Facts about vietnam, especially for those who were "not" there.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

On June 8, 1972, I ran out from Cao Dai temple in my village, Trang Bang, South Vietnam; I saw an airplane getting lower and then four bombs falling down. I saw fire everywhere around me. Then I saw the fire over my body, especially on my left arm. My clothes had been burned off by fire.

I was 9 years old but I still remember my thoughts at that moment: I would be ugly and people would treat me in a different way. My picture was taken in that moment on Road No. 1 from Saigon to Phnom Penh. After a soldier gave me some drink and poured water over my body, I lost my consciousness.

Several days after, I realized that I was in the hospital, where I spent 14 months and had 17 operations.

It was a very difficult time for me when I went home from the hospital. Our house was destroyed; we lost everything and we just survived day by day.

Although I suffered from pain, itching and headaches all the time, the long hospital stay made me dream to become a doctor. But my studies were cut short by the local government. They wanted me as a symbol of the state. I could not go to school anymore.

The anger inside me was like a hatred as high as a mountain. I hated my life. I hated all people who were normal because I was not normal. I really wanted to die many times.

I spent my daytime in the library to read a lot of religious books to find a purpose for my life. One of the books that I read was the Holy Bible.

In Christmas 1982, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior. It was an amazing turning point in my life. God helped me to learn to forgive — the most difficult of all lessons. It didn't happen in a day and it wasn't easy. But I finally got it.

Forgiveness made me free from hatred. I still have many scars on my body and severe pain most days but my heart is cleansed.

Napalm is very powerful but faith, forgiveness and love are much more powerful. We would not have war at all if everyone could learn how to live with true love, hope and forgiveness.

If that little girl in the picture can do it, ask yourself: Can you?

[1CAVCCO15MED]

YouTube - Vietnam Napalm

[1CAVCCO15MED]

Dear Friends:

I am very happy to be with you today. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk and meet with you on this Veterans' Day.

As you know I am the little girl who was running to escape from the napalm fire. I do not want to talk about the war because I cannot change history.

I only want you to remember the tragedy of war in order to do things to stop fighting and killing around the world.

I have suffered a lot from both physical and emotional pain. Sometimes I thought I could not live, but God saved me and gave me faith and hope.

Even if I could talk face to face with the pilot who dropped the bombs, I would tell him we cannot change history but we should try to do good things for the present and for the future to promote peace.

I did not think that I could marry nor have any children because of my burns, but now I have a wonderful husband and lovely son and a happy family.

Dear friends, I just dream one day people all over the world can live in real peace--no fighting, and no hostility. We should work together to build peace and happiness for all people in all nations.

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this important day.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

0715 21xx requests 5 sets TACAIR to knock out 2x105mm sites.

0850 HAU NGHAI reference AFVN Newscast of civilians killed by NAPALM
yesterday at approx 1240 1245 yest , a VNAF FAC W/VNAF TACAIR & VNAF C&C;
(25xx commander) delivered a Napalm strike via XT 498196. Strike was
apparently short, resulting in 10 ARVN WIA , 2 CIV KHA & UNK # CIV WHA
0855 HAU NGHIA TRANG BANG RPTS NO VC in town.
0730 PHOUC TUY update. XUYEN MOC/DUC THANH RCVD ABF all else quiet.
0910 21xx 6 ABN quiet
15 RGT will move N (may be)
33 RGT in contact since 0700 to their West vie XT 760830
TAN KHAI under Hvy ABF W/105 60mm & 82m
32nd will move N along both sides of Hwy about 3km.
0925 5xx AN LOC
1) Resupply 0617 4. in/all good
0635 12 in/1 Malfunction
0656 16 in/all good
0708 16 in/2 Malfunctions
2) Who gave last nites LORAN TGT whose TGT was it, not on 5xx
request for last nite.
3) There has been an increase in Hvy calibre incoming, 105&155MM
4) 1/48 captured CHIEU HOI center in Block 3. So far, 7 VC KIA,

2xB40 lxB41, lxU/1 AA MG, 25xB40 MIMS., 4xAK47., lx240TM RKT CIA. 'Ell
evaded N.
1115 25xx update on incident )See 085011)
2 CIV were killed by hard bombs
5 CIV were wounded.
2 ARVN wounded by NAPALM
42 VC KRA.
25xx Commander directed airstrikes

in TRANG BANG VC built bunkers in town & took beds & personal
effects from villiagers, town is cleared of VC now, civilians are
moving back in.
Sighting of 800 VC vie XT 205630 was by civilian woodworkers who
reported to RF at SUOI DA. Request pink team UR area.

1 115 (Cont) is taking Hvy B40 fire GROUP





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[Gimpy]

Originally Posted by 1CAVCCO15MED

__________________
[B

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." John Adams [/b]


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No truer words were ever spoken Doc!

Thanks for your insight. And, thanks for what you said in your post on the thread about the tornadoes and storms in Atlanta that got deleted! It's good to have friends like you.

Gimp

[exlrrp]

Originally Posted by 39mto39g

82
Think about what is being written here. Not to say it's false but I usually don't take any writing as fact, (Columbus discovered America) . For instance.

Just a couple examples.

#4 Myth, Average age of Vietnam vet. 23? There were two guys in my unit that were older than 20, the rest were 18 and 19. You made E2 after you got out of AIT, I didn't know any E1s in VN. And what about all the rest of the MOS's besides 11B. And Marines.

#7 Myth. ". The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year"
That’s just BS. Unless you have a very, very loose definition of Combat. I heard a mortar go off so therefore I was in combat?

No, These things are interesting and may even be true, But at least you can say that some are suspect?


Ron

i have to agree with ron---some of this is just wrong.
In my infantry unit the average age was 21----but when you think that this included a 37 year old platoon sgt and some older squad leaders to raise the average, the TYPICAL grunt in that platoon was 19.
Over 1200 pilots were killed during the Vietnam War---some of these were WWII vets---that had to raise the average some.

And I'd certsinly have to dispute this---a lot: "....Isolated atrocities committed by American Soldiers produced torrents of
>outrage from anti-war critics and the news media while Communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any media mention 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...."

it is generally agreed that the vast majority of civilians killed were by the US bombing of Both North and South. According to the Vietnamese government, about 2.25 million vietnamese were killed in the Vietnam War. About one million North Vietnamese soldeiers were killed, about 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers were killed. And ABout a million civiliians were killed. Of these, the vast majority were killed by US bombing. The Communists never killed on this level and you won't find Any evidence to prove they did.


most of these facts have been around a long time and no one realy disputes them. And what do they mean now, anyway?


Good to see you back, Gimp
Stay good
james

[DMZ-LT]

Gimp and James don't give up on this group.We are all still brothers and need your thoughts.Who ever shed his blood with me , this day ,shall forever be my brother. We been talking for about 9 years now.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

Amen John.

[urbsdad6]

Gimpy,

Thanks for the post. I turned 21 in June of 71 six and a half months in country. Of the guys on the recon teams I served with in the 1st Cav most were my age or older and a few were on a 2nd or 3rd tour. In the 101st again most of us were 20-21 but almost all were first tour. I know that I didn't spend 3/4 of my tour in combat and for those that spent much more time than I ever did fighting, Thank You for taking the heat so that I didn't have to. Although this qoute from your post is out of context "As with much of the Vietnam War, the news media misreported and misinterpreted" I think the media does a pretty screwed up job of reporting facts regardless of the war or the situation. Unfortunately we can't believe everything we read and have to waste a lot of time ferreting out the facts. Thanks for yours.

Doc Urb

[michael1313]

I served in Vietnam but I am not a combat vet. I went on to retire after 25 years in the Army. Over the years, where ever I'v encountered them (VFW'S, American Legions, etc) allmost all of the self-identified Vietnam vets have claimed to be combat vets. Most of us who served there never experienced actual combat. Where are they?