Did anyone else receive an email about Vietnam from Germany like this ?

[MORTARDUDE]

I received this on 4/28 and sent the response below. I have heard nothing. Was she looking for some other kind of answer ?
Just wondered if anyone else had a similar experience...

Larry

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Hello Mr. Nuckolls,


my name is Gerlinde-Christa Gillig and I am writing to you as I found your posting on the veterans history channel.

Posted by MORTARDUDE
Posted on 2/27/03 1145 AM
Category Vietnam
Title come over to our website www.patriotfiles.com


I am a graduate student of Otto-Friedrich University, Bamberg, Germany, English Major. Some time ago I took a class on the Vietnam War. We had to read quite a number of books about this war (Dispaches, When we were soldiers, 13th Valley, A rumor of war etc.). The more I was reading the more I wanted to research about it. The chronology and drama about Vietnam in general were easy to understand, yet very hard to imagine.
I decided to write my dissertation about Vietnam, specifically : Mythmaking in the Media. The Representation of the My Lai Massacre in the American Press.
What I would like to focus on in this workpiece is the press and media and how they presented the war to the public. Parallel to that, however, I think it is very important and interesting to talk to the soldiers, reporters, photographers who were there and what they saw, what the felt and thought back then and now about the Vietnam and try to present their experiences as much as I can without press restrictions etc.
You are one of the first soldiers that I am writing to and the reason I am doing this is because I was wondering whether I could have some of your time? I would like ask you a few questions about your time in Vietnam and with your permission include this interview into my dissertation.

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,
Gerlinde-Christa Gillig

>>>>>>>>>

my response .....same day


Gerlinde-Christa Gillig :

I would be honored to participate. I would also like to get a copy of your finished work. I was in the 25th Infantry Division. If you can, I would appreciate it if you could read "Red Thunder, Tropic Lightning :The World of A Combat Division in Vietnam", by Eric M. Bergerud....This will put a lot of the "myths" and "misunderstandings" that have become "the norm" when discussing The Vietnam War, in the proper perspective. The author relied solely on the perceptions of the combat soldiers and addresses such topics as drug use, morale, and motivation. I would also recommend any of the excellent books by Al Santoli, such as "Everything We Had". He was in my unit, 2/22(M), a year before I was. It would be wise to consider that only about 1 in 7 troops on the ground were actively engaged in combat at any given time. The rest were support troops that spent a good deal of time in rear protected base camps. This simply means that the perception of "the Vietnam experience" is quite different depending on the type of job you had in-country. As for atrocities, isn't it interesting that there doesn't seem to be anything else like My Lai ? The VC / NVA practiced this on a daily basis as part of their war-plan. I consider the recent movie, "We Were Soldiers", the only credible cinema experience thus far, because it was directed by an Army Ranger, and much care was taken to "get the story right". It also highlights, in no uncertain terms, all of the mistakes soon to be made "in a war run by the politicians". Didn't mean to go on like this...I hope I can help. The My Lai Massacre was a horrible chapter in American History. Understanding the whys and wherefores of this will go far in preventing another.

All the best,

Larry Nuckolls

[grunt66]

No hadn't heard of this but looks like she wants to learn . Good answer by the way .


Bill

[Jerry D]

Larry, I agree "We were soldiers, Once" was an excellent movie when It premiered one of the participants (in the actual event) a Jacksonville,Fl resident was on all the Local news channels talking about how realistic it was and how he could feel his buddies there in the theater watching it with him.He stated there wasn't a dry eye in the theater after the Premier . And I agree your responce was good.