This presentation presents the facts of the Vietnam war from the standpoint of one who was there. It attempts to accurately and factually present the efforts and hardships of those who served. It is done in the overall context of the 1960s showing the reasons for US participation as well as the orientation and motivation of those who participated. It further examines the impact and consequences of the media and the hippie/yippie culture on the war's outcome.

1. REMEMBER THESE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN THE GREAT DEFENDERS

2. YES, SOME WENT ANYWAY

3. Waroer, 1 a (1) a state of open and declared hostile conflict between states or nations Webster’s 9th Collegiate Dictionary IN WHICH MEN AND WOMEN GET KILLED OR WOUNDED VIETNAM

4. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE DAY SINCE DECEMBER 1968 THAT I HAVE NOT THOUGHT ABOUT MY TIME IN VIETNAM N O T O N E A NOTE FROM A DEAR FRIEND N O T O N E

5. The Cold War IDEOLOGY

7. WHY?? BAY OF PIGS SPUTNIK SOVIET UNION - RUSSIA CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

8. WHO IS THIS MAN? NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV PREMIER OF THE SOVIET UNION "WE WILL BURY YOU!" November 18, 1956

9. SPUTNIK THE SOVIET UNION IN SPACE O C T O B E R 4 1 9 5 7

10. AS CHILDREN, WE PERFORMED AIR RAID DRILLS DRAWING THE BLINDS IN OUR CLASSROOMS HIDING UNDER OUR DESKS FOR PROTECTION FROM RUSSIAN NUCLEAR ATTACK

11. FEAR NUCLEAR

12. DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN? FIDEL CASTRO CUBAN REVOLUTIONARY

13. FIDEL CASTRO SHOWN HERE WITH FELLOW REVOLUTIONARY CHE’ GUEVARRA OVERTHROWS THE SMALL ISLAND NATION OF CUBA. A MERE 90 MILES FROM??? 1959 THE U S A

14. U.S. CIA leads exiled Cubans in an attempt to overthrow the new Castro regime. The plot fails and The U. S. and its President, John F. Kennedy are severely embarrassed. Cuba, 90 miles from the United States, is now ripe for Communist cultivation . THE BAY OF PIGS INVASION 1961

15. REMEMBER THIS GUY? KHRUSHCHEV OF THE SOVIET UNION REMEMBER THIS GUY? CASTRO OF CUBA

16. WELL GUESS WHO'S BUDDY BUDDY N O W

17. 1962

18. 1 2 3 1. High altitude surveillance shows missile sites on the island of CUBA 2. Airplanes photograph missiles on Russian ships bound for CUBA 3. US Naval vessel observes Russian ship carrying missiles to CUBA

19. WHERE COULD THOSE MISSILES GO? THE COLD WAR COULD GET HOT “ Nuclear catastrophe was hanging by a thread..and we weren’t counting days or hours, but MINUTES.” Soviet General Anatoly Gribkov Army Chief of Operations PRINCETON NEW JERSEY

20. AND THAT HAS WHAT TO DO WITH Vietnam ? NORTH VIETNAM WAS COMMUNIST AND SUPPORTED BY RUSSIA AND CHINA BOTH COMMUNIST COUNTRIES D e M ilitarized Z one THE 17TH PARALLEL THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM (SOUTH VIETNAM) SOUGHT TO BE A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY Geneva agreements of July 20, 1954

21. SO WHY WOULD A YOUNG GUY LIKE ME 19 YEARS OLD ENLIST IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS ?

22. WAR IS AN UGLY THING, BUT NOT THE UGLIEST OF THINGS . THE DECAYED AND DEGRADED STATE OF MORAL AND PATRIOTIC FEELING WHICH THINKS THAT NOTHING IS WORTH WAR IS MUCH WORSE . (regarding the U.S. Civil War) John Stuart Mill “ THE ONLY THING NECESSARY FOR THE TRIUMPH OF EVIL, IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING .” (regarding the American Revolution attributed to) Edmund Burke “ WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS …. T H E D E C L A R A T I O N O F I N D E P E N D E N CE THAT WHENEVER ANY GOVERNMENT BECOMES DESTRUCTIVE TO THESE ENDS, IT IS THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO ALTER OR ABOLISH IT.”

23. BUT MOSTLY FOR THESE REASONS

24. FEBRUARY 4, 2002 SOME THINGS JUST NEVER NEVER NEVER CHANGE I N T E R E S T I N G

25. MY TOUR OF DUTY VIETNAM NOVEMBER 1967 - DECEMBER 1968 12 MONTHS 20 DAYS 2 MINUTES 9 SECONDS

26. THE MEN OF 1ST ENGINEER BATTALION RELAXING AT “CHINA BEACH”

27. THE GUYS OF 1ST MARINE DIVISION LANDMINE WARFARE SCHOOL

28. TEACH OTHER MARINES HOW TO STAY ALIVE

29. REMEMBER THIS SHAPE WE’LL SEE IT AGAIN VIET CONG WEAPONS CHI COM GRENADES CHINESE COMMUNIST

30. AND THESE SHAPES VIET CONG WEAPONS

31. COMBINED ACTION PROGRAM REPUBLIC OF KOREA 2ND MARINE BRIGADE TEACHING MARINES TO HELP LOCAL VILLAGERS

32. TEACHING WAS REWARDING ABOARD USS PRINCETON B ATTALION L ANDING T EAM 2/26 IN PREPARATION FOR OPERATION “MEADE RIVER”

33. B ATTALION L ANDING T EAM 2/26 BUT THE 26TH HAD LOST MEN AND PAUSED TO REMEMBER

34. B ATTALION L ANDING T EAM 2/26 AND REMEMBER

35. B ATTALION L ANDING T EAM 2/26 __ _ _ BUT THEY NEVER FORGOT THEIR JOB!

36. THE DEATH ACE DEATH AWAITS VIET CONG CADRE RETURN RATHER THAN BEING KILLED

37. YOU ARE NOW ABOUT TO ENJOY A TYPICAL WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A COMBAT ENGINEER IN Vietnam GooooOD LUCK!!

38. DEPART THE REAR AREA OF DANANG AND TRAVEL NORTHWEST TO……

39. … AN AIR STRIP AT PHU BAI SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF HUE CITY AND THEN TRAVEL BY CHOPPER NORTHWEST TO….

40. Hill – 146, OVERLOOKING A BEAUTIFUL VALLEY

41. FIND A PLACE TO LIVE……… THIS COMFORTABLY ACCOMODATES 3…..

42. MEET YOUR NEW ROOMATES AND GRAB SOME DELICIOUS CHOW

43. AND GET DRESSED AND READY TO GO TO WORK

44. MEET MY GIRLFRIEND F A E

45. F UEL A IR E XPLOSIVE

46. ME AND FAE

47. FAE IS UP THERE IN THE JUNGLE

48. AND FAE CAN BE DANGEROUS IN THE JUNGLE

49. A SHORT BREAK IN THE ACTION

50. AND GUESS WHAT WE FOUND

51. R E M E M B E R THESE?? WELL THIS IS THE REAL THING

52. T H E R E S U L T S

53. BACK TO THE HILL TAKE A WELL DESERVED BREAK

54. GRAB A BOX OF CHOW SOMETHING WITH WHICH TO COOK AND EAT

55. B-1 Units Meat Choices (in small cans): Beef Steak Ham and Eggs, Chopped Ham Slices Turkey Loaf Fruit: Applesauce Fruit Cocktail Peaches Pears Crackers (7) Peanut Butter Candy Disc, Chocolate Solid Chocolate Cream Coconut Accessory Pack* B-2 Units Meat Choices (in larger cans): Beans and Wieners Spaghetti and Meatballs Beefsteak, Potatoes and Gravy Ham and Lima Beans Meatballs and Beans Crackers (4) Cheese Spread, Processed Caraway Pimento Fruit Cake Pecan Roll Pound Cake Accessory Pack* B-3 Units Meat Choices (in small cans): Boned Chicken Chicken and Noodles Meat Loaf Spiced Beef Bread, White Cookies (4) Cocoa Beverage Powder Jam Apple Berry Grape Mixed Fruit Strawberry Accessory Pack*

56. HILL 146 WAS VERY REMOTE AND SUPPLIES HAD TO BE CHOPPERED IN

57. REINFORCED BUNKERS PROVIDED PROTECTION SNIPERS WOULD FIRE ON ENEMY TROOPS

58. WORK DONE, IT IS TIME TO LEAVE HILL 146

59. R + R I N HAWA I I I GOT TO MEET 2 HIPPIE CHICKS!! THEY SOLD ME A POSTER

60. MUCH HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE HIPPIES OR YIPPIES IN THE 60S FREE LOVE FREE SPIRITS TURNED ON TUNED OUT F L O W E R P O W E R SEX DRUGS ROCK & ROLL THEY WERE COMMITTED TO

61. THEY TRAVELLED TO PLACES LIKE WOODSTOCK IN GAILY DECORATED BUSES

62. WHILE OTHERS TRAVELLED FROM PLACES LIKE HUE CITY

63. SO, WHO WAS COMMITTED? ?

64. the real facts Colonel Bui Tin, formerly of the North Vietnamese General Staff Was interviewed by Stephen Young for an article to appear in the August 3 rd 1995 Wall Street Journal. Q. What about the results (of the 1968 Tet Offensive)? A: Our losses were staggering and a complete surprise . (General) Giap (North Vietnam’s leading General and war strategist) later told me that Tet had been a military defeat , though we had gained the planned political advantages when Johnson agreed to negotiate and did not run for re-election. Q. Was the American antiwar movement important to Hanoi's victory? A. It was essential to our strategy. Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9 a.m. to follow the growth of the American antiwar movement. Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda, and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark … gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses. We were elated when Jane Fonda, … said at a press conference that she was ashamed of American actions in the war and that she would struggle along with us.

65. Hanoi Jane Fonda 1972 Walter Cronkite 1968 Ho Chi Min General Vo Nguyen Giap Colonel Bui Tin NOW LIVES IN PARIS ASHAMED UNWINNABLE ELATED STAGGERING LOSSES

66. FACT: Following Tet '68 TV Journalist Walter Cronkite declared the war "unwinnable" FACT: By January '68 there were approximately 12,896 Americans K I A FACT: At war's end there were 58,260 Americans K I A CONCLUSION The anti-war movement and media prolonged the war FACT: The difference is 45,364 +/- THE REAL FACTS

67. BUT ALAS ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

68. GOT MY ORDERS GOT MY FREEDOM BIRD GOT MY TICKET FROM LA TO PHI LA

69. BUT NOT EVERYONE WAS AS FORTUNATE AS I WAS

70. 58,260 … only the dead know the end of war… Plato Forever Twenty Three

71. RICH SCOTT Photo by Evan Scott I HAVE WORN YOUR BRACLET FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN THE HOPE THAT YOU WOULD RETURN IT WAS NOT TO BE THE YOUNGSTERS WHO HAVE SIGNED THIS KNOW WHO YOU WERE, WHAT YOU DID AND HOW COURAGEOUS YOU WERE THANK YOU

72. LOST 3 JUNE, 1967 REMAINS RETURNED 8 September, 2000 K ILLED I N A CTION -- B ODY N OT R ECOVERED

73. SGT TIMOTHY R. BODDEN PANEL 21 EAST LINE 42

75. 1150 NAMES APPEAR WITH A + THEY WERE MIA OR PRISONERS AT WAR’S END THOSE LATER FOUND TO BE DEAD WILL APPEAR +

76. P RISONER O F W AR M ISSING I N A CTION

77. THE MYTHS OF VIETNAM TOOK OUR YOUTH OLDEST KIA = 62 22 52 YEAR OLDS 11% kia = 32 + YEARS AVG AGE KIA = 23 ONLY 101 18 YEAR OLDS = KIA TOOK OUR UNEDUCATED MEDIAN SCHOOLING = 13 YRS 80% HS GRADS VS 45% WW II ONLY 60% IN USA IN TOTAL 3 X THE NUMBER OF COLLEGE GRADS IN WWII THE DRAFT 33% VS 67% IN WW11 77% KIA = VOLUNTEER PREYED ON MINORITIES 5% KIA = HISPANIC < % DRAFT AGE POP 12.5% Kia = black < % DRAFT AGE POP

78. YES MS. BAEZ, PERHAPS YOU COULD HAVE BETTER CONTRIBUTED INSTEAD YOU AND YOUR KIND DETRACTED, DISGRACED, DEMEANED AND VILLIFIED THOSE WITH THE COURAGE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

79. REMEMBER THESE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN THE GREAT DEFENDERS

80. Waroer, 1 a (1) a state of open and declared hostile conflict between states or nations Webster’s 9th Collegiate Dictionary IN WHICH MEN AND WOMEN GET WOUNDED AND KILLED PRACTICAL APPLICATION VIETNAM

81. VIETNAM WAS THE 60s

82. WAR IS AN UGLY THING, BUT NOT THE UGLIEST OF THINGS . THE DECAYED AND DEGRADED STATE OF MORAL AND PATRIOTIC FEELING WHICH THINKS THAT NOTHING IS WORTH WAR IS MUCH WORSE . John Stuart Mill “ THE ONLY THING NECESSARY FOR THE TRIUMPH OF EVIL, IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING .” Edmund Burke “ WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS ….THAT WHENEVER ANY GOVERNMENT BECOMES DESTRUCTIVE TO THESE ENDS, IT IS THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO ALTER OR ABOLISH IT.” T H E D E C L A R A T I O N O F I N D E P E N D E N CE

83. BUT NOT EVERYONE WAS AS FORTUNATE AS I WAS

84. 58,260 … only the dead know the end of war… Plato Forever Twenty Three

85. LOST 3 JUNE, 1967 REMAINS RETURNED 8 SEPTEMBER, 2000 K ILLED I N A CTION – B ODY N OT R ECOVERED

86. SGT TIMOTHY R. BODDEN PANEL 21 EAST LINE 42

87. 1150 NAMES APPEAR WITH A + THEY WERE MIA OR PRISONERS AT WAR’S END THOSE LATER FOUND TO BE DEAD WILL APPEAR +

88. P RISONER O F W AR M ISSING I N A CTION

89. REMEMBER THESE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN THE GREAT DEFENDERS

90. VIETNAM WAS THE 60s

91. YES, SOME WENT ANYWAY