My grandfather is a Purple Heart Vietnam vet. He still barely talks about it. We go on a reunion every year with other men who were marines who served at the same time. Hearing their stories makes me cry every single time.
Do not let him go without asking him to write his memories down. My grandfather was almost deaf when I was old enough to do so. He lost his hearing shelling the british with the Wehrmacht on the Western front and was a POW in the UK. I failed to make him write it down because I was just too young when he died. Dont make the same mistake.
@@fantikawerner8029 I most definitely won’t, I never even thought of something like that. Thank you ❤️ I’m sorry that you weren’t able to have the same experience with your grandfather. I bet his stories were incredible.
I was There, (U.S. Army 505th PIR 82 Airborne Division)... My thoughts... Half of this Documentary in well done and factual. Unfortunately, about half of this Documentary is BS. Whether the BS is by design, or by error due to sloppy research, or merely bad info, I don't know. Whatever.
He is still a Marine to this day. He always will be one of us. Even in the afterlife, the title remains. Marines die. But the Marine Corps lives forever. Therefor, it's Marines are immortalized. The Corps Hymn even suggests that Marines guard the gates of Heaven. But there are also rumors that we regroup in hell and come back. Guess it depends on the individual Marine. I don't want to stand guard at a big golden gate for eternity though lol.
My dad had some messed up stories from his time in Vietnam, like how half the platoon stayed awake at night to watch over those who slept, hearing Hanoi Hannah blaring in the jungle at night while keeping a look out for tiger's, crocodiles, the Vietcong and poisonous snakes. He also had a few messed up photo's like him playing poker with 2 other soldiers and 2 dead Vietcong soldiers. He also had a few photos of a trail littered with the decapitated head's of American's and Vietnamese on spikes that went on for almost a mile and near the end was his baby brother's head. His eyes were gouged out and tongue ripped off, the only way my dad knew it was him cause he had 3 small moles in the form of a triangle above his left eye, he told me that he truly died that day having to dig that mass grave and bury what was left of his brother and fellow soldier's.
We did the same with the Ace of Spades mine was the One Eye Jack some collect ears. That’s human nature at its basic level. Even boobytrapping the dead. Both sides did it. The Rules of War is joke. The Rules of the Jungle are real. There is no Civilized War never will be
Yeah that’s war for ya, shit like that has gone on before and still does, not saying it makes it any less horrific but most people have no idea that shit is going on nor do they care until it affects them directly. Sounds like Syria, and not what u see on the news I’m talking about what ACTUALLY goes on like any war it’s hard to appreciate or quantify the level of atrocities if u haven’t seen it urself but once u have it’s impossible to forget or turn a blind eye to
Had a history teacher in the 10th grade that was a Vet. He hated things thrown in the classroom - like he’d go full on pissed off and throw you out of the classroom. He commented several times that he’d lost several friends while there. Some of them blown up right next to him. My dad monitored the radio traffic while my grandfather and several uncles saw time there. Had an aunt that was a combat nurse there. She never talked about her tours there and maintained a real stoic and realist outlook on life. This was a messed up war, and I respect the men and women who were there.
Also Nazis thought they were only fighting against Bolshevism. Not committing to war of annihilation at all. Americans can also pretend they only fought against communists.
I remember being so confused as a child about the Vietnam War on the television. It’s fascinating that when you visit Vietnam, they refer to it as the American War.
If you simply say "Vietnam War" to them, they will ask you back "Which one?". It could refer to the one against France from 1945 to 1954, or the one against the US, or the one against China and Khmer Rouge in 1979. In a single generation they went through three major wars against 3 out of 5 permanent members of UN Security Council, 4 out of 5 if you count a brief assistance of the British for French back in the first days of the first war.
A lot of this leads me to understand why my father had a stoic silence his entire life. His eyes told the story. He never made any mention of the war other than he was proud to have fought, and he did what he had to in order to make it back home. I miss him everyday. RIP 💔
@@varga4488that was the only way they could cope with it, shit was pointless but still mad respect that they survived the US government basically sending them to their deaths. pretty horrific deaths too, not like it was a normal war like this shit was insane.
Several years ago I was doing a presentation for a group of high school kids. One of the students, a young lady, asked me when I was in Vietnam and my answer was, just last night. I told her she would understand that answer while listening to my presentation which included a brief part on PTSD. Since I came home in August of 1970 I still have awful dreams about my tour in Vietnam. I go to war trauma group sessions at the VA and that was the best decision I have ever made. Vietnam was NOT a walk in the park, it was a 24/7 nightmare.
Problem is most people will never understand or even really care. Politicians just throw a medal at you and soon sweep you under the rug rest of the country will soon forget what one went through, it’s sad in more ways then one.
My dad served two tours of Duty in Vietnam from 66 through 68. His first tour he served with the 3/4 Cav 25th ID. His second tour he served with the 170th Assault Helicopter Company 1st Aviation Brigade US ARMY.
@ives3572 I really like that comment! It does build character so there are men with true backbone instead of these whinny ass punks who only want to see what thier ar.can do to Friendly's at home!
My father was an SF Capt , and he was there 69-73 and left, he retired later and taught at the University near by the house but he have never spoke a word of it. One day, we were painting the house and while taking a break, he brought out a small metal box, in it he showed me some photos black and white of his "crew" and some medals. He sat there and just look at the corner of the sky but didn't say a word. Few years later I left for Mog, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afg. and left after 23 yrs. I came home and look for that box and what are those medals were for, and until this very day, he's 89 and still haven't spoke a word about it. He's still around but living with dementia isn't good at all.
It just a lie, they dig it at night, not enough light and air down there, some of them will destroy by the weather... So the cu chi tunnel is a big lie.
My grandpa was an infantry marine wounded at Khe Sahn in 67’. Cpl. Ronald N Gulbronson. Apparently it wasn’t until I was born that he truly started talking about the war. When I spoke of enlisting recently he gave me some stories that made me even go cold. You could see his body language change, his demeanor was different, and you could also see the hurt in his eyes.
@@freefall9832Exactly! The States went in to develope weaponry, build the F-4 Phantom fighter jets, the Bell Huey helicopters,bombs to be made,deep sea naval bases and all the money to be made! We're talking a big economics deal here so this whole thing about the purpose is to "prevent comunism from spreading" is all bullshit!
" everyone loses..?" Tell that to the Soviet Army, after they " lost" when they occupied Berlin to end the War. I suppose that at the Battle of Midway when the US Navy sunk 4 Japanese aircraft carriers, that the US also lost, because there are no winners or losers? I understand that you are trying to show how " sensitive" that you are, but there are very clear winners and losers in wars.
I’m sad my father and three of my Uncle’s were Vietnam veterans. They all returned home. Unfortunately my dad and my uncle Eugene had horrible ptsd which they both self medicated themselves both died of heart attacks . I always wonder how that war effected my grandmother four of sons in Vietnam, she had to be so scared out her mind . I have a deep respect for soldiers thank all you vets for your service.
Young people do realize that this war was shown on dinner time TV. It was live action and guys could only wonder when they would get drafted and be in that horrific war. My husband was going to college and was in the Navy Reserve. Our thought was that he would go on active duty after he graduated. The Navy thought differently and he reported to active duty on the same day our oldest son was born. He eventually deployed on the USS Ranger in an A6Intruder aircraft. They went up to North Korea because a spy ship had finally wandered into Korean waters. They were frozen sitting on the flight deck ready to put nuclear weapons on the bombers. Eventually the spy ships Captain begged with contrite expressions and Korean government let them go. Back online the bombers shot off the deck as we tried to bomb VietNam off the map. 22:07 Some Air Force planes poured Agent Orange over the forests hoping to kill off all vegetation. It was horrible and didn’t go away. It has steeped into the soil around the villages causing frequent birth defects. We were truly horrible
I joined the Air Force after high school in September, '65. Being from a small town in southern Montana, I had no clue what was taking place in Nam. Later in '68 I was stationed at a SAC base in Okinawa and got to see what bombing runs had done to the south. The whole thing was a waste of lives, land and money to the taxpayers of my country. I am a Nam vet, but Im not proud of my service.
My dad is Vietnam vet during TET Offensive in green berets. He told me about a battle mile high superstition where green berets and mountain yards had take hill with over 20k VC regulars. A colonel in bubble chopper ordered drop arklites on pod so our soldiers had dig side mountain and cover themselves with the dirt to protect from heat caused by napalm dropped on the hill then they were ordered to count bodies of the dead. Dad is my hero being bronze star Purple Heart recipient who also was tunnel rat and in the kit Carlson scouts he even was a POW at Hanoi Hilton
my uncle fought for Vietnam as a NVA Reconnaissance special force , his body have plenty of bullet hole , bomb sharpnels and other wounds and napalm burns, fighting from 1966 , one time in Song Be or Binh Duong nowadays , his unit of four men were going into abandoned village to salvage pots pans or anything there are ,so the units followed the trail down the village , when they packed up and left he wanted to moved through the spiked jungle to get back to basecamps, but his comrades want to go back the last trails , they intercepted American armoured vehicles and a large American force , the Americans opened fired and two of us were killed instantly , my uncle and another comrades were hiding under a dried up stream, he saw a black American on top of the vehicles making signs with two fingers , which probably meant they found four weapons and packages, but there were only two body count, they shot down the stream , and my uncle 's last comrade died, lying right next to him , and he were badly wounded , yet still have to crawl his way back to basecamp there were no medic, helicopters, or anyone will carry him back. The Americans have good food, have a good time in Vietnam , women , drug, alcohol , while my uncle were surviving in the jungle with little food, sometimes the rices were rotten , he were so hungry so had to eat jungle salad . The Americans are big tall strong , but they were too mechanical , like everytime they came in contact , they do what they were trained to do , drop the bag to hold up the gun , lie down and start shooting , by the times they drop the bag, we were already gone , the jungle were so thick with massive trees, so we could just hide behind big trees and they keep shooting for a very long time, my uncle said that the Americans have some very good weapons , that if he were hiding behind a tree, they could just shoot the tree next to it, and when the bullet hit, they kind of explode like cluster bombs and could wound and kill our men behind the trees . The Americans could never win the war , they out gun , out manuveur , out man power extremely intelligent and fought hard, but they dont have our sheer will power, the unyielding determination to fight them to the very bitter ends. My Grandfathers fought the Japanese and the French , my father generations were born and molded by decades of brutal wars before the Americans came in , we face the terror , horror of war , but we still have good night sleep happiness and joy, because our war for freedom independence and self determination is just honorable and glorious, while their men have sleepless night , terror, nightmares, shame , humilation and mental problems.
I served in 3rd Marine Recon Battalion in 1966 and '67. We hid in the jungle and avoided contact with the VPA. If I had it to do over again, I would surrender to the VPA by walking away from my Recon patrol when on night watch. The USA's involvement in the Viet civil war was illegal and based on a conspiracy at the highest levels of the US government.
Fascinating recollection of your father's time during the war you have, thank you for sharing. Sorry to hear about your father's pains but great respect to him for everything he's done for his country, it all paid off in the end. Those Vietnamese soldiers grew up in war and were fighting guys who grew up on a diet of cheeseburgers and pizzas. The Americans were out of their element in this war and it showed in the results. America thought they could bully this smaller country but they woke up a more determined beast instead. My greatest respects to Vietnam.
..... but at least they didn't go back to a life where government dictates every bit of life , where if you speak out against your government, jailed at best , disappear at worst . Nothing against you , if just seems worthless to fight to be owned by a government, and shear examples from last 80 years have proved communism/socialism is the far inferior life, communism has never lifted anyone out of poverty, capitalism and democracy have, it's not a perfect form of government but you will be hard-pressed define any modern democracy that is killed any of its own people yes the Communist example with Russia, more so the USSR, China Cuba, Venezuela.. this list to long of what they all have in common and that is the blood up their own countrymen on their hands. I'll be honest I don't know if Vietnam has ever done that but even if it hasn't communism is just a failure.
I am from South Africa and was born in 1960. I can so well remember listening to news broadcasts about the Vietnam War. The words The Tet Offensive is engrained in my memory. Although I did serve in the Military in the 1980’s (we were all called up to serve for two years) I did not see any combat. However, during my officer training we did full infantry training and were subject to mock ambushes. These were terrifying enough. I can only imagine what a real ambush must have been.
Yup same here. I'm from New Zealand and we had the Australian and Fiji Army come over in 1998 not long before the East Timor conflict which took place a year or so later for mock ambush battles like 600 of them and we had 3 company's spread all around Waiouru, Central North Island. I have never been so scared EVEN though it was a Training drill which lasted 3days. So the real thing would have been a horror movie come to life
i was born in rhodesia in 1960 and served in the last year of our 'bush war' - 1979. the next year mugabe was elected and the country became zimbabwe. i lost my homeland and a free zimbabwe has become a basket case instead of being the bread basket it was. an ameliorative middle way should have been found.
Lost my brother on 30March,1968 at Kontum. He was with Alpha co. 3bn 8th inf 4th INF DIVISION. I was only 13 when it happened. He was only 19 when he died.
I have talked to wives of Vietnam combat vets that complained that their husband refused to talk about Vietnam. Do not push or prod for any information. You would only get grief even if he does talk. You may even have nightmares from what you hear. If he wants to talk it will be when he wants to, not before. REMFs like me have no such problem but the smart ones will not poke that sleeping dog.
@@ddawsond I never did too scared to be honest. I remember to he held me a death grip when I told him I wanted to enlist to serve in 08 Iraqi freedom operation. He said "you better think about it especially if you like to sleep." I failed the physical due to asthma. The only story he told my dad is how he walked past a bamboo stake trap and his battle buddy from basic fell in behind him and he couldn't get him out because they got ambushed. The yells he said were unimaginable. That was enough for me.
RICHARD RAMIREZ, "THE NIGHT STALKER" SAID IN AN INTERVIEW THAT HE GOT THE IDEA OF KILLING FROM HIS UNCLE, WHO WAS IN VIETNAM. HE WAS FASCINATED BY THE STORIES HIS UNCLE TOLD HIM ABOUT THE KILLING THEY DID OVER THERE. HIS UNCLE USE TO TELL HIM HOW HIS MEN WOULD COME TO A VILLAGE & RAPE & KILL ANYONE THEY WANTED & HOW EASY IT WAS. HE SAID THAT'S WHAT GAVE HIM THE IDEA OF KILLING. IT PEEKED HIS INTEREST. HE WANTED TO SEE HOW IT FELT.
Every American needs to read _The Things They Carried_ by Tim O'Brien. A first-hand and uncomfortably visceral account of the Vietnam War. O'Brein does NOT pull any punches and it made me feel disgusted and enraged that we put actual humans through that hell. Just be warned that it's pretty intense and there are many parts that are emotionally devastating. There were also several moments that made me actually want to vomit.
My uncle actually volunteered for Vietnam, he made it back but never spoke about it, except my great uncle who was a pow in Japan during WW2, i guess they had something in common. As General Sherman said "war is all hell" but I've studied enough to know that some is worse than others. May all of those who lost their lives rest in peace and those still with find some solace.
Lost my uncle in SouthVietnams Central Highlands , mid- 3 / 68 , tail end of bloody ass TET, 2wks b- 4 my 11 th bday. "And:y" was on USAs 1st CAV. AIRMOBILE / AIR ASSAULT DIV , a warrant officer . He bought it up near Pleiku ! Seen neighbors sons , friends bros. Sent to NAM FROM 65-69 ! Last one hm. By late 71! Palpable PASTD , and AGENT ORANGE ISSUES!!
Yeah, I remember being a kid at that time. It seemed really scary,then. But I'm 67, now. It's still really scary that we'd do this to each other, as a human race.
History should disturb you and make you uncomfortable. Because you are supposed to LEARN from the mistakes of others. And not make them again!! It's not just technology and weapons we are supposed to hand down and improve. We have to remember when we FAIL so that we don't fail like that again!
it was because of PLATOON (movie, a crazy jungle world lost away from the streets of the USA)... and how they perfectly capture it when he was on watch.... he saw nothing... and then he thought he saw something... and then next thing you know it hits the fan..... and it was very true too in that movie that we killed our own so much you'd want to talk about it to grandma because it's FFFFF'D UP. not to mention napalm f4 phantom pilots and russians... you want to throw down then we're going to talk to the real vets in bars of florida like I have. the Lieutenant colonel's
Would you like to learn of 1889-1954, US business & gov't in VN enabled by French force? After France fell in defeat to the 1 nation, Viet Nam (No "North Vietnam" ever existed), US leaders invaded to continue the early business. That's the real reason for US-Viet Nam War. In 1955, US enclaves made up a fictional "South Vietnam."
of course, going from conventional warfare in ww2 in the out and open with allies everywhere, to a deep and isolated dark jungle where we're not used to being in AT ALL....
Straight outta high school, most boys came from high school, watching westerns and WW2 movies. Meanwhile, the VC (Vietcong) been fighting the French before US can to their country. Our kids had no idea what was in store for them.
Because you can die at anytime from stepping into a trap or get bitten by poison snakes is scary. Heck if you lucky you still be alive in a week without seeing combat until you get randomly attacked by snipers or getting shoot by hiding VC. It’s really random also being a tunnel rat is extremely dangerous job the tunnel can collapse or a trap can kill you or hidden VC shoot you dead.
Yeah , that was scary for the soldiers but them weapon enterprises didn’t give a damn as long as they could push American sons and husband and fathers to die just so they could sell their weapons 😅😅
My brother being twelve year's older than me served two tours. I asked him what it was like and got promptly knocked out. He said Don't Ever Ask Me about that again. In 75 I turned fourteen.
I felt more comfortable in the jungle than I ever did in the surgical hospital after I got shot. Hell is an evacuation hospital's very seriously injured ward and the genuine heroes I saw were the medics, nurses, and doctors who treated us. God bless them all.
When I have to go to the V A hospital for treatment I see all the vets who are in so much worse shape than I am I can only feel guilty that my injuries weren't as severe as theirs and the courage they show every day to live thru it is remarkable.
My uncle Jack piloted the F4 phantom in Vietnam when I was a kid, I was in awe, I wanted to ask him questions the few times he was home on leave at Xmass or other holiday, he never spoke one word of it, even when all the men were drinking, I guess it was taboo, I felt so ashamed at the way they were treated when they got back after the war, calling them babies killers and murderers, they fought for their country and that's the thanks they got, war is hell on it's own, but to hear your own people respond like that. God bless all who served this great country. 🇺🇸🙏
My dad was in the Vietnam War and he wasn't even drafted, I'm 27 now and a Navy veteran and got to meet Medal Of Honor recipient Donald Ballard while I was in the Navy, he was a Corpsman in Vietnam and jumped on top of a hand grenade to protect his Marines but it was a dud until he threw it into a bush then it detinated. I respect all Veterans that fought in wars that had a draft 🇺🇸🫡
The Vietnamese beat Ghengis and Kublai Kahn. We should have studied history. A Vietnamese scholar wrote the very first book on Guerlla warfare in history.
My dad was a Vietnam Marine. Joined at 17 years old in 1960. After he finished boot camp he was shipped straight away to Florida for the bay of pigs incident. But of course that never materialized and the next thing he knew his commander in chief was just assassinated and he got new orders to a place he never heard of before, Laos. He wasn't even 20 years old. Aviation mechanic by trade, he also received 2 purple hearts. He died in 2015 surrounded by family. Always Faithful
Both of my older step brothers were deployed to the war effort in Vietnam, neither returned. Nor were their remains ever found or delivered to their family for burial.
Heard it said the other day "in the jungle fighting, everything around you is concealment but not 1 thing is cover" "nothing is bullet proof in the jungle weeds" that really hit hard. Thought about that since.
Most of us who have been in the service don't want any more wars. I was 17 years old when I became a Navy Corpsman and turned 18 , 19, and 20 years old Overseas. You really can't judge a persons behaviors when they are young and trained to do these things for their country.
The VA has now classified that all Vietnam vets as agent orange victims regardless of where they were. But it took years for the government to even admit that it was a problem. I listened to a former nurse that had worked in an agent orange ward in the states. She stated that the doctors were not treating the symptoms, they were observing the progress of the effects, the damage caused by the defoliant. In short, the patients were lab rats. This was on Art Bell's Coast to Coast, and he would not allow her to give her name. But what she said and at the time DOD was trying to overlook the issue, I did not doubt her.
Agent Orange is a plant-killing chemical. They sprayed it to kill the jungle so the VC couldn't hide. However, this chemical contains Dioxin which causes damage to your body and genetics. The genetic defection could transfer to offspring.
I’m thankful to see the inclusion of my grandfather at the 3:30 mark. He was a medic in the Korean and Vietnam war retiring as a Sergeant First Class! He is the fella wrapping the wounded soldiers head in Ia Drang Valley.
My uncle is a Vietnam vet. Got drafted straight out of high school. Bless all the military and their families. We have them to thank for our freedom. 🇺🇸❤
@@henry804 I believe both sides did horrific things. The Vietnam soldiers created torture traps. The American soldiers killed many innocent people out of fear.
I was fortunate to be able to keep my M14 instead of having to carry an M16. Even when they took care of the jamming problems with the M16, I still kept it
It probably wasn't anymore terrifying than what my father went through in WW2. He was in the 14th army fighting in the Burmese Jungle. Decease, high humidity, insect and snakes bites, booby traps, a fanatical and brutal enemy all around. not much chance of being airlifted out if wounded...No wonder he and all those other brave men very rarely , if ever spoke of it... For all those men who endured it, fighting in a jungle must be the worst place ever...
You couldn’t be airlifted in WW2. There were no helicopters. I don’t really see why they have to be compared. Both are terrible wars that impacted hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Brian petty. I agree with you but your father fought an offensive battle and his enemies didn’t have safe zones . No rotation out to States every year and Commanders who had jungle experience . No Corrupt government to get in the way or media.
My dad was a Naval officer in the South Pacific. One day he called us all into the living room to sea a newsreel of his ship getting hit by a Kamikaze.
@@nbenefiel Vietnam didn’t have the dangers of WW2 on the ocean the air wing and brown water did not the capitol ships different style of warfare the terrifying was the drafted raw poorly trained and led in the Jungle,hamlets,and cities.
Fun fact: During the Vietnam war, there was so little food that the Vietnamese rice farmers and soldiers had to turn to eating cockroaches, grasshoppers and other bugs as well as rodents like rat and mice too. To add on to this, when vietnamese soldiers raided an American base, they wood eat the intestines off the dead animals before eating the meat itself. This has now stuck around as a tradition: eating intestines
Fun Fact the American soldiers couldn’t believe my in-laws were pulling MaryJane out of rice fields and burning it like the trash it was instead of smoking it.
And we ate most of the K9s America and allies had brought to Vietnam as well 😆😆 Roasted German Shepherds were the best imo 😝😝😝😆😆😆 and yes , that was fun too 😆
@@namchau7712 I appreciate your response now I don’t feel bad about turning my zippos,flamethrowers,and napalm on your hamlets and villages for 5 tours payback for my shepherds 🦊😂 water buffaloes barbecued taste good to.
I sometimes feel like im a Vietnam veteran when watching part's of this because i grew up adopted by a great man who was a dog handler 67 to 68...who served and still married my dirty stay out mother. Just learning thru the years what he went thru in a year, amazed me. Born in 68' it was excellent when in the early 80's i didnt have to fill out a draft card. Some men came back and became cops or whatever and didnt let the experience ruin them
Fyi , whoever adopted you must had lost a lot of dogs cuz we ate them 😂😂😂 about 10-20% of the K9s which was sent to Vietnam had becamed good course of protein that was ẹnoyed by our brave soldiers though 😆😆
I love the Vietnam Nam vets I support them in anyway I can they have a special place in my heart, I love talking and buying them drinks love honor and respect to all who served over there and gave there lives and the ones who came home to no ticker tape parade or praise only to angry hippies to all veterans of Vietnam Nam love you all and enjoy there company God bless you all
The reason why the Viet Nam war was to terrifying is because the north Viet Namese have been Guerilla war experts for 2000 years and have successfully fended off their enemies. The NVA soldier s had a sense of purpose. The average American soldiers were young rock and rollers not sure of why they were there.
Oh, I am sure why I was there. Some dufusses, in D.C. thought that the attack on the Navy in the gulf of Tonkin, was a legit act of aggression against innocent Naval ships.. Not some sort of "raid", on the coast of North Viet Nam, and this gave the non-knowledgeable law makers the incentive to pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.
I read an after-action report that mentioned torpedoes tracked on radar, not sonar, radar. The first and only time that I ever heard of such a thing. LBJ wanted us into that war. The most interesting thing about the resolution was the third part about how our involvement could be ended. 1. that the situation stabilized, and we were no longer needed. 2. That the President would order that our involvement would end at any time. 3. (And this is the goody) That congress could in a joint session vote to remove all American military out of Vietnam. Despite all of the protest not once did any in Congress bring up the issue of a vote to remove the troops until 1972 and ordered that all would be out in 1973. Of course, they did vote often to control military activities in Vietnam, usually to end something that they found distasteful usually because of a complaint from North Vietnam. @@boondocker7964
If anyone wants to read a REALLY GREAT BOOK, about a normal guy on the ground, not like many books that focus on LT's or some other person in a leader roll, look for the book titled "Blood on the Risers" by: Jon Leppelman its about his 35 months in Vietnam, first with the 173rd Airborne, later extending his tour and joining the Armys PBR River boats, before finally joining up with the LRRP's which later becomes the Rangers. Its the first book i ever read on the Vietnam War and i read it in a night. I now have read about 27+ books on the Vietnam war. But if your gonna take a chance and are curious about the war on the ground read this first. You'll be hooked.
I didn't get there until 1967 because of my age, I was to young they said. But 6 months later while in Germany I put in for a transfer to go to Vietnam. That came through pretty damn quick. In less than 30 days I was on my way. I watched a movie about Harald Moore that starred Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott called We Were Soldiers. I normally do not watch these hollywood crap movies but after watching a trailer for it I bought it. It took me about 7 times to try to get through that movie. I have a 82 inch TV and a 7:1 SURROUND SOUND and a extra 14" sub. This system sounded so frigging real I had to stop it. It was just more than my brain could handle at that time. If you people have a good sound system I must insist that you watch this. BUT to all Vietnam Veterans who has walked the walk use caution with this one. Please. If you suffer from PTSD do not watch this alone. And no Mel Gibson didn't pay me either. 😉
as a Vietnamese we saw no terrify, remember that just because the US brought their force and started the war, we didn't do anything just simply have a right to protect our country our people. Admittedly, the US army is the top forces in the world, so We'd fight until the last person down, after that the US will have their victory. on another hand, if you come as a visitor or tourist, a friend, we'd present a greatly hospitable, my people just want peace.
Do you honestly think the US soldiers wanted to be there?!!! My husband was drafted for the stupid political war he didn't believe in, had no wish to fight for, but he went and did his duty. And left the military after 12 years of service in the Air Force, came home never talked about the horrors , whores, drugs over there and became a Gospel minister for 45 years. He got over feeling bitter but I never have and never will. I'm sorry for you all, both north and south, but I do not buy junk from there. My dear husband was a good man inside and out, he deserved better than the diseases he suffered and died from due to exposure of Agent Orange. I know your countrymen have also.
@@gaildavis783I am from Mongolia,vietnamese are very brave people,they 3 times defeated my ancestors huge army in 1256,1284,1287 invaded from occupied China.Mongols collected new army in the border ,but Vietnam surrendered and agreed to pay tribute.I think that super american white soldiers were not able to crush North Vietnam becouse USA was much weaker than gian Mongol deadly monster👹💀🔥
@@gaildavis783near 50 yeas from the end of VN war time. I was born in 1990, long away the Vietnam War. My mother in law VC grandfather died in that war, my grandfather joined the VC guerrillas and returned after serving time in prison in Con Dao, Phu Quoc. To understand the severity of this war, let's take the milestone 1996 as the year my house and my grandfather's house had electricity. So from 1954 to 1975 can you imagine what this war was like. Exactly in the dead darkness. Again the American army was a people who were almost completely illiterate, the piece of metal they had the most contact with was rice harvesting tools, and had never even come into contact with a radio before. Vietnamese people want to have the right to choose their destiny and they will fight for it until the last soldier. In the end, the Vietnamese people forgave the American soldiers a long time ago. But whether the American soldier himself can forgive himself or not is difficult to say. Because there is no glory or mission that Americans are right in this war. If possible, veterans should come to Vietnam once. The Vietnamese people are a warring people, but after the war they are all farmers in their own land. Always remember war, not hatred because Vietnam has had enough of it. 20 years of war with America is nothing compared to more than 4,000 years history but 1/3 of which was wartime.
What's crazy is that perspective is everything. I was an infantryman in Iraq, and I have talked to Vetinam vets and told them they were some hard mfs to fight in a jungle. The dude looked me right in the face and said I'll fight in jungle any day, but you mfs are the crazy ones for fighting house to house in concrete jungles where you are not sure who the bad guy is. I was taken aback by the compliment, and yes, I took that as a compliment. I stumbled over my words, trying to reply.
My uncle spent 8 months as a P.o.w. in a Tiger cage..he ended up malnourished and recovering from Malaria..he was lucky to make it out alive he never was quite the same..and my other uncle recently died he was a Korean and Vietnam war vet and a victim of agent orange..
This was top notch production. The fact the VC didnt wear uniforms mirrors a current war and the diffuculties for soldiers to distinguish friend or foe. Question for anybody. Why can I not find more movies about the Vietnam War? I saw acpolayse now but most movies are either about WW2 or Iraq. Which I enjoyed thoroughly. If anyone has any recommendations I'm all ears. I was a young girl probably 9 when this went on. I remember flashing peace signs at the older boys from our stoop. My dad was a ww2 vet and it really affected him which enhanced my interest.
The United States Defense Market size is expected to grow from USD 613.18 billion in 2023 to USD 646.83 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 0.67% during the forecast period (2023-2031). [Mordor Intelligence] 13:30
The practical impact of the Vietnam War on the domestic United States was also profound. Two decades of military intervention and bankrolling friendly regimes cost the United States almost $US170 billion (close to $1 trillion in today’s terms). These war costs stalled some of Lyndon Johnson’s ‘Great Society’ reforms, including anti-poverty measures and improvements to social security. 7:38 [Alpha History]
The Vietnam War was a military campaign launched by North Vietnam against South Vietnam. The Vietnamese civil war began in 1959. The United States supported the South, while China and Russia supported the North. In 1965, the United States officially entered the war in response to North Vietnam's attack on a U.S. military ship. U.S involvement ended in 1973. The war ended in 1975. [The Balance] 11:22
My grandfather was in the Battle of Ia Drang. He was 2-7 1st Cav... and was in Vietnam from 65-66 for a year and a half until he was wounded and evacuated.
My dad said that he had a lot of sympathy for the young men who went to Canada to avoid Vietnam. He was RIGHT! Please spare me the crap about how avoiding the draft was “unfair “ to the men who went. If you want to blame someone for the Vietnam War, blame Uncle Sam and LBJ!
@@moneywelderThey couldnt force themselves to do something that felt completely against their soul. Everyone is at different places in their emotional growth and some people just could NOT do it. That may be the opposite of courageous but i dont see it as cowardly exactly. Ive been sick so much in my life i understand not being able to do something. I would cry some mornings because i just couldnt find the energy to go to school... Some people just could not force themselves. It mustve been a terrible time for them.
@@lorimiller4301well i have met several draft dodgers, they to a man are ashamed of what they did because despite a lot of words and excuses they were cowards. the best were the ones that went and the very best were the ones who died doing their jobs. doing something while being afraid of dying is courage. at the time i believed what my government told me now i know why we were there, so the cia could control the world drug trade
Terrain and booby traps. The enemy could ambush you very easily due to the thick vegetation. Booby traps were every where. They would cripple and kill. The wild life wasn't friendly either. Parasites in the water, venomous centipedes, snakes, crocodiles, tigers and mosquitoes. I know one U.S. Marine combat vet that done two tours in Vietnam. He was there for the Tet offensive. He was never wounded. What got him was parasites in his lower intestines from drinking bad water. Some small intestines had to be surgically removed. He also got malaria from mosquito bites.
My cousin was in the Vietnam war and most of the time he killed his enemies he kept an ear & other souvenirs from them and made a necklace.He was about to go on a talk show but once they found out he had a necklace from a lot of dead bodies that show was cancelled.
Great video- I was born in 1967 but never forget the radio in 1973 as a child I was a kid(, but remember hearing the end of the war… respect to both sides Irish ☘️ Jim
Telling the difference between the NVA from the South Vietnamese was not so much a problem. It was telling the VC from the rest. guerrillas are civilians by day and soldiers by night and do not wear uniforms nor do they follow the rules of war. But the Americans had to treat them the same as any other combatant. If captured the rules of war demanded that they be treated the same as regular prisoners. Even if he tried to cut your throat five minutes before as he was giving you a shave. In Vietnam the rules of war favored the enemy not the Americans.
@@ddawsond One might say the Locals wanting to rid their country of just another invader to them after centuries and centuries of being invaded . French ? American ? All the same to them . Horrible for Americans and their families but they didn't show up on Main Street . The Powers that be had to go a long way to find that fight then send other folks kids to do the suffering .
@@MichaelDuignan-p2c Something that too many will ignore that those in the south did. Not want to live under a political system that required obedience and loyalty with the use of a bayonet. It was the North that saw us as the invaders while they invaded the South. But too many of our own leaders thought that to resist was too violent and thought that they could simply get a promise that the North would simple let the South alone if we left. March and April 1975 proved that they were wrong.
Ill never forget the response from a family member when asking about their tours in war. Few will talk about it, and when some due you really understand the horrors and both physical and mental strain war has on a human being. There are no winners in war. And for a good many in order to survive you must do things you would never think one would be capable of. This is why most men and weman don't want to speak on their experiences. And quite a few will do things and acts that will make you sick to your stomach. Most of them arent even thinking when acting. It takes such a toll on the human psyche, most are never the same. All this being said its sad that our fathers and grandparents fought hard for us to live the life we live today. Its a privilege alot of us take for granted. Thank you to all that have served. Our lives wouldn't be as good as it is even with all the craziness going on in our country if it had not been for them. 🙏🏿
10:46 During a 'camp fire' in a foreign land, it was said that hoses, delivering acetylene, were thread into the tunnels and then a grenade used for a deadly explosion.
Believe me they didn't kill anyone. By the time they even arrived to location , they were gone away. They have spotters all over the jungle, there were tunnels even under air strip bases. Was a though enemy fighting for homeland.
I spent 17 months as a combat marine lived in a mobile combined action platoon 8 marines 28 Vietnamese, ambush every night . What breaks my heart it was a false flag , there's not enough glaciers left in Alaska to cool my burning hatred for this government
The Vietnam War was the creepiest ever historically. Because the US army soldiers couldn't distinguish who VC guerillas were at the time. They used to be good peaceful citizens in daylight but used to be scary guerilla warriors at night to kill American soldiers. Moreover, lots of VC spies who behaved like pro-America infiltrated the army base of ARVN, and even the US army base as well. Of course, they leaked secretly the top secret military mission to VC & NVA sides. Thus, the US army's many spec ops soldiers who joined a few black operations had to face unexpected traps or ambushes built by VC groups. On top of that, many South Vietnamese people used to say that this is not their war but Americans' combat, toward American troopers from time to time. Considering their opinions like that, back then, they might not have had the will to fight for themselves without the US's reinforcement. Then how can American soldiers have the will to fight bravely against VC & NVA's alliance on the front? Only Hac-Bao, the well-trained SF in ARVN could show their heroic combats against VC & NVA's joint military organizations in the jungle battle. If a nation's people can't have the will to fight for themselves & their sovereignty against enemies, other friendly stronger supporters can't change the vibes of wars no matter what.
Fun fact: Rick Rescorla was the building manager of the North Tower of the world trade Center. He kept going back up to rescue people and unfortunately he never made it out.
My grandfather also fought in the Vietnam war. One of the things he told me was about the rain. It would rain so much that soldiers would lose their eyebrows and eyelashes. He also told stories of how some soldiers were killed by monkeys.
I’ve said it before but when I see Vietnam veterans out in public, with the hat on, they have a completely different aura than other veterans. Iraq veterans I see cops, vietnam veterans I see people who survived and are living with surviving a real life nightmare. Like the worst bad trip imaginable. They have the energy of warriors more than they do one of soldiers, like a primal thing going on
Rick Rescorla, quoted in the first part of this video, died a hero in the towers on 9/11. “On 9/11, Rescorla led a massive evacuation of Morgan Stanley's 2,700-person workforce located in the South Tower, saving the lives of all but six. His commitment to preparedness ensured that the 2,700 Morgan Stanley employees who worked in the South Tower knew how to evacuate and where to go on 9/11.”
Just random discover this channel. As a Vietnamese I am approve this channel👍. Very accurate on topic. Our land well known back then was called "welcome to hell on earth".
The ar15/m16 definitely doesnt do more damage than the m14. The m14's 7.62x51 bullet/cartridge is much larger and puts out over twice the energy of the m16's 5.56.
It also held up much better in the field. But then so did any other weapon in the field. We changed to the M 16 in Germany and were not happy about that. Even the infantry did not care for the M 16 even though it was lighter that our older M 14. I was in an airborne cav troop in Germany. We did have tanks and the standard side arms were the 1911 pistol (still love it) and the M3a1 submachine gun. But when we went out we were mounted of the M 151 106mm gun jeep with the M14. We would also jump with the M14, never had a problem. The m14 had better range, better penetration and did not jam.
I am a Vietnam vet as a Navy Corpsman with the Marines (3/69-3/70) and I didn't see any of this. Nowhere in this video did I see anything about Marines, only Army. The Marines didn't have hueys. They had CH-46's, 53,s and Cobra gunships and the Air Force had C-130's with gatling guns.
My dad was a proud member of Ghost Battalion Vietnam. He passed away a few months ago..... he opened up about Vietnam after my mom passed away. I sat and just allowed him to open up and get it out of his mind and off his chest. He hadn't smoked a cigarette in years. When he decided to open up, he started smoking again. He had told me that I was the only person who he felt would understand and I did without judgment.
🫂 Not sure if youre interested but theres a guy who draws what he sees as we pass from one stage of life to another. Soul Crossings with Cash Peters. It really gives you a different perspetive on what happens. Even though i am Canadian i grew up with my dad always watching the News. My little heart hurt over that war. I feel very sad that the men who were forced to go fight then were met with disdain coming home. That's totally unfair. I pray your dad felt comforted having you listen to his story. Bless you both and may your family have peace. 🙏
I'm an Iraqi war vet, and I can't even hold a candle to the Vietnam War vet. I give them all of the respect in the world.
I respectfully say you are wrong, your time in the sandbox and my time in the jungle were both growth opportunities.
@@fredrickmillstead2804 Touchè
I to am a Iraq war veteran {British army} 1st BN COLDSTREAM GUARDS!!!!!
how do you feel going to a country and destroy them because ur president was lying and wanted the oil as a cheap comodity. such a shameful task to do
We all followed some one else brother...ITS THE LONG MUDDY LINE👣
B-1/7 1CAVAM RVN 1972
Wellcom Home!!! Pray for those who follow us!
My grandfather is a Purple Heart Vietnam vet. He still barely talks about it. We go on a reunion every year with other men who were marines who served at the same time. Hearing their stories makes me cry every single time.
Do not let him go without asking him to write his memories down.
My grandfather was almost deaf when I was old enough to do so.
He lost his hearing shelling the british with the Wehrmacht on the Western front and was a POW in the UK.
I failed to make him write it down because I was just too young when he died.
Dont make the same mistake.
@@fantikawerner8029 I most definitely won’t, I never even thought of something like that. Thank you ❤️ I’m sorry that you weren’t able to have the same experience with your grandfather. I bet his stories were incredible.
I was There, (U.S. Army 505th PIR 82 Airborne Division)...
My thoughts... Half of this Documentary in well done and factual. Unfortunately, about half of this Documentary is BS. Whether the BS is by design, or by error due to sloppy research, or merely bad info, I don't know. Whatever.
He is still a Marine to this day. He always will be one of us. Even in the afterlife, the title remains.
Marines die. But the Marine Corps lives forever. Therefor, it's Marines are immortalized.
The Corps Hymn even suggests that Marines guard the gates of Heaven. But there are also rumors that we regroup in hell and come back.
Guess it depends on the individual Marine. I don't want to stand guard at a big golden gate for eternity though lol.
@@Dead_Again1313 oorah ❤️
My dad had some messed up stories from his time in Vietnam, like how half the platoon stayed awake at night to watch over those who slept, hearing Hanoi Hannah blaring in the jungle at night while keeping a look out for tiger's, crocodiles, the Vietcong and poisonous snakes.
He also had a few messed up photo's like him playing poker with 2 other soldiers and 2 dead Vietcong soldiers.
He also had a few photos of a trail littered with the decapitated head's of American's and Vietnamese on spikes that went on for almost a mile and near the end was his baby brother's head.
His eyes were gouged out and tongue ripped off, the only way my dad knew it was him cause he had 3 small moles in the form of a triangle above his left eye, he told me that he truly died that day having to dig that mass grave and bury what was left of his brother and fellow soldier's.
That’s fucking horrifying. Poor guy, hope he and you are doing well now
@@connorbreen6471he’s lying
I’m sorry for his loss and the suffering he endured
We did the same with the Ace of Spades mine was the One Eye Jack some collect ears. That’s human nature at its basic level. Even boobytrapping the dead. Both sides did it. The Rules of War is joke. The Rules of the Jungle are real. There is no Civilized War never will be
Yeah that’s war for ya, shit like that has gone on before and still does, not saying it makes it any less horrific but most people have no idea that shit is going on nor do they care until it affects them directly. Sounds like Syria, and not what u see on the news I’m talking about what ACTUALLY goes on like any war it’s hard to appreciate or quantify the level of atrocities if u haven’t seen it urself but once u have it’s impossible to forget or turn a blind eye to
Had a history teacher in the 10th grade that was a Vet. He hated things thrown in the classroom - like he’d go full on pissed off and throw you out of the classroom.
He commented several times that he’d lost several friends while there. Some of them blown up right next to him.
My dad monitored the radio traffic while my grandfather and several uncles saw time there. Had an aunt that was a combat nurse there. She never talked about her tours there and maintained a real stoic and realist outlook on life.
This was a messed up war, and I respect the men and women who were there.
Also Nazis thought they were only fighting against Bolshevism. Not committing to war of annihilation at all. Americans can also pretend they only fought against communists.
Viet Cong 😮
I remember being so confused as a child about the Vietnam War on the television.
It’s fascinating that when you visit Vietnam, they refer to it as the American War.
If you simply say "Vietnam War" to them, they will ask you back "Which one?". It could refer to the one against France from 1945 to 1954, or the one against the US, or the one against China and Khmer Rouge in 1979. In a single generation they went through three major wars against 3 out of 5 permanent members of UN Security Council, 4 out of 5 if you count a brief assistance of the British for French back in the first days of the first war.
9 out of 10 wars are american
Some of the worst memories of my childhood were seeing the war on the news.
Then you must have had an amazingly safe childhood.
I dont really See how news can be traunatizing, there is no gore, not even details.
If you were taught "the narrative" and then you're seeing that... the world wars are supposed to be before you were born
A lot of this leads me to understand why my father had a stoic silence his entire life. His eyes told the story. He never made any mention of the war other than he was proud to have fought, and he did what he had to in order to make it back home. I miss him everyday. RIP 💔
Proud to fight a useless war? No offense
@@varga4488that was the only way they could cope with it, shit was pointless but still mad respect that they survived the US government basically sending them to their deaths. pretty horrific deaths too, not like it was a normal war like this shit was insane.
@varga4488 Says a guy with a profile picture of a useless rapper. No offense.
Several years ago I was doing a presentation for a group of high school kids. One of the students, a young lady, asked me when I was in Vietnam and my answer was, just last night. I told her she would understand that answer while listening to my presentation which included a brief part on PTSD. Since I came home in August of 1970 I still have awful dreams about my tour in Vietnam. I go to war trauma group sessions at the VA and that was the best decision I have ever made. Vietnam was NOT a walk in the park, it was a 24/7 nightmare.
Thank you for your service !
Problem is most people will never understand or even really care. Politicians just throw a medal at you and soon sweep you under the rug rest of the country will soon forget what one went through, it’s sad in more ways then one.
Welcome home brother…..Dennis Vietnam combat engineer…69-71
@@dennissutton3767 Thank you brother and welcome home to you also. It truly is a brotherhood.
@@russellzigler2180 Thank you kindly.
My dad served two tours of Duty in Vietnam from 66 through 68. His first tour he served with the 3/4 Cav 25th ID. His second tour he served with the 170th Assault Helicopter Company 1st Aviation Brigade US ARMY.
Thank him for me for fighting commies!!!
2/17 Air Cav Air Assault 70-72 myself
My uncle was in that brigade at the time (2-11 FA I think), and I went on to be in 2-35 IN
1-75 19d
He's a very brave man to do a second tour. Much respect to him.
"War's tragedy is that it uses man's best to do man's worst." - Harry Emerson Fosdick
There will be Wars and Rumors of War till the end of time (The Bible)
@ives3572 I really like that comment! It does build character so there are men with true backbone instead of these whinny ass punks who only want to see what thier ar.can do to Friendly's at home!
My father was an SF Capt , and he was there 69-73 and left, he retired later and taught at the University near by the house but he have never spoke a word of it. One day, we were painting the house and while taking a break, he brought out a small metal box, in it he showed me some photos black and white of his "crew" and some medals. He sat there and just look at the corner of the sky but didn't say a word. Few years later I left for Mog, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afg. and left after 23 yrs. I came home and look for that box and what are those medals were for, and until this very day, he's 89 and still haven't spoke a word about it. He's still around but living with dementia isn't good at all.
Best thing one can do is forget sometimes
Tunnel rats are probably the most interesting military unit ever to me. That type of fight is special, must be nothing like it.
Courage x 10 in my book.
you would need one of those cave crawler people to do the job
I just think about the bugs
It just a lie, they dig it at night, not enough light and air down there, some of them will destroy by the weather...
So the cu chi tunnel is a big lie.
@@Ayookd293
Now think harder. They're on your neck. Itchin you. Crawling in your ears... munch, munch.
My grandpa was an infantry marine wounded at Khe Sahn in 67’. Cpl. Ronald N Gulbronson. Apparently it wasn’t until I was born that he truly started talking about the war. When I spoke of enlisting recently he gave me some stories that made me even go cold. You could see his body language change, his demeanor was different, and you could also see the hurt in his eyes.
When it comes to any kind of war, there are no winners. Everyone loses. Very sad 😢.
There was a lot of profit for the military industrial guys. These conflicts were not accidental.
@@freefall9832Exactly! The States went in to develope weaponry, build the F-4 Phantom fighter jets, the Bell Huey helicopters,bombs to be made,deep sea naval bases and all the money to be made! We're talking a big economics deal here so this whole thing about the purpose is to "prevent comunism from spreading" is all bullshit!
It depends on who losses more soldiers I would think
Profiteers and politicians opposed to said war are the winners.
" everyone loses..?"
Tell that to the Soviet Army, after they " lost" when they occupied Berlin to end the War.
I suppose that at the Battle of Midway when the US Navy sunk 4 Japanese aircraft carriers, that the US also lost, because there are no winners or losers?
I understand that you are trying to show how " sensitive" that you are, but there are very clear winners and losers in wars.
I’m sad my father and three of my Uncle’s were Vietnam veterans. They all returned home. Unfortunately my dad and my uncle Eugene had horrible ptsd which they both self medicated themselves both died of heart attacks . I always wonder how that war effected my grandmother four of sons in Vietnam, she had to be so scared out her mind . I have a deep respect for soldiers thank all you vets for your service.
Why would you be glad they had to serve in that war?
They deserved that😂
Young people do realize that this war was shown on dinner time TV. It was live action and guys could only wonder when they would get drafted and be in that horrific war. My husband was going to college and was in the Navy Reserve. Our thought was that he would go on active duty after he graduated. The Navy thought differently and he reported to active duty on the same day our oldest son was born.
He eventually deployed on the USS Ranger in an A6Intruder aircraft. They went up to North Korea because a spy ship had finally wandered into Korean waters. They were frozen sitting on the flight deck ready to put nuclear weapons on the bombers. Eventually the spy ships Captain begged with contrite expressions and Korean government let them go.
Back online the bombers shot off the deck as we tried to bomb VietNam off the map.
22:07 Some Air Force planes poured Agent Orange over the forests hoping to kill off all vegetation. It was horrible and didn’t go away. It has steeped into the soil around the villages causing frequent birth defects. We were truly horrible
I joined the Air Force after high school in September, '65. Being from a small town in southern Montana, I had no clue what was taking place in Nam. Later in '68 I was stationed at a SAC base in Okinawa and got to see what bombing runs had done to the south. The whole thing was a waste of lives, land and money to the taxpayers of my country. I am a Nam vet, but Im not proud of my service.
My dad is Vietnam vet during TET Offensive in green berets. He told me about a battle mile high superstition where green berets and mountain yards had take hill with over 20k VC regulars. A colonel in bubble chopper ordered drop arklites on pod so our soldiers had dig side mountain and cover themselves with the dirt to protect from heat caused by napalm dropped on the hill then they were ordered to count bodies of the dead. Dad is my hero being bronze star Purple Heart recipient who also was tunnel rat and in the kit Carlson scouts he even was a POW at Hanoi Hilton
Vietcong 😢
my uncle fought for Vietnam as a NVA Reconnaissance special force , his body have plenty of bullet hole , bomb sharpnels and other wounds and napalm burns, fighting from 1966 , one time in Song Be or Binh Duong nowadays , his unit of four men were going into abandoned village to salvage pots pans or anything there are ,so the units followed the trail down the village , when they packed up and left he wanted to moved through the spiked jungle to get back to basecamps, but his comrades want to go back the last trails , they intercepted American armoured vehicles and a large American force , the Americans opened fired and two of us were killed instantly , my uncle and another comrades were hiding under a dried up stream, he saw a black American on top of the vehicles making signs with two fingers , which probably meant they found four weapons and packages, but there were only two body count, they shot down the stream , and my uncle 's last comrade died, lying right next to him , and he were badly wounded , yet still have to crawl his way back to basecamp there were no medic, helicopters, or anyone will carry him back. The Americans have good food, have a good time in Vietnam , women , drug, alcohol , while my uncle were surviving in the jungle with little food, sometimes the rices were rotten , he were so hungry so had to eat jungle salad . The Americans are big tall strong , but they were too mechanical , like everytime they came in contact , they do what they were trained to do , drop the bag to hold up the gun , lie down and start shooting , by the times they drop the bag, we were already gone , the jungle were so thick with massive trees, so we could just hide behind big trees and they keep shooting for a very long time, my uncle said that the Americans have some very good weapons , that if he were hiding behind a tree, they could just shoot the tree next to it, and when the bullet hit, they kind of explode like cluster bombs and could wound and kill our men behind the trees . The Americans could never win the war , they out gun , out manuveur , out man power extremely intelligent and fought hard, but they dont have our sheer will power, the unyielding determination to fight them to the very bitter ends. My Grandfathers fought the Japanese and the French , my father generations were born and molded by decades of brutal wars before the Americans came in , we face the terror , horror of war , but we still have good night sleep happiness and joy, because our war for freedom independence and self determination is just honorable and glorious, while their men have sleepless night , terror, nightmares, shame , humilation and mental problems.
I served in 3rd Marine Recon Battalion in 1966 and '67. We hid in the jungle and avoided contact with the VPA. If I had it to do over again, I would surrender to the VPA by walking away from my Recon patrol when on night watch. The USA's involvement in the Viet civil war was illegal and based on a conspiracy at the highest levels of the US government.
Fascinating recollection of your father's time during the war you have, thank you for sharing. Sorry to hear about your father's pains but great respect to him for everything he's done for his country, it all paid off in the end. Those Vietnamese soldiers grew up in war and were fighting guys who grew up on a diet of cheeseburgers and pizzas. The Americans were out of their element in this war and it showed in the results. America thought they could bully this smaller country but they woke up a more determined beast instead. My greatest respects to Vietnam.
..... but at least they didn't go back to a life where government dictates every bit of life , where if you speak out against your government, jailed at best , disappear at worst . Nothing against you , if just seems worthless to fight to be owned by a government, and shear examples from last 80 years have proved communism/socialism is the far inferior life, communism has never lifted anyone out of poverty, capitalism and democracy have, it's not a perfect form of government but you will be hard-pressed define any modern democracy that is killed any of its own people yes the Communist example with Russia, more so the USSR, China Cuba, Venezuela.. this list to long of what they all have in common and that is the blood up their own countrymen on their hands. I'll be honest I don't know if Vietnam has ever done that but even if it hasn't communism is just a failure.
Vc and nva were very tough and determined. Long before America arrived. Be proud of their sacrifices
OK yella belly
I am from South Africa and was born in 1960. I can so well remember listening to news broadcasts about the Vietnam War. The words The Tet Offensive is engrained in my memory. Although I did serve in the Military in the 1980’s (we were all called up to serve for two years) I did not see any combat. However, during my officer training we did full infantry training and were subject to mock ambushes. These were terrifying enough. I can only imagine what a real ambush must have been.
Yup same here. I'm from New Zealand and we had the Australian and Fiji Army come over in 1998 not long before the East Timor conflict which took place a year or so later for mock ambush battles like 600 of them and we had 3 company's spread all around Waiouru, Central North Island. I have never been so scared EVEN though it was a Training drill which lasted 3days. So the real thing would have been a horror movie come to life
i was born in rhodesia in 1960 and served in the last year of our 'bush war' - 1979. the next year mugabe was elected and the country became zimbabwe.
i lost my homeland and a free zimbabwe has become a basket case instead of being the bread basket it was.
an ameliorative middle way should have been found.
Lost my brother on 30March,1968 at Kontum. He was with Alpha co. 3bn 8th inf 4th INF DIVISION. I was only 13 when it happened. He was only 19 when he died.
I'm sorry.
my grandpa served 3 tours. He never talked...only when we fished. I probably seen him laugh a handful of times.
I have talked to wives of Vietnam combat vets that complained that their husband refused to talk about Vietnam. Do not push or prod for any information. You would only get grief even if he does talk. You may even have nightmares from what you hear. If he wants to talk it will be when he wants to, not before. REMFs like me have no such problem but the smart ones will not poke that sleeping dog.
@@ddawsond I never did too scared to be honest. I remember to he held me a death grip when I told him I wanted to enlist to serve in 08 Iraqi freedom operation. He said "you better think about it especially if you like to sleep." I failed the physical due to asthma. The only story he told my dad is how he walked past a bamboo stake trap and his battle buddy from basic fell in behind him and he couldn't get him out because they got ambushed. The yells he said were unimaginable. That was enough for me.
RICHARD RAMIREZ, "THE NIGHT STALKER" SAID IN AN INTERVIEW THAT HE GOT THE IDEA OF KILLING FROM HIS UNCLE, WHO WAS IN VIETNAM. HE WAS FASCINATED BY THE STORIES HIS UNCLE TOLD HIM ABOUT THE KILLING THEY DID OVER THERE. HIS UNCLE USE TO TELL HIM HOW HIS MEN WOULD COME TO A VILLAGE & RAPE & KILL ANYONE THEY WANTED & HOW EASY IT WAS. HE SAID THAT'S WHAT GAVE HIM THE IDEA OF KILLING. IT PEEKED HIS INTEREST. HE WANTED TO SEE HOW IT FELT.
@@jerrylattimore9232 that's wild bro.
Every American needs to read _The Things They Carried_ by Tim O'Brien.
A first-hand and uncomfortably visceral account of the Vietnam War. O'Brein does NOT pull any punches and it made me feel disgusted and enraged that we put actual humans through that hell.
Just be warned that it's pretty intense and there are many parts that are emotionally devastating. There were also several moments that made me actually want to vomit.
Great book
Vietnam vet. O'Brien's book gets it right.
Probably bc you’re just a little bit weak
@mrankles7465
Thanks for sharing your opinion! 😊
@@paigemalloy4276 no facts. War is not for everyone you are obviously one of those people
My uncle actually volunteered for Vietnam, he made it back but never spoke about it, except my great uncle who was a pow in Japan during WW2, i guess they had something in common. As General Sherman said "war is all hell" but I've studied enough to know that some is worse than others.
May all of those who lost their lives rest in peace and those still with find some solace.
Lost my uncle in SouthVietnams Central Highlands , mid- 3 / 68 , tail end of bloody ass TET, 2wks b- 4 my 11 th bday. "And:y" was on USAs 1st CAV. AIRMOBILE / AIR ASSAULT DIV , a warrant officer . He bought it up near Pleiku ! Seen neighbors sons , friends bros. Sent to NAM FROM 65-69 ! Last one hm. By late 71! Palpable PASTD , and AGENT ORANGE ISSUES!!
it's not a competition
Yeah, I remember being a kid at that time. It seemed really scary,then. But I'm 67, now. It's still really scary that we'd do this to each other, as a human race.
For Americans, it was the human race against communism. At least, that's how they tried to excuse it.
My dad was a tunnel rat, he never really talked about the war but he had nightmares still almost 50 years later
@@RedTheDude I was too big and my balls too small to EVER go into a tunnel. Your dad is/was a real man.
I kno.screaming
Never the less ,ur a soldier bud!
History should disturb you and make you uncomfortable. Because you are supposed to LEARN from the mistakes of others. And not make them again!!
It's not just technology and weapons we are supposed to hand down and improve. We have to remember when we FAIL so that we don't fail like that again!
it was because of PLATOON (movie, a crazy jungle world lost away from the streets of the USA)... and how they perfectly capture it when he was on watch.... he saw nothing... and then he thought he saw something... and then next thing you know it hits the fan..... and it was very true too in that movie that we killed our own so much you'd want to talk about it to grandma because it's FFFFF'D UP. not to mention napalm f4 phantom pilots and russians... you want to throw down then we're going to talk to the real vets in bars of florida like I have. the Lieutenant colonel's
Too late.
Would you like to learn of 1889-1954, US business & gov't in VN enabled by French force? After France fell in defeat to the 1 nation, Viet Nam (No "North Vietnam" ever existed), US leaders invaded to continue the early business. That's the real reason for US-Viet Nam War. In 1955, US enclaves made up a fictional "South Vietnam."
@@siriusdragon dont fail at what? Fail at invading other countries?
of course, going from conventional warfare in ww2 in the out and open with allies everywhere, to a deep and isolated dark jungle where we're not used to being in AT ALL....
I wonder if the Vietnam War was similar to the Pacific Theater in WW2.
Australians would have done so much better than US mercs. Probably good you lost though
@@More_RowDidn't they have Trouble with Oversized Birds?
@@HailWoden18 Yes in the emu war, but in WW2 they showed how good they are at jungle fighting.
@@More_Row The US also proved damn well how effective they are in the Jungle in WW2 (the Pacific campaign) so, what's your point?
Straight outta high school, most boys came from high school, watching westerns and WW2 movies. Meanwhile, the VC (Vietcong) been fighting the French before US can to their country. Our kids had no idea what was in store for them.
Because you can die at anytime from stepping into a trap or get bitten by poison snakes is scary. Heck if you lucky you still be alive in a week without seeing combat until you get randomly attacked by snipers or getting shoot by hiding VC. It’s really random also being a tunnel rat is extremely dangerous job the tunnel can collapse or a trap can kill you or hidden VC shoot you dead.
Yeah , that was scary for the soldiers but them weapon enterprises didn’t give a damn as long as they could push American sons and husband and fathers to die just so they could sell their weapons 😅😅
My brother being twelve year's older than me served two tours. I asked him what it was like and got promptly knocked out. He said Don't Ever Ask Me about that again. In 75 I turned fourteen.
Sorry that happened
So it was okay for a grown man to assault a child?
I felt more comfortable in the jungle than I ever did in the surgical hospital after I got shot. Hell is an evacuation hospital's very seriously injured ward and the genuine heroes I saw were the medics, nurses, and doctors who treated us. God bless them all.
When I have to go to the V A hospital for treatment I see all the vets who are in so much worse shape than I am I can only feel guilty that my injuries weren't as severe as theirs and the courage they show every day to live thru it is remarkable.
My uncle Jack piloted the F4 phantom in Vietnam when I was a kid, I was in awe, I wanted to ask him questions the few times he was home on leave at Xmass or other holiday, he never spoke one word of it, even when all the men were drinking, I guess it was taboo, I felt so ashamed at the way they were treated when they got back after the war, calling them babies killers and murderers, they fought for their country and that's the thanks they got, war is hell on it's own, but to hear your own people respond like that. God bless all who served this great country. 🇺🇸🙏
I don't think the returning vets were treated as badly as some people say for their own politics.
I learn so much about “real history” when I watch your videos!
Thanks for that 😊❤
No problem shorty
"The Cu Chi, careful how you say that" 🤣🤣 killed me when I was in such a serious mind state. How did he fit that in their hahaha
😂😂😂
My ex gfs Cu Chi Tunnel also took nearly 45,000 men.
"Old men start it,young men fight it, everyone in the middle dies,and no one tells the truth."
My dad was in the Vietnam War and he wasn't even drafted, I'm 27 now and a Navy veteran and got to meet Medal Of Honor recipient Donald Ballard while I was in the Navy, he was a Corpsman in Vietnam and jumped on top of a hand grenade to protect his Marines but it was a dud until he threw it into a bush then it detinated. I respect all Veterans that fought in wars that had a draft 🇺🇸🫡
The Vietnamese beat Ghengis and Kublai Kahn. We should have studied history. A Vietnamese scholar wrote the very first book on Guerlla warfare in history.
The narration is 10/10. A good mix of comedic and serious to feed my appreciation for history and comedy
The cucchi line got me at the 10 min mark
My dad was a Vietnam Marine. Joined at 17 years old in 1960. After he finished boot camp he was shipped straight away to Florida for the bay of pigs incident. But of course that never materialized and the next thing he knew his commander in chief was just assassinated and he got new orders to a place he never heard of before, Laos. He wasn't even 20 years old. Aviation mechanic by trade, he also received 2 purple hearts. He died in 2015 surrounded by family.
Always Faithful
Both of my older step brothers were deployed to the war effort in Vietnam, neither returned. Nor were their remains ever found or delivered to their family for burial.
Heard it said the other day "in the jungle fighting, everything around you is concealment but not 1 thing is cover" "nothing is bullet proof in the jungle weeds" that really hit hard. Thought about that since.
Most of us who have been in the service don't want any more wars. I was 17 years old when I became a Navy Corpsman and turned 18 , 19, and 20 years old Overseas. You really can't judge a persons behaviors when they are young and trained to do these things for their country.
May have missed it but what about Agent Orange? That is ultimately what my grandfather passed away from.
The VA has now classified that all Vietnam vets as agent orange victims regardless of where they were. But it took years for the government to even admit that it was a problem.
I listened to a former nurse that had worked in an agent orange ward in the states. She stated that the doctors were not treating the symptoms, they were observing the progress of the effects, the damage caused by the defoliant. In short, the patients were lab rats. This was on Art Bell's Coast to Coast, and he would not allow her to give her name. But what she said and at the time DOD was trying to overlook the issue, I did not doubt her.
Agent Orange is a plant-killing chemical. They sprayed it to kill the jungle so the VC couldn't hide. However, this chemical contains Dioxin which causes damage to your body and genetics. The genetic defection could transfer to offspring.
The “Coo-chie” tunnel system is one I find quite satisfying, and look forward to entering and exploring often.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Any war is terrifying. I served 2 tours Vietnam in the US Army 11B
@@patrickestes7478 Thank you for your service, 🙏🌟🙏
Thank you for your service 🙏🌟🙏
As a kid my mother and brother and I would sit in front of the tv news to see if we could see our dad on the news. He went twice to a that war.
What's your name ?
Once Vietnam, forever Vietnam.... The Vietnam War will die to me when my mind goes out.
I’m thankful to see the inclusion of my grandfather at the 3:30 mark. He was a medic in the Korean and Vietnam war retiring as a Sergeant First Class! He is the fella wrapping the wounded soldiers head in Ia Drang Valley.
I once met, befriended and worked with a US Air Force pilot who served in Vietnam. What he told I could not repeat on here.
I believe it even tho I’m not a soldier. These veterans has seen things that would have people kill themselves because of vivid nightmares.
My uncle is a Vietnam vet. Got drafted straight out of high school. Bless all the military and their families. We have them to thank for our freedom. 🇺🇸❤
Terrifying traps throughout the jungle. It’s beyond comprehension.
because of war crimes committed by american troops?
@@henry804 I believe both sides did horrific things. The Vietnam soldiers created torture traps.
The American soldiers killed many innocent people out of fear.
I was fortunate to be able to keep my M14 instead of having to carry an M16. Even when they took care of the jamming problems with the M16, I still kept it
Smart man, great weapon heavier round and more accurate.
@@tomedmondson5236 same same, give me that heavy, cumbersome completely reliable M14 any day.
It probably wasn't anymore terrifying than what my father went through in WW2. He was in the 14th army fighting in the Burmese Jungle. Decease, high humidity, insect and snakes bites, booby traps, a fanatical and brutal enemy all around. not much chance of being airlifted out if wounded...No wonder he and all those other brave men very rarely , if ever spoke of it... For all those men who endured it, fighting in a jungle must be the worst place ever...
You couldn’t be airlifted in WW2. There were no helicopters. I don’t really see why they have to be compared. Both are terrible wars that impacted hundreds of thousands of Americans.
PTSD, only stays with you, till your last breath on Earth.
Brian petty. I agree with you but your father fought an offensive battle and his enemies didn’t have safe zones . No rotation out to States every year and Commanders who had jungle experience . No Corrupt government to get in the way or media.
My dad was a Naval officer in the South Pacific. One day he called us all into the living room to sea a newsreel of his ship getting hit by a Kamikaze.
@@nbenefiel Vietnam didn’t have the dangers of WW2 on the ocean the air wing and brown water did not the capitol ships different style of warfare the terrifying was the drafted raw poorly trained and led in the Jungle,hamlets,and cities.
My grandpa was a veitnam war vet but sadly he passed away no matter what country you fought for they still risk their lives to fight for people
The thought of being a tunnel rat is a fucking nightmare
10:28 "Careful how you say that" 😂
Fun fact: During the Vietnam war, there was so little food that the Vietnamese rice farmers and soldiers had to turn to eating cockroaches, grasshoppers and other bugs as well as rodents like rat and mice too. To add on to this, when vietnamese soldiers raided an American base, they wood eat the intestines off the dead animals before eating the meat itself. This has now stuck around as a tradition: eating intestines
Fun Fact the American soldiers couldn’t believe my in-laws were pulling MaryJane out of rice fields and burning it like the trash it was instead of smoking it.
Klaus Schwab would be pleased.
And we ate most of the K9s America and allies had brought to Vietnam as well 😆😆 Roasted German Shepherds were the best imo 😝😝😝😆😆😆 and yes , that was fun too 😆
@@namchau7712 I appreciate your response now I don’t feel bad about turning my zippos,flamethrowers,and napalm on your hamlets and villages for 5 tours payback for my shepherds 🦊😂 water buffaloes barbecued taste good to.
@@samuelmuller9940 there you go 😆 Mr.American with German’s last name 😝😝 oh btw , feel free to enjoy boot tough buffalo bbq tho 😝😝🤣🤣
Crazy how bad they wanted the troops home just to treat them like shit
I sometimes feel like im a Vietnam veteran when watching part's of this because i grew up adopted by a great man who was a dog handler 67 to 68...who served and still married my dirty stay out mother. Just learning thru the years what he went thru in a year, amazed me. Born in 68' it was excellent when in the early 80's i didnt have to fill out a draft card. Some men came back and became cops or whatever and didnt let the experience ruin them
Fyi , whoever adopted you must had lost a lot of dogs cuz we ate them 😂😂😂 about 10-20% of the K9s which was sent to Vietnam had becamed good course of protein that was ẹnoyed by our brave soldiers though 😆😆
I love the Vietnam Nam vets I support them in anyway I can they have a special place in my heart, I love talking and buying them drinks love honor and respect to all who served over there and gave there lives and the ones who came home to no ticker tape parade or praise only to angry hippies to all veterans of Vietnam Nam love you all and enjoy there company God bless you all
The reason why the Viet Nam war was to terrifying is because the north Viet Namese have been Guerilla war experts for 2000 years and have successfully fended off their enemies. The NVA soldier s had a sense of purpose. The average American soldiers were young rock and rollers not sure of why they were there.
Oh, I am sure why I was there. Some dufusses, in D.C. thought that the attack on the Navy in the gulf of Tonkin, was a legit act of aggression against innocent Naval ships.. Not some sort of "raid", on the coast of North Viet Nam, and this gave the non-knowledgeable law makers the incentive to pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.
@@boondocker7964 Don't blame the Gulf of Tonkin. It would have been something
I read an after-action report that mentioned torpedoes tracked on radar, not sonar, radar. The first and only time that I ever heard of such a thing. LBJ wanted us into that war.
The most interesting thing about the resolution was the third part about how our involvement could be ended.
1. that the situation stabilized, and we were no longer needed.
2. That the President would order that our involvement would end at any time.
3. (And this is the goody) That congress could in a joint session vote to remove all American military out of Vietnam.
Despite all of the protest not once did any in Congress bring up the issue of a vote to remove the troops until 1972 and ordered that all would be out in 1973.
Of course, they did vote often to control military activities in Vietnam, usually to end something that they found distasteful usually because of a complaint from North Vietnam.
@@boondocker7964
If anyone wants to read a REALLY GREAT BOOK, about a normal guy on the ground, not like many books that focus on LT's or some other person in a leader roll, look for the book titled "Blood on the Risers" by: Jon Leppelman its about his 35 months in Vietnam, first with the 173rd Airborne, later extending his tour and joining the Armys PBR River boats, before finally joining up with the LRRP's which later becomes the Rangers. Its the first book i ever read on the Vietnam War and i read it in a night. I now have read about 27+ books on the Vietnam war. But if your gonna take a chance and are curious about the war on the ground read this first. You'll be hooked.
I didn't get there until 1967 because of my age, I was to young they said. But 6 months later while in Germany I put in for a transfer to go to Vietnam. That came through pretty damn quick. In less than 30 days I was on my way. I watched a movie about Harald Moore that starred Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott called
We Were Soldiers. I normally do not watch these hollywood crap movies but after watching a trailer for it I bought it.
It took me about 7 times to try to get through that movie. I have a 82 inch TV and a 7:1 SURROUND SOUND and a extra 14" sub. This system sounded so frigging real I had to stop it. It was just more than my brain could handle at that time.
If you people have a good sound system I must insist that you watch this. BUT to all Vietnam Veterans who has walked the walk use caution with this one. Please. If you suffer from PTSD do not watch this alone.
And no Mel Gibson didn't pay me either. 😉
VNV67 and Mel Gibson,
Sitting in a tree....
@@dsxa918 Ya think? lol
WELCOME HOME !!!!!!!!
Thank you
So much respect for the men that went there.
as a Vietnamese we saw no terrify, remember that just because the US brought their force and started the war, we didn't do anything just simply have a right to protect our country our people. Admittedly, the US army is the top forces in the world, so We'd fight until the last person down, after that the US will have their victory. on another hand, if you come as a visitor or tourist, a friend, we'd present a greatly hospitable, my people just want peace.
Vietnam fought off multiple world powers in the matter of 50 years 🇻🇳 undefeated
Do you honestly think the US soldiers wanted to be there?!!! My husband was drafted for the stupid political war he didn't believe in, had no wish to fight for, but he went and did his duty. And left the military after 12 years of service in the Air Force, came home never talked about the horrors , whores, drugs over there and became a Gospel minister for 45 years. He got over feeling bitter but I never have and never will. I'm sorry for you all, both north and south, but I do not buy junk from there. My dear husband was a good man inside and out, he deserved better than the diseases he suffered and died from due to exposure of Agent Orange. I know your countrymen have also.
@@gaildavis783I am from Mongolia,vietnamese are very brave people,they 3 times defeated my ancestors huge army in 1256,1284,1287 invaded from occupied China.Mongols collected new army in the border ,but Vietnam surrendered and agreed to pay tribute.I think that super american white soldiers were not able to crush North Vietnam becouse USA was much weaker than gian Mongol deadly monster👹💀🔥
@@gaildavis783near 50 yeas from the end of VN war time. I was born in 1990, long away the Vietnam War. My mother in law VC grandfather died in that war, my grandfather joined the VC guerrillas and returned after serving time in prison in Con Dao, Phu Quoc. To understand the severity of this war, let's take the milestone 1996 as the year my house and my grandfather's house had electricity. So from 1954 to 1975 can you imagine what this war was like. Exactly in the dead darkness. Again the American army was a people who were almost completely illiterate, the piece of metal they had the most contact with was rice harvesting tools, and had never even come into contact with a radio before. Vietnamese people want to have the right to choose their destiny and they will fight for it until the last soldier. In the end, the Vietnamese people forgave the American soldiers a long time ago. But whether the American soldier himself can forgive himself or not is difficult to say. Because there is no glory or mission that Americans are right in this war. If possible, veterans should come to Vietnam once. The Vietnamese people are a warring people, but after the war they are all farmers in their own land. Always remember war, not hatred because Vietnam has had enough of it. 20 years of war with America is nothing compared to more than 4,000 years history but 1/3 of which was wartime.
My two uncles were in vietnam, both 101st airborne, one died of agent orange, the other killed himself. It truly was hell.
At 0:08 the footage shown is actually men of the Australian 39th militia battalion fighting on the Kokoda track in WW2.
Fighting in Vietnam was like like fighting against ghosts. You shoot at everything that moves only to find out you hit NOTHING!!
As A combat vet Marine I'''''ll tell you the things we hattttttttttttttttted most. Leaches. You couldn't keep them off.
What's crazy is that perspective is everything. I was an infantryman in Iraq, and I have talked to Vetinam vets and told them they were some hard mfs to fight in a jungle. The dude looked me right in the face and said I'll fight in jungle any day, but you mfs are the crazy ones for fighting house to house in concrete jungles where you are not sure who the bad guy is. I was taken aback by the compliment, and yes, I took that as a compliment. I stumbled over my words, trying to reply.
My uncle spent 8 months as a P.o.w. in a Tiger cage..he ended up malnourished and recovering from Malaria..he was lucky to make it out alive he never was quite the same..and my other uncle recently died he was a Korean and Vietnam war vet and a victim of agent orange..
This was top notch production. The fact the VC didnt wear uniforms mirrors a current war and the diffuculties for soldiers to distinguish friend or foe. Question for anybody. Why can I not find more movies about the Vietnam War? I saw acpolayse now but most movies are either about WW2 or Iraq. Which I enjoyed thoroughly. If anyone has any recommendations I'm all ears. I was a young girl probably 9 when this went on. I remember flashing peace signs at the older boys from our stoop. My dad was a ww2 vet and it really affected him which enhanced my interest.
My uncle was a phantom pilot in Vietnam. He returned home and became a flight instructor. I am in awe at his ability to pilot a powerful jet.
The United States Defense Market size is expected to grow from USD 613.18 billion in 2023 to USD 646.83 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 0.67% during the forecast period (2023-2031). [Mordor Intelligence] 13:30
The Vietnam War was a disaster from its bad beginning until its tragic end.
The practical impact of the Vietnam War on the domestic United States was also profound. Two decades of military intervention and bankrolling friendly regimes cost the United States almost $US170 billion (close to $1 trillion in today’s terms). These war costs stalled some of Lyndon Johnson’s ‘Great Society’ reforms, including anti-poverty measures and improvements to social security. 7:38 [Alpha History]
Compensation benefits for Vietnam veterans and families still cost $22 billion per year.
The Vietnam War was a military campaign launched by North Vietnam against South Vietnam. The Vietnamese civil war began in 1959. The United States supported the South, while China and Russia supported the North. In 1965, the United States officially entered the war in response to North Vietnam's attack on a U.S. military ship. U.S involvement ended in 1973. The war ended in 1975. [The Balance] 11:22
My grandfather was in the Battle of Ia Drang. He was 2-7 1st Cav... and was in Vietnam from 65-66 for a year and a half until he was wounded and evacuated.
I think the Revolutionary War would be very interesting to hear more about. Especially to learn about Washington’s spy’s!
Love the channel!
Washington and his spies were Revolutionary era. The South and the North both had spies.
You mean the Revolutionary War?
@@thelostcosmonaut5555 before, during, and after the Revolutionary War
My buddys dad was a green beret in Nam. He never talks about the war. He must of seen some bad stuff while there !
My dad said that he had a lot of sympathy for the young men who went to Canada to avoid Vietnam. He was RIGHT! Please spare me the crap about how avoiding the draft was “unfair “ to the men who went. If you want to blame someone for the Vietnam War, blame Uncle Sam and LBJ!
I respect & love those that fled to Canada.
What does LeBron James have to do with this?
My father called Draft dodgers cowards and felt they should have been dealt with harshly
@@moneywelderThey couldnt force themselves to do something that felt completely against their soul.
Everyone is at different places in their emotional growth and some people just could NOT do it.
That may be the opposite of courageous but i dont see it as cowardly exactly. Ive been sick so much in my life i understand not being able to do something. I would cry some mornings because i just couldnt find the energy to go to school...
Some people just could not force themselves. It mustve been a terrible time for them.
@@lorimiller4301well i have met several draft dodgers, they to a man are ashamed of what they did because despite a lot of words and excuses they were cowards. the best were the ones that went and the very best were the ones who died doing their jobs. doing something while being afraid of dying is courage. at the time i believed what my government told me now i know why we were there, so the cia could control the world drug trade
Terrain and booby traps. The enemy could ambush you very easily due to the thick vegetation. Booby traps were every where. They would cripple and kill. The wild life wasn't friendly either. Parasites in the water, venomous centipedes, snakes, crocodiles, tigers and mosquitoes. I know one U.S. Marine combat vet that done two tours in Vietnam. He was there for the Tet offensive. He was never wounded. What got him was parasites in his lower intestines from drinking bad water. Some small intestines had to be surgically removed. He also got malaria from mosquito bites.
Huh. I finally got to see the face behind the greatest voice on UA-cam. Sweet
My cousin was in the Vietnam war and most of the time he killed his enemies he kept an ear & other souvenirs from them and made a necklace.He was about to go on a talk show but once they found out he had a necklace from a lot of dead bodies that show was cancelled.
Did he suffer from nightmares?
A many men have fallen victim to the coo chi tunnels.
Great video- I was born in 1967 but never forget the radio in 1973 as a child
I was a kid(, but remember hearing the end of the war… respect to both sides
Irish ☘️ Jim
Love your channel and your voice
What a complete nightmare to experience. One of the worst things of the war I feel was the treatment of the vets when they finally got home
Our troops had a hard time distinguishing the enemy between the North and the South Vietnamese
Telling the difference between the NVA from the South Vietnamese was not so much a problem. It was telling the VC from the rest. guerrillas are civilians by day and soldiers by night and do not wear uniforms nor do they follow the rules of war. But the Americans had to treat them the same as any other combatant. If captured the rules of war demanded that they be treated the same as regular prisoners. Even if he tried to cut your throat five minutes before as he was giving you a shave. In Vietnam the rules of war favored the enemy not the Americans.
@@ddawsond One might say the Locals wanting to rid their country of just another invader to them after centuries and centuries of being invaded . French ? American ? All the same to them . Horrible for Americans and their families but they didn't show up on Main Street . The Powers that be had to go a long way to find that fight then send other folks kids to do the suffering .
@@MichaelDuignan-p2c Something that too many will ignore that those in the south did. Not want to live under a political system that required obedience and loyalty with the use of a bayonet.
It was the North that saw us as the invaders while they invaded the South.
But too many of our own leaders thought that to resist was too violent and thought that they could simply get a promise that the North would simple let the South alone if we left. March and April 1975 proved that they were wrong.
my grandmas brother was a vietnam vet at 18. i don’t see him much but i don’t think he’s ever been the same(became an alcoholic for decades after)
As a Marine these are the warriors I model myself from . I always skate a Vietnam Veterans hand 🇺🇲
😂😂😂😂 "warriors"
@@NkosanaMakhubelethe soldiers that fought for us are better then you ever will be 💀 🙏
@@mcshaz914 what were they fighting for😂👎🏼
Ill never forget the response from a family member when asking about their tours in war. Few will talk about it, and when some due you really understand the horrors and both physical and mental strain war has on a human being. There are no winners in war. And for a good many in order to survive you must do things you would never think one would be capable of. This is why most men and weman don't want to speak on their experiences. And quite a few will do things and acts that will make you sick to your stomach. Most of them arent even thinking when acting. It takes such a toll on the human psyche, most are never the same.
All this being said its sad that our fathers and grandparents fought hard for us to live the life we live today. Its a privilege alot of us take for granted. Thank you to all that have served. Our lives wouldn't be as good as it is even with all the craziness going on in our country if it had not been for them. 🙏🏿
10:46 During a 'camp fire' in a foreign land, it was said that hoses, delivering acetylene, were thread into the tunnels and then a grenade used for a deadly explosion.
Believe me they didn't kill anyone. By the time they even arrived to location , they were gone away. They have spotters all over the jungle, there were tunnels even under air strip bases. Was a though enemy fighting for homeland.
I spent 17 months as a combat marine lived in a mobile combined action platoon 8 marines 28 Vietnamese, ambush every night . What breaks my heart it was a false flag , there's not enough glaciers left in Alaska to cool my burning hatred for this government
The Vietnam War was the creepiest ever historically. Because the US army soldiers couldn't distinguish who VC guerillas were at the time. They used to be good peaceful citizens in daylight but used to be scary guerilla warriors at night to kill American soldiers. Moreover, lots of VC spies who behaved like pro-America infiltrated the army base of ARVN, and even the US army base as well.
Of course, they leaked secretly the top secret military mission to VC & NVA sides. Thus, the US army's many spec ops soldiers who joined a few black operations had to face unexpected traps or ambushes built by VC groups. On top of that, many South Vietnamese people used to say that this is not their war but Americans' combat, toward American troopers from time to time. Considering their opinions like that, back then, they might not have had the will to fight for themselves without the US's reinforcement.
Then how can American soldiers have the will to fight bravely against VC & NVA's alliance on the front? Only Hac-Bao, the well-trained SF in ARVN could show their heroic combats against VC & NVA's joint military organizations in the jungle battle. If a nation's people can't have the will to fight for themselves & their sovereignty against enemies, other friendly stronger supporters can't change the vibes of wars no matter what.
Fun fact: Rick Rescorla was the building manager of the North Tower of the world trade Center. He kept going back up to rescue people and unfortunately he never made it out.
My grandfather also fought in the Vietnam war. One of the things he told me was about the rain. It would rain so much that soldiers would lose their eyebrows and eyelashes. He also told stories of how some soldiers were killed by monkeys.
How did they loose their eyebrows and eyelashes? Is it because of the extreme humidity or rubbing the water off the face?
Hold on KILLED. BY. MONKEYS? Please, elaborate about that part - seriously, monkeys?
I’ve said it before but when I see Vietnam veterans out in public, with the hat on, they have a completely different aura than other veterans. Iraq veterans I see cops, vietnam veterans I see people who survived and are living with surviving a real life nightmare. Like the worst bad trip imaginable. They have the energy of warriors more than they do one of soldiers, like a primal thing going on
Rick Rescorla, quoted in the first part of this video, died a hero in the towers on 9/11.
“On 9/11, Rescorla led a massive evacuation of Morgan Stanley's 2,700-person workforce located in the South Tower, saving the lives of all but six. His commitment to preparedness ensured that the 2,700 Morgan Stanley employees who worked in the South Tower knew how to evacuate and where to go on 9/11.”
I thought that name sounded framiliar
War is pure evil. On both sides. No matter who starts it, everyone has to suffer. Even those who’ve never hurt anyone.
The Unknown Soldier
Just random discover this channel. As a Vietnamese I am approve this channel👍. Very accurate on topic. Our land well known back then was called "welcome to hell on earth".
This was one of the BEST videos yet from you--and you do great videos to start with!
The ar15/m16 definitely doesnt do more damage than the m14. The m14's 7.62x51 bullet/cartridge is much larger and puts out over twice the energy of the m16's 5.56.
It also held up much better in the field. But then so did any other weapon in the field. We changed to the M 16 in Germany and were not happy about that. Even the infantry did not care for the M 16 even though it was lighter that our older M 14. I was in an airborne cav troop in Germany. We did have tanks and the standard side arms were the 1911 pistol (still love it) and the M3a1 submachine gun. But when we went out we were mounted of the M 151 106mm gun jeep with the M14. We would also jump with the M14, never had a problem.
The m14 had better range, better penetration and did not jam.
I am a Vietnam vet as a Navy Corpsman with the Marines (3/69-3/70) and I didn't see any of this. Nowhere in this video did I see anything about Marines, only Army. The Marines didn't have hueys. They had CH-46's, 53,s and Cobra gunships and the Air Force had C-130's with gatling guns.
Marine, 67-68 in country, You were my hero, Corpsmen were as competent as any other Marine. I salute you!
My dad was a proud member of Ghost Battalion Vietnam. He passed away a few months ago..... he opened up about Vietnam after my mom passed away. I sat and just allowed him to open up and get it out of his mind and off his chest. He hadn't smoked a cigarette in years. When he decided to open up, he started smoking again. He had told me that I was the only person who he felt would understand and I did without judgment.
🫂 Not sure if youre interested but theres a guy who draws what he sees as we pass from one stage of life to another.
Soul Crossings with Cash Peters.
It really gives you a different perspetive on what happens.
Even though i am Canadian i grew up with my dad always watching the News. My little heart hurt over that war.
I feel very sad that the men who were forced to go fight then were met with disdain coming home. That's totally unfair.
I pray your dad felt comforted having you listen to his story.
Bless you both and may your family have peace. 🙏
@@lorimiller4301 Thank You
I'm a 'Nam vet. All this was, was young men who didn't know each other, killing each other, for politicans who knew each other.
My uncle gave me teeth from V.C mouth . No joke. The N.V.A lost tet and every major battle but the politicians lost the war not the military.
After our troops were safely home, who cared?
@@SandfordSmythe I care. Not every statement this guy said on this channel was correct.