The United States and Vietnam

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entropychaser

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Jun 27, 2017
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Usually, as years go by, what happened in history becomes clearer as more facts become known, more analysis done. But sometimes not.

Fifty years ago today, US Army helicopters were evacuating the last few souls off the roof of the US embassy in Saigon. They would fly to aircraft carriers off the coast and then the Hueys would be pushed over the side into the South China Sea. The next day, the war would be over.

If you are reading this on an Apple iPad, it was made in Vietnam. Last year, Vietnam sent $137 billion worth of goods to the United States. When I go to vote, I can get a ballot in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, or Vietnamese.

What happened? Is the war finally over, or just not end the way everyone expected?

www.csis.org

An Indispensable Upgrade: The U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

The U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relationship has grown significantly. With expanded security, economic, and people-to-people ties, the partnership between the two states is set to deepen regardless of political changes on either side.
www.csis.org www.csis.org
 
Thank you "entropychaser".

And thank you to all our US Military Veterans that served during this Vietnam War.
Many still suffer the effects of Agent Orange
Some returned home missing a leg or an arm.
Some never returned home.

I remember a song called "Soldier Boy" dedicated to our Vietnam Military Members

 
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As a U.S. Navy Vietnam combat Veteran, I am deeply bother by anyone going over to Vietnam or doing business with the communist government that never acknowledged the loss of so many brave U.S. Servicemen and women. I will NEVER forget my brothers and sisters, lost in a war that we all knew we could never win. Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired - Former Engineman 3rd Class U.S. Navy
 
As you can see by my signature I am also a Vietnam vet. I will never forget the story of a Vietnamese pilot who landed his 0-1 Bird Dog aircraft on the deck of a carrier which had his family with him. We were the best that America had.
 

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That makes at least four of us (Cap Rainey, Chief JK, Grumpy & me, probably a lot more) Viet Nam vets. As you can see below, I've got 3 campaign stars on my Vietnam Service Medal, and 3 Air Medals (2 of which were for combat missions, one for typhoon penetrations), so I think I have the right to express my opinion. I couldn't disagree more with Capt Rainey and his attitude toward Viet Nam and its people. In my opinion, the US was wrong to ever get involved in Viet Nam in the first place. The French experience there should have taught us that a war there could never be won (remember General MacArthur's warning that we should never get involved in a land war in Asia), but our politicians of both parties, beginning with Eisenhower thought they knew better. I too will never forget my brothers and sisters lost in that foolish war, but I cannot blame the people of Viet Nam (North or South) who bravely fought for THEIR country. And I am happy to see that we do business with them now with no repercussions or regrets except for Trump's foolish tariffs. But we haven't learned diddley squat. The Afghanis successfully fought off the British in the 19th century and the Russians in the 1980s and both countries went home with their tails between their legs. But WE knew better! WE could show those ragheads what a REAL war was like! Famous last words. Why can't we ever learn? In Bob Dylan's famous anti-war song, The answer is blowin' in the wind.
 
raybrag said:
That makes at least four of us (Cap Rainey, Chief JK, Grumpy & me, probably a lot more) Viet Nam vets. As you can see below, I've got 3 campaign stars on my Vietnam Service Medal, and 3 Air Medals (2 of which were for combat missions, one for typhoon penetrations), so I think I have the right to express my opinion. I couldn't disagree more with Capt Rainey and his attitude toward Viet Nam and its people. In my opinion, the US was wrong to ever get involved in Viet Nam in the first place. The French experience there should have taught us that a war there could never be won (remember General MacArthur's warning that we should never get involved in a land war in Asia), but our politicians of both parties, beginning with Eisenhower thought they knew better. I too will never forget my brothers and sisters lost in that foolish war, but I cannot blame the people of Viet Nam (North or South) who bravely fought for THEIR country. And I am happy to see that we do business with them now with no repercussions or regrets except for Trump's foolish tariffs. But we haven't learned diddley squat. The Afghanis successfully fought off the British in the 19th century and the Russians in the 1980s and both countries went home with their tails between their legs. But WE knew better! WE could show those ragheads what a REAL war was like! Famous last words. Why can't we ever learn? In Bob Dylan's famous anti-war song, The answer is blowin' in the wind.
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For those who want the real story on the Gulf of Tonkin incident I have found the best explanation was "Tonkin Gulf Club" by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver.
 
Owner of this web site, Retired FDNY Captain John B., "jbendick" also served during the Vietnam War as a Combat Engineer.
 
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