques line its green-shuttered white facade, with electric blue handbags selling at Hermes for $7,000 — nearly seven years’ salary for the average Vietnamese. Mick Jagger, Angelina Jolie and Fidel Castro have all spent the night.
Even those who can’t afford the $10 cocktails gravitate toward the city landmark. Every day soon-to-be Vietnamese brides in pouffy layers of white silk and lace pose for wedding photos outside its walls.
Discovery of the roughly 500 square-foot (nearly 50 square-meter) bunker with its mildewed, mustard-colored walls raises questions about how it will be preserved and who will be allowed to visit, especially since half of the hotel is indirectly owned by the government.
Prominent Vietnamese historian Duong Trung Quoc says it should be opened to the public. While the bunker primarily protected foreign guests, he says it could play an important role in illuminating Vietnam War history.
But Speth, the general manager, says he doesn’t want mobs of tourists turning his five-star hotel into a Southeast Asian “Grand Central Station.”
“I have an obligation to my guests to keep the Metropole luxurious and exclusive,” he says. “If I just leave it open, can you imagine? All of the tour guides of Hanoi would take everybody down there.”
___
If You Go...
METROPOLE HOTEL: 15 Ngo Quyen St., Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam; http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-1555-sofitel-legend-metropole-hanoi/index.shtml or 011-84-4-38266919. Nightly rates for online reservations begin at around $300 a night including taxes.
HANOI, Vietnam — The siren’s wail at the historic Metropole Hotel sent American folk singer Joan Baez and other guests scampering across a garden and into an underground bunker. Even through five feet of concrete, they could still hear the roar of American bombs raining on parts of Hanoi.
Nearly four decades have passed since the so-called Christmas Bombings rocked parts of Vietnam’s capital in December 1972. After the war ended three years later, the bunker was sealed and all but forgotten.
Its exact location remained a mystery until this summer, when a worker’s drill pierced its thick concrete roof during renovations of a poolside bar. Since then, workers have been excavating the flooded and low-ceilinged space. Not much has been found in the seven rooms: a wine bottle, a rusty paint can and a light bulb still in a socket. But a few tales remain, some involving famous guests.
“If these walls could talk, they would tell a lot of stories,” says hotel general manager Kai Speth, while giving The Associated Press an exclusive first glimpse. The bomb shelter “needs to be brought back into the life of the hotel as a reminder of what this hotel and this town went through.”
The North Vietnamese government used the French colonial-era hotel, a stately four-story building in the shadow of Hanoi’s Opera House, to house foreign guests during the war.
Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong, now 82, remembers staying in the bunker during the Christmas Bombings with anti-war activist Baez. On one of the 12 nights that B-52s pounded areas around the city, the lights went out, prompting a few foreigners to scream in the darkness.
“Can you sing a song?” Phuong asked the young singer. “We may not change the situation, but your songs may help calm people down.” When Baez’s voice rang out as someone plucked a guitar, the bunker was revitalized, Phuong recalls.
Others who sheltered there included war correspondents and American actress Jane Fonda, says Phuong, who worked for the government as a doctor assisting foreign guests.
Fonda’s visit to enemy territory ignited fury at home. She criticized U.S. policy on North Vietnamese radio and earned the nickname “Hanoi Jane” after posing for a photo atop an anti-aircraft gun — an incident that Fonda later said she regretted.
Publicists for Baez and Fonda did not respond to requests for comment.
French entrepreneurs opened the Metropole in 1901, calling it the “the largest and best appointed hotel in Indo-China.” Over the years, it welcomed celebrities from Charlie Chaplin — who came in 1936 on his honeymoon — to Graham Greene, who wrote parts of his famous novel, “The Quiet American,” at the hotel.
The Metropole was renamed the Thong Nhat (Reunification) Hotel after Vietnam gained its independence from France in 1954. But after communist forces won the Vietnam War in 1975, the hotel languished under state management as a reunified Vietnam struggled to recover from fighting that killed some 58,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese.
It wasn’t until the early 1990s, after a French company assumed partial ownership, that the Metropole regained its earlier name and its place as one of the city’s spots to see and be seen.
Today, with Vietnam emerging as one of Asia’s fastest growing economies, Hanoi’s nouveau riche roll up in Bentleys and Rolls-Royces and toss down $70 per person on Sunday brunch. Upscale boutiques line its green-shuttered white facade, with electric blue handbags selling at Hermes for $7,000 — nearly seven years’ salary for the average Vietnamese. Mick Jagger, Angelina Jolie and Fidel Castro have all spent the night.
Even those who can’t afford the $10 cocktails gravitate toward the city landmark. Every day soon-to-be Vietnamese brides in pouffy layers of white silk and lace pose for wedding photos outside its walls.
Discovery of the roughly 500 square-foot (nearly 50 square-meter) bunker with its mildewed, mustard-colored walls raises questions about how it will be preserved and who will be allowed to visit, especially since half of the hotel is indirectly owned by the government.
Prominent Vietnamese historian Duong Trung Quoc says it should be opened to the public. While the bunker primarily protected foreign guests, he says it could play an important role in illuminating Vietnam War history.
But Speth, the general manager, says he doesn’t want mobs of tourists turning his five-star hotel into a Southeast Asian “Grand Central Station.”
“I have an obligation to my guests to keep the Metropole luxurious and exclusive,” he says. “If I just leave it open, can you imagine? All of the tour guides of Hanoi would take everybody down there.”
___
If You Go...
METROPOLE HOTEL: 15 Ngo Quyen St., Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam; http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-1555-sofitel-legend-metropole-hanoi/index.shtml or 011-84-4-38266919. Nightly rates for online reservations begin at around $300 a night including taxes.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Vietnam War veteran Terry Calandra: 'I have a lot of people to apologize to'
From Lehigh Valley Live.com: Vietnam War veteran Terry Calandra: 'I have a lot of people to apologize to'
Terry Calandra can't say with certainty why he falsified records and made up stories about military combat medals he didn't earn.
For that, and for claiming valor he didn't deserve, he said he's eternally remorseful.
"I have a lot of people to apologize to," the 62-year-old Vietnam War veteran said Friday.
"I may be a bad person for what I did, but it was my reality I had to deal with. If it wouldn't be for my wife and family who supported me for all these years (after the war), I probably wouldn't be alive today."
Calandra, of Belvidere, thinks his deceit probably was a means "to make me feel good about myself -- to help justify the things I did over there."
Last week in Philadelphia, after a decade-long campaign to upgrade his awards to the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest military honor -- Calandra admitted it was a sham.
He pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements about his military service and was sentenced to a year's probation and $600 in fines.
The stunning admission shocked and angered friends and fellow veterans, including those who worked closely with him in veterans' organizations and initiatives in the Lehigh Valley and New Jersey.
"There are veterans and bloggers out there who want my hide," Calandra said in his first public comments since his court appearance. "Under combat situations, sometimes your brain doesn't work too good. I did what I did and now I have to face the music. That's the way it is."
Calandra concocted a story that he won the Silver Star by throwing himself on a grenade in March 1969, and made up another story to go with the Distinguished Service Cross he claimed to have been awarded, officials said.
His stories started to unravel after he filed paperwork with former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter to begin an investigation into whether his actions merited the Medal of Honor.
'He has my contempt'
Calandra, who grew up in the Easton area, legitimately earned three Purple Hearts during his Vietnam service from January to July 1969.
In 1998, after a meeting with then-U.S. Rep. Paul McHale in Bethlehem, McHale hailed Calandra as a hero after Calandra was nominated for the Medal of Honor.
McHale, now an attorney at a Washington, D.C., law firm, had forwarded Calandra's case to the Department of Army for review.
"When someone makes that kind of detailed and false series of statements, including forged documents over a long period of time, to claim valor that others have earned, it's hard to find an act that could be more despicable," McHale said Friday.
McHale, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, said Calandra's punishment of probation and a modest fine was insufficient.
"For what he did (serving in Vietnam), I will grant him respect," McHale said. "For what he didn't do -- and then claimed to do -- he has my contempt. There's no justification for what he did. He's going to have to deal with this as a matter of conscience for the rest of his life."
40-year struggle
Calandra had gained acclaim locally for his supposed wartime feats. He was a frequent parade marshal and speaker in schools and at veterans' events.
He's commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 700, in Warren and Hunterdon counties. On Friday, he said he didn't want to speak about his future with the group.
"I have to live my life and go on," he said. "People can hate me or still be my friend. But what I've done is something I cannot change. I have to live with it -- I alone."
Calandra said he returned home in 1970 angry about his experiences and the receptions Vietnam veterans confronted.
He said he watched a friend die in his arms in Vietnam and he's struggled for more than 40 years to erase the horrors of other experiences. He hasn't been able to do it.
"When the shooting's all over, the only thing you hear is the screams and the crying and the dying," he said. "Those screams never go away."
Since his court appearance, he said, he's received encouraging words from men with whom he served and friends he's made since.
"I realize I have issues," he said. "I buried it and buried it. You can't bury your subconscious. It keeps at you."
Friends offer support
Rich Polak, who served with Calandra in Vietnam and cooperated with authorities who later charged Calandra, likened his friend's missteps to a service-connected disability.
"I condemn what he did and he knows it," Polak, of Marshall, N.C., wrote in a letter to the editor. "However, the acts of wrongdoing he committed are the result of his being present for duty and serving gallantly in combat in Vietnam."
Morris Metz, a World War II veteran who leads the Lehigh Valley chapter of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, had breakfast with Calandra two weeks ago.
Metz said he's read every word of last week's news accounts, again and again. Calandra never breathed a word about any of it.
"When you grow up, you're taught the sanctity of life," said Metz, 86, of Forks Township. "But when you go in the military service and go into war, you learn to kill and destroy. You do that or you get killed.
"After you get back to a normal civilian life, you don't know if you're going to be affected by those experiences. Things may happen that cause you to take actions you normally wouldn't take. I think that's what happened."
While shocked by Calandra's revelations, Metz said he considers him a friend and maintains great respect for his service and accomplishments.
He hasn't spoken to Calandra since his guilty plea but said he knows what he's going to say the next time he sees him: "Love you, brother."
Leaving a legacy
Calandra, whose organization raised money to decorate veterans' graves and contribute to various war memorials, said he doesn't want to be defined by his misdeeds, but understands if that's the case.
"If you can step back in time and change things, I would," he said. "But the bottom line is I can't. I hope that I'm not remembered for this only.
"I hope that when they go to high schools and places where memorials stand that I was involved with, they can say 'OK, the guy was an (expletive), but he did some good stuff.'
"If there are derogatory thoughts, I hope at least they can say 'He did a good job doing this.'"
Terry Calandra can't say with certainty why he falsified records and made up stories about military combat medals he didn't earn.
For that, and for claiming valor he didn't deserve, he said he's eternally remorseful.
"I have a lot of people to apologize to," the 62-year-old Vietnam War veteran said Friday.
"I may be a bad person for what I did, but it was my reality I had to deal with. If it wouldn't be for my wife and family who supported me for all these years (after the war), I probably wouldn't be alive today."
Calandra, of Belvidere, thinks his deceit probably was a means "to make me feel good about myself -- to help justify the things I did over there."
Last week in Philadelphia, after a decade-long campaign to upgrade his awards to the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest military honor -- Calandra admitted it was a sham.
He pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements about his military service and was sentenced to a year's probation and $600 in fines.
The stunning admission shocked and angered friends and fellow veterans, including those who worked closely with him in veterans' organizations and initiatives in the Lehigh Valley and New Jersey.
"There are veterans and bloggers out there who want my hide," Calandra said in his first public comments since his court appearance. "Under combat situations, sometimes your brain doesn't work too good. I did what I did and now I have to face the music. That's the way it is."
Calandra concocted a story that he won the Silver Star by throwing himself on a grenade in March 1969, and made up another story to go with the Distinguished Service Cross he claimed to have been awarded, officials said.
His stories started to unravel after he filed paperwork with former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter to begin an investigation into whether his actions merited the Medal of Honor.
'He has my contempt'
Calandra, who grew up in the Easton area, legitimately earned three Purple Hearts during his Vietnam service from January to July 1969.
In 1998, after a meeting with then-U.S. Rep. Paul McHale in Bethlehem, McHale hailed Calandra as a hero after Calandra was nominated for the Medal of Honor.
McHale, now an attorney at a Washington, D.C., law firm, had forwarded Calandra's case to the Department of Army for review.
"When someone makes that kind of detailed and false series of statements, including forged documents over a long period of time, to claim valor that others have earned, it's hard to find an act that could be more despicable," McHale said Friday.
McHale, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, said Calandra's punishment of probation and a modest fine was insufficient.
"For what he did (serving in Vietnam), I will grant him respect," McHale said. "For what he didn't do -- and then claimed to do -- he has my contempt. There's no justification for what he did. He's going to have to deal with this as a matter of conscience for the rest of his life."
40-year struggle
Calandra had gained acclaim locally for his supposed wartime feats. He was a frequent parade marshal and speaker in schools and at veterans' events.
He's commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 700, in Warren and Hunterdon counties. On Friday, he said he didn't want to speak about his future with the group.
"I have to live my life and go on," he said. "People can hate me or still be my friend. But what I've done is something I cannot change. I have to live with it -- I alone."
Calandra said he returned home in 1970 angry about his experiences and the receptions Vietnam veterans confronted.
He said he watched a friend die in his arms in Vietnam and he's struggled for more than 40 years to erase the horrors of other experiences. He hasn't been able to do it.
"When the shooting's all over, the only thing you hear is the screams and the crying and the dying," he said. "Those screams never go away."
Since his court appearance, he said, he's received encouraging words from men with whom he served and friends he's made since.
"I realize I have issues," he said. "I buried it and buried it. You can't bury your subconscious. It keeps at you."
Friends offer support
Rich Polak, who served with Calandra in Vietnam and cooperated with authorities who later charged Calandra, likened his friend's missteps to a service-connected disability.
"I condemn what he did and he knows it," Polak, of Marshall, N.C., wrote in a letter to the editor. "However, the acts of wrongdoing he committed are the result of his being present for duty and serving gallantly in combat in Vietnam."
Morris Metz, a World War II veteran who leads the Lehigh Valley chapter of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, had breakfast with Calandra two weeks ago.
Metz said he's read every word of last week's news accounts, again and again. Calandra never breathed a word about any of it.
"When you grow up, you're taught the sanctity of life," said Metz, 86, of Forks Township. "But when you go in the military service and go into war, you learn to kill and destroy. You do that or you get killed.
"After you get back to a normal civilian life, you don't know if you're going to be affected by those experiences. Things may happen that cause you to take actions you normally wouldn't take. I think that's what happened."
While shocked by Calandra's revelations, Metz said he considers him a friend and maintains great respect for his service and accomplishments.
He hasn't spoken to Calandra since his guilty plea but said he knows what he's going to say the next time he sees him: "Love you, brother."
Leaving a legacy
Calandra, whose organization raised money to decorate veterans' graves and contribute to various war memorials, said he doesn't want to be defined by his misdeeds, but understands if that's the case.
"If you can step back in time and change things, I would," he said. "But the bottom line is I can't. I hope that I'm not remembered for this only.
"I hope that when they go to high schools and places where memorials stand that I was involved with, they can say 'OK, the guy was an (expletive), but he did some good stuff.'
"If there are derogatory thoughts, I hope at least they can say 'He did a good job doing this.'"
RSL plan outrages Vietnam veterans
From Sydney Morning Herald: RSL plan outrages Vietnam veterans
A PROPOSAL by the RSL to foster rapprochement between Australian and Vietnamese veterans of the Vietnam War has caused outrage, prompting the national president, Rear-Admiral Ken Doolan, to apologise for the way it has been handled.
But he has vowed to press on with debate over a proposed memorandum of understanding, which he says has the support of the federal government, arguing that ''we owe it to the future to do all we can to bring former enemies together''.
But the national president of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, Ron Coxon, said his organisation did not support it. ''We haven't signed an MOU with the Japanese or the Germans. Why would we want one with the North Vietnamese? There are people this is going to upset and we're not going to get anything out of it.''
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Last year Mr Doolan wrote to the then foreign minister, Stephen Smith, seeking the government's views on a memorandum of understanding between the president of the RSL and his Vietnamese counterpart.
In January the office of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, said the government ''had no objections''.
But Mr Doolan said a group opposed to the proposal was running a campaign of ''misinformation'', including that it contained a plan for Australian veterans to march with former Vietcong, which was ''absolutely wrong''.
In an email to members, Mr Doolan apologised that the proposal had ''not been properly or clearly explained''.
He says the RSL took up the proposal at the request of some veterans who had been going to Vietnam for many years and had ''built friendly and positive relationships with former foes''.
He said the proposal ''may or may not go ahead'' but the idea of a ''rapprochement'' had been ''going on for some time''.
The state member for Baulkham Hills, David Elliott, who served with the army's peacekeeping force in Bougainville in 2000, said he was ''horrified'' by the idea when veterans in his electorate raised it with him. He would write to Mr Rudd to express their concern. ''Forgiveness and reconciliation is a very personal act,'' he said. ''It's not something that governments can force on returned servicemen.''
A PROPOSAL by the RSL to foster rapprochement between Australian and Vietnamese veterans of the Vietnam War has caused outrage, prompting the national president, Rear-Admiral Ken Doolan, to apologise for the way it has been handled.
But he has vowed to press on with debate over a proposed memorandum of understanding, which he says has the support of the federal government, arguing that ''we owe it to the future to do all we can to bring former enemies together''.
But the national president of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, Ron Coxon, said his organisation did not support it. ''We haven't signed an MOU with the Japanese or the Germans. Why would we want one with the North Vietnamese? There are people this is going to upset and we're not going to get anything out of it.''
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Last year Mr Doolan wrote to the then foreign minister, Stephen Smith, seeking the government's views on a memorandum of understanding between the president of the RSL and his Vietnamese counterpart.
In January the office of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, said the government ''had no objections''.
But Mr Doolan said a group opposed to the proposal was running a campaign of ''misinformation'', including that it contained a plan for Australian veterans to march with former Vietcong, which was ''absolutely wrong''.
In an email to members, Mr Doolan apologised that the proposal had ''not been properly or clearly explained''.
He says the RSL took up the proposal at the request of some veterans who had been going to Vietnam for many years and had ''built friendly and positive relationships with former foes''.
He said the proposal ''may or may not go ahead'' but the idea of a ''rapprochement'' had been ''going on for some time''.
The state member for Baulkham Hills, David Elliott, who served with the army's peacekeeping force in Bougainville in 2000, said he was ''horrified'' by the idea when veterans in his electorate raised it with him. He would write to Mr Rudd to express their concern. ''Forgiveness and reconciliation is a very personal act,'' he said. ''It's not something that governments can force on returned servicemen.''
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Vietnam war vets wanted for Veterans Day parade in Ogden
From the Standard Examiner, Ogden, Utah: Vietnam war vets wanted for Veterans Day parade in Ogden
OGDEN -- This year's Veterans Day parade in Ogden could break some sort of record for grand marshals: Utah has more than 50,000 Vietnam War-era veterans, the Veterans Administration says, and they're all invited.
That's more than half the population of Ogden.
The fifth annual parade will take place Nov. 12 on Washington Boulevard, marching from 18th Street to 24th Street and then over to Lindquist Field for a patriotic ceremony.
The grand marshals of the last two parades have been veterans of World War II and the Korean War. This year, the organizers want Vietnam War veterans to be the guests of honor.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Dennis Howland, himself a Vietnam War veteran, said he's prepared to be surprised by the turnout.
"Two years ago, we thought if we had a dozen World War II vets we'd get excited, and we had 160," he said. "The Korean War vets were good, too."
This year, for Vietnam veterans, "we feel it's time to welcome them home again," he said.
"Maybe the timing is better now, but I've always felt the Middle East wars are one of the better things that happened to Vietnam veterans because people are recognizing the value of our combat soldiers again."
For a variety of reasons, soldiers returning from Vietnam were not given formal receptions or parades.
Soldiers rotated in and out of the war as individuals, not as whole units, so they mostly came home alone while the rest of the unit stayed behind.
Political opposition to the war meant many came home to a hostile, anti-war environment.
Many felt they were supposed to just come back and pick up their civilian lives again, and the VA has since admitted that services for Vietnam veterans experiencing problems with PTSD, Agent Orange exposure and other things were lacking.
Howland said Utah had the fifth-highest rate, as a percentage of population, among states for sending men of draft age to Vietnam.
Utah sent 28,000, or 8.6 percent of the draft-age population. The national average was 6.9 percent.
Howland finds the Utah figures ironic because "there's so many young men who went to college or went on missions. I find it quite interesting."
Killed in the Vietnam War were 388 Utahns.
Utah has nearly double the number of Vietnam-era veterans now because many moved to the state for military service or to retire.
This is actually the second time Vietnam veterans will be honored in an Ogden parade. The first was in 1991 after the Gulf War, when Ogden hosted a huge parade to welcome the troops home and a small group of Vietnam veterans took part.
Howland was in that parade, and admits the group was very small and probably didn't look very military.
Most wore what bits and pieces of their uniforms that fit. Howland wore, and still has, a rain coat made from his part of a two-man pup tent.
"It was a typical ragtag bunch that we were. Rich kids and poor kids, farm kids and city kids. It was a time of growing up in this country. It was a time that, in my home, it was the right thing to do."
But there were only a couple dozen Vietnam vets in that parade.
"Vietnam vets weren't really joiners, but it's really key to let people know that the Vietnam veterans are the grand marshals," he said.
Howland said he hopes to get the word out that all veterans, not just wartime or combat veterans, are also welcome to join the parade.
"We've got people today who say they aren't veterans. I say, 'You wore the uniform?' and they say 'yes,' and I say, 'You are a veteran.' Young people don't realize they are veterans, and we honor them as well."
The parade will have more than 50 units, which Howland said makes it the largest Veterans Day parade in Utah.
The parade was revived by Ogden veterans five years ago after none had been held for nearly 50 years.
The parade will include a flyover from Hill Air Force Base, marching bands, active-duty military units and historic and modern military vehicles.
A dress ball featuring big-band music will be held the night before at the Roy Elks Lodge.
"This year, I get to make good on a lot of promises I made to a lot of good men," Howland said. "We came back 40 years ago, but maybe this time, we can come home."
Veterans Day parade
Organizers are encouraging all groups who want to take part in Ogden's Veterans Day parade to do so. The parade planning committee meets at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday at VFW Post 1481, 907 W. 12th St., Ogden.
Everyone is invited to help. Call Dennis Howland at 801-389-1893 or Robert Porter at 801-940-6487 for more information or to let them know you are a Vietnam-era veteran who will be able to take part.
OGDEN -- This year's Veterans Day parade in Ogden could break some sort of record for grand marshals: Utah has more than 50,000 Vietnam War-era veterans, the Veterans Administration says, and they're all invited.
That's more than half the population of Ogden.
The fifth annual parade will take place Nov. 12 on Washington Boulevard, marching from 18th Street to 24th Street and then over to Lindquist Field for a patriotic ceremony.
The grand marshals of the last two parades have been veterans of World War II and the Korean War. This year, the organizers want Vietnam War veterans to be the guests of honor.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Dennis Howland, himself a Vietnam War veteran, said he's prepared to be surprised by the turnout.
"Two years ago, we thought if we had a dozen World War II vets we'd get excited, and we had 160," he said. "The Korean War vets were good, too."
This year, for Vietnam veterans, "we feel it's time to welcome them home again," he said.
"Maybe the timing is better now, but I've always felt the Middle East wars are one of the better things that happened to Vietnam veterans because people are recognizing the value of our combat soldiers again."
For a variety of reasons, soldiers returning from Vietnam were not given formal receptions or parades.
Soldiers rotated in and out of the war as individuals, not as whole units, so they mostly came home alone while the rest of the unit stayed behind.
Political opposition to the war meant many came home to a hostile, anti-war environment.
Many felt they were supposed to just come back and pick up their civilian lives again, and the VA has since admitted that services for Vietnam veterans experiencing problems with PTSD, Agent Orange exposure and other things were lacking.
Howland said Utah had the fifth-highest rate, as a percentage of population, among states for sending men of draft age to Vietnam.
Utah sent 28,000, or 8.6 percent of the draft-age population. The national average was 6.9 percent.
Howland finds the Utah figures ironic because "there's so many young men who went to college or went on missions. I find it quite interesting."
Killed in the Vietnam War were 388 Utahns.
Utah has nearly double the number of Vietnam-era veterans now because many moved to the state for military service or to retire.
This is actually the second time Vietnam veterans will be honored in an Ogden parade. The first was in 1991 after the Gulf War, when Ogden hosted a huge parade to welcome the troops home and a small group of Vietnam veterans took part.
Howland was in that parade, and admits the group was very small and probably didn't look very military.
Most wore what bits and pieces of their uniforms that fit. Howland wore, and still has, a rain coat made from his part of a two-man pup tent.
"It was a typical ragtag bunch that we were. Rich kids and poor kids, farm kids and city kids. It was a time of growing up in this country. It was a time that, in my home, it was the right thing to do."
But there were only a couple dozen Vietnam vets in that parade.
"Vietnam vets weren't really joiners, but it's really key to let people know that the Vietnam veterans are the grand marshals," he said.
Howland said he hopes to get the word out that all veterans, not just wartime or combat veterans, are also welcome to join the parade.
"We've got people today who say they aren't veterans. I say, 'You wore the uniform?' and they say 'yes,' and I say, 'You are a veteran.' Young people don't realize they are veterans, and we honor them as well."
The parade will have more than 50 units, which Howland said makes it the largest Veterans Day parade in Utah.
The parade was revived by Ogden veterans five years ago after none had been held for nearly 50 years.
The parade will include a flyover from Hill Air Force Base, marching bands, active-duty military units and historic and modern military vehicles.
A dress ball featuring big-band music will be held the night before at the Roy Elks Lodge.
"This year, I get to make good on a lot of promises I made to a lot of good men," Howland said. "We came back 40 years ago, but maybe this time, we can come home."
Veterans Day parade
Organizers are encouraging all groups who want to take part in Ogden's Veterans Day parade to do so. The parade planning committee meets at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday at VFW Post 1481, 907 W. 12th St., Ogden.
Everyone is invited to help. Call Dennis Howland at 801-389-1893 or Robert Porter at 801-940-6487 for more information or to let them know you are a Vietnam-era veteran who will be able to take part.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Campaign aims to collect photos of every American who died in Vietnam
From Ny Daily News: Campaign aims to collect photos of every American who died in Vietnam
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly on Tuesday handed a disk with 100 digital photos of New Yorkers killed in combat to organizers of an effort to round up pictures of every American who died in Vietnam.
"We owe it to those that died that we remember," said Kelly, who fought as a Marine in Vietnam.
"We owe it to them that we tell their stories of how and why they gave their lives."
Kelly's photos, along with pictures contributed by Mayor Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, will be displayed at an education center planned for the National Mall near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Groundbreaking on the $85 million privately funded center is scheduled for November 2012.
Organizers of the effort erected a half-scale replica of the wall in Times Square Tuesday to draw attention to the campaign.
Bloomberg contributed a photo of college buddy Charles (Chuck) Aronhalt Jr., of Cumberland, Md., who like the mayor graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1964. Both were engineering students.
Aronhalt went on to enlist in the Army. Bloomberg said he tried to do the same but was rejected because of flat feet.
The mayor said he talked to Aronhalt's family after his pal was killed in action in South Vietnam in 1967 at age 24. "I made a resolve today [to] track them down and call them again," Bloomberg said.
Organizers of the effort have collected photos of more than 22,000 of the 58,272 people memorialized on the wall. There were 1,366 city residents killed in Vietnam.
"Some people have photographs of these guys from high school," said Jan Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. "We're trying to find pictures of them, not so much in military uniforms but the way they were in civilian life as well."
The memorial fund is working with the History Channel to get the word out. But photos of some war heroes with no living relatives may never be located, Scruggs acknowledged.
John Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America, who grew up in Elmhurst, Queens, was determined to find a photo of a slain classmate from Brooklyn Technical High School.
"I had gone through my entire yearbook," Rowan said` of his hunt for a picture of William Bauer, a chemical engineer who grew up in East New York, Brooklyn, and was killed in 1969 at age 22. "There were 1,300 guys in my graduating class."
Bauer's only sibling, a brother, died of leukemia a few years after Bauer's death, Rowan said. When Bauer's parents later died, there was no one left to remember Bauer.
Rowan eventually found a photo.
"This whole thing prompted me to dig him out," Rowan said. "The idea of seeing a face just personalizes it so much more. You can really see how young they were. These are handsome guys taken in the prime of their life."
Cassano plans to contribute a photo of his brother-in-law, Brian Wallace, who died at age 19 in 1967, the same year Cassano returned home from his Army service.
"When I came home in 1967, we were forgotten," Cassano said. "Finally, we are being recognized for what we've done."
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly on Tuesday handed a disk with 100 digital photos of New Yorkers killed in combat to organizers of an effort to round up pictures of every American who died in Vietnam.
"We owe it to those that died that we remember," said Kelly, who fought as a Marine in Vietnam.
"We owe it to them that we tell their stories of how and why they gave their lives."
Kelly's photos, along with pictures contributed by Mayor Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, will be displayed at an education center planned for the National Mall near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Groundbreaking on the $85 million privately funded center is scheduled for November 2012.
Organizers of the effort erected a half-scale replica of the wall in Times Square Tuesday to draw attention to the campaign.
Bloomberg contributed a photo of college buddy Charles (Chuck) Aronhalt Jr., of Cumberland, Md., who like the mayor graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1964. Both were engineering students.
Aronhalt went on to enlist in the Army. Bloomberg said he tried to do the same but was rejected because of flat feet.
The mayor said he talked to Aronhalt's family after his pal was killed in action in South Vietnam in 1967 at age 24. "I made a resolve today [to] track them down and call them again," Bloomberg said.
Organizers of the effort have collected photos of more than 22,000 of the 58,272 people memorialized on the wall. There were 1,366 city residents killed in Vietnam.
"Some people have photographs of these guys from high school," said Jan Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. "We're trying to find pictures of them, not so much in military uniforms but the way they were in civilian life as well."
The memorial fund is working with the History Channel to get the word out. But photos of some war heroes with no living relatives may never be located, Scruggs acknowledged.
John Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America, who grew up in Elmhurst, Queens, was determined to find a photo of a slain classmate from Brooklyn Technical High School.
"I had gone through my entire yearbook," Rowan said` of his hunt for a picture of William Bauer, a chemical engineer who grew up in East New York, Brooklyn, and was killed in 1969 at age 22. "There were 1,300 guys in my graduating class."
Bauer's only sibling, a brother, died of leukemia a few years after Bauer's death, Rowan said. When Bauer's parents later died, there was no one left to remember Bauer.
Rowan eventually found a photo.
"This whole thing prompted me to dig him out," Rowan said. "The idea of seeing a face just personalizes it so much more. You can really see how young they were. These are handsome guys taken in the prime of their life."
Cassano plans to contribute a photo of his brother-in-law, Brian Wallace, who died at age 19 in 1967, the same year Cassano returned home from his Army service.
"When I came home in 1967, we were forgotten," Cassano said. "Finally, we are being recognized for what we've done."
Saturday, October 8, 2011
On travel til Wednesday
I'm visiting elderly relatives in Box Elder, SD who do not have internet.
Will try to sneak out now and again to an internet cafe to post, but more than likely will not be posting until Wedneday.
Will try to sneak out now and again to an internet cafe to post, but more than likely will not be posting until Wedneday.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Ceremony to honor state’s Vietnam War service members
From Issaquah Press.com: Ceremony to honor state’s Vietnam War service members
State leaders plan to gather Friday to honor fallen Vietnam War service members from Washington.
The event is the statewide kickoff of a national Call for Photos campaign to collect the photographs of all of the service members memorialized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Officials need photos of 571 photos of Washington service members. Once collected, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund plans to display all of the photos in The Education Center at The Wall, a multimillion dollar learning facility planned for the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The groundbreaking is expected to occur in November 2012. Plans call for the museum to feature the faces and stories of the 58,272 men and women on the memorial, including the 1,049 from Washington.
The kickoff starts at 10 a.m. Friday in the Columbia Room, State Legislative Building, 416 Sid Snyder S.W. Ave., Olympia.
Organizers encourage people to bring photos of people memorialized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the event.
Speakers include John Lee, state Department of Veterans Affairs director, and Mike Gregoire, first gentleman, and Jan Scruggs, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund founder and president.
Fort Carson receives medal left by Vietnam War hero
From Colorado Springs Gazette: Fort Carson receives medal left by Vietnam War hero
Fort Carson soldiers gathered in formation Thursday during a ceremony with a simple lesson.
The event honored 1st Sgt. David McNerney, a Vietnam War hero died in Texas last year and in his will left his Medal Honor to troops in Colorado Springs.
Friends, family members and comrades talked about McNerney and what he did in 1967 to earn the medal during a day long firefight in the jungle. They talked about McNerney’s generosity, loyalty to family and uncompromising values.
Soldiers with Fort Carson’s A Company of the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, McNerney’s old unit, heard all that and something else.
“I have some huge shoes to fill,” said 1st Sgt. Andrew Whittingham, who holds McNerney’s old job.
The medal will be displayed at the Mountain Post Historical Center near the post’s main gate and commanders will use it to teach young soldiers about the commitment it takes to serve in the Army.
Col. Mike Kasales, who heads the post’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team said the medal shows soldiers something that commanders try and often fail to get through to the troops.
“Being a soldier is more than just meeting the standard,” he said.
McNerney earned the medal for saving the lives of dozens of his troops through a day of unquestionably heroic acts. He took on an enemy machine gun nest single-handed. He repeatedly braved enemy fire to pull wounded soldiers to safety. With bullets flying all around, he grabbed an orange panel and climbed a tree to mark his company’s position, allowing aircraft to bomb the enemy.
But McNerney, in life and in death, said the medal — the nation’s highest decoration for valor — was never really his. Friends say the old sergeant thought by giving the medal to Fort Carson, he was returning it to its rightful owners.
Rick Sauer, who served with McNerney in the firefight and was one of several dozen Vietnam veterans who traveled to Fort Carson for the rites, said he knew what the sergeant would have said at the ceremony.
“He would have turned to the soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division and said ‘Thank you for your service’,” Sauer said.
Capt. Tom Angstadt, who now commands McNerney’s old company, said the gift to Fort Carson will teach his soldiers that the future is built on the lessons of the past.
“It is bigger than one person,” he said.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Impact of war on language
From The Egyptian Gazette: Impact of war on language
Correspondents and writers, film makers and academics, historians and Generals, veterans and victims wasted no time in conveying all the facets of the Vietnam War.
The unique wartime conditions created limitless opportunities and possibilities for the best writing, the best producing, the best acting, the best shooting and hence the best criticism.
In universities in the US, works about the war in Vietnam are taught most commonly in history and political science courses but also in special topic courses in English departments and sometimes as part of programmes that address conflict resolution and issues related to war and peace.
Rarely are works by Vietnamese assigned in these courses. History text books on the war present American perspectives, often suggesting, as David Hunt (Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Bioston) points out, that the Vietnamese victory was a result of American mistakes and had nothing, or at least precious little, to do with actions by Vietnamese.
In courses on Vietnam War literature, courses proposed in many instances as alternatives to the traditional canon of US literature, a new canon has developed of personal memoirs and fiction by privileged Americans.
Philip Caputo's Rumor of War, Michael Herr's Dispatches, and a work by Tim O'Brien (Going After Cacciato or The Things They Carried) are usually present.
The absence of Vietnamese voices in courses on the war has, as Renny Christopher points out, produced the reverse of the adage "Winners write history; losers live with it." Euro-Americans are winning the meta-war that will determine how people (Americans, at least) will remember the war.
Why have Vietnamese works been ignored? Based on her reading of Vietnamese exile narratives, Christopher suggests one reason: Euro-American ethnocentrism. She approvingly quotes Timothy Lomperis (Professor of political science at Saint Louis University): "Most of the literature of the Vietnam War is an exercise in American cultural narcissism".
According to Christopher, most Euro-American narratives about the war are de-politicised stories characterized by a "mythologizing and valorizing of personal experience". Vietnamese exile narratives, with their emphasis on communality and bi-culturalism (loyalty to both Vietnam and the US, for example), challenge this dominant discourse.
They force American readers to look at an exotic "other" as they look at themselves, a double perspective that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Although I think there is some truth in Christopher's explanation, she is talking only about works by Vietnamese living abroad, and even in regard to these my own view for their being neglected is somewhat less accusatory.
Some teachers of courses on the war have been eager to assign works by Vietnamese but haven't known how to locate suitable texts. Until recently not many works by Vietnamese were available in English. Euro-American ethnocentrism may in part explain the scarcity, but it is certainly not the only cause.
Correspondents and writers, film makers and academics, historians and Generals, veterans and victims wasted no time in conveying all the facets of the Vietnam War.
The unique wartime conditions created limitless opportunities and possibilities for the best writing, the best producing, the best acting, the best shooting and hence the best criticism.
In universities in the US, works about the war in Vietnam are taught most commonly in history and political science courses but also in special topic courses in English departments and sometimes as part of programmes that address conflict resolution and issues related to war and peace.
Rarely are works by Vietnamese assigned in these courses. History text books on the war present American perspectives, often suggesting, as David Hunt (Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Bioston) points out, that the Vietnamese victory was a result of American mistakes and had nothing, or at least precious little, to do with actions by Vietnamese.
In courses on Vietnam War literature, courses proposed in many instances as alternatives to the traditional canon of US literature, a new canon has developed of personal memoirs and fiction by privileged Americans.
Philip Caputo's Rumor of War, Michael Herr's Dispatches, and a work by Tim O'Brien (Going After Cacciato or The Things They Carried) are usually present.
The absence of Vietnamese voices in courses on the war has, as Renny Christopher points out, produced the reverse of the adage "Winners write history; losers live with it." Euro-Americans are winning the meta-war that will determine how people (Americans, at least) will remember the war.
Why have Vietnamese works been ignored? Based on her reading of Vietnamese exile narratives, Christopher suggests one reason: Euro-American ethnocentrism. She approvingly quotes Timothy Lomperis (Professor of political science at Saint Louis University): "Most of the literature of the Vietnam War is an exercise in American cultural narcissism".
According to Christopher, most Euro-American narratives about the war are de-politicised stories characterized by a "mythologizing and valorizing of personal experience". Vietnamese exile narratives, with their emphasis on communality and bi-culturalism (loyalty to both Vietnam and the US, for example), challenge this dominant discourse.
They force American readers to look at an exotic "other" as they look at themselves, a double perspective that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Although I think there is some truth in Christopher's explanation, she is talking only about works by Vietnamese living abroad, and even in regard to these my own view for their being neglected is somewhat less accusatory.
Some teachers of courses on the war have been eager to assign works by Vietnamese but haven't known how to locate suitable texts. Until recently not many works by Vietnamese were available in English. Euro-American ethnocentrism may in part explain the scarcity, but it is certainly not the only cause.
Missing Vietnam War Soldiers Identified
From US Department of Defense: Missing Vietnam War Soldiers Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
Master Sgt. Charles V. Newton of Canadian, Texas; Sgt. 1st Class Douglas E. Dahill of Lima, Ohio; and Sgt. 1st Class Charles F. Prevedel of St. Louis, Mo., all U.S. Army, will be buried as a group on Oct. 5 at Arlington National Cemetery. Newton was also individually identified and will be interred individually at Arlington on the same day as the group interment. On April 17, 1969, the men and three Vietnamese soldiers were on a long-range reconnaissance patrol operating in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, near the border of Laos. That afternoon the patrol was ambushed by enemy forces and radioed for air support but thunderstorms in the area prevented rescue attempts. Search and rescue teams reached the site the next day but over the next week found no signs of the men.
Between 1990 and 1993,joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), interviewed witnesses, investigated leads and excavated the site associated with the ambush. The teams recovered human remains, personal effects and military equipment. In 2003, some of the recovered remains were identified as those of Prevedel. In 2006 and 2007, joint U.S./S.R.V. teams returned to the site and recovered additional remains and military equipment.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO website at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1169.
Santa Barbara Remembers Vietnam War
From Santa Barbara Independent: Santa Barbara Remembers Vietnam War
Moving Wall Memorial Holds 98 Names of Area Soldiers Killed in Battle
At the site of the Moving Wall the wind never lets the flags rest, people come and go, sorrowful conversation is interlaced with fond memories, and even the wall itself is here one day but gone the next. The one constant is that veterans are never forgotten, especially by those they served with and for.
On October 1, Santa Barbara’s chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) dedicated the Moving Wall to the 98 Santa Barbara County service members who died in the Vietnam War. The ceremony in Chase Palm Park also honored the additional 58,000 U.S. soldiers killed in battle. A flyover of aircraft used during the war followed the final speaker.
The Moving Wall is the mobile replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. This 250-foot-long wall arrived in Santa Barbara on September 29 and will be available to view until noon on October 3.
“Some people can’t go to Washington D.C. to see the real thing, so they can come out and see this,” said Sergeant Mario Pintor, a VVA Chapter 218 docent. “It’s also a chance for people to say their goodbyes and, hopefully, get closure.”
While some visitors on Saturday walked around the memorial with tears in their eyes, others were proud to remember those that were lost. “They died for our country, and they deserve our respect,” said Santa Barbara resident Phillip Bock.
The ceremony not only commemorated those who died — all 98 names of the county’s casualties were read aloud — but also recognized those who live. Three veterans were presented with awards while speakers addressed current military and veteran issues.
The Vietnam Veterans Award recipients were recognized for their service to country, community, and fellow veterans. “To be honored by peers for doing what you love means everything, and I receive this [award] in the shadow of those on the wall behind me,” said Brigadier General USMCR (Ret.) Frederick Lopez. “I’ve got a lot of friends on that wall.”
When U.S. Representative Lois Capps took the podium she spoke to the “awe-inducing qualities” of the memorial and how it ensures that those who died in Vietnam will not be forgotten.
Many parents and grandparents also saw the day as a chance to remember the Vietnam War era and teach younger generations about the historical period. Jim Mendez brought his two children to “give them a sense of what this is all about,” he said, “because I think they need to be enlightened about the past.”
He and other visitors wanted to provide their young companions with context for what was considered unpopular war. “The [soldiers] who came back were vilified, and many still don’t like to talk about their experiences,” said Mendez. Linda McMillan brought her two grandchildren and recalled, “[The war] really was for our principles and what our country stands for. I know it was unpopular, but it was all for future generations.”
Capps also spoke about appreciation for those who return from war, and called on all to remember the country’s responsibility to its veterans. “Leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, and leave no veteran behind in our country,” said Capps.
Keynote speaker Major General Joseph Franklin (Ret.) received a standing ovation after he spoke to the United States Military’s uniqueness. “Your army didn’t revolt or hold government hostage,” said Franklin. “This is the only nation that can say that throughout its history.” From there he narrowed his focus to the unique identity of the Vietnam War and its veterans. According to Franklin the Vietnam veterans helped build the all-volunteer force and now young people are “stepping up beyond the number we actually need.”
As the crowd dispersed, John Blankenship, cofounder of The Pierre Claeyssens Veterans’ Museum & Library, read one more name. “We don’t want to forget anyone,” he said.
Moving Wall Memorial Holds 98 Names of Area Soldiers Killed in Battle
At the site of the Moving Wall the wind never lets the flags rest, people come and go, sorrowful conversation is interlaced with fond memories, and even the wall itself is here one day but gone the next. The one constant is that veterans are never forgotten, especially by those they served with and for.
On October 1, Santa Barbara’s chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) dedicated the Moving Wall to the 98 Santa Barbara County service members who died in the Vietnam War. The ceremony in Chase Palm Park also honored the additional 58,000 U.S. soldiers killed in battle. A flyover of aircraft used during the war followed the final speaker.
The Moving Wall is the mobile replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. This 250-foot-long wall arrived in Santa Barbara on September 29 and will be available to view until noon on October 3.
“Some people can’t go to Washington D.C. to see the real thing, so they can come out and see this,” said Sergeant Mario Pintor, a VVA Chapter 218 docent. “It’s also a chance for people to say their goodbyes and, hopefully, get closure.”
While some visitors on Saturday walked around the memorial with tears in their eyes, others were proud to remember those that were lost. “They died for our country, and they deserve our respect,” said Santa Barbara resident Phillip Bock.
The ceremony not only commemorated those who died — all 98 names of the county’s casualties were read aloud — but also recognized those who live. Three veterans were presented with awards while speakers addressed current military and veteran issues.
The Vietnam Veterans Award recipients were recognized for their service to country, community, and fellow veterans. “To be honored by peers for doing what you love means everything, and I receive this [award] in the shadow of those on the wall behind me,” said Brigadier General USMCR (Ret.) Frederick Lopez. “I’ve got a lot of friends on that wall.”
When U.S. Representative Lois Capps took the podium she spoke to the “awe-inducing qualities” of the memorial and how it ensures that those who died in Vietnam will not be forgotten.
Many parents and grandparents also saw the day as a chance to remember the Vietnam War era and teach younger generations about the historical period. Jim Mendez brought his two children to “give them a sense of what this is all about,” he said, “because I think they need to be enlightened about the past.”
He and other visitors wanted to provide their young companions with context for what was considered unpopular war. “The [soldiers] who came back were vilified, and many still don’t like to talk about their experiences,” said Mendez. Linda McMillan brought her two grandchildren and recalled, “[The war] really was for our principles and what our country stands for. I know it was unpopular, but it was all for future generations.”
Capps also spoke about appreciation for those who return from war, and called on all to remember the country’s responsibility to its veterans. “Leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, and leave no veteran behind in our country,” said Capps.
Keynote speaker Major General Joseph Franklin (Ret.) received a standing ovation after he spoke to the United States Military’s uniqueness. “Your army didn’t revolt or hold government hostage,” said Franklin. “This is the only nation that can say that throughout its history.” From there he narrowed his focus to the unique identity of the Vietnam War and its veterans. According to Franklin the Vietnam veterans helped build the all-volunteer force and now young people are “stepping up beyond the number we actually need.”
As the crowd dispersed, John Blankenship, cofounder of The Pierre Claeyssens Veterans’ Museum & Library, read one more name. “We don’t want to forget anyone,” he said.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
U.S. freezes funding to Vietnam for recovery of war remains
From Stars and Stripes: U.S. freezes funding to Vietnam for recovery of war remains
CAMP FOSTER — The U.S. government will not fund efforts to identify and recover the remains of Communist fighters who died in the Vietnam War unless that country agrees to also search for the missing South Vietnamese who allied with American forces, a U.S. senator said Thursday.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said the State Department notified Vietnam this week that $1 million in USAID foreign funding has been frozen because the country indicated it will not look for still missing members of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, which fought until the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army took the country in 1975.
A total of about 350,000 Vietnamese war casualties are still buried in anonymous graves and another 300,000 have yet to be found, according to Webb, who is the chairman of the Senate East Asian and Pacific Affairs Committee.
The U.S. has spent tens of millions of dollars and is continually working on the search and recovery of Americans who died in the war.Just over 1,300 Americans are listed as missing in Vietnam, according to the 2010 annual report by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii.
Congress allocated $1 million for the foreign recovery program in the 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act and the Senate specified that the funds were to be used to locate and identify Vietnamese MIAs from both sides of the conflict.
“It is vital to the spirit of reconciliation, and also to American concepts of loyalty and respect, that we never forget those who were with us, even as we move into the future by working alongside those who fought against us,” Webb said in a released statement Thursday.
CAMP FOSTER — The U.S. government will not fund efforts to identify and recover the remains of Communist fighters who died in the Vietnam War unless that country agrees to also search for the missing South Vietnamese who allied with American forces, a U.S. senator said Thursday.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said the State Department notified Vietnam this week that $1 million in USAID foreign funding has been frozen because the country indicated it will not look for still missing members of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, which fought until the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army took the country in 1975.
A total of about 350,000 Vietnamese war casualties are still buried in anonymous graves and another 300,000 have yet to be found, according to Webb, who is the chairman of the Senate East Asian and Pacific Affairs Committee.
The U.S. has spent tens of millions of dollars and is continually working on the search and recovery of Americans who died in the war.Just over 1,300 Americans are listed as missing in Vietnam, according to the 2010 annual report by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii.
Congress allocated $1 million for the foreign recovery program in the 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act and the Senate specified that the funds were to be used to locate and identify Vietnamese MIAs from both sides of the conflict.
“It is vital to the spirit of reconciliation, and also to American concepts of loyalty and respect, that we never forget those who were with us, even as we move into the future by working alongside those who fought against us,” Webb said in a released statement Thursday.
War Monument Pays Tribute to Vietnam War Soldiers
From the Dail Nexus: War Monument Pays Tribute to Vietnam War Soldiers
The Santa Barbara chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America’s is bringing its “Moving Wall” memorial to Santa Barbara today as part of a statewide tour honoring the lives of the soldiers lost during the conflict.
The wall — a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. — will remain at Chase Palm Park until Oct. 3. as a reminder of the 58,000 American soldiers who died in the Vietnam War and serves as a bridge between veterans from the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The five-day stay is the monument’s first stop on its California tour and its latest appearance in the area since 2005.
According to VVA Santa Barbara Chapter Recording Secretary Peter Bie, Vietnam veteran John Devitt created the model in 1984 to increase the public’s commemorations for the fallen military personnel.
“When John came away from the wall he realized not everyone in the country is going to be able to come to D.C. and see all of these names and, knowing that, he started thinking of creating a replica that could be broken down into panels and carried around the country,” Bie said. “It’s traveled all the way to Hawaii and even out to Guam … it moves around the country but has same emotional impact as the wall in D.C.”
Bie, who served as a combat correspondent in Saigon and spent six months as a helicopter door gunner with the first air cavalry, said the experiences of the Vietnam War remain relevant to the United State’s current military conflicts.
“It’s part of our history; good, bad or indifferent, the folks on the wall all need to be honored and remembered as often as we can,” Bie said. “Events that occurred in Vietnam era are still relevant today …Vietnam gets thrown into the conversation in relation to current political situation, wartime situation, economics, social situation — so much of it just filters backward into the Vietnam era of 60s and 70s.”
The wall will remain open to the public 24 hours a day under the supervision of UCSB’s ROTC and Vietnam Veterans of America volunteers.
According to VVA Santa Barbara Chapter President Hap DeSimone, the replica provides a different perspective on the war’s history than is often portrayed in the media.
“The mental health of people who have returned to Vietnam is pretty high — especially compared to standard Hollywood version of Vietnam veteran,” DeSimone said. “People tend to look at Vietnam through eyes of anti-war activists and draft dodgers, but why do Americans believe in hoopla and drama about Vietnam instead of asking a veteran?”
The monument contains the names of 99 former Santa Barbara County residents who died serving in the Vietnam War.
Co-chair Don Matter, a United States Coast Guard from 1970-1974, said the memorial serves as a reminder of friends he lost during the conflict.
“I had a couple friends from high school on it and older kids I knew who both used to play baseball at Santa Barbara,” Matter said. “You see the name and it brings back the memory of that person — you have that connection with people gone before us.”
Dedication ceremonies will take place at noon Saturday morning and, will include a reading of the 99 Santa Barbara veterans listed on the wall and conclude with a fly-over of Vietnam-era aircraft and helicopters at 1 p.m. In addition, a candlelight vigil will take place Sunday evening at 6: 30 p.m.
The events will educate attendees who did not experience the conflict firsthand, Bie said.
“It’s an opportunity for people of various generations — whether you’re six or sixty and wherever in the states you were at the time of the war — to heel some of that rift and reconnect with veterans,” Bie said. “We’re going to need a whole new generation of people to keep memories in the future… we have to be aware of consequences of war.”
The Santa Barbara chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America’s is bringing its “Moving Wall” memorial to Santa Barbara today as part of a statewide tour honoring the lives of the soldiers lost during the conflict.
The wall — a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. — will remain at Chase Palm Park until Oct. 3. as a reminder of the 58,000 American soldiers who died in the Vietnam War and serves as a bridge between veterans from the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The five-day stay is the monument’s first stop on its California tour and its latest appearance in the area since 2005.
According to VVA Santa Barbara Chapter Recording Secretary Peter Bie, Vietnam veteran John Devitt created the model in 1984 to increase the public’s commemorations for the fallen military personnel.
“When John came away from the wall he realized not everyone in the country is going to be able to come to D.C. and see all of these names and, knowing that, he started thinking of creating a replica that could be broken down into panels and carried around the country,” Bie said. “It’s traveled all the way to Hawaii and even out to Guam … it moves around the country but has same emotional impact as the wall in D.C.”
Bie, who served as a combat correspondent in Saigon and spent six months as a helicopter door gunner with the first air cavalry, said the experiences of the Vietnam War remain relevant to the United State’s current military conflicts.
“It’s part of our history; good, bad or indifferent, the folks on the wall all need to be honored and remembered as often as we can,” Bie said. “Events that occurred in Vietnam era are still relevant today …Vietnam gets thrown into the conversation in relation to current political situation, wartime situation, economics, social situation — so much of it just filters backward into the Vietnam era of 60s and 70s.”
The wall will remain open to the public 24 hours a day under the supervision of UCSB’s ROTC and Vietnam Veterans of America volunteers.
According to VVA Santa Barbara Chapter President Hap DeSimone, the replica provides a different perspective on the war’s history than is often portrayed in the media.
“The mental health of people who have returned to Vietnam is pretty high — especially compared to standard Hollywood version of Vietnam veteran,” DeSimone said. “People tend to look at Vietnam through eyes of anti-war activists and draft dodgers, but why do Americans believe in hoopla and drama about Vietnam instead of asking a veteran?”
The monument contains the names of 99 former Santa Barbara County residents who died serving in the Vietnam War.
Co-chair Don Matter, a United States Coast Guard from 1970-1974, said the memorial serves as a reminder of friends he lost during the conflict.
“I had a couple friends from high school on it and older kids I knew who both used to play baseball at Santa Barbara,” Matter said. “You see the name and it brings back the memory of that person — you have that connection with people gone before us.”
Dedication ceremonies will take place at noon Saturday morning and, will include a reading of the 99 Santa Barbara veterans listed on the wall and conclude with a fly-over of Vietnam-era aircraft and helicopters at 1 p.m. In addition, a candlelight vigil will take place Sunday evening at 6: 30 p.m.
The events will educate attendees who did not experience the conflict firsthand, Bie said.
“It’s an opportunity for people of various generations — whether you’re six or sixty and wherever in the states you were at the time of the war — to heel some of that rift and reconnect with veterans,” Bie said. “We’re going to need a whole new generation of people to keep memories in the future… we have to be aware of consequences of war.”
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