Story 1

May 24, 2008

Nobody Wanted To Be There...
...But They Went Anyway

THE VIETNAM CONFLICT (1959-1975)

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, the Vietnam Conflict, and, in Vietnam, the American War. The war was between the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and its communist allies, the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) with the U.S. support . The main military organizations involved in the war were, on the side of South, the U.S. military and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), and, on the side of the North, the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF), also known as the Viet Cong, and the Vietnam People's Army (VPA), also known as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) or the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).

It grew out of the long conflict between France and Vietnam. In 1954, a defeated France was forced to leave Vietnam. This decisive battle convinced the French that they could no longer maintain their Indochinese colonies and Paris quickly sued for peace. As the two sides came together in Geneva, Switzerland, international events were already shaping the future of Vietnam's modern revolution.

The conflict concluded with the defeat and dissolution of South Vietnam. For the United States, the war ended with the withdrawal of American troops and the failure of its foreign policy in Vietnam. The US didn't lose the war, but withdrew before they lost. On April 30, 1975, the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, fell to the communist forces of North Vietnam, effectively ending the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War ended with 2,489 United States missing in action military members.

• The Vietnam war was the longest in our nation's history.
• In 1959 the first two Americans were killed and one wounded during a Viet Minh.
• The last casualties in connection with the war occurred on May 15, 1975, during the Mayaquez incident.
• Five men killed in action were only 16 years old and the oldest killed in action was 62 years old.
• Officially there are still 1,991 Americans unaccounted for from SE Asia.
• Approximately 2.7 million Americans served in the war zone;About 7,500 were women.
• An Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam Conflict, was interred May 28, 1984

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE VIETNAM CONFLICT:

• Approximately 12,000 helicopters saw action in Vietnam from all branches of the Military
• May 1961 President Kennedy ordered 100 "special forces" troops to South Vietnam
• July 1964 US military contingent in Vietnam would increase from 5,000 to 21,000.
• Jan. 66 thru Oct. 68 US bombs dropped on N. Vietnam over 600,000 tons.
• Nov 1969 the President was given the authority by Congress to institute the "draft lottery" system, which was aimed at inducting 19 year olds before older men.
• July 1971 During the peace talks, the Viet Cong proposed the return of All American and allied prisoners held in North and South Vietnam by the end of 1971 if all US troops were withdraw within the same period.
• Dec. 26-30 1971 The US carries out the heaviest air strikes on North Vietnam since 1968 in Operation Proud Deep.
• Jan 1973 Official end of the Vietnam War. 587 military and civilian prisoners were released by the North Vietnamese.
• Mar. 1973 67 the actual end of military involvement in Vietnam and more P.O.W.'s were freed in Hanoi.
• American presence in Saigon ends with the last Americans are evacuated by helicopter from the US Embassy roof. Within hours the Saigon government surrendered to the VC.

As it is said: "ALL GAVE SOME ... SOME GAVE ALL"
The Vietnam war was not lost on the battlefield.
No American force in ANY other conflict fought with more determination or sheer courage than the Vietnam Veteran.

300,000 United States military members were wounded and approximately 75,000 permanently disabled.

Vietnam was a savage, in your face war where death could and did strike from anywhere with absolutely no warning.

The brave young men and women who fought that war paid an awful price of blood, pain and suffering and many are still suffering.

Agent Orange:
1962-through the current timeframe:
About 3 million Americans served in the armed forces in Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict, some of whom were exposed to a defoliant herbicide mixture called Agent Orange. The mission, known as Operation Ranch Hand, involved spraying 20 million gallons of Agent Orange over roughly 3.6 million acres of Vietnamese land to removed forest cover, destroy crops, and clear vegetation from US bases. There were many different formulations of herbicide mixtures used. The mixtures were shipped in chemical drums marked with orange colored stripes to identify the mixture. Hence the name Agent Orange. Research is still being conducted to ascertain the lasting health consequences of exposure, since it has thus far been linked to several cancers and other diseases.

VIETNAM STAYS WITH A PERSON FOREVER,
IT LIVES INSIDE YOU AND NEVER SEEMS TO GET BETTER.
KNOW THIS MY DEAR VIETNAM VETS,
YOU ARE APPRECIATED AND NEVER WILL BE FORGOTTEN.
BY THOSE OF US WHO SEE THAT YOU STAY UNSPOKEN,
TO US YOU ARE TRUE AMERICAN HEROES!
WE THANK YOU WITH ALL OUR HEARTS
SO PLEASE DO NOT DEPART WITHOUT
HEARING THESE WORDS THAT YOU HAVE
WAITED SO LONG TO HEAR
WELCOME HOME, DEAR SOLDIER, WELCOME HOME