Vietnam Veteran News with Mack Payne

Episode 1140 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a bit of news out of the University of Kentucky related to the Vietnam War Era. There was a story in The University of Kentucky News title: UK Libraries Exhibit Explores Controversy Surrounding Vietnam War in Kentucky That describes what the University is doing to  preserve the memory and history of the Vietnam War. The story was submitted by Whitney Hale.

In the story Hale tells about several things being done in Lexington to help remember the War. First she told about the “Rising Up Angry” exhibition that is intended to explore the controversy surrounding Vietnam War in Kentucky. Next she described the UK history course, HIS-351: The Vietnam War  which examines the origins, evolution, conclusion and aftermath of the war. The course is taught by Alumni Professor of History Emeritus George C. Herring, and UK doctoral candidate Cody J. Foster.

Also mentioned in the story was the “Remembering Vietnam” Lecture Series. There are two remaining free public lectures of the series. One will be held on April 4, 2018 titled: “Tet 1968 Revisited” by Lien-Hang T. Nguyen, an associate history professor at Columbia University. The other lecture is scheduled for April 19 titled: “The American Legacies of the Vietnam War” and will be delivered by Christian Appy a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts.

The University of Kentucky should be commended for helping insure the memory and history of the Vietnam War is not forgotten. It is critical that we know the past so that we can better know how to step out into the future and not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Listen to episode 1140 of the podcast and discover more about what the University of Kentucky is doing to keep the memories and history of the Vietnam War alive.

Episode 1139 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story that backs up the premise made by this podcast that the Vietnam Veteran Generation is as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country. The story appeared on Fox 5 TV in San Diego, California. It was posted by Ruby Chen with the  title: ‘America’s Finest Generation.’ The interviews in the story were conducted by Kathleen Bade of the Fox 5 News Department.

When American military personnel returned home from Vietnam they were not welcomed as the heroes they truly were. They were mistreated, maligned, called things they weren't and ignored by legions of misguided anti-war protesters. This had a adverse effect on American public opinion toward the returning veterans. The returnees were treated as if they were a stranger knocking on the front door in the middle of the night and there was no answer when their deeds called out to their country inside. Their words were not heard.

But thanks to the good Lord above America's attitude toward its Vietnam Veterans is changing for the good. Finally the veterans are being seen as the heroes they truly are. Finally the country is beginning to realize just how much those veterans did for their country in that difficult War and how they can never be fully repaid for their service and how they were treated upon their return.

The Fox 5 segment with the three retired Marine Generals typify the changing attitude toward Vietnam Veterans. It also confirms the idea that Vietnam Veterans continued serving their country in many ways after the War.

Listen to episode 1139 and discover more about the three retired Marine generals and their thoughts about the Vietnam War and the Americans who fought in the conflict plus a shocking declaration about those veterans.

Episode 1138 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature the story of another brave Vietnam Veteran whose remains have been found after fifty years. On January 18, 2018 the remains of US Air Force Col Edgar Felton Davis were located in the Savannakhet Province of Laos, 20 miles from the Vietnamese border and further located as being15 miles south of the city of Sepone.

The remarkable achievement of locating his remains after such a long period of time was noted in a story on WRAL.com in Raleigh, North Carolina titled: Remains of NC native missing for 50 years found near Vietnam by Matthew Burns (WRAL.com senior producer and politics editor.) Additional information about Col. Davis was found on the Find a Grave website.

His remains were found by employees of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. That agency is a part of the United States Department of Defense and is headquartered in Washington DC. It has 500 employees with an annual budget of $112 million and was created on January 15, 2015. Its website is www.dpaa.mil. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has as its primary mission the recovery of missing American military personnel who have been designated as Prisoners of War (POW), or Missing In Action (MIA), from all past wars and conflicts and from countries around the world.

Prior to his disappearance he was assigned to the 11th Tactical Reconnaissance  Squadron, 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 7th Air Force at Udon, Thailand. He was a "back seater" in McDonnell Douglas RF4C reconnaissance aircraft. Davis was highly skilled in operating the photographic and electronic detection equipment on the jet for reconnaissance.

The discovery of his remains is a tribute to the resourcefulness of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.  

Listen to episode 1138 of the podcast and discover more about US Air Force Col Edgar Felton Davis, Vietnam Veteran and Native of Goldsboro, NC.

Episode 1137 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story from down under about Australian's opinion toward the Vietnam war and its Vietnam Veterans. The story was written by Doug Dingwall, a reporter for the Canberra Times ([email protected]). It appeared in The Canberra Times and was titled: Vietnam War at top of ACT list of Australia's most significant historic events.

According to Dingwall, the Social Research Centre, which is a subsidiary of the Australian National University located in Canberra had some time on their hands. It was decided to use that available time to conduct a national survey and determine which historical events Australians believed had the greatest effect on the country. The results showed the Vietnam War ranked number one in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and only seventh nationwide.

The survey found that different generations had different opinions. Those Australians born before 1946, known as the "Silent Generation" naturally ranked World War II as the most significant event. They were probably known as the silent generation because they were scared stiff worrying about the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel, invading the country with his Africa Korps.

Australians born between 1946 and 1964 were most affected by the Vietnam War and they were the ones who ranked it highest. In their case they were faced with a real threat from the spread of communism. During the late 50s and 60s the communist were on the move not only in Indo-China but also in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. That was uncomfortably close and threatening to Australia.

In his story Dingwall also commented on Australia's changing attitude toward its Vietnam Veterans. Australian Vietnam Veteran Greg Kennett made this comment: "Things have changed. The Australian perception of the war and veterans has changed. We're accepted as veterans, we're respected,"

 Listen to episode 1137 of the podcast and discover more about what Australians think about the Vietnam War and their Vietnam Veterans.

Episode 1136 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will highlight the life and contributions of Vietnam Veteran Richard Udden. He served in Vietnam as an Army infantryman. Recently he wrote a book about his experiences in the jungle titled: 21 Months, 24 Days. Today he is using his book as a vehicle to spread his message to young people about how to make good choices.

Jeanne M. Rideout wrote a story about what Udden is doing these days. It appeared in the Wicked Local - Canton website and was titled: From Blue Hills to Vietnam: Vet’s book helps others make better decisions.

It is the opinion of this writer (a Vietnam Veteran) that the Great Vietnam Veteran Generation is as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country. When they came home they were older, wiser, tougher and better able to deal with adversity than their non-veteran contemporaries. When the vast majority of Vietnam Veterans came home they continued serving their country in a wide array of civilian and military pursuits.

That included Richard Udden. When he came home he earned a degree in electrical engineering, and continued serving his community and country as a control systems engineer in Massachusetts. A family trip to Washington D.C. where he visited the Vietnam Memorial Wall inspired him to write his book about his Vietnam memoirs. He said “visiting the Wall was a traumatic experience for me.”

Recently he told his story at Holbrook Public Library in Massachusetts. In addition to the personal history led laid out the steps to making good choices, which of good information for all of any age.

CLICK HERE and discover more about Richard Udden, his book and his mission.

Listen to episode 1136 of the podcast to discover more about Richard Udden's advice about how to make good choices.

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Episode 1135 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature Vietnam Veteran Sammy Lee Davis, who was the inspiration for the movie character Forrest Gump. Recently Davis was honored at an event held at the Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. The happening was covered in a story appearing in The Brazil Times titled: Real ‘Forrest Gump’ makes local appearance. The story was written by Connie Adams for the Brazil Times paper.

Most everyone has seen or heard about the wonderful movie Forrest Gump. If you missed it you missed a good one. At the 67th Academy Awards it won Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. If that wasn't enough, the American Film Institute recognized it as one of the best movies ever. The famous line uttered by our hero Gump "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get," is ranked number 40 on their 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes. The movie is ranked at number 240 on Empire's list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

Just think all this was the result of the inspiring deeds of a real Vietnam Veteran - Sammy Lee Davis. Today he lives quietly with his wife Dixie at Brazil, Indiana. One of the primary reasons this podcast was created was to praise enthusiastically the contributions of the Vietnam Veterans.

Sammy Lee Davis is another outstanding representative of the Great Vietnam Veteran Generation - a generation as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from their country. Sammy asked to go to Vietnam in 1965 to help his country wherever he was needed and ended up being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service.

Listen to episode 1135 of the podcast and discover more about Sammy Lee Davis, the real Forest Gump.

Episode 1134 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will delve into why it is important to study and remember the massacre that occurred in Hue during the Tet Offensive of 1968 in Vietnam. Olga Dror is an associate professor at Texas A&M University. She translated and published a study of Nha Ca's profound examination of the Hue massacre titled: “Mourning Headband for Hue.” She is also the author of a detailed study of Vietnam titled: “Making Two Vietnams: War and Youth Identities, 1965-1975.”

Recently she submitted an opinion piece to The New York Times titled: Learning From the Hue Massacre where she laid out the case for the dangers of ignoring the Hue massacre. In the early hours of January 30, 1968 NVA and Viet Cong forces quietly snaked into the citadel of the old imperial capital of Vietnam. When the fighting in the city ceased on the following February 24, 5,000 communist attackers lay dead along with 400 South Vietnamese and 216 Americans.

That was a terrible toll in lives for both sides but another terrible toll of that event was something that has apparently been swept under the rug of history. It is estimated as many as 3,000 civilian citizens of Hue were brutally murdered during the time the city was occupied by communist forces. It was difficult to determine exact numbers of civilian deaths because mass graves were being discovered for years after the event.

Despite the fact it was a horrible disaster that left a deep mark on the Vietnamese people it is largely ignored by present day historian scholars. The current communist government of Vietnam banned any mention of the massacre.

Listen to episode 1134 of the podcast and discover the valuable opinions of Olga Dror in reference to the importance of knowing about and remembering the Hue Massacre.

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Episode 1133 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about an event held in San Antonio, Texas that honored Vietnam Veterans and remembered the Tet Offensive. Rye Druzin, a business writer for The San Antonio Express-News wrote the story for the paper titled: Vietnam remembered.

According to Druzin, the event was held at the Stinson Municipal Airport and was called “Tet ‘68 Plus 50.” It was held under the auspices of the Dallas-based. Wing leader Larry Stacy of the Tex Hill Wing was in charge of the show and was a little concerned about how it would be received. Generally the Commemorative Air Force is devoted to World War II related functions. The group decided to attempt a “grand experiment” for them and attempt to put on a show devoted to the Vietnam War and its veterans.

The response was good and Stacy was satisfied with the results. Vietnam Veteran John Eli was satisfied from an attendee's point of view. Eli was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division and arrived in Vietnam just a few weeks before the Tet Offensive kicked off on the first of February, 1968.

He recounted how he left Vietnam at the end of 1968 after he suffered a knee injury that resulted in his early discharge from the Army. As with many other Vietnam Veterans his homecoming was paper thin. He re-enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin and mused about how only four months had elapsed from the time he was treading through the muddy woods of Vietnam and the time he was sitting in a UT classroom making sure he never mentioned he had been to Vietnam.

Listen to episode 1133 of the podcast and disc

over more about Vietnam Veteran John Eli and the Vietnam remembrance event at Stinson Municipal Airport in San Antonio, Texas.

Episode 1132 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast with be a discussion of the Tet Offensive from the viewpoint of the North Vietnamese. Creating a basis of the examination is a story found in the Politico website titled: Why Vietnam Isn’t Talking About 1968 that was submitted by Bennett Murray on February 15, 2018. Murray is the Vietnam bureau chief for Deutsche Presse-Agentur in Hanoi.

Apparently the Tet Offensive is a very sensitive subject for the current day Vietnamese government. Murray states: Fifty years after a turning point in the Vietnam War, the country’s communist government is stamping out public discussion of painful memories.

The Vietnamese government is foisting on its people the notion that during the American Vietnam War only the Americans were fighting against the freedom loving forces of the NVA and National Liberation Front (more commonly known as the Viet Cong). They make no acknowledgement to the reality the South Vietnamese were fighting their hearts out to avoid coming under the rule of the murderous communists of the north.

In modern day Vietnam one would be hard pressed to find a Vietnam citizen who is aware of the slaughter that occurred in Hue during 1968. It would be even harder to find one who is aware of and would be willing to talk about it. As Murray puts it: "Most accounts of the Hue battle and purges—disproportionately American accounts—are shared safely out of reach from Vietnam’s well-oiled police state."

The authoritarian Vietnamese regime seems to conveniently overlook the fact that millions of Vietnamese died fighting each other.

Murray's story seems to verify the idea that Walter Cronkite was incorrect in his pronouncement the Tet Offensive was a loss for the Americans, the South Vietnamese and their allies and that the war was unwinnable.

Listen to episode 1132 of the podcast and discover more about why the Vietnamese do not like to talk about the Tet Offensive.

Episode 1131 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about another one of those tremendous representatives of the Great Vietnam Veteran Generation. In this case it is Jeff Jasper, a teacher and basketball coach at Pascack Valley High School in New Jersey.

There was a story about Jeff Jasper by Sean Adams of WCBS 880 in New York City. It appeared in the station's Stories From Main Street series and was titled: N.J. Girls’ Basketball Coach Remains Humble After Historic 1,000 Wins.

In the story Jasper told of an incident that occurred in Vietnam that changed his life forever. He was smoking a cigarette while up to his waist in water in the middle of a bloody firefight in the Vietnam War. In his own words he said: “Tracer rounds were going off, artillery shells going all around, and as I took a drag out of that Marlboro, I said, ‘When I get out of here, I want to make sure that I do something with my life that makes a difference.’”

He kept that thought in mind when he came home to Pascack Valley. Although he was not totally sure he was ready for the job he accepted a teaching position at the Pascack Valley High School. One of his first additional duties at the school was to serve as the coach of the newly established girls basketball team. Title IX had just recently gone into effect and it required schools to match sports opportunities for both sexes.

Jasper took the new girls basketball coaching position and never looked back. Recently he was cited for reaching the milestone of 1000 victories with his teams over a 45 year period.

Listen to episode 1131 of the podcast and discover more about Jeff Jasper and his achievements who is a tremendous representative of the Great Vietnam Veteran Generation.