How war and the jungle changed me

[IKE]

Until you have taken anothers life, you can't begin to comprehend the immense guilt that will haunt you forever.

One confirmed kill for myself and it didn't bother me at the time nor has it ever haunted me......sounds cliche but I knew it was either him or me and I was going to do everything in my power to make it him and not me.

What did bother me was seeing my brothers lying on the ground under a poncho.....I never hardened to the point to where that never bothered me.

 

[squatting dog]

One confirmed kill for myself and it didn't bother me at the time nor has it ever haunted me......sounds cliche but I knew it was either him or me and I was going to do everything in my power to make it him and not me.

What did bother me was seeing my brothers lying on the ground under a poncho.....I never hardened to the point to where that never bothered me.

View attachment 267087

Amen brother... You get it... Amen.

 

[squatting dog]

I missed Vietnam, but have been around a lot of Veterans from that war and have heard the stories. I have seen combat, but nothing like what you men went through. I have no problems with reading whatever you print. I have some issues myself, so I do understand that sometimes talking about your past experiences can act as therapy.

Why was Westmoreland replaced? Was the Tet Offensive his Waterloo? That seems to be the general consensus. Opinion?

Not sure why he was replaced... probably some political overtones we'll never know. However, The offensive was a crushing tactical defeat for the North, but it struck psychological blow that eroded support for the war among the American public and political establishment.

There has been a lot of talk about how television brought battles directly to American living rooms, but in fact most television stories were filmed soon after a battle rather than in the midst of one, and many were simply conventional news stories. (I can say for sure that I never saw any reporters anywhere near any fight we engaged in. Hell, most stories about the war on nightly TV news shows were not film records fresh from Vietnam but rather brief reports based on wire service dispatches and read by anchormen.

 

[Disgustedman]

I've read enough to know, the men who fought there, didn't realize what war was. They learned, were cursed and had to go on with life as if it's "No big deal"

Not easy when your mind, body and soul have been seared. I'm glad you found peace.

 

[squatting dog]

I've read enough to know, the men who fought there, didn't realize what war was. They learned, were cursed and had to go on with life as if it's "No big deal"

Not easy when your mind, body and soul have been seared. I'm glad you found peace.

Trying, but it's an everyday battle. I wouldn't believe that 50 years later I'm still in the devils grasp.
Humor helps keep me up beat and staying busy works too, (at least during the day).

 

[Been There]

Not sure why he was replaced... probably some political overtones we'll never know. However, The offensive was a crushing tactical defeat for the North, but it struck psychological blow that eroded support for the war among the American public and political establishment.

There has been a lot of talk about how television brought battles directly to American living rooms, but in fact most television stories were filmed soon after a battle rather than in the midst of one, and many were simply conventional news stories. (I can say for sure that I never saw any reporters anywhere near any fight we engaged in. Hell, most stories about the war on nightly TV news shows were not film records fresh from Vietnam but rather brief reports based on wire service dispatches and read by anchormen.

I studied American History while at the Naval Academy. We spent a fair amount of time on WWII and the Vietnam Wars. Your position on the Tet Offensive seems to be very familiar with so many others. Some historians have even suggested that this battle is what cost Westmoreland his job.

I remember watching some of the films from Vietnam on the nightly news with either Cronkite or Huntley-Brinkley. My Gramps never missed the evening news, unless a cow was giving birth. I remember seeing Dan Rather out in the combat zone.

My Gramps didn't like LBJ because he said that his decision to escalate the war cost many American soldiers their life. He also said that the Army knew of the risks with Agent Orange, but they didn't give a damn.

 

[squatting dog]

My Gramps didn't like LBJ because he said that his decision to escalate the war cost many American soldiers their life. He also said that the Army knew of the risks with Agent Orange, but they didn't give a damn.

Yeah, the Army used agent purple, green, white, and blue first. They knew the danger when they decided to use orange which was just a re-formulated agent purple.
Oh Yeah... Naval academy, I prefer the Observatory... know it well.

 

[squatting dog]

Everyday.

 

[Been There]

Everyday.


View attachment 267448

Ain’t it the truth?