Vietnam

VIETNAM

War Memorial - dedicated November 13, 1982

• Over 58,000 names
• At the dedication all the names were read aloud, in shifts, around the clock
• it took 54 hours to read all the names

Began mid-1940's to 1975

Longest war in American history - considered by some the only war America has ever lost - I take exception to that because American troops were not in Vietnam when South Vietnam fell

Over 57,000 Americans and 4 million Vietnamese were killed

Shaped U.S. foreign policy for decades to come

U.S. entered the war to prevent communism

• Withdrew its troops from Vietnam in 1973
• 1975 - Communist assumed leadership of a united Vietnam

French in Vietnam

• Indochina - Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam - had complete control since 1886
• Nazis occupied France in 1940 and allowed Japan to set up military bases throughout Indochina - their presence weakened French control over the country
• Vietnamese people intensified their resistance to the French occupation

Viet Minh -Vietnam Independence League

• Began in 1941 - led by Ho Chi Minh
• Main objective was to over throw colonial French rule in Vietnam
• Vietnamese people had a 2,000 year long history of resisting foreign occupation - possessed a fierce national identity - managed to overthrow almost 1,000 years of Chinese rule - turned away invaders such as Kubla Khan

Dwight D. Eisenhower - dedicated to halting the spread of communism

• "Domino Theory" - he equated Vietnam and the rest of Indochina to a row of dominoes

U.s. Support of South Vietnam

• Strongly supported Ngo Dinh Diem - his rule proved to be undemocratic - unpopular with the Vietnamese people - in spite of this when he asked for American aid Kennedy gave it
• Kennedy was strongly Anti-Communist
• Kennedy sent almost 1,000 military advisers to South Vietnam - November 1961
• By 1963 over 16,000 American military personnel were there - this violated the Geneva Accords
• Kennedy and his advisers began to feel that Diem was corrupt - that he was obstructing the fight against communism
• U.S. deliberately failed to warn Diem of an impending coup by some of his generals
• Diem was assassinated on November 1, 1963 (and his brother)
• Kennedy was assassinated 3 weeks later (Lee Harvey Oswald)

Johnson's Approach to Vietnam

• His advisers immediately pressured him to increase military aid
• He had grave misgivings about American involvement in Vietnam
• Despite his private doubts he felt great pressure to deepen U.S. involvement - did not want to appear weak against communism
• Afraid if he appeared "soft" on communism he would not be reelected in 1964
• Thus in 1964 he began to send more troops to Vietnam

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

• Occurred in the summer of 1964 - officially pulled the U.S. into the war
• August 2, 1964 the U.S. ship SS Maddox - on a covert intelligence mission clashed by Communist patrol boats in the Gulf of Tonkin
• The small boats were no match for the destroyer - one crewman said firing on the patrol boats was "like trying to swat mosquitoes with a big fly swatter"
• U.S. vessels refused to retreat - claimed the U.S. had "legitimate rights in (the gulf's) international waters
• Johnson justified the assault by arguing that the Vietnamese attack was unprovoked
• North Vietnam responded that it was rightfully chasing attackers from its territorial waters

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• Johnson seized the opportunity to send a pre-planned resolution to Congress
• It gave the president the right to "take all necessary measures" to defend any nation in Southeast Asia threatened by Communist aggression
• It covered everything
• Passed through Congress almost unanimously - only 2 senators dissenting
• This document gave Johnson the legal right to send troops into Vietnam without an official U.S. declaration of war

Johnson Escalates the War

• Began air raids on North Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin incident
• Began bombing on a regular basis in early 1965
• By December 1965 there were nearly 200,000 combat troops in South Vietnam
• In 1966 Johnson sent another 200,00 troops
• By the end of 1967 there were 500,000 troops in Vietnam

Guerrilla Warfare

• Vietnam totally unlike anything U.S. troops had previously experienced
• Wet, often dense terrain made movement difficult and very uncomfortable
• Flooded rice fields and tangled jungle trails
• Soldiers were harassed more by heat and leeches than by the enemy
• ***  My husband said the leeches were about 6" long and could climb up hill faster than the soldiers.  When he came home from Vietnam he had scars on his arms from leeches.
• Viet Cong troops used various guerrilla tactics
• Darted out of tunnels and bunkers to ambush U.S. patrols
• Used an ingenious assortment of land mines and booby traps

Effective Vietnamese Forces

• U.S. government was confident that it could defeat the Vietnamese with a superior show of military force
• Dropped approximately 3.2 million tons of explosives on Vietnam
• Large North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighting units went into actual combat infrequently - preferred to engage in hit-and-run maneuvers so they could choose the terrain for battle and avoid direct confrontations - their forces were very familiar with the local terrain
• Vietnamese soldiers were well disciplined and effective

Distinguishing Friends From Enemies

• Soldiers could not always differentiate between hostile and friendly peasants
• Many South Vietnamese did not welcome the presence of the U.S. troops
• Many times the enemy in the area was a farmer by day and VC by night

Growing U.S. Disillusionment

• In the beginning of the war many U.S. soldiers believed they were fighting for a good cause
• moral began to decline as the war progressed

The Vietnamese "People's War"

• Communists called their war a "people's war" and received widespread support in both North and South Vietnam
• Sacrifices - Horrendous sacrifices in lives to attain their long-range goals - at least half a million troops died in action, yet there were always new recruits to replace the casualties
• U.S. bombings did little to halt the tenacious Vietnamese forces
• U.S. troops would conquer territory by launching massive air assaults - then the Viet Cong would sneak back in after the bombing

Ho Chi Minh Trail

• Ran from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through Cambodia and Laos
• Virtually undetectable from the air because of the dense jungle cover
• U.S. could not send troops to attack because they were in neutral territory
• U.S. tried to bomb Vietnamese forces traveling on the trail - largely unsuccessful

Plight of Vietnamese Civilians

• In the north 80% of the people killed by U.S. bombings were civilians
• Had a devastating impact on the country's civilians and countryside
• Wiped out South Vietnamese villages in a vain attempt to prevent the Viet Cong from seizing the territory
• Nine percent of the bombs the U.S. dropped were napalm bombs - jellylike chemical mixture that burned whatever it touched

Antiwar Demonstrations at Home

• Began early 1965
• College students and professors began holding sit-ins and teach-ins
• First major antiwar protest occurred in Washington,DC, on April 17, 1965 - over 20,000 people participated - the largest ever in U.S. until that time
• By the end of 1967 antiwar demonstrations were practically a daily occurrence at colleges around the nation - massive peace marches drawing upward of 50,000 people were held in major cities
• *** A note about Jane Fonda.  She now says she is sorry she went to North Vietnam and sat on one of their guns that shot at U.S. pilots.  That's fine as far as it goes but she left out the fact that she was responsible for the beating and deaths of American soldiers.  She was scheduled to meet prisoners of war.  They knew she was coming and decided to pass her their social security numbers, as she shook hands with them, so their family's would know they were alive.  This happened and when she was done she handed them to their jailers.  The prisoners of war were beaten severely and some died.  She has never apologized for this to my knowledge.

Unpopularity of the War

Increasingly unpopular for a variety of reasons

• Number of American casualties
• Many uncertain as to why the U.S. was involved in Vietnam
• Many found it hard to understand why American lives were being lost in what amounted to another country's civil war
• Horrifying images of war in magazines, newspapers, and on TV
• ***All of this sounds familiar and could be applied today in Iraq

Resistance to the Draft

• Public demonstrations
• Illegally burned or tore up their draft cards
• Refused to register for the draft or registered as conscientious objectors
• Fifteen million men applied for and received draft deferments (If you were in school or married were a couple of reasons.)
• Over half a million men went into hiding or fled the country to avoid the draft

War Reaches It's Height

• American casualties rose
• Clear-cut victories proved to be scant
• Cost of the war mounted
• 1968 to 1969 over 500,000 American troops were stationed in Vietnam
• 130,000 Vietnamese civilians perished per month
• Well over 35,000 U.S. soldiers had been killed since the beginning of the war

Tet Offensive

• January 1968 - U.S. and Vietnam agreed to a temporary truce during the celebration of Tet - Vietnamese new year
• On January 31, 1968 70,000 communist soldiers launched a surprise offensive
• Went into more than a hundred cities and towns
• It took the U.S. completely by surprise
• Shifted the war from it's rural settings to the supposedly impregnable urban areas
• Resounding military defeat for the Viet Cong
• By the end of March 1968, 2,000 Americans had died compared to over 50,000 Communist troops

My Lai Massacre - 1968

• 30 Americans under the direction of Lieutenant W.I Calley
• Fired on the defenseless villagers
• Killing over 200 women, children and old men (another source says 128 died)
• The deaths Calley said were "no big deal"
• Calley was eventually court-marshaled

Nixon's Policy of "Peace with Honor"

• Nixon did not want to be "the first president of the U.S. to lose a war"
• Began pulling out troops and transferring responsibility for the war to the South Vietnamese
• In March 1969 he approved a plan to secretly bomb Vietnamese in neutral Cambodia
• Eventually the illegal bombings were revealed in an article in the New York Times
• April 30 Nixon announced that we had invaded Cambodia
• Met with an outpouring of protests - some tragically ended in violence
• Jackson State University in Mississippi - police killed 2 students and wounded 9 others
• Kent State University - Ohio - they burnt down the campus ROTC building - the governor claimed the students were "worse than the brownshirts (Nazis)" and vowed to "eradicated" them - on May 4, 1970 National Guardsmen opened fire on antiwar demonstrators and killed 4 students - the killings outraged the public and caused an additional wave of students strikes around the country

Peace Talks Falter

• June 1970 the war had spread to Laos
• Talks faltered due in part to the death of Ho Chi Minh in 1969
• Had public peace talks and secret ones
• Neither the public nor the private negotiations resulted in a quick "peace with honor"

Cease-Fire Declared

• January 27,1973 signed an agreement in Paris

U.S. Forces Leave Vietnam

• On March 29, 1973 the last U.S. combat troops left the Capital of Saigon
• North Vietnam released it's remaining American prisoners of war
• The U.S. stopped bombing Laos
• In August 1973 Nixon stopped the bombing of Cambodia
• The U.S. was in Vietnam had officially ended

Fighting Resumes in Vietnam

• Both North and South soon violated the Paris Agreement and resumed fighting
• South Vietnam began to crumble
• Without U.S. fire power major South Vietnamese cities such as Hue and Da Nang soon fell to the Communists
• 1975 North Vietnam prepared it's final siege on Saigon
• April 29,1975 the U.S. ordered all Americans in Vietnam to leave the country
• Panicked Americans and Vietnamese rushed the U.S. embassy in Saigon
• April 39 South Vietnam surrendered

Effects of the Vietnam War

• Human cost was staggering
• Three million Americans serve - 58,000 died, 303,000 were wounded - over 750 taken prisoner
• More than 4 million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians on both sides were killed or wounded - roughly 10% of the entire population
• Cost the U.S. more than $120 billion and was the longest war the country ever fought
• It created doubts about American judgment - about American credibility - about American power - not only at home, but throughout the world

Vietnam After the War

• Struggled to recover from the devastating effects of the war
• In 1991 their economy began to improve
• In 1993 the U.S. finally lifted it's trade embargoes and the two countries reestablished diplomatic relations

Mac's Facts no. 45 (Room 7, Hanoi Hilton)

November 17, 2001

Note:  In late 2000, CAG Stockdale (Room 7 SRO) asked his old friend, By Fuller to provide a list of the roommates of Room 7, Hanoi Hilton as of Christmas 1970.  The roommates of this room were extraordinary, both at the time of incarceration, and then later in freedom. 

Room 7 had the first organized church service to be held in the prisons of North Vietnam.  Permission was asked for by Stockdale, and twice denied by the Camp Commander.  The room was warned not to do it.  Room 7 decided to do it anyway.  They even had a choir. Their solemn service quickly caught the eye of the guards and authorities.  Armed guards rushed into the room to break up the "ominous" unauthorized meeting.  Ringleaders, Risner, Coker and Rutledge were led out of the room with guards at each arm (they were headed for more Heartbreak Hotel, solitary confinement and lots of punishment).  Bud Day was the one who then jumped up on his bed and started to sing "The National Anthem" and "God Bless America."  The entire room burst into song.  Then Rooms Six, Five, Four, Three, Two and One joined in succession.These songs of pride and defiance were loud enough to be heard outside the 15-foot walls of the Hanoi Hilton. As Robbie marched out the door, his back straightened with pride.  He held his head high. 

Robbie later recalled his thoughts as his roommates burst out in song, "I felt like I was nine feet tall and could go bear hunting with a switch."   Thirty one years later, on November 16, 2001 a nine-foot tall bronze statue of Brigadier General Robinson Risner, USAF would be dedicated on the central plaza of the United States Air Force Academy.  To Bud Day (principal speaker), Ross Perot (the sponsor of the project), and dozens of Robbie's Room-Seven roommates at the ceremony, it seemed more fitting to call the statue "life size." Photos: Dedication of B/Gen Robbie Risner's Statue - USAFA 16-18 November 2001

CAG, knowing what the V reaction would be, was heard to remark something to the effect, "Well, I guess we just can't stand prosperity."  Our camp, yet unnamed, from that moment on became known as "Camp Unity."The guards protested, but the songs continued.  Shortly thereafter, Vietnamese troops entered each room in force.  They had their hats secured with chinstraps in place, they had fixed bayonets, and they were mad!  They quickly backed the POWs against the walls with a bayonet in each POW's stomach.  The singing immediately ceased as the troops burst through the doors.  The V later claimed that they had put down a riot.  It wasn't a real riot, but it was a lot of funÖuntil the soldiers entered the room.  Several roommates of Room 7 were jerked out the next day.  The next day, Orson Swindle in Room 6 tapped the following message on the wall:  "Damn, you'd have to get in line to get in trouble in that crowd!!"

Thanks to By Fuller for the gut work of putting together this Mac's Facts.  Paul Galanti and Mike McGrath assisted.This historical document is dedicated to a fearless leader, Vice Admiral Jim Stockdale.  CAG, here's what the men of Room 7 accomplished:

Roster of "Room 7" on 26 December, 1970 (Hanoi Hilton):

Name:                                                  Shootdown rank:               Days captive:             

1.  Brady, Al                                       Cdr, USN                          2236

2.  Coker, George                                Lt (jg), USN                      2381

3.  Coskey, Ken                                  Cdr, USN                          1650

4.  Craner, Bob (Deceased)                 Maj, USAF                       1911

5.  Crayton, Render                            LCdr, USN                        2562

6.  Crow, Fred                                     LCol, USAF                      2170

7.  Crumpler, Carl                               LCol, USAF                      1713

8.  Daniels, Vern                                 Cdr, USN                          1966

9.  Daughtrey, Norlan                         Capt, USAF                      2751

10. Day, Bud                                      Maj, USAF                       2027

11. Denton, Jerry                                Cdr, USN                          2766

12. Doremus, Rob                               LCdr, USN                        2729

13. Dramesi, John                               Capt, USAF                      2163

14. Dunn, Howie (Deceased)              Maj, USMC                      2624

15. Fellowes, Jack                               LCdr, USN                        2381

16. Finlay, Jack                                   LCol, USAF                      1781

17. Franke, Bill                                   Cdr, USN                          2729

18. Fuller, By                                      Cdr, USN                          2060

19. Gillespie, Chuck (Deceased)         Cdr, USN                          1968

20. Guarino, Larry                              Maj, USAF                       2801

21. Gutterson, laird                             Maj, USAF                       1846

22. Hughes, Jim                                  LCol, USAF                      2130

23. James, Charlie                               Cdr, USN                          1761

24. Jenkins, Harry (Deceased)            Cdr, USN                          2648

25. Johnson, Sam                                Maj, USAF                       2494

26. Kasler, Jim                                    Maj, USAF                       2400

27. Kirk, Tom                                     LCol, USAF                      1964

28. Lamar, Jim                                    LCol, USAF                      2474

29. Larson, Swede                               LCol, USAF                      2130

30. Lawrence, Bill                               Cdr, USN                          2076

31. Ligon, Vern (Deceased)                 LCol, USAF                      1942

32. McCain, John                               LCdr, USN                        1966

33. McKnight, George                        Maj, USAF                       2655

34. Moore, Mel                                  Cdr, USN                          2185

35. Mulligan, Jim                                Cdr, USN                          2521

36. Pollard, Ben                                  Maj, USAF                       2120

37. Risner, Robbie                              LCol, USAF                      2706

38. Rivers, Wendy                              LCdr, USN                        2715

39. Rutledge, Howie (Deceased)         Cdr, USN                          2633

40. Schoeffel, Pete                              LCdr, USN                        1988

41. Shumaker, Bob                              LCdr, USN                        2923

42. Stockdale, Jim                               Cdr, USN                          2713

43. Stockman, Hervey                        LCol, USAF                      2093

44. Stratton, Dick                               LCdr, USN                        2250

45. Tanner, Nels                                 LCdr, USN                        2338

46. Webb, Ron                                    Capt, USAF                      2093

47. Gary Anderson (Deceased)            Lt (jg), USN                      2151

                                                            Total days in captivity:  108,116

                                                            Man-years in captivity:   296.21

 

Here's a brief history of the 47 men:

5  Made Admiral rank (Stockdale O-9, Lawrence O-9, Shumaker O-8, Denton O-8,

      Fuller O-8).

1   Made General rank (Risner O-7)

40   Others stayed in the military and attained the following ranks: (USMC 1 Col--Dunn; Navy 1 Cdr--Coker; AF 1 LCol--Daughtrey; AF 19 Colonels--Craner, Crow, Crumpler, Day, Dramesi, Finlay, Guarino, Gutterson, Hughes, Kasler, Johnson, Kirk, Lamar, Larson, Ligon, McKnight, Pollard, Stockman, & Webb; Navy 18 Captains--Brady, Coskey, Crayton, Daniels, Doremus, Fellowes, Franke, Gillespie, James, Jenkins, McCain, Moore, Mulligan, Rivers, Rutledge, Schoeffel, Stratton, & Tanner.  No. 47 yet to be determined.)

1      Became U.S. Congressmen (Johnson, Texas; McCain, Arizona).

2      Became U.S. Senators (Denton, Alabama; McCain, Arizona).

1      Was a Vice Presidential candidate (Stockdale).

1      Was a Presidential candidate (McCain).

2      Received the Medal of Honor (Stockdale, Day).  Day resumed his career as a lawyer.

3      Received the Navy Cross (Denton, Coker, Fuller).  (3 of the 4 POWs to receive this award were from this room.  Red McDaniel was the 4^th  POW to receive the award).

4      Made escapes.  All were recaptured, all were tortured. (Dramesi, Coker, McKnight, Day).

2      Were jet aces from the Korea War (Risner: 9 kills in F-86; Kasler: 6 kills in F-86).

1      First pilot to fly over Russia in U-2 spy aircraft (Stockman).

1    Was shot down 4-15-1944 in Germany.  POW until April 1945.  26^th mission in P-47 (Ligon)

1      Shot down 3 German planes during WW II.  Flying British aircraft (Guarino).  Flew 156 missions in Sicily, India, China and Indo-China.

1      Flew 62 missions in Korea War. Got credit for 1 kill, 1 damaged, 1 probable kill against

Mig ñ15s (Johnson).

7    Received the Air Force Cross (Kasler--3 awards; Risner--2 awards; Dramesi: 2 awards, Day, Kirk, Guarino & McKnight each received one award). 

4    Were Navy Test Pilots (Stockdale, Lawrence, Gillespie, & Franke).

1      Flew with the Thunderbirds (Johnson).

11   Were USNA graduates (Brady '51, Denton '47, Fellowes '56, Fuller '51, Gillespie '51, Lawrence '51, McCain '58, Rivers '52, Schoeffel '54, Shumaker '56, & Stockdale '47).

2      Were Landing Signal Officers (LSOs); (Stockdale, Tanner).

1      Escaped the B-52 community and got into combat flying the F-105G (Larson).

1    Has a daughter who is an astronaut, gone into space three times (789 hours).  She is presently in training as a crewmember of the International Space Station.  (Lawrence).         

1    Was a Navy Air Wing Commander (CAG): (Stockdale, (COMAIRGRU 16).

1      Commanded a Navy Carrier, USS America.  Later became Battle Group Commander ñCARGRU 4 Commander (Fuller).

10   Were Squadron Commanders (Coskey (VA-85), Day (TBD), Denton (VA-75), Franke, Fuller (VA-76), Gillespie, Jenkins VA-163), Lawrence (VF-143), Ligon (11^th TRS) and Larson (469^th TFS) when shot down), Schoeffel (VA-83).

5      Were Squadron Executive Officers (Daniels, Moore, Mulligan, Rutledge, & Brady).  They were shot down before they could make Squadron Commander.

10   Authored books:

a.     Day: Return With Honor.

b.     Denton: When Hell Was In Session.

c.     Dramesi: Code of Honor.

d.     Guarino: A POW's Story: 2801 Days in Hanoi.

e.     Johnson: Captive Warriors: A Vietnam POW's Story.

f.      McCain: Faith of My Fathers.

g.     Mulligan: The Hanoi Commitment.

h.     Risner: The Passing of the Night.

i.      Rutledge: In the Presence of Mine Enemies.

j.      Stockdale: Courage Under Fire; In Love and War; A Vietnam Experience; Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot.

4    Became Presidents/Commandants/Superintendents of institutions of higher learning: (Stockdale:President of the Citidel and President of the Naval War College; Lawrence: Superintendent of the USNA; Shumaker: Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School; and Ö(TBD)Ö; Denton: Commandant of Armed Forces Staff College).

2      Built their own airplanes: (Jenkins: Long EZ; Shumaker: Glassair).Pollard  is currently flying sail planes.

1      Was the first active duty Naval Aviator to fly Mach II (Lawrence).

1      Was first Naval Aviator to land on an aircraft carrier in 0/0 fog with a newly developed Aircraft Carrier Landing System (Gillespie).  Yes, it was an emergency low fuel state!

2      Naval Aviators were in the final selection groups (before shootdown) for the Mercury Astronaut Program (Lawrence, Shumaker).

Many of the members of Room 7 either served during wars prior to Vietnam, or who saw combat in theatres other than Vietnam:

WW II:

Vern Ligon: USA Air Corps, 25 missions, P-47 pilot, POW in Stalag Luft 1, 1944-45, escaped once, recaptured.

Larry Guarino: USA Air Corps, 156 missions in Sicily, India, China and Indo-China.  Spitfires.

Hervey Stockman: USA Air Corps.  68 missions, P-51.

Jim Kasler: USA Air Corps, 7 missions as tail gunner, B-29.

Harry Jenkins & Gordon Larson were Navy V5 cadetsÖand Fred Crow was an Army Air Corps aviation  cadet when WW II ended.

Bud Day: Corporal, USMC, 30 months in south and central Pacific, April 1942-Nov 1945.

By Fuller and Carl Crumpler: Enlisted in US Navy summer of 1945.  Saw boot camp by the end of WW II.

Fred Crow and Al Brady: were Navy dependents at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

Korea:

Robby Risner: USAF, 108 missions, F-86.  Mig Ace with 9 kills.

Jim Kasler: USAF, 100 missions, F-86, Mig Ace with 6 kills.

Howie Rutledge:  USN, 200 missions, F9F-2 as a Flying Midshipman.

Harry Jenkins: Served aboard USS Fred T. Berry (DD-141) off coast of Korea.  Flying Midshipman.

Tom Kirk: Flew missions in Korea (we need more information from Tom).

Larry Guarino: USAF, Air Defense Alert missions.

Jim Lamar: USAF, 100 missions in F-80 and P-51.

Wendy Rivers: Served on a destroyer off the coast of Korea.

Laird Gutterson: USAF, flew 60 missions, P-51.

Verlyne Daniels: Flew AD-4 missions, March-August 1953.

Sam Johnson: USAF, flew 62 missions, F-86, 1 kill, 1 probable, 1 damaged against Mig 15s.

Bud Day: USAF, air defense missions, F-84s.

Bill Lawrence: (F2H-3) and By Fuller (F9F-5) arrived off the coast of Korea in October 1953.  They were flying off the USS Oriskany.  Too lateÖthe war was over!

Fred Crow: Had various commands stateside during the Korean War.

Carl Crumpler: Flew F-86s at George AFB.  War was over too soon for him to participate.           

     

(We need more information from the men of this room to continue this paper.  In particular, we need Air Force positions such as Wing Cdr, Base Cdr, Ops Officer, or other terms us Navy guys aren't familiar with.  Please submit corrections or additions to: mmcgrath62@earthlink.net).