PERSONEL NOTE:
As
a soldier who served 14 months in Vietnam, I feel that the facts have been
blurred on the war in Vietnam (a Police Action when we fought the war).
The
news media did not report the facts and present it to the public in a manner
helpful to its troops, such as WWII.
Our
own government was trying to politically run the war where our commanders should
have been in charge, thus relying on their knowledge and
experience.
Our
people back home did not support us, which was a tragedy in itself, let alone
the psychological effect on the troops.
I
have compiled the following facts, from web sites, that may be of interest to
those wanting to know some true facts of the Vietnam war.
Even
in compiling these the fact writers can come in conflict with each other not
unlike the media reporting the war.
The
problem, of course, is that there is no one TRUTH about the Indochina Wars.
Instead, many different truths coexist and compete. To be sure, there are facts,
a myriad of them - the tonnage of bombs dropped by the US during the war, for
example. But facts, while useful and necessary, do not lead to understanding
without a framework, a matrix, upon which to place them. And there is the rub.
In analyzing and making sense of fact, cultural and social reality is
constructed. By this process, past events and actions become part of the
historical sense of self of a society. In the case of the Indochina Wars, there
are many such realities, each with its own truth, each with its own
understanding. The sense of self connected with these wars is still very much a
contested issue in many of the countries that participated in them.†
"No 'healing', no apologies, no
memorials, nothing can possibly compensate for the damage done and the pain
inflicted....The only thing we can possibly do, twenty years too late, is to try
and tell the truth."†
Quotes:
"No
event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was
misreported then, and it is misremembered now. Rarely have so many people been
so wrong about so much. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding
been so tragic."
[Nixon]
The
Vietnam War has been the subject of thousands of newspaper and magazine
articles, hundreds of books, and scores of movies and television documentaries.
The great majority of these efforts have erroneously portrayed many myths about
the Vietnam War as being facts. [Nixon]
THE FACTS
ARE:
91%
of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served [Westmoreland]
74%
said they would serve again even knowing the outcome [Westmoreland]
There
is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non veterans of the
same age group (from a Veterans Administration study) [Westmoreland]
Isolated
atrocities committed by American soldiers produced torrents of outrage from
antiwar critics and the news media while Communist atrocities were so common
that they received hardly any attention at all. The United States sought to
minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on
civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. Americans who deliberately killed
civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received
commendations. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated
36,725 South Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The death squads focused on
leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the
peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and
schoolteachers.
[Nixon]
Atrocities - every war has atrocities. War is brutal and not fair. Innocent
people get killed.
Vietnam
Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only 1/2 of one percent of Vietnam
Veterans have been jailed for crimes.
[Westmoreland]
97%
were discharged under honorable conditions; the same percentage of honorable
discharges as ten years prior to Vietnam [Westmoreland]
85%
of Vietnam Veterans made a successful transition to civilian life. [McCaffrey]
Vietnam
veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than
18 percent. [McCaffrey]
Vietnam
veterans have a lower unemployment rate than our non-vet age group.
[McCaffrey]
87%
of the American people hold Vietnam Vets in high esteem. [McCaffrey]
Myth:
Most Vietnam veterans were
drafted.
2/3
of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in
World War II were drafted. [Westmoreland] Approximately 70% of those killed were
volunteers. [McCaffrey]
Myth:
The
media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to
100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran
population.
Mortality
studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. "The CDC Vietnam Experience Study
Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge,
deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than
non-Vietnam veterans. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans
were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. In fact,
after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the
Vietnam veterans' group." [Houk]
Myth:
A disproportionate number of blacks were
killed in the Vietnam War.
86%
of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were
other races.
[CACF and Westmoreland]
Sociologists
Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book "All
That We Can Be," said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon
fodder during Vietnam "and can report definitely that this charge is untrue.
Black fatalities amounted to 12 percent of all Americans killed in Southeast
Asia - a figure proportional to the number of blacks in the U.S. population at
the time and slightly lower than the proportion of blacks in the Army at the
close of the war." [All
That We Can Be]
Myth:
The
war was fought largely by the poor and uneducated.
Servicemen
who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying
because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry
officers.
· 50,000
American Servicemen served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964.
· 9,087,000
military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era (Aug.5,
1964-May 7, 1975).
· 3,403,100
(including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the Southeast Asia Theater
(Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand,
and sailors in adjacent South China sea waters).
· 7,484
American women served in Vietnam. 6,250 were nurses.
· 8
nurses died-1 was killed in action.
· Vietnam
Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation.
· 240
men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam era.
· Hostile
deaths: 47,378
· Non-hostile
deaths: 10,800
· Missing
in action: 2,338
· POWs:
766 (114 died in captivity).
· Wounded
in action: 303,704
· Severely
disabled: 75,000--23,214 100% disabled; 5,283 lost limbs; 1,081 sustained
multiple amputations.
· Married
men killed: 17,539
· Men
under the age of 21 killed: 61%
· Average
age of men killed: 22.8 years.
· Highest
political office attained by a Vietnam veteran to date: Vice President Al Gore.
· Most
successful Vietnam veteran/businessman to date: Frederick Smith of Federal
Express.
· 79%
of the men who served in Vietnam had a high school education or better when they
entered the military service.
· The
suicide rate of Vietnam veterans has always been well within the 1.7% norm of
the general population.
· 97%
of Vietnam-era veterans were honorably discharged.
["Myth
vs. Reality" by B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley]
Five
men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old.
[CACF]
The
oldest man killed was 62 years old.
[CACF]
11,465
KIAs were less than 20 years old.
[CACF]
Vietnam
Veterans represent 9.7% of their generation †
8,744,000
GIs were on active duty during the war (Aug. 5, 1964 – March 28, 1973)
†
2,594,000
personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam (Jan. 1, 1965 – March 28,
1973) †
Another
50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964 †
Of
the 2.6 million, between 1 – 1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat,
provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy
attack.†
Peak
troop strength in Vietnam: 543,482 (April 30, 1969)†
Total
draftees (1965-1973): 1,728,344†
Draftees
accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam†
National
Guard: 6,140 served; 101 died†
Last
man drafted: June 30, 1973†
97%
of Vietnam veterans were honorably discharged†
91%
of actual Vietnam War era veterans and 90% of those who saw heavy combat are
proud to have served their country†
66%
of Vietnam veterans say they would serve again if called upon†
Non-substantiated
comments:
Men often had to
explain why they served; not serving was acceptable to many.
Soldiers served
a tour of duty rather than for the length of the war.
In combat, there was no
safety in the rear--there was no rear in Vietnam.
The war was fought in a
country whose history, culture, religions, and values little known or understood
by the general population of the United States.
There was no direct threat
against the United States.
War against Vietnam was never declared by
Congress, thus the correct term is Vietnam Conflict, although the word
war is commonly used.
The war's goal was unclear; there was never
clear indication that America would do whatever was necessary to win.
There
were no clear combat zones; there was no front.
Territory was taken, lost,
and taken repeatedly.
Little emotional support was offered to soldiers
returning home.
All of the soldiers did not return home at the same
time.
No war since the Civil War caused such a rift in U.S. public opinion,
leading to social unrest and violence.
The war was broadcast
on television daily. It has been called the television war.
Myth:
The
average age of an infantryman fighting in Vietnam was
19.
Assuming
KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Vietnam, the average age of an
infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam to be 19 years old is a myth, it is
actually 22.8. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than
20.
[CACF]
The
average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age.
[Westmoreland]
Myth:
The
domino theory was proved false.
The
domino theory was accurate. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand stayed free
of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. The Indonesians threw
the Soviets out in 1966 because of America's commitment in Vietnam. Without that
commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that
is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world. If
you ask people who live in these countries that won the war in Vietnam, they
have a different opinion from the American news media. The Vietnam War was the
turning point for Communism.
[Westmoreland]
Democracy
Catching On
- In the wake of the Cold War, democracies are flourishing, with 179 of the
world's 192 sovereign states (93%) now electing their legislators, according to
the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union. In the last decade, 69 nations have
held multi-party elections for the first time in their histories. Three of the
five newest democracies are former Soviet republics: Belarus (where elections
were first held in November 1995), Armenia (July 1995) and Kyrgyzstan (February
1995). And two are in Africa: Tanzania (October 1995) and Guinea (June 1995).
[Parade
Magazine]
Myth:
The
fighting in Vietnam was not as intense as in World War
II.
The
average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days
of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days
of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the
helicopter.
One
out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 58,169 were
killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. Although the percent
who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300
percent higher than in World War II. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely
disabled. [McCaffrey]
MEDEVAC
helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted
(nearly half were American). The average time lapse between wounding to
hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result, less than one percent of
all Americans wounded who survived the first 24 hours died.
The
helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. Without the helicopter it would have
taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and
Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva
Accords or 1962 would secure the border) [Westmoreland]
The 1990 unsuccessful movie "Air America"
helped to establish the myth of a connection between Air America, the CIA, and
the Laotian drug trade. The movie and a book the movie was based on contend that
the CIA condoned a drug trade conducted by a Laotian client; both agree that Air
America provided the essential transportation for the trade; and both view the
pilots with sympathetic understanding. American-owned airlines never knowingly
transported opium in or out of Laos, nor did their American pilots ever profit
from its transport. Yet undoubtedly every plane in Laos carried opium at some
time, unknown to the pilot and his superiors. For more information see
http://www.air-america.org/
Poor job of reporting by the news
media.
FACTS ABOUT THE FALL OF
SIAGON:
Myth:
Kim
Phuc, the little nine year old Vietnamese girl running naked from the napalm
strike near Trang Bang on 8 June 1972, was burned by Americans bombing Trang
Bang.
No
American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi
Kim Phuc. The planes doing the bombing near the village were VNAF (Vietnam Air
Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in support of South Vietnamese
troops on the ground. The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is
currently living in the United States. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who
took the picture was Vietnamese. The incident in the photo took place on the
second day of a three day battle between the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) who
occupied the village of Trang Bang and the ARVN (Army of the Republic of
Vietnam) who were trying to force the NVA out of the village. Recent reports in
the news media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim
Phuc are incorrect. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. "We
(Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF," according to Lieutenant
General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding General of TRAC at that
time. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phuc's brothers
were killed in this incident. They were Kim's cousins not her
brothers.
Myth:
The
United States lost the war in Vietnam.
The
American military was not defeated in Vietnam. The American military did not
lose a battle of any consequence. From a military standpoint, it was almost an
unprecedented performance. (Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike, a professor at
the University of California, Berkley a renowned expert on the Vietnam War)
[Westmoreland]
This included Tet 68, which was a major military defeat for the VC and
NVA.
THE UNITED STATES DID NOT LOSE THE WAR IN
VIETNAM, THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE
DID.
Facts
about the end of the war:
The
fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military
left Vietnam. The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973.
How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? We fought to an agreed
stalemate. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. It
called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces, limitation
of both sides' forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to peaceful
reunification.*
The
140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost
entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for
their lives.*
There
were almost twice as many casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia) the
first two years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 then there were during the ten
years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam.*
POW-MIA
Issue (unaccounted-for versus missing in action)
Politics
& People,
On Vietnam, Clinton Should Follow a Hero's Advice, Sen. John Kerrey is quoted as
saying about Vietnam, there has been "the most extensive accounting in the
history of human warfare" of those missing in action. While there are still
officially more than 2,200 cases, there now are only 55 incidents of American
servicemen who were last seen alive but aren't accounted for. By contrast, there
still are 78,000 unaccounted-for Americans from World War II and 8,100 from the
Korean conflict.
"The problem is that those who think the Vietnamese haven't
cooperated sufficiently think there is some central repository with answers to
all the lingering questions," notes Gen. John Vessey, the former chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Reagan and Bush administration's designated
representative in MIA negotiations. "In all the years we've been working on this
we have found that's not the case."**
More Realities About
War:
Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - it was not invented or unique to Vietnam
Veterans. It was called "shell shock" and other names in previous wars. An
automobile accident or other traumatic event also can cause it. It does not have
to be war related. The Vietnam War helped medical progress in this
area.
Restraining
the military in Vietnam in hindsight probably prevented a nuclear war with China
or Russia. The Vietnam War was shortly after China got involved in the Korean
war, the time of the Cuban missile crisis, Soviet aggression in Eastern Europe
and the proliferation of nuclear bombs. In all, a very scary time for our
country.
SOURCES
[Nixon]
No
More Vietnams
by Richard Nixon
[Parade
Magazine]
August
18, 1996 page 10.
[CACF]
(Combat
Area Casualty File) November 1993. (The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial, i.e. The Wall), Center for Electronic Records,
National Archives, Washington, DC
[All
That We Can Be] All
That We Can Be
by Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler
[Westmoreland]
Speech
by General William C. Westmoreland before
the Third Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) at
the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986 (reproduced in a Vietnam
Helicopter Pilots Association Historical Reference Directory Volume
2A)
[McCaffrey]
Speech
by Lt. Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey,
(reproduced in the Pentagram, June 4, 1993) assistant to the Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Vietnam veterans and visitors gathered at "The
Wall", Memorial Day 1993.
[Houk]
Testimony by Dr. Houk, Oversight
on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 14 July 1988 page 17, Hearing before the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs United States Senate one hundredth Congress
second session. Also "Estimating the Number of Suicides Among Vietnam Veterans"
(Am J Psychiatry 147, 6 June 1990 pages 772-776)
**The
Wall Street Journal
The
Wall Street Journal,
1 June 1996 page A15.
*1996
Information Please Almanac 1995
Information Please Almanac Atlas & Yearbook 49th
edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston & New York 1996, pages 117, 161
and 292.
†The
Vietnam War Internet Project an
educational organization dedicated to providing information and documents about
the various Indochina Wars and to the collection and electronic publication on
the web of oral histories and memoirs of both those who served in and those who
opposed those conflicts.
[HOME
PAGE]
Vietnam Online- Vietnam
Online was developed to accompany Vietnam: A Television History, the
award-winning television series produced by WGBH Boston.
Vietnam War Documents- Part
of a Vassar College website for a course on the Vietnam War, this page provides
additional links to major documents from the war era
Vietnam: A Teacher's Guide- This
essay is both a narrative of the war and curricular ideas to go along with the
text. Prepared by three university professors and three secondary school
teachers for the Asia Society's "Focus on Asian Studies" journal back in 1983,
it is an excellent resource for facts and ideas.
The
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Causality list- Casualties
of the Vietnam War
