Comments on: Vietnam: A Country, Not Just A War

By: Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin — Tue, 20 May 2014 04:25:41 +0000

Good luck on the book, Dave, and thanks for your service.

Flyhead, good points. We are often disappointed with our wars of choice…but in 1968 I joined the Army to stop Communist aggression in the world. It was a good decision for me, and I stand by that principle today.

By: Zippo

Zippo — Mon, 19 May 2014 22:13:20 +0000

Here comes China… again: http://news.yahoo.com/china-ships-evacuate-almost-2-000-vietnam-xinhua-164658985.html

By: dh

dh — Mon, 19 May 2014 21:19:53 +0000

Henry, not sure if you adjusted the “great improvement” to the average Vietnamese citizen’s income for inflation to the new 2014 Kenyan Marks we now use. 1973 USD vs 2014 Kenyan Marks would indicate that the worker/serf class is, at best, ALMOST breaking even, or more than likely is going in the hole under Mao and Ho’s marvelous communist government:

http://www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm

Inflation Calculator
The Changing Value of a Dollar
$600

In 1973

Convert to $:
In 2014

(results appear below)

$1.00 in 1973 had the same buying power as $5.48 in 2014.
Annual inflation over this period was 4.24%.

Dave, glad you enjoy visiting Communist Viet Nam, (Many vets do) I tend to hold grudges too long to voluntarily contribute to them. . .

EDITOR NOTE–Go to YOU TUBE and watch “Uncle Sam, Uncle Ho.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q02w70lJwUQ
Major Al Thomas who is interviewed in this impartial BBC documentary was a personal friend of mine. He told me in detail that Ho loved America, Americans, and the defense of liberty. Thomas was an OSS officer who led 200 men of the “Deer Team” into Vietnam in 1945. They armed and trained Ho Chi Minh to fight the Japanese. We turned on them in late 1945 after the war ended. Al Thomas personally carried letters from Ho back to Washington asking for diplomatic recognition and educators from the USA. Truman refused and went with the French colonists. The rest is history. I have seen war and peace. Peace is better for all concerned.

By: Henry Nguyen

Henry Nguyen — Mon, 19 May 2014 15:23:14 +0000

Glad to see you small connection to the past. Things had changed a lot throughout Vietnam however, poor they still are. Hope your trip continues and reveals more than simplistic “They still live in poverty, but now they understand how poor they are, thanks to world television and internet connections.”. Compared 1973 (when you lived there)with Vietnamese income per capita was less than $600/year, today’s Vietnamese enjoys a 6 folds growth to over $3,000/year. Not bad for a devastated country suffered lopsided war with the US, 2 more with Cambodia, China and 20 years of US led economic blockade.

EDITOR NOTE–Henry, I served in 1967-68 and have returned three times since 1996. I have watched the economic progress of the nation including the foreign investments, improved infrastructure, health of the people, etc.
Saigon now boasts a tunnel beneath the Saigon River and the view from across the river of the skyscrapers and modern architecture are a testament to progress. However, Hey Man still lives in poverty with a cell phone in his pocket.

By: Mary Pasley

Mary Pasley — Sun, 18 May 2014 19:03:55 +0000

Great article! Thank you for your service.

By: Sara Baker

Sara Baker — Sun, 18 May 2014 17:36:28 +0000

Dave, you should post a before picture of yourself.

By: Flyhead

Flyhead — Sun, 18 May 2014 17:08:40 +0000

Vietnam was a “war of choice” and those who sent all of us to fight in that country did not understand the only reason the Vietnamese people fought us was for their independence from foreign rule.
The French got kicked out in the 1950’s to end colonial rule.

I find myself wondering why it took so long to get out of that quagmire. So many names on the War Memorial and for what? Vietnam was never a threat to the United States and LBJ deserved all the flak he got over this conflict. Nixon needs it as well. His “peace with honor” was a cruel joke on American citizens.

There are wars of choice and wars of necessity. We do not need to be the bully boys when it comes to wars of choice.

By: Suzanne Troje

Suzanne Troje — Sun, 18 May 2014 16:49:02 +0000

Nice story!

By: Zippo

Zippo — Sun, 18 May 2014 15:18:11 +0000

Amazing how we continue to elect narcissistic leaders who do the same thing over and over. Bush Clinton Bush Obama just did nearly the same thing that JFK LBJ Nixon Ford did… and they did it in spite of being explicitly warned not to by Eisenhower. The only winners have been the military industrial complexes.

I will buy your book… so long as it has lots of pictures and is written at the 8th grade level.

By: Grumpy ole guy

Grumpy ole guy — Sun, 18 May 2014 05:03:33 +0000

I, for one, hope that you do write the book.