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Forum: Vietnam Then and Now

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Created on: 08/03/16 09:38 AM Views: 3711 Replies: 4
Return to Vietnam
Posted Wednesday, August 3, 2016 09:38 AM
Mountains_we_served_in...jpg


Bruce and Claudia Bomier at an ancient temple near Hanoi

 

Classmates,

At one of our informal get-togethers, I mentioned to Ginny Herzog that I had just returned from a visit to Vietnam, where I served during the war, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Upon my return to the Statesshared those discoveries in a memo to the men of my old Army unit, recounting what I had seen and felt during my visit. Because members of our unit had remained close through the years, supporting each other over rough patches as we had done during the war, I knew that both their wartime
experiences 
and their homecoming had been challenging. Many other vets experienced the same treatment. Our classmate Bruce Baldwin was literally spit upon when he returned home in uniform.

 

Whether or not you served overseas, the Vietnam experience likely was significant for most of you in your post-graduation lives. Ginny asked if I would write something for our class website about my experience. It was hard to say no to her request so, with truly professional editorial support from Mary Ann Nord, I submit the following impressions, which I hope will be of interest and perhaps of value to you.

 

These are the three main changes I observed during my return visit to Vietnam:

 

First, the Vietnam of 2016 is simply not anywhere close to the place most of us remember from the war years. Only a few, mostly elderly Vietnamese remember the "American War," as they call it, and many of them actually fought alongside Americans. The feelings, sorrows and emotions of war have been replaced by something quite different and, at least to me, inspiring — the hopes of the common Vietnamese people for a better future, based in part on a positive, healthy bond with the United States.

 

As South Vietnam fell to the Communists in the 1970s, America evacuated as many allied South Vietnamese citizens as possible. We dumped hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of helicopters and war materiel into the ocean to make room in planes and ships for thousands of Vietnamese to emigrate to the United States. That humane decision turns out to have been a great investment.

 

For the most part, these Vietnamese emigres have been hugely successful, starting businesses, providing financial support to families left behind and returning to share positive insights about the United States. Many Americans, too, including American veterans, are working to support Vietnamese charities and private aidorganizations. Principal among the people most admired by the Vietnamese is Sen. John McCainDuring my travels I visited a site that pays tribute to McCain for his many return trips to the country and for his "grace, bravery, and forgiveness." Both he and Secretary of State John Kerry have spent considerable time there, offeringpersonal and national support for the evolving Vietnamese society.

 

Second, the Vietnamese have come to respect and admire much about America. Most of them don't pay attention to the still-present anti-American propaganda. After I spenttime with them, perhaps sharing some rice wine, they chose their words carefully to express disappointment in the Communist bureaucracy. I got the impression that they envy nations with free and transparent elections of leaders.

 

As for jobs and educational opportunities, there are factories going up everywhere to manufacture goods for U.S.based companies (check out clothing sources at Target). The ultimate job for many is to work at one of several Apple assembly plants. Russian and French languages are no longer taught in Vietnamese schools. Today every student must learn English, called, "American English." When I rode a bike around a small town near Hue, dozens of children ran up to me, trying to practice their English.

 

Vietnamese people also love American food, including McDonald's, Starbucks and the ubiquitous KFC, which they call "old man chicken." They watch our movies and are especially taken with all things Disney. When I saw elementary school children walking or riding bikes to school, a high percentage sported decals from the Disney movie “Frozen” on their backpacks. In bars, when "The Simpsons" comes on TV, I'm told the patrons cheer Bart and hiss at Mr. Burns.

 


The mountains we served in

 

Third, the Vietnamese people see us as part of their future security. They understand the tough war we conducted under difficult circumstances and respect the quality of our weapons and military, including, of course, the B-52s. Threats from China and especially North Korea are a cause for great concern. Vietnamese authorities are currently negotiating with the Obama Administration to allow our Seventh Fleet to reoccupy Cam Ranh Bay. Shortly after I left, President Obama visited Vietnam and signed an agreement to provide weapons to their military.

 

It is strange to comprehend, but it seems the Vietnamese want us as allies and, more significantly, as friends.

 

As I mellow into my 70s, I'm better able to see the war from a much less tragic perspective. I wanted to share what I discovered not only with those with whom I served, but also, as Ginny suggested, with our Class of 1964.


 Bruce used a trained dog to help scout a hostile area near the Saigon River.


 
Edited 08/03/16 01:59 PM
RE: Return to Vietnam
Posted Wednesday, August 3, 2016 02:27 PM

Bruce:

Thank you so much for entrusting me with your thought-provoking article. I hope it elicits some equally thoughtful responses from our classmates.

All of us who came of age at this fraught time in our nation’s history — whatever our individual experiences or political leanings may have been — were touched by that terrible war. I was reminded of that when I attended a program recently at the Roseville (Minn.) Public Library — one of the most moving experiences I’ve had on the painful subject of Vietnam.

The program began with readings from “The Things They Carried” by award-winning author Tim O’Brien, a Minnesota native and Vietnam veteran. In his unforgettable book he recounts how his characters struggle to find peace in their post-war lives. “A true war story is never about war,” he writes. “It’s about sunlight…. It’s about love and memory. It’s about sorrow.”

Also on the program that evening was a panel of four Vietnam War veterans who represented a variety of perspectives — different branches of the service, varied wartime roles (flyer, “grunt,” company leader) and different attitudes, then and now, about their service. With each excerpt read from the book, the moderator asked a related question of the panel: Were you drafted or did you enlist, and why? What kind of talisman did you carry with you in the field? Did you ever think of deserting? How were you treated upon your return?

One of the men, who had been back to Vietnam numerous times since the war, often participated in such panel discussions about his experiences. Another of the Vets had never before spoken publicly about his experiences in the war; he was clearly struggling to open up for the first time. Still another panelist couldn’t stop crying as he listened to the others speak.

The audience, also representing a variety of perspectives and political persuasions, was spellbound, entirely supportive and grateful for the men’s courage in sharing something so profound and personal. Several audience members — one a nurse in Vietnam, one a war protester — shared their own stories.

No matter where we were in our lives at that time, probably every one of us knew someone who served in the military and others who chose different paths. Now, with a distance of nearly 50 years between us and the indelible images of that terrible war, it is perhaps easier for each of us to see things more clearly and to listen to one other’s stories with compassion.

Mary Ann

 
Return to Vietnam
Posted Wednesday, February 1, 2017 10:58 PM

Welcome home.  I also served from 1967 to 1969.  I further met the Navy commander of the task force that contained the ships one normally sees during documentary programs about the war...you know where all the helicopters are being dumped overboard!!!  This rear admiral and his staff came to South Korea while I was stationed there in 1974 so I had the pleasure of speaking with him at dinner one evening and discussed the retrograde operations of his task force which was highly informative.

 
Edited 02/01/17 11:00 PM
RE: Return to Vietnam
Posted Friday, August 18, 2017 01:28 PM

Bruce--Thanks for sharing your experiences about Vietnam with the rest of our classmates. I was stationed in III corps from January '67 thru February '68 and remember that the country was very beautiful and the Vietnamese people were industrious and resourceful.  Lynne and I are planning a trip to Washington D.C. on Veterans Day in November for a recognition of the 35th anniversary of "THE WALL".   Then next spring we plan to return to Vietnam (50th wedding anniversary trip). Thank you for telling us what to expect.   Tentatively, we are also planning a visit to Minnesota next fall. Perhaps we could get together then.  You and all classmates are always welcome to viisit us in Eugene,Oregon.

Warmest Regards,

John and Lynne 

 

 

 

 

 

 
RE: Return to Vietnam
Posted Thursday, May 23, 2019 09:44 PM

Bruce beautifully done!  I recently had two Vietnam remembrances (While I am retired Army Major with 23 years of enlisted and officer service, primarily in the AR, and went in '66, I did not serve in Vietnam--thank you for your service there).

Just that last February I spoke to the UofM Alumni Assn and made a Webinar video for them on career guidance I gleaned from very successful folks over the years, I remembered driving to class from Edina, getting out by 11, avoiding the sometimes burning barricades set on fire by protesters, heading to my full time job at the Guthrie only to don an Army uniform on Wednesday nights and one weekend a month all during those tumultuous times.  

This spring I sought a new US Army Retired hat at a local vendor fair in my little AZ mountain town.  Guess where it was made?  Vietnam.  What irony. 

In recent travels through China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore, I experienced some of the same warmth (yes even in China) for Americans.  I hope as a nation we can once again earn that respect through our actions through sane international relations.