How does it feel?

[Andy]

The post James made, The Face Of My Enemy, is pretty long. This is something similar to the point I think James was trying to make. I have a question for all of you about your feelings toward the Vietnamese way back when and if those feelings have changed.

Prior to arrival in RVN and early during my time there the enemy were ?dinks? and words like that. I didn?t hate the Vietnamese people but did hate the VC and NVA, the guys who were hurting and killing my friends. After the fact, a day or week later, looking at what our Arty and air craft did to them I was (a) happy that all that ordinance was on our side and (b) sorry that any humans had to endure that. (For some reason killing them with ground fire never bothered me!?!)

Anyway, the strongest emotion I had for the enemy, probably after the second time I got out of the hospital, has been respect. That isn?t 35 years later looking back on things, when I got out in ?69 I?d tell people I respected the enemy and what they endured. Maybe that is ego, how else could I explain getting my butt all banged up by those little people? Nonetheless, there has been respect for the Vietnamese, in my eyes all these many years.

Honestly, how did you feel about the Vietnamese back it the day, have those feelings changed?

Stay healthy,
Andy