Mekong Delta, 1973

Foto:Mekong Delta 1973. Behind the lines, during the 'Truce'. Vietcong guerilla, gringoman, Brit colleague Eric Cavaliero (Wonder which is which?)

 

[Note: This is just a  personal foto souvenir  It does not attempt to, nor could it possibly,  substitute for any memorial in or of  the armed services. As for choice of foto, others could have been used instead. For example, a gringo foto taken during an ambush in Cambodia with 25th Division armor on Invasion Day (1970) ---picked up by the AP's Pulitzer Prize foto editor in Saigon, Horst Faas.   Think tank decided on something probably more  unique--a face to face,  finally, after years of war, with the enemy.]

 

.....Yes, it's true that some gave everything, and everyone gave something.  You would know that even if, like myself, you were not in the military but many times with it and finally, after the Paris Cease Fire Accord, on the most unusual trip ever in that war---a visit to "Charley," the VC, 'Victor Charley,'  the famous (for some) and infamous (for others) Vietcong, the shadowy southern guerilla who, if he survived the huge Tet '68  body count, was still very useful to the Communists, especially the Hanoi branch and its regular Army

 

The eccentric Englishman Eric Cavaliero (night man, CBS Bureau, Saigon) was more or less a pacifist  but never  hard-core leftniki or like the pampered U.S. college kids--progeny of The Greatest Generation-- who were shouting to the TV cameras, "Hell no, we won't go!"  In fact Eric quit his job as religion editor  at the Honolulu Advertiser and lit out for Vietnam, a land he decided he would love (and  did.) A  true vegetarian romantic

 

On this trip, about 50 miles from Saigon, we assumed we wouldn't be shot, although the  Government of President Nguyen van Thieu was suggesting otherwise.(Not being lawyers, we didn't think to ask anyone   for a guarantee in writing, or a safe conduct pass, contractually binding.)  But we did get there and in fact got out again in two days. Eric, who usually focused on Buddhists, orphanages, social workers etc, thought this change of pace  his top story ever. He wrote this for  Honolulu,  I for the Chicago Sun-Times and a certain New York newspaper.

 

Incidentally, on the occasion of memories and sacrifice, the guerilla's AK-47 rifle (like the one "Charley" is holding here with banana clip) is worthy of mention. Most every American of experience would tell you that the simple AK-47, a creation of Mr. Kalashnikov the Russian,  was (is?) a better, sturdier and more reliable weapon than the U.S. Army's standard-issue M-16 that was carried by countless thousands of grunts while slogging, humping or even bunking down in the red earth of Vietnam,

 © 2006, gringoworks

Technorati Tags: Memorial Day, Vietnam

BlogWorld: See Michelle Malkin's excellent round-up on Memorial Day and what it's all about. Freedom  Is Not Free.

Comments

[gringoman]

In this era of Border Wars, there is no escape---no, not even on Memorial Day. And so, as a reality check, we re-post this comment culled from LaShawn Barber's blog. Mr. Bush, you don't want another mega-buck consultant, but you still want a sense of the National Pulse in late May, 2006, free of loony left and crazy capitalist? Well, sample this from Dianne, who doesn't even live in an over-run border state....

#

Today is Memorial Day, a national Holiday in the U.S. This morning 10 Mexicans arrived on the job to do brickwork on a house across the street from me. I know they are illegal. I know they are not getting double time for holiday pay. I know they were hired by a contractor who is sipping his cocktail down at the lake. I know the companies that hire legal citizens lost out on this bid. I can’t prove my allegations of course, just have a gut instinct. This is Kansas. I’ve lived here for over 30 years and never have I seen homes being built on a holiday, any holiday. I wish there was something I could do about this. This is supposed to be a day of honor for our war dead. Thanks a lot Bush for ruining our country.

Comment by dianne — 05.29.06 @ 10:45 am

[scott edwards]

After Nixon destroyed our democracy and installed Pinochet, I, like many others was forced into exile. I made my way to Mexico and then on to Cuba. Later I went to Guinea where I worked in public health and literacy near the borders with Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire. In '73 Guinea served as a transit hub for the resupply in the wars against imperialism in Namibia and Angola.
US soldiers would cross from Liberia to disrupt and spy on our efforts. One night nine of them paid with their lives, seven due to our fire and two by the crocodiles in the St John river.
In the evenings we would listen to RM via shortwave regarding the freedom forces in South Asia.

[gringoman]

The "freedom forces" who cheered you on shortwave radio were soon to have great victories in Southeast Asia. In Cambodia alone, after the "imperialists" left, they were able to murder more than one million. It was so easy. They didn't have to worry much about pampered college kids or Trust Fund socialists or Castroite concerns. They were not flustered by the World Media that used to focus on every single casualty that could be related to "U.S. Imperialist" actions against these "freedom forces."

Today, anyone who gets to Siem Reap, on the great brown Tonle Sap lake by Angkor Wat and its classic jungle, may visit the alligator farm. Somewhat seedily kept, yet a fascinating display of the creatures, lolling in the sun, very still, or maybe crawling slowly to the pond. One can see everything from the small six-footers to the huge old grandaddies. Unlike the "liberated" humans, they did not go hungry after the Great Victory, or starve like the millions in Mugabe's "liberated" Zimbabwe. They ate after the Great Victory, and apparently very well. The leaders of the Angka had ways of eliminating many enemies of the People. As good revolutionaries, they economized on scarce resources. Without using up bullets, for example, they were able to eliminate many counter-revolutionary men, women and children. Meanwhile, on distant college campuses, the kids were singing "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Kumbaya" and no longer waving placards for TV news and yelling anti-imperialist slogans.

[Phillip Wedeen]

Gringoman: When did you stop pointing that gun at those two gaffers wearing those silly far-east sombreros?
Let me guess, you are a minuteman and you are deporting these clowns back to Mexico? Is the guy on the left doing the buddha handclasp while the guy on the right is scratching himself?

Really, this looks like a posed snapshot in front of the TikiRoom. It would look more newsworthy if you had Tancredo striking a serious tone about illegals, suitcase nukes, democrats, and Jane Fonda.

BTW your remarks to my chilean comrade who fought so bravely in the african campaign, Mugabe came into power some ten years after the events ascribed to him, by you. Its okay, I got your drift. Killing kids with napalm is okay if you do it singing the national anthem.

[gringoman]

Wedeen, can we interrupt your sad psychosis for a moment? (Don't worry, you can get back soon enough to yelling "napalm" if it helps you hide from what your comrades did to 1.4 million Cambodians. You can even belch that Omar the world-reknowned young Iraqi blogger (Iraq the Model) is an American robot housed in Virginia, or similar "insights" about myself. (And even if your Chilean comrade was so deeply involved in Castro's Africa, too early to comment on the atrocities of Comrade Mugabe later in "liberated" former Rhodesia where millions of blacks long to be un-liberated from these African "anti-colonialist" jackals, nobody will ask why he's not married to an African instead of a Chinese Communist.

Instead, one wonders if the "anti-imperialist" Wedeen would be interested in confronting someone originally from Canada. This man is not a Cana-kook, of course. In other words, you might need to enlighten him with your keen understanding of Iraq today. He happens to be in Baghdad. Are you ready to teach him, offer your educated assistance, correct his perspectives, and maybe even offer a subscription to Le Devoir to further help him out?

[Raymond Smalley]

Hello,

I am contacting you on behalf of Raj Bhakta for Congress. I am writing because this campaign respects your impressive website which showcases your immense talent.

Blogs are underutilized in politics. This campaign is interested in developing a strong relationship with you, so that your blog may reach it’s maximum potential. Please contact upon receiving this e-mail, as I would like future communication.

Sincerely,
Raymond Smalley
Raj for Congress
www.rajforcongress.com