re: The Fall of Saigon-50 Years Ago

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i have read that most people in south viet nam sympathized with ho chi minh. it was always going to be hopeless.

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We were propping up a corrupt administration, at least at times, and we had no fricking clue what we were doing in a number of ways.

Things like the strategic hamlet project were utter colossal failures because we uprooted whole villages from where they had spent generations working the land, put them in “secure” areas, then wondered why those areas were suddenly having a bunch of NVA activity.

In all fairness it was very much a lost cause. By 1974 and into 75, ARVN was getting hammered, clearing a path for the PAVN to Saigon

If either party supported a continuance of aid to South Vietnam it would have been a death sentence in the 1976 elections. It was a horrid situation for the south Vietnamese that worked with the US, yet the public was ready to move on from the Vietnam chapter. And, as we all know, it wasn't the first time, or would be the last, that the US government would not keep a promise.

Read "A Bright Shining Lie"

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My Dad's family was from East Texas, and they all hated LBJ.

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same here,
As a child I grew up listening to my grandfather (1864-1962) rail against LBJ - always referred to him as a murderer. And that memory stems from 1940 - 1955. I only saw him once since I left for college in '56 and that was so he could see my two children before he died in 1962 so I never heard him talk about LBJ wrt to JFK.

But I know what he would have thought about the assassination. I can still recall my second thought on that awful day - right after the shock of the announcement I thought 'LBJ did it.'

I have never wavered from that belief. Of course he didn't pull the trigger, but he damn sure was responsible for whatever setup enable the act.

May LBJ rest in hell.

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Read "A Bright Shining Lie"

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Can’t remember if I read the book but I definitely saw the movie.

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It’s entirely possible that LBJ is the worst human being ever to be elected president.

His disastrous great society program ushered in the modern welfare state as well, crushing inner cities, destroying two parent families and sending us careening towards our current mess.

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In my mind there is no alternative to that truth.

He qualifies on two major issues - the assassination of JFK

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- the purposeful initiation of the Vietnam War, plus his meddling to then prevent its success.

a thoroughly despicable human being - on all levels - morals, integrity, citizenship, self-centeredness. nothing was beneath him.

Interesting to me is the large number of ex-soldiers that hated war,had PTSD afterwards but then a few that loved it.
Col.David Hackworth loved combat but I did read he suffered from PTSD afterwards.
I had a neighbor that served 3 tours as a helicopter pilot back to back,He volunteered for his 3rd tour ,his wife threatened to divorce him if he volunteered to go back.He did anyway,she didn’t.He was shot down 7 times,had a boatload of medals.

On Shore Patrol in Rota Spain,we had a big black Marine that spent 2 tours with Force Recon.He was constantly trying to go back.He didn’t talk about it much except telling me about shadowing the Ho Chi Minh trail,traveling by night,hiding during the day.He said he had NV soldiers pass as close as 6 feet from him in his hideout.
He said he never felt so alive as when he was in extreme danger.Adrenalin junky I guess.

I don’t think he was bullshitting.Guy was a one man wrecking machine when a big fight or something was happening.
We went to a big fight one night outside a bar,about 20 guys fighting.He hands me his helmet and stick,waded into them karate chopping and kicking,blink of an eye about 6 of them were laid out and the rest scattered like a covey of quail.
Besides that he was funny as hell,was my favorite person to ride with.

The blasted French have been picking fights for centuries always expecting us to bail their sorry snail eating asses out. Frick them.

Turning Point: The Vietnam War just dropped on Netflix today, I'm watching it as I work.


The guys that went are heroes, most teenagers thrown into a foreign country with jungle warfare in a land they had never seen.

My mom and dad were laid to rest at the Veteran's cemetery, just a few miles away from Fort Knox. I usually visit every Spring. As the years go by I'm starting to notice all the Vietnam guys who are passing on. It's heartbreaking that they received the homecoming that they did, and the lack of support from the government.