Vietnam Veteran News with Mack Payne

Steve McCullough, owner of Classic Car Journeys, has an unusually interesting tour program in Vietnam that can be very enticing for a Vietnam Veteran. Tours of Vietnam are becoming popular with Vietnam Veterans and more travel agency offerings for Vietnam sojourns are popping up more and more. McCullough has something totally unique in Vietnam tours. He offers tours of the country in authentic reconditioned American military jeeps of the Vietnam War Era. McCullough likes to go off the normal beaten paths taken by tourists and his Vietnam Jeep Tours definitely do that.

His travel services came to the attention of this podcaster through a story in The Weekend Australian titled: Vietnam War recalled on the drive by Jeep from Hanoi to Saigon that was submitted by Geoff Hill of the Australian. As a result of that story it was learned that McCullough had located a person in Vietnam who had collected dozens of the jeeps after the Americans pulled out of the country in 1973 and stored them away hoping they would someday gain in value.

McCullagh realized their value and decided to put them to work as touring vehicles. After four years of cutting through the Vietnamese red tape he was able to set up a program where he could escort groups of visitors visiting the country riding in his fleet of Vietnam War Era jeeps.

In the interview, McCullagh explained how he got started in the vacation tour business and specifically how his Vietnam Tours work including the itinerary the traveler follow in their jeeps. The tours start in Hanoi and end up down in Saigon. He makes an effort to show his travelers sights and places not normally covered in competing travel tours.

All Vietnam Veterans are encouraged to take a look at Steve McCullough's unique Jeep tours of Vietnam.

CLICK HERE for more information about the Vietnam Jeep tours.

It is becoming a popular phenomenon for Vietnam Veterans to return to the scene of their experiences in that war. Ron Kirby of Knoxville, Tennessee has hosted several sojourns back to Vietnam and is preparing for his final trip to that country as we speak with a planned departure date in January of 2017. Apparently this desire to return is also prevalent with Australian Vietnam Veterans. The Aussies are taking this visiting Vietnam to the next step. According to a story in The WA Today website titled: Swearing they'd never go back, many veterans now call Vietnam's Vung Tau home that was submitted by Lindsay Murdoch many of them are emigrating to Vietnam.

Murdoch visited the city of Vung Tau in the southern part of the country and interviewed several Australian Vietnam Veterans who now live in the city. It is natural retirees of any ilk would gravitate to Vung Tau because it is in a wonderful location on the South China coastline. During the Vietnam War its beautiful location with its white sand beaches was a popular in country R&R location.

The byline of Murdoch's story says it all: "After serving in the war, most Australian veterans swore they’d never go back to Vietnam. But scores have since moved permanently to the southern port city of Vung Tau." The veterans are returning to stay for numerous reasons. On the one hand the people are friendly, the city is one of the most modern in the country and it is cheap to live there. Beer is only $1,00. On the other hand many of the émigrés say they are unhappy with the direction their home country of Australia is taking.

Peter Taylor who now lives in Vung Tau offers this as reasons for leaving his home country: "There is no pressure here as long as you keep your nose clean and don't get into any trouble with the police, or anything like that. If you want a taxi, you just walk out and get one – unlike in Australia, where you have to wait an hour. And I don't like the way Australia is changing. I just don't agree with the people they are bringing to Australia these days. They are not workers – not like the Vietnamese when they came to Australia on boats [after the Vietnam War]."

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. The Veterans Administration estimates 30 percent of Vietnam Veterans suffer from this condition. In this episode the story of how one Vietnam Veteran has successfully coped with this condition. The story comes from The Rocky Mountain Collegian of CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado titled: Living with PTSD: Former CSU professor shares his experience, encourages others to seek help  and was submitted by Randi Mattox.

Richard Thomas had several intense experiences in Vietnam whose memories have stayed with him to this day. During the ensuing years after the War he was busy with his life and that busy activity kept those horrible war memories repressed and he could live a relatively normal life. That changed when he retired. He began to experience the feeling of heightened emotions and wanted to know the reason why.

Thomas said: "After you retire, then it all starts coming back to you, and you can only deny it for so long. I decided that I needed to go get some help, and I went to the VA, and a psychiatrist helped me understand what was going on.” In addition to the help he received from the VA, Thomas was blessed to have a supportive family that included a loving and loyal wife and three sons, all of which who served in the military that has been immensely helpful in helping him cope with the PTSD challenge.

The primary reason Thomas is opening up and telling his story is to hopefully provide some benefits to other PTSD sufferers, both military and civilian and to encourage them to look for help. It is available but they have to ask for it.

CLICK HERE for help in the Fort Collins, Colorado area.

CLICK HERE for help from the Larimer County Veterans Service

If you are not in the Fort Collins area ask them for local contacts.

War is an abhorrent thing. Among other things it brings out the worst in mankind. One of those "worsts" is the murder of innocent civilians who get tangled up in the conflict. In this episode we will take a look at how history repeats itself even in war time. A story found in The Vietnam Express titled: In tale of massacre, Vietnamese survivor wants South Koreans to ‘know the truth’ by Nguyen Dong is featured in this episode. It describes an incident in the Vietnam War where South Korean troops operating in Quang Nam Province took retribution on a village that had the misfortune of being near a mined road that destroyed one of the Korean's vehicles.

As Yogi Berra once said, "it's deja vu all over again." This incident reminded the podcast master of a similar event that occurred in World War II. It seems as if history is destined to repeat itself regardless of its nastiness. In 1942 SS Leader Reinhard Heydrich was in charge of Czechoslovakia. He ran the country in such a ruthless murderous fashion British trained and supplied Czech assassins decided to eliminate the cruel leader. They chose the village of Lidice to carry out their mission as Heydrich passed through in his Mercedes convertible. They succeeded and the Nazis were so upset they killed the residents and then razed all the structures in the village. Sadly the villagers had nothing to do with the assassination but they paid a hard price for it.

It was a very similar situation that February 12th of 1968 in Quang Nam Province. Innocent villagers were slaughtered merely because their village was located near a planted road mine. Dong's article tells about how the story of the killings is slowly being told to the Korean People.

Nguyen Thi Thanh, one of the survivors of the massacre, now tells Korean visitors about that terrible day where her entire family was shot and bayoneted as she watched from a hiding place by South Korean soldiers.

It is a shame these terrible things keep happening.

There have been several notable women that have made impacts on the Vietnam War. One that has been mentioned in the past is Jane Fonda, a name that will live in utter detestation to most all Vietnam Veterans. The mere mention of that name brings ill feelings to many Veterans. In this episode, your podcaster brings you a breath of fresh air with a story about another lady who left a different and more uplifting impression with Vietnam Veterans. A story found in the Denver Post titled: Actress Ann-Margret in Denver to receive VFW lifetime service award: “I love my guys” that was submitted by Bruce Finley ([email protected]) tells it all.

Ann-Margret was honored by the VFW with its Lifetime Service Award recently at a ceremony in Denver, Colorado. She was a singer and actress who made several visits to Vietnam during the war to entertain the troops. In her interview with Finley about her desire to do her part during the war she said: “I could entertain. I can sing and dance and perform. So I felt that I could do something. There was nothing like what they were doing. Every single day, they were out there, men and women. I think about them every single day. See, I am not a doctor. I am not a dentist. I mean, I can’t do that over there. But I can entertain.”

She put her entertaining talents to good use in Vietnam. That was attested to by the fact that All through these years, she has been receiving letters and notes from Vietnam war veterans. They reach her backstage, written by men reminding her they saw her in Vietnam during the war.

One lucky Marine Vietnam Veteran, David Garcia, 73, was able to get her autograph when she entertained the Marines in DaNang. He was at the event in Denver where she was recognized and rewarded for her service to the troops in Vietnam. The lucky dog was able to meet Ann-Margret and remind her of the event in Vietnam and he was rewarded with a hug from the lady.

Ann-Margret's attitude toward the troops in Vietnam was summed up to the Marines attending her show in DaNang when she said: "they had her deepest respect, admiration and loyalty." Take that Jane Fonda!

During the terrible War in Vietnam more than 50,000 mothers received word they had lost their son and daughter in that war. It was a terrible thing because when that happens lives are forever changed. Mothers never really recover from losing their dear children at such an early age. Things can never be made right again for those mothers due to the merciless and devastating finality of death but it does help when the memory of the fallen loved ones is properly honored.

That has recently happened up in the great state of New York. According to a story in The Wellsville Daily Reporter titled: State Route 275 dedicated in Richburg native's memory a fallen Vietnam Veteran, PFC Duane C. Scott, had a section of New York State Route 275 was dedicated to his memory. He died in Vietnam on Sept. 29, 1969, in Pleiku Province. Fittingly, the section of state Route 275 that has been dedicated in his honor passes his school and the cemetery in which he was laid to rest.

Upon graduation from Richburg Central School’s Class of 1967, where he played both basketball and soccer Scott entered the US Army. After basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey he was sent to Vietnam and joined up with B Company, 2nd of the 35 Infantry (the "Cacti Green"), 4th Division based at Camp Mark Enari (named after another fallen Vietnam Veteran) south of Pleiku. Scott was killed in action only 60 days after his arrival in country. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation.

After a great deal of work by Scott’s personal friends and fellow veterans, their efforts ensured that such deserved recognition has come to fruition when Governor Cuomo sign the bill that authorized the highway dedication. Others who provided assistance in the dedication were NY Assemblyman Joseph Giglio and State Senator Catharine Young.

With this action approved by the Governor, PFC Duane C. Scott with be remembered by those traveling along State Highway 275 in Richburg, New York.

All Vietnam Veterans know fighting in that place was a challenging ordeal. Most of us were primarily concerned with surviving a year in that man-made hell hole. That feat entitled us to go down to Cam Ranh Bay or Tan Son Knut or DaNang and get on one of those "freedom birds" that was going to take us home to what we knew would be a grand reception by the folks back home. So much for that fantasy.

Because of that situation, most Vietnam Veterans did dwell on an overall perception of what we were really involved in during that dust-up across the ocean. It is the contention of this podcaster, if a Vietnam Veteran gains a greater knowledge of the history and the geopolitics the area it will make it a lot easier to have a satisfied mind when it comes to our role in the Vietnam War.

A very good and informative overview of the overall history of Vietnam and its geopolitics can be found in a piece from the History News Network titled: Why Do the Americans Still Need Vietnam and the Vietnamese Need Them? that was submitted by Christopher Goscha an associate professor of history at the University of Québec at Montreal. Goscha demonstrates that by reviewing the history of Vietnam from the beginning going back to the second century BC one can see why today the United States and Vietnam have common concerns that really do create a natural attraction for each nation to buddy up with each other.

Vietnam has a long history. They are still digging up Roman coins in Vietnam to this very day. One of the big geopolitical factors involved in the situation is that a very large amount of global trade passes by Vietnam and since the BC times various world powers ranging from the Chinese, the Romans, Russians, French and the Mongols have coveted the area.

Our participation in the Vietnam War was only a small chapter in the overall history of this part of the world. It helps a lot to know more about that history before we decide whether or not it is worth spilling anymore American blood.

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In this episode your happy podcaster, Mack Payne, brings you another story about a brave Vietnam Veteran who served his country with distinction and had to wait fifty years for a proper recognition and welcome home. This veteran's story is described in an article found in The Journal-News of the Dayton Daily News Titled: McCrabb: Vietnam veterans deserved better treatment that was submitted by Rick McCrabb Staff Writer for the Dayton Daily News.

Blaine Underwood of Middletown, Ohio joined the Marines in 1966 upon graduation from Monroe High School in Butler County. Soon after that he found himself in Vietnam serving with the Marines in I Corps (That's up north near the DMZ). When he came home he noticed something strange about a women who lived across the street. Before he went to Vietnam she was very friendly and neighborly and would often speak to him. That all changed when he returned. She never spoke to him again because she did not approve of our country's actions in the Vietnam War. Blaine had another neighbor about his age who joined the Army about the same time he had joined the Marines. His neighbor was sent to Germany where he served his tour of duty. Upon his return the neighbor lady through him a nice “Welcome Home” party yet she never acknowledged Blaine's existence when he came home from Vietnam.

Blaine finally got his proper welcome home when he went on an Honor Flight with 108 other veterans to see the memorials in Washington DC. He said that throughout the entire flight they were all treated “like royalty.” When the veterans and their chaperones landed at Dayton International Airport around 10 p.m., they were cheered by 1,500 people, many of them waving American flags.

Blaine’s wife, Kitty, who was among the welcome home crowd said “It was really emotional,” “ It brought tears to your eyes. The way they honored them. It made your heart… The guys were crying. I just was amazed. People that didn’t have anyone there, they came to honor the veterans.”

After all these years Blaine Underwood got his welcome home.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a terrible challenge facing many Vietnam Veterans. Jim Murphy is one Vietnam Veteran who is successfully tackling his PTSD demons with the help of others. His story was featured in an article in The Progress-Index of Petersburg, Virginia titled: Couple tackles veteran's repressed war experience submitted by Terrance Bell of the Fort Lee Public Affairs. It is a story about how one person is overcoming his PTSD demons and how his methods could help others with similar challenges.

Jim Murphy served in Vietnam with the 11th Pathfinders Company, 11th Aviation Group, 1st Air Cavalry Division based in Bien Hoa. He came home in 1970 and at the airport in San Francisco he encountered vociferous anti-war protestors who shouted things like: "Boo! Baby killers! Here comes the baby killers" at the returning heroes as they deplaned. Murphy was puzzled unable to comprehend their actions. He was proud of his service and wanted to show it off but the protestor's actions left him in a state of bewilderment. He felt like everyone had turned against them. He began to wonder if he was the enemy.

As a result of the treatment he received upon his homecoming, Murphy had difficulty becoming a civilian. He missed the life-or-death camaraderie that shaped his persona as a foot soldier. He had no one he could connect with from that life. All that made things even worse when he began to exhibit symptoms of the dreaded PTSD. He could not talk about the war for thirty years.

Jim Murphy was lucky to have found a loving wife (number three), Christine, and he was blessed with three loving children and twelve grandchildren who love and support him. They would tell him "Dad, we need you, we love you and you need you to function better." They never said we’re leaving you or we’re giving up on you.  He said "I’m one of the more fortunate ones."

He was also fortunate to have a wife who was willing to work with him to make him function better. Today they stand as a shining light to other veterans with similar problems.

It this episode of the podcast we will take another look at the Hmong People situation. A story from the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization website titled: Timeline: Hmong will be featured in this update.

Just a reminder, the Hmong People were indigenous tribesmen who had the misfortune of living in Laos, one of the countries carved out of the old French colony of Indo-China. During the Vietnam War many of the tribesmen were recruited by the CIA to fight in a "secret war" against the North Vietnamese military forces that were flooding into the supposedly neutral Laos.

The Americans pulled out of Vietnam and its secret war in Laos after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 leaving their faithful Hmong fighters behind. In 1973 North Vietnam took over South Vietnam since the south had been deserted by the Americans. Simultaneously communist governments took over Laos and Cambodia.

There was no love lost between the new communist Lao government and the Hmong People. Immediately the communists were determined to eliminate all the Hmong people. They are still suffering the consequences of backing the losing side in the Vietnam War to this day. Persecution is a daily reality and many Hmong live in fear of arbitrary arrest and torture while experiencing abject poverty. Their lands are being stolen and exploited with gold mining, illegal logging, over building of dams, flooding the land and the reduction of wildlife and fisheries.

It is apparent the Lao Government is intent upon committing genocide against its Hmong population and its neighbors are complicit in this vile objective. When Hmong people seek refuge in other countries they are in danger. Vietnam and Thailand have agreements with the Laotian government to detain and aid the forceful repatriation of Hmong refugees.

It is a terrible situation these brave people are facing and something really needs to be done to help them.