- Joined
- Aug 28, 2013
- Messages
- 2,959
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 12/2018
- Country
- US
- State
- NC
- City
- Get Real
I’ve been sitting on this for a few days deciding if and where.
I am a Viet Nam Veteran, serving with 1st Field Forces. My unit was direct
direct support for the 5th Special Forces (Green Berets). Where ever they
set up a remote operational base, along the Tri Border, we set up with them.
Artillery support, perimeter support and communications, many Berets did
not return from their secretive missions, for several, final whereabouts are
still unknown. The war now, too many politicians and people would like
to forget. Few politicians in Congress today are Viet Nam Veterans, age,
50 years, now prevails… if any.
Another of those forgotten, for me, are the Montagnards (mountain people)
who worked with us and what happened to them after. Fortunately, a few
thousand were brought back and are here in the US today.
There were three of us who got the nickname “The Three Musketeers”.
Mack (Mark) McKagan, the older brother of Duff McKagan from Guns
and Roses, John Evensizer and myself. Mack and John passed a few years
ago from service connected disabilities.
What upset me this Memorial Weekend was the celebration of Henry
Kissinger’s 100 hundredth birthday. You’d have to know the history about
him but he was nothing but a war monger. Convincing President Eisenhower
(yes, Eisenhower) to send 500 soldiers (as advisors) to Viet Nam.
Then he pushed Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon the war was a
war we needed to fight. The French pulled out before us and what finally
turned Nixon away from Kissinger is when Walter Cronkite, on national
TV, said the Viet Nam War will not be won.
The Paris Peace Talks that ended the Viet Nam War could have happened
two or three years sooner if Kissinger had been taken out of the negotiations
back in 1972. He only infuriated the North Vietnamese wanting near complete
surrender for two years. Finally, Nixon somewhat sidelined Kissinger at the
Talks and left it to our Diplomats and Generals to finalize the negotiation.
But… Kissinger still got the credit for ending the war, very undeservingly.
Sometimes it takes years for history to reveal the truth of someone after
they are gone.
I am a Viet Nam Veteran, serving with 1st Field Forces. My unit was direct
direct support for the 5th Special Forces (Green Berets). Where ever they
set up a remote operational base, along the Tri Border, we set up with them.
Artillery support, perimeter support and communications, many Berets did
not return from their secretive missions, for several, final whereabouts are
still unknown. The war now, too many politicians and people would like
to forget. Few politicians in Congress today are Viet Nam Veterans, age,
50 years, now prevails… if any.
Another of those forgotten, for me, are the Montagnards (mountain people)
who worked with us and what happened to them after. Fortunately, a few
thousand were brought back and are here in the US today.
There were three of us who got the nickname “The Three Musketeers”.
Mack (Mark) McKagan, the older brother of Duff McKagan from Guns
and Roses, John Evensizer and myself. Mack and John passed a few years
ago from service connected disabilities.
What upset me this Memorial Weekend was the celebration of Henry
Kissinger’s 100 hundredth birthday. You’d have to know the history about
him but he was nothing but a war monger. Convincing President Eisenhower
(yes, Eisenhower) to send 500 soldiers (as advisors) to Viet Nam.
Then he pushed Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon the war was a
war we needed to fight. The French pulled out before us and what finally
turned Nixon away from Kissinger is when Walter Cronkite, on national
TV, said the Viet Nam War will not be won.
The Paris Peace Talks that ended the Viet Nam War could have happened
two or three years sooner if Kissinger had been taken out of the negotiations
back in 1972. He only infuriated the North Vietnamese wanting near complete
surrender for two years. Finally, Nixon somewhat sidelined Kissinger at the
Talks and left it to our Diplomats and Generals to finalize the negotiation.
But… Kissinger still got the credit for ending the war, very undeservingly.
Sometimes it takes years for history to reveal the truth of someone after
they are gone.
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