The War in Nam

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CU CHI TUNNELS.
It really was incredible the way those Viet Cong soldiers lived, so determined. A mere 60KM from Saigon were able not only to live but also launch multiple attacks on US positions all around the capital. In this area alone, there were over 250 KM of underground tunnels with kitchens, studies, bedrooms and armament factories. The tunnels are tiny, it was amazing crawling through them thinking that some thirty years ago the VC were running around in them carrying machine guns and grenades. They have widened some of them for us tourists but nonetheless they were really narrow. It was a bit scary to be honest, it is pitch black, so hot and stuffy and you can't turn around or stand up. At one stage i got to a dead end and freaked out a bit because I could not find anywhere to go. Turned out that I had to go up. The US turned this area into a free drop zone meaning that this whole area could be fired upon at anytime at any one's discretion. So what happened was any planes with left over bombs or chemicals would just drop them in the area and then return to base. No control, just do as you like.

Later that day I went to the War Museum, which used to be aptly called the American atrocities museum. But it was offending too many Americans and hence changed the name. Wow, it was tough walking around there. At first you enter and just see all this heavy American machinery, I mean they have choppers, jets, tanks, machine guns, howitzers bulldozers ect. But then you go into the main part and it takes you through the war. I was choked up on more than one occasion whilst walking around looking at the pictures and reading what people have written. I walked out of there with such sadness and SO much anger at what the Americans did to these people. I know that there are always two sides to every story but nonetheless it was an absolute disgrace what the USA did in Vietnam. Short of dropping nuclear weapons they did everything. I mean chemicals galore, carpet bombing entire areas inhabited by civilians, massacring entire villages, torturing the young to the old and the list goes on. They have a picture of 4 GI's standing smiling with a cut off head of a VC soldier in hand. They had scores of pictures of the devastation that the chemicals did to people and the effects that are still prevalent today.
I know hindsight is a perfect science but the USA royally fucked this one up. I recently read The Things They Carried, written by an ex GI. Talking about all the psychological baggage that the soldiers carried with them after the war, so sad. I am almost finished with In Retrospect by Robert S McNamara, fascinating book. He continually talks about how the government did not have any idea what to do in Vietnam and after talking a big game simply felt like they could not pull out and let S Vietnam fall without losing face as well as SE Asia, well they still lost face as well as 58,000 US men and women. But not SE Asia, no thanks to the war though. He also talks about how they did not understand the culture as well as the determination of the people.
All in all it was a very interesting as well as depressing day. McNamara stresses that he hopes that we can learn from our mistakes, well looking at what is happening today in Iraq, that does not seem to be the case at all.
You can't bomb the world into Peace only Pieces, right?

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Photos

Pretty wild
ahhhh

This is the one
The actual tank that was the first to knock down the gate to the Saigon palace back in '75.

USA big guns
Nice shirt man!

Good old agent orange
They gave some ridiculous millions of liters used figure which I cannot recall.

Good old agent orange
And some reprecussions.

USA chemical bomb
Not so long ago.

My Lai Massacre
Madness

Pheww
So hot and sweaty!

Ho Chi Minh the legend
This guy is everywhere!

Comments

[ablondon]

Hey bud,
Weird. I just saw that Mcnamara book today at the bookstore. Cool pics. I'm bummed that I didn't get to see the tunnels but I'm glad one of us went. I bought Lance Armstrongs book today...woohoo...keep it up budd

[Dean]

You hippie
Lloyd, you sound like a full fledged liberal. I'm sure dad will be shaking his head when he reads your comments on Vietnam and Iraq. Glad you're getting some history lessons in on your world trip and not just partying.

[scott]

brother
sounds impressive, moving and inspirational. I am glad that you are seeing such amazing pieces of a dark history... cheers

[Steve]

These Colors Don't Run
i invite you to explore the anguish and horror inflicted on to the soldiers of the world in this war, (not just american but also France, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Philippines, Montagnard tribes in Southeast Indochina, and Thailand) and the lasting effects on to their next generation, these scars have never healed and are just or more intrusive than these museum examples chosen to be displayed by the communists. Instead of reading one general's book, what about the experiences of thousands of GIs and south vietmanese? They can tell you how happy they were for the allies and wanted this war to resolve otherwise. North Vietnam received substantial military support from China and the Soviet Union, although these two countries did not officially have troops fighting in Vietnam. This was supported and orcastrated by the communists to take over and rule these people with none of the freedoms that we take for granted. Crying for these communist supporters that tortured and killed their own as well, (the vietnamese are the ones that had the tiger cages and torture, not the americans), is the same as writing about your sadness for the german soldiers and gestapo in the holocaust. The allies sought to save people that asked for help to stop this oppression unfortunately the commnuist reign was too strong and backed too heavily to overcome. Vietnam continues to this day to have reports of human injustice, torture, beatings, arrests, and harrassment of those that do not follow the communist reign, such as the new and disturbing information about recent large-scale arrests of Montagnard Christians living in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and the torture of Montagnard activists, house church leaders, and others. Continue your travels and please visit the many museums in the world dedicated to the stories of the allies.