Vietnam Veteran News with Mack Payne

Big news! President Obama announced in Hanoi today that the US will be lifting its embargo on the sale of lethal military equipment to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Isn't that a relief? The writer has been so worried about that pesky embargo that prevented the "mighty mouse" of Southeast Asia from purchasing the latest in armaments from the US. Especially since the expansionist giant from the north, China has been pushing its weight around lately. It seems China must be looking for a little lebensraum in the South China Sea by claiming ownership of the Spratley and Paracel Islands. The problem is that several countries in the area also claim the disputed specks in the sea.

The actions taken by China is causing concern by all in the region. They are afraid the gentle giant of the north will usurp not only the islands and their dredged up airfields and naval bases but also the rich fishing grounds and large petroleum deposits in the internationally recognized 200 mile space around land masses no matter how small. The neighbors also fear the Chinese could disrupt the flow of commercial shipping in the South China Sea if they controlled the islands.

The emerging dark clouds on the horizon have caused the US to stop its bellyaching about human rights violations in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam of open the gate for them to purchase all the weapons they want with all the money they will be raking in from the auspices of membership in the TPP.

The writer finds interesting the remarks made by President Obama in Hanoi during the announcement of the lifting of the embargo. He stated that the reason for the action was to correct mistakes made in the past and not because of the threat of Chinese expansionism. This is coming from the same person who stated numerous times "you can keep you same doctor under Obama Care."

There were two articles featured in this episode. One from The Week website titled: US lifts decades-long Vietnam arms embargo and the other from CNN Politics tilted: How the United States and Vietnam have become unlikely friends submitted by Nathan Thompson.

The times they are a changing when it comes to relations between the US and Vietnam. The times are slowly converting the former adversaries into close allies against the Chinese menace growing on the horizons of Southeast Asia. This trend is described in a story from The Times of India titled: Why might Vietnam let US military return? China. Submitted by Jane Perlez | NYT News Service. For the last few years Vietnam has been seeking a lifting of the embargo against the sale of military lethal weapons to that country. A partial ban went into effect in 2014 but the Vietnamese want more.

President Obama has taken time out of his busy schedule of determining which public bathrooms a person regardless of physical sexual makeup may use. He is going to the far east to apologize to the Japanese for dropping nukes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the former all out war. On the same trip he will make a visit to our former adversary with a stop in Hanoi where Senator John McCain spent some time as a POW.  It is expected by this writer that he will complete the lifting on all sanctions of lethal arm sales to the Vietnamese. Sources say the holdup is the former enemy's less than good human rights record. Human Rights Watch describes Vietnam as one of the world's most repressive governments.

It seems the Chinese have rained on this "make nicey nicey party" with their aggressive actions in the South China Sea. They are claiming full ownership of disputed islands in the Sea. They are the Paracels and Spratleys. The Chinese are converting them into military bases and hogging the recourses in the area included both rich fishing grounds and large petroleum reserves. In the new reality the US is considering lifting the ban on weapons sales to shore up the area and to hopefully prevent more wars in the area.

One of the prizes for the US lifting the arms sale ban is the right to use the large naval port of Cam Ranh Bay. So let's see what our great leadership can come up with in this foreign relations conundrum.

More and more Vietnam Veterans are returning to Vietnam to revisit places where so many memories were seared into their psyche. Some go for curiosity and others go to confront the demons that have haunted them for decades. One Vietnam Veteran, Skip Nichols of Walla Walla, Washington recently traveled back to Vietnam and his trip was chronicled in a story in The East Oregonian titled: Return to Vietnam by  Kathy Aney of the East Oregonian.

Aney describes how Nichols decided to join the US Marines after a recruiter visited his high school in Texas. After he completed radio and Vietnamese language school he found himself in Danang getting equipped for a trip to his home base at Camp Carroll and assignment to the 3rd Marine Regiment. His five month tour with the 3rd Marines was filled with constant patrolling with numerous encounters with the enemy. Once he was nearly killed during a rocket attack at Quang Tri while he was in the middle of taking a shower.

His tour was cut short when he went home on emergency leave due to his mother suffering a near fatal illness and then when he was about to return to Vietnam, his father experienced a stroke. That kept him from returning. While he was away many in his old unit were killed in action. He felt guilty for not being there with his buddies and thinking he might have been able to do something for them. That guilt has stayed with Nichols ever since.

After he left the Marines he got married and settled into a career in journalism. He retired as the editor of the East Oregonian in Pendleton, Oregon. Despite maintaining an easy going demeanor over the years he was still bothered by memories of combat in Vietnam. He decided to return and face his demons. He was accompanied by his wife of 46 years and a small group of fellow Vietnam Veterans. It turned out to be a wonderful experience for all.

If you would like to make a return trip to Vietnam here are a few agencies who can make that happen.

Vietnam Combat Tours

Top Vietnam Veterans Tours

Audley Travel

Luxury Vietnam Tours

Buffalo Tours

Insider Tours

More Fun Travel

Another Memorial Day is rapidly approaching and again we will gather to honor the memory of all those who gave their lives to protect this country in the numerous wars the USA has had to fight down through its history. In all more than one and a half million have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Vietnam Veterans often think of the 53,307 Americans who gave their lives for their country in the Vietnam Conflict.

The writer of this piece often wonders if the price in American lives this country paid in Vietnam was worth it. 58,307 mother's lives were devastated forever. True it was important to stem the spread of communism, but could it have been done differently and at a lesser cost of precious American lives?

The answer to that question lies in the careful and complete examination of the lesson of history, specifically in this case the lessons learned in Vietnam. A column in World Politics Review titled: LBJ, Vietnam and the Political Costs of Fighting a Hopeless War by Michael A. Cohen helps shed light on this challenging question. He describes how a "bull headed" Lyndon Johnson refused to take into account messages coming from the his political left to end the war and get out and more-moderate Republican hawks to take more measures to win the war with force. Johnson decided to eschew the pressure from both sides and continue pursuing a "middle of the road" policy to continue the same flawed middle-ground policy of insufficient escalation.

58,307 lives later Cohen concludes: "the real lesson of 1968, and of the wars in Korea and Vietnam, is that the American people are far more reluctant warriors and less wedded to the myth of credibility than politicians are. When it comes to the use of military force, they are more likely to punish a politician and a party that fights a hopeless war than to reward them. And it’s not just Democrats who make these mistakes.

Lyndon Johnson didn’t grasp that in 1968. One can only hope that future politicians learn from his mistakes."

Check our Michael A. Cohen's outstanding book American Maelstrom. Just click on book image.

In previous episodes of this podcast local allies of the Americans in the Vietnam War have been featured. They include the Montagnards in Vietnam and the Hmong People of Laos. Both these regional groups were faithful and effective allies for the Americans in their fight against the communist forces attempting to take over the country and make it into their vision of a collective workers paradise. They had no interest in the bill of goods the communists were trying to strong arm sell to them. Unfortunately when we departed from Vietnam after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 those faithful allies were abandoned to face a harsh future communist brutality on their own. The fate of loyal allies in wars is something that must be carefully considered when contemplating war.

A story from NBC News titled: War Wounds Resurfaced in 'Operation Popcorn,' Documentary on Hmong Arrests by Sahra Vang Nguyen highlights this point. Operation popcorn is a docu-drama produced by David Grabias about the 2007 arrest of 10 Hmong-American leaders and a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. It details what Hmong operatives living in California were trying to do to help their fellow countrymen back home in Laos.

The movie producer Grabias said this about the  situation with refugees "The U.S. government has a history of going in and getting involved in regional conflict with surrogate allies. You can look at Afghanistan and Iraq in more recent history. What is our relationship with them during the conflict, and more importantly, our relationship with them after the conflict is over?"

He also said this "You can have a discussion about refugee issues and about who these communities are, what debt we owe them, what their place and role in America can be, in a way that's a little less sensationalized. We can really get a sense of how these issues have played out over the last two decades."

The movie, Pop Corn, will be making its national broadcast debut May 17 on the WORLD channel. CLICK HERE for more details.

In this episode two stories will be featured. One concerns a press release about a press conference in DC and the other about a distasteful account of a charge of stolen valor by a revered Vietnam Veteran hero.

The featured press release was put out by Matt Sheehey, 202-225-5614 or [email protected]. The title is Lawmakers, Veterans host press conference on Agent Orange legislation Wednesday, May 18. Congressman Chris Gibson of New York along with numerous other interested parties are gathering for a press conference with the specific purpose of attaining passage of proposed legislation in both the House and Senate that will help the ailing Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans. For some still unexplained reason the VA has excluded the Blue Water Navy category of Vietnam Veterans from receiving assistance for Agent Orange caused illnesses and diseases despite the fact they are suffering from those maladies more than any other specific group of Vietnam Veterans.

Here is a list expected attendees: Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Steve Daines (MT), Representatives Chris Gibson (NY-19), Paul Tonko (NY-20), David Valadao (CA-21), Leonard Lance (NJ-7), Bill Johnson (OH-6), Roger Williams (TX-25), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Ryan Costello (PA-06), and Beto O’Rourke (TX-16), Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans, military families, members of Veterans Service Organizations, and other supporters.

The other story featured in this episode comes from Military.com titled: Army Investigating 'We Were Soldiers' Legend for Inflating Awards submitted by Matthew Cox. It is about the gut wrenching realization that one of the most celebrated heroes of the Vietnam War, the late Command Sgt. Major Basil Plumley who gained fame at the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley along with retired Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore, exaggerated his previous wartime achievements.

A researcher, Brian Siddall, has found evidence Plumley wore medals and made claims for his service in World War II and Korea that do not match up with reality. Siddall stumbled across his findings when he was doing research on his uncle who died when he jumped into Normandy with the 82nd Airborne on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

No doubt Plumley is a bona-fide hero due to his actions in the Vietnam battle but we cannot condone someone lying about their combat record despite their subsequent actions. The honor of military valor awards is too honorable and should never be diluted with false claims. Listen to the whole story and you decide. Comments are welcome.

Fifty years ago across the nation young men were answering the call of duty from their country to serve in Vietnam. Some burned their draft cards and ran off to Canada like a bunch of scared chickens but the vast majority stood up to the challenge like men and served. In this episode a story from The Gainesville Times titled: Vietnam veterans were bonded by war 50 years ago by Jeff Gill [email protected] is featured. It tells the story of a group of Vietnam Veterans from Gainesville, Georgia.

Gill describes the recent meeting of seven Vietnam Veterans from Gainesville at the bus stop in front of the Hall County Court House. It was the same bus stop where a group of twenty two young men which they were a part of boarded a Greyhound bus on a spring morning fifty years ago and headed off to glory in Vietnam. Of the twenty two who boarded that bus on a Sunday morning so long ago, twenty one came home and continued serving their country as good citizens in Gainesville.

The budding soldier's journey took them first to Fort Benning, Georgia where they were inducted. Following their GI haircuts they had to reacquaint with each other because of their new looks. They received their basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas. After their training was completed they traveled by train to San Francisco where they were to be shipped out to join the famous 9th Infantry Division down south in Vietnam. They reported they were treated like kings on the railroad trip out to California including being provided food that was fit for a king. Some of the men suspected they were being set up like the condemned man.

It was a tough year in Vietnam for the Georgians but all but one on the group that boarded the bus made it home. "There were physical and mental tolls, including struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and physical ailments believed to have been caused by exposure to Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant the U.S. military used to kill vegetation."

One of the members of the seven, Edwin Dale said “I wouldn’t want to go through it again,” with a slight smile, “but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world.”

This episode concerns announcements. The first is about an event to be held in Sarasota, Florida put on by the Tidewell Hospice. It was described in a story appearing in The Sarasota Herald-Tribune newspaper titled: Are you a Vietnam vet by  Barbara Peters Smith of the Herald-Tribune. Another announcement is about the book signing event I will be conducting in Quincy, Florida in June. And finally I will be mentioning the presentation of my new Information Formation Oration website.

The first announcement is about a serious matter - the aging of Vietnam Veterans. You are probably aware hospice means anything to do with the care and philosophy of care that focuses on the lessening of but without curing of a chronically ill, terminally ill or seriously ill patient's pain and symptoms, and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs. Put that together with Vietnam Veterans and it gets a little depressing but it is something that must be addressed.

The Sarasota, Florida based Tidewell Hospice is conducting an event called "Vietnam Veterans: Challenges in Later Years" to be held on May 24. It is a workshop where participants will learn about the impact of the Vietnam War era and how caregivers can meet the unique needs of veterans and their families at the end of life. The event also will include a panel discussion and a Tidewell Honors pinning ceremony. Retired Army Col. Ben Knisely, a Riverview High graduate, will discuss the challenges his contemporaries face.

CLICK HERE for more details about the event.

Another announcement is about a book Signing event I will be conducting on June 4 at Quincy, Florida. I will be signing copies of my new book titled: Conversations with Vietnam Heroes along with Jessie Lee, one of the heroes in the book. It will take place at the William A. McGill Library on Saturday, June 4 from 10:00 am to noon.

The last announcement in this episode is the launching of my new speaker website at: http://mackpayne.info. Take a look and pass it on to any event planner you know who may be looking for a speaker for their next event.

In this episode we are going to take a brief look at war dogs and specifically Vietnam War Dogs. A story about a Vietnam Veteran war dog handler, John Meeks, will be featured. It comes from The Herald Bulletin of Anderson Indiana titled: Kokomo man shares war dogs history with Anderson students submitted by Rebecca R. Bibbs of The Herald Bulletin and tells about Meeks presentation to an assembly of students in an advanced placement U.S history class. He told the students about his experiences as a dog handler with the 42nd Scout Dog Platoon of the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. It was mentioned how when he arrived at the 101st he was assigned as the sixth handler of an experienced scout dog named Artus and that the dog was killed in action on December 11, 1970.

Meeks serves as the executive director of Chapter 3 of the United States War Dogs Association. It is made up of former and current U.S. military dog handlers and the Indiana chapter of the War Dogs Association, which serves the Midwest, is one of only four local chapters nationwide. He told the students about the Association and all that it does to honor and support war dogs.

According to the U.S. War Dogs Association, war dogs have been used for military operations since ancient times in Persia, Assyria and Rome. In the United States, their service to our country began during World War I. Military dogs serve as sentry, scout, casualty and messenger functions. Some also are trained to detect explosives. Meeks informed the assembly of students that units utilizing war dogs suffered less casualties than those without dogs.

The objectives of the U.S. War Dogs Association include:

 EDUCATION; To bring the History of the U.S Military Working Dogs from all the Wars to the Public.

SUPPORT;

1.  Support Service Dog Organizations such as Military Working Dogs, Police K-9 Units and Search and Rescue units.

2.  Post Deployment Outreach for our Returning Troops.

3.  Support Organizations and Programs that are supporting returning Troops with Therapy Dogs

K-9 ADOPTION;  Help in the process of adopting retiring Military and Police K-9s.

WAR DOG MEMORIALS; Help raising funds for War Dog Memorials.

For more information about Chapter 3 of The United States War Dogs Association. Established in 2000 CLICK HERE.

In episode 604 of this podcast we took a look at a lawsuit recently filed by Army Captain Nathan Michael Smith in a Federal Court in Washington DC claiming President Obama among other things exceeded his Constitutional authority in his execution of the war against ISIS. "Excerpts from a lawsuit filed on May 4 in a federal district court in Washington, D.C., by a young U.S. Army officer, Captain Nathan Michael Smith.  Now serving as part of U.S. military operations in Iraq and Syria from a headquarters in Kuwait, the officer filed a statement under oath in court, saying that he filed his lawsuit as a matter of conscience, because he took an oath to defend the Constitution and has doubts about the legality of the operations against the Islamic State."

In this episode we are going to shed more light on the situation by featuring an article in The Constitution Daily website titled: Constitution Check: Is current U.S. military action against ISIS illegal? by Lyle Denniston. He is the National Constitution Center’s adviser on constitutional literacy. Mr. Denniston has reported on the Supreme Court for over 50 years, currently covering it for SCOTUS blog, an online clearinghouse of information about the Supreme Court’s work.

Denniston speculates that the Judicial branch of the government is very reluctant to jump into the fray of deciding questions related to the conduct of foreign policy and the necessity of the use of military force in that policy. This becomes very a touchy issue for Vietnam Veterans because about fifty years ago another president made a unilateral decision to proceed with a war in Vietnam and that decision resulted in 58,000 Americans losing their lives. In the War against ISIS, President Obama if following the same path. Let's hope the body count will be much less in this adventure.