Video Log Gary Fradette Vietnam War US Army Born

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Video Log Gary Fradette Vietnam War US Army Born Video Log Gary Fradette Vietnam War U.S. Army Born: 8/5/1948 Interviewed On: 8/22/2012 Interviewed By: George Jones 00:00:41 Fradette's highest rank was Spec-5, which is equivalent to a sergeant. 00:00:52 Fradette served at the headquarters of the 1st Infantry at Lai Khe. 00:00:57 Fradette served at FSB (Fire Support Base) Thunder III Fradette server at FSB (Fire Support Base) Brown which was located in the 00:01:04 Central Highlands a staging area for the invasion of Cambodia Fradette was drafted into the Army from his hometown of Winsted, CT. He 00:01:21 speaks about receiving his induction letter. Talks about first days in the Army being relatively easy up until about the 00:01:47 third day when they first met their drill instructor - then everything changed. 00:02:25 Discipline and the psychological rigor employed during basic training. Being overweight and the unique punishments employed by the drill 00:02:48 instructor during basic training, inclusive of dietary restrictions to encourage weight loss. 00:04:02 Rifle training including the M-14 and M-16 rifles. reliability of the M-16. After basic training, Fradette was sent to Fort Benning to become better 00:04:49 adapted to working in an engineering battalion. How he "knew" he was going to Vietnam and that he volunteered for it to 00:05:20 "get it over with." how most of his friends and his older brother also served in Vietnam. Traveling to Vietnam on 2/19/1970. Flew from Oakland, CA and made stops in Alaska and Japan before arriving at the Bien Hoa air base in Vietnam. Mentions the high heat of Vietnam and the use of wire on bus windows to prevent a grenade from entering the bus. This is how he knew things were serious. 00:06:35 Fradette was at Bien Hoa for a couple of days before he was assigned to a unit at Lai Khe which was near Highway 13. Lai Khê is a small settlement in Vietnam, to the northwest of Hồ Chí Minh City and about 20 km north of Thủ Dầu Một. Daily life at his assignment in Lai Khê, including replacing a bridge that was 00:08:26 destroyed. pulling guard duty along a bunker line at Lai Khê. Mentions the circumstances that would necessitate spending time at FSB 00:09:20 Thunder III. 00:09:28 Living at Lai Khê living in hooches and the work schedule. Casualties at Lai Khê - specifically, a time when he was squad leader and 00:10:20 lost three replacements moments after they reported to him. Expresses great regret about never learning their names before they were killed in a rocket attack and how this changed his life. Mentions they were located near a helicopter pad and that rocket attacks 00:11:19 were directed here - indicating that anything that fell on their area was likely not fired at them; the NVA and/or Viet Cong wanted to kill helicopters. Non-combat or accidental deaths with explosive devices like Claymore 00:11:40 mines. How his unit used monikers and nicknames to identify each other. Did not 00:12:20 use actual names or surnames. Instead used terms like "New Guy" or FNG. Further indicates that ranks were known, but of little concern. The process of getting home when your tour was over. You had to 00:14:00 improvise your travel to return home. Speaks about jumping on a C-123 and getting to Cam Ranh Bay to catch a flight to the continental United States. 00:15:05 Work schedule and lack of sleep. 00:16:00 The stress of the schedule and its impact on relationships. 00:16:48 R&R in Bangkok, Thailand. The "worst thing that ever happened" in response to a query about there being any moments of humor during his tour. Fradette recalls an incident 00:17:38 where he unknowingly insulted a senior officer and had to make a presentation to the entire unit on the proper way to address a senior officer. Interaction with Vietnamese civilians, which was almost exclusively in Lai 00:18:34 Khê along Highway 13 around FSB Thunder III. Fradette shares his thoughts of what he thought the civilians thought of the war. Mine-clearing on the roads around FSB Brown including the use of C-4 00:20:14 explosive to clear mines. Length of service in Vietnam, the "Vietnamization" process, and discharge 00:21:30 from U.S. Army at Fort Lewis in Washington. Fradette's homecoming, the process of returning to the United States and 00:22:08 what he encountered. 00:23:07 How the United States changed while he was in Vietnam. Post Vietnam - embracing life as a civilian. Had a job prior to entering the Army and his employer had held his job open while he was gone - which 00:23:38 Fradette attributes to the benevolence of the head of Human Resources, who was a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. Fradette continued his education under the GI Bill at Central Connecticut 00:24:43 State University (CCSU) where he achieved a B.S. in Industrial Technology. How his military experience influenced his life-view. He doesn't complain 00:25:00 about things that don't matter. Fradette is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Discusses 00:26:17 his interactions with other Vietnam vets. Common misperceptions people have about Vietnam, drug use in Vietnam, 00:27:00 and his anger with "Nixon" granting clemency to Vietnam-era draft dodgers. (President Jimmy Carter granted this clemency in 1977). Draft dodgers and of he and his fellow Vietnam vets being identified as 00:28:00 "ignorant fools" at a class reunion by someone who fled to Canada. Conscientious objectors and other ways that draft-dodgers could have 00:28:30 served in the armed forces. Talks about the uncertainty and not knowing if you were "lucky" - because luck seemed to be a factor in surviving. The experience of being in Vietnam 00:29:12 did not make him more or less religious. Mentions the non-denominational aspect of religious services in Vietnam. 00:30:22 Life in underground bunkers in FSB Brown and FSB Thunder III. Being mortared - Viet Cong and/or NVA tactics; specifically, the persistent and harassing nature of the mortar and rocket attacks. Fradette observed a 00:30:50 major reduction in the frequency of mortar and rocket attacks as a result of the invasion of Cambodia. Highway 13 and road travel. Armored personnel carriers (APC) and tanks 00:32:20 were used to provide safe travel along the highway. Role of 1st Infantry Division and 11th Armored Cavalry mentioned. Living conditions and training to prepare him for life in a tropical climate - specifically, coping with insects, rats, and snakes indigenous to Southeast 00:33:12 Asia. Includes life during monsoon season and coping with persistent rain and standing water. The use of defoliants such as Agent Orange and the suspicion that all three 00:34:40 of his children were born prematurely as a result. The efficacy of Agent Orange - Fradette becomes more emotional about the 00:36:05 field of view the use of defoliants afforded them. It provided a "safe zone" for the American troops. What Fradette has told his children about his experience in Vietnam and how difficult it is to make the hardships understood with people who weren't 00:36:23 actually there. The scarcity of showers, hot meals, and 'comforts of home' such as milk, ice cream, etc., and holiday meals/celebrations is included. How meaningless money was on a fire support base (FSB) , how the 00:38:28 servicemen used money, and how (and what) Fradette was paid and what he did with his salary. Fradette responds to a query about returning to Vietnam to visit. Fradette believes that FSB Brown and FSB Thunder III are probably not there, and 00:40:58 that Lai Khê no longer exists. Still, he would like to go just so his wife could see how hot and humid it was. The heat and humidity in Vietnam and that you were not allowed to get a 00:42:00 sunburn - you were required to wear your 'greens' every day. Life post-Vietnam. Fradette purchased a brand-new 1971 Chevelle, new 00:42:35 motorcycle, new color television, and stereo system with money saved while he was in the army. Scenes of atrocities committed against Vietnamese villagers in two different villages. In each case, Fradette recalls some 30 people hanging dead from 00:44:25 poles - women and children included among the victims. Some of the victims were actual infants. The atrocities were committed by either the NVA or Viet Cong. Misogyny in Vietnam - Fradette observed a farmer thanking a G.I. for killing 00:45:37 his daughter (accidentally) since it would be "one less mouth to feed." 00:47:27 Fradette's basic training was in Fort Dix, NJ Engineering MOS (Fradette's education was in electrical engineering) and 00:48:33 that regardless of your education/experience, you were called on to work in all engineering disciplines. 00:49:35 Starlight scopes and remote sensors tied to artillery pieces. 00:52:34 An attack that Fradette observed on FSB Thunder III where a KIA occurred. Defenses at the fire support bases; use of artillery with interlocking fields of 00:53:45 fire and how fire support bases protected each other.
Recommended publications
  • A Volunteer from America.Pdf
    1 2 A Volunteer From America By Bob Mack 1ST Signal Brigade Nha Trang, Republic of Vietnam 1967 – 1968 3 Dedicated to those that served ©2010 by Robert J. McKendrick All Rights Reserved 4 In-Country The big DC-8 banked sharply into the sun and began its descent toward the Cam Ranh peninsula, the angle of drop steeper than usual in order to frustrate enemy gunners lurking in the nearby mountains. Below, the impossibly blue South China Sea seemed crusted with diamonds. I had spent the last two months at home, thanks to a friendly personnel sergeant in Germany who’d cut my travel 5 orders to include a 60-day “delay en route” before I was due to report in at Ft. Lewis, Washington for transportation to the 22 nd Replacement Battalion, MACV (Military Assistance Command Vietnam). Now I was twenty-five hours out from Seattle, and on the verge of experiencing the Vietnam War at first hand. It was the fifth of July 1967. Vietnam stunk. Literally. After the unbelievable heat, the smell was the first thing you noticed, dank and moldy, like a basement that had repeatedly flooded and only partially dried. Or like a crypt… The staff sergeant was a character straight out of Central Casting, half full of deep South gruffness and Dixie grizzle, the other half full of shit. He paced back and forth while we stood in formation in the hot sand. “Welcome to II Corps, Republic of Vet-nam,” he said. Then he gave us the finger. “Take a good look at it, boys.
    [Show full text]
  • Thoughts About My Tour in Vietnam
    CW2 Martin Beckman in the Operations area Delta Company, 227th 1st Cavalry Division, Lai Khe, Republic of Vietnam May, 1970. Thoughts on My Tour of Duty in the Republic of Vietnam By Martin P Beckman Jr. Friday, 07 July, 2006 1 I was born in Anderson, South Carolina and finished High School there. I attended The Citadel and graduated in 1968. I was then drafted and tested to go to flight school with the U.S. Army. For primary helicopter training I was in WOC class 69-19 at Fort Walter’s Texas and afterwards assigned to Fort Rucker, Alabama. There I was promoted to Warrant Officer One and received my Army Aviator “Silver Wings”. I was selected for a Cobra transition at Fort Stewart, Georgia in route to Vietnam. In my th first tour I flew Cobra’s with the Delta Company, 227 Group, 1st Air Calvary Division from August 1969 until August 1970. I later extended my time in Vietnam to fly the UH1 with the 2nd Signal Group. When I arrived in the Republic of Vietnam, we first went to the assignment station where you waited to receive orders to your Unit. I remember all the second tour soldiers and aviators looking very anxiously at the list on the wall next to the orderly room that was posted several times a day. After a few days of waiting my name was on the list for the 1st Calvary st st Division. From there the 1 “Cav” soldiers were bused to the 1 Team Academy at Bien Hoa.
    [Show full text]
  • (1I?I - 1Iii ): the >TRATEQ10 S1GNJF8QANQE ©F Om Muu BAY TH[ and Mm
    UNIVERSITY COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE ACADEMY BAMU BAY REVISITED (1i?i - 1iii ): THE >TRATEQ10 S1GNJF8QANQE ©F Om mUU BAY TH[ AND mm. BY CAPTAIN JUAN A. DE LEON PN (GSC) NOVEMBER 1989 A SUB-THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF DEFENCE STUDIES II PREFACF AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT Southeast Asia is a region fast becoming the center stage of the 21st Century. One historian said that "the Mediterranean is the past, Europe is the present and the Asia-Pacific Region is the future." The future is now! This sub-thesis deals with contemporary issues now determining the future of the region going into the year 2000. Soviet attention was refocused on the Asia-Pacific region after Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev made his historic speech at Vladivostock on 28 July 1986. Since then developments have gone on at a pace faster than expected. The Soviets have withdrawn from Afghanistan. Then in September 1988, Gorbachev spelled out in detail his Vladivostock initiative through his Krasnoyarsk speech and called on major powers, the US, China and Japan, to respond to his peace offensives. He has offered to give up the Soviet presence in Cam Ranh if the US did likewise at Subic and Clark in the Philippines. To some it may appear attractive, while others consider that it is like trading "a pawn for a queen". This sub-thesis completes my ten-month stay in a very progressive country, Australia. I was fortunate enough having been given the chance to undertake a Master of Defence Studies Course (MDef Studies) at the University College, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy upon the invitation of the Australian Government.
    [Show full text]
  • Air America in South Vietnam I – from the Days of CAT to 1969
    Air America in South Vietnam I From the days of CAT to 1969 by Dr. Joe F. Leeker First published on 11 August 2008, last updated on 24 August 2015 I) At the times of CAT Since early 1951, a CAT C-47, mostly flown by James B. McGovern, was permanently based at Saigon1 to transport supplies within Vietnam for the US Special Technical and Economic Mission, and during the early fifties, American military and economic assistance to Indochina even increased. “In the fall of 1951, CAT did obtain a contract to fly in support of the Economic Aid Mission in FIC [= French Indochina]. McGovern was assigned to this duty from September 1951 to April 1953. He flew a C-47 (B-813 in the beginning) throughout FIC: Saigon, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Nhatrang, Haiphong, etc., averaging about 75 hours a month. This was almost entirely overt flying.”2 CAT’s next operations in Vietnam were Squaw I and Squaw II, the missions flown out of Hanoi in support of the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu in 1953/4, using USAF C-119s painted in the colors of the French Air Force; but they are described in the file “Working in Remote Countries: CAT in New Zealand, Thailand-Burma, French Indochina, Guatemala, and Indonesia”. Between mid-May and mid-August 54, the CAT C-119s continued dropping supplies to isolated French outposts and landed loads throughout Vietnam. When the Communists incited riots throughout the country, CAT flew ammunition and other supplies from Hanoi to Saigon, and brought in tear gas from Okinawa in August.3 Between 12 and 14 June 54, CAT captain
    [Show full text]
  • Report on the Situation in Vietnam, 27 February 1968
    Release" -- -- Approved for ' 2019/04/17 C06786688 ’ ‘?‘- /4 6. 6) ” ~ I < ‘ Idpsgggzgf ~>‘”‘I-r::'\"""-/ \ ‘ 3-5 C F A "‘: r‘! ‘._ ‘I-=v1_§ -H." z%-_'1*<§~-:'--:,~"- '57. ' >1; 4 _’-- 'I- _ . , .. 7. i M’ ""‘ ~-.'>,1@<"»::;1<~;~1=-_=§g¢*‘A<'~ -' . x - _.gw\- 3.-= 1 ._ P31“ $.19Ls‘ ¢x=J~L1G@ "¥- fifi 95' X? 5'>'~§§ 49% -’ sf t if 2E 5 _‘ r OQNTRAL 'fQN'£-I£)“I .t xfie _.<_b_‘_” ‘e’ §%»@%% we awgr ‘Y’-"1 %.5‘-i / \ ("'1 \°" - r T’ #0 '*"‘€$ '5111*» 5 ' 3 $YAr£s of , I, '1 ‘ gflq». | ., 3‘. \ . ' I *1 \ s L #4 ,, 3 j_;_'“ MEMORANDUM > DIRECTORATE OF 1 INTELLIGENCE \ ? The Situation in Vietnam I \ 4 7 \ K 1 x I I 4 127 3'50 2~7 February 1968 Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 C06786688 I Approved for Release: 2019/04/17 C06786688 9’ (Q (Background Use Only 9’ (Q \ l~_,p_xn-mlJ_ rInformation_as of 1600 '27 Februarv 1968 s.5(¢) HIGHLIGHTS I No significant large-scale enemy attacks oca \ _cured in South Vietnam on 27 February, but the Communists directed mortar and artillery fire at several key installations. Communist forces have dug trenches in the immediate vicinity of the Khe- Sanh base and have even dug under the base's defensive wire barrier. "I. The Military Situation in-South Vietnam: Airborne observers in the Khe Sanh area=report’ ' that enemy forces have dug trenches in the im- mediate vicinity of the US Marine strongpoint ( (Paras. l#2). The North Vietnamese 320th Divi- sion is shifting eastward (Paras. 3-5).
    [Show full text]
  • The Education of a Field Marshal :: Wellington in India and Iberia
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 1992 The education of a field am rshal :: Wellington in India and Iberia/ David G. Cotter University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Cotter, David G., "The ducae tion of a field marshal :: Wellington in India and Iberia/" (1992). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 1417. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/1417 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EDUCATION OF A FIELD MARSHAL WELLINGTON IN INDIA AND IBERIA A Thesis Presented by DAVID' G. COTTER Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May, 1992 Department of History Copyright by David G. Cotter 1992 All Rights Reserved ' THE EDUCATION OF A FIELD MARSHAL WELLINGTON IN INDIA AND IBERIA A Thesis Presented by DAVID G. COTTER Approved as to style and content by Franklin B. Wickwire, Chair )1 Mary B/ Wickwire 'Mary /5. Wilson Robert E. Jones^ Department Chai^r, History ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to all in the History department at the University of Massachusetts, especially Professors Stephen Pelz, Marvin Swartz, R. Dean Ware, Mary Wickwire and Mary Wilson. I am particularly indebted to Professor Franklin Wickwire. He performed as instructor, editor, devil's advocate, mentor and friend.
    [Show full text]
  • LAOS: George Mcmurtrie Godley III, the Man Who Loves Bombs
    7 Days 16 February I972 N THE UNBUILT PANTHEON to the warlords of the IAmerican adventure in Indo­ china, an appropriately roomy LAOS: niche should be reserved for G. (for George) McMurtrie Godley III, Richard Nixon’s proconsul to the lacerated little kingdom of George McMurtrie Godley III, Laos. Just as only nineteenth-century Britain could have produced the charge of the Light Brigade, so it is inconceiv­ The Man who Loves Bombs able that “Mac” Godley, or the “viceroy” as he is often called here, could spring from anything except the by T. D. Allman bedrock of twentieth-century American supposedly neutral Laotian territory for electric generators — Godley proudly imperium. Godley - middle fifties, over operations in Cambodia, and once told diplomatic colleagues that his six feet tall and 200 pounds around, summed up his approach to the Laotian dinner table sat even more than the booming voice, insatiable appetite for problem by telling a group of visitors French ambassador’s, and invited them food, wine, power and war - manages that “the only good communist is one in for Beluga caviar to prove it. More to combine the quintessentially six feet under the ground.” recently, Godley boasted across a diplo­ American traits of Theodore Rossevelet Godley’s style of public service matic dinner table of buying several on safari, Doctor Strangelove in his assumed its defining form in the mid- score crates of a rare vintage of Chateau B-52, and the Eagle on the Great Seal of 1960s, when he served as U.S. ambas­ Lafite Rothschild. “It would all be the United States glaring down on the sador to the Congo.
    [Show full text]
  • Drummond, Robert OH857
    Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center Transcript of an Oral History Interview with ROBERT DRUMMOND Transportation and Maintenance, Army, Vietnam War. 2006 OH 857 1 OH 857 Drummond, Robert, (1947- ). Oral History Interview, 2006. User Copy: 1 sound cassette (ca. 47 min.), analog, 1 7/8 ips, mono. Master Copy: 1 sound cassette (ca. 47 min.), analog, 1 7/8 ips, mono. Transcript: 0.1 linear ft. (1 folder). Military Papers: 0.1 linear ft. (1 folder). Abstract: Robert Drummond, a Chicago, Illinois native, discusses his Vietnam War service with the 264 th Transportation Company. Drummond discusses dropping out of high school, his motivations for enlisting in the Army, and the reactions of his family and friends. Sent to basic training at Fort Polk (Louisiana), he mentions disliking the snakes and states bulls and cows were allowed to wander camp. He speaks of being sent to pole climbing school for a week before being reassigned as a stevedore in the newly-formed 264 th Transportation Company at Fort Eustis (Virginia). Drummond describes flying overseas on a C-130 and arriving in Cam Ranh Bay (Vietnam). At Cam Ranh, he discusses the routine of loading and unloading ships out on the water, military life, an unloading mishap, and the types of cargo he handled. Drummond states, “It wasn't like a part of Vietnam, you know. It was just like being here in the stateside.” He describes participating in Operation Oregon: setting up an ammunition dump on the beach at Duc Pho, standing watches in his camp, and hearing battleship artillery rounds pass overhead.
    [Show full text]
  • Intelligence Summary (U)
    {b}{3}10 use. 424 22 MARCH 1953 131;; c; COPY NO. V DIAIS 68—68 Egg-I311“ U-S-C- DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY (U) |{b]{3j1fl use. 424:3ec. 3.313;) {a} .- .'-c'.'_'.| Hi}: :".1 =- =4-':.m .f-Ll__I1IL.-rn-1::~ .- i-' W 5HE_'-F-F.:l'x|'_':-:.'-.L'1:I2--‘.‘-E':- !].h.1 I - .Illl'Il. nu"; -'~.-. T-O-F—S-E-GII-E-T The Defense Intelligence Summary is predneed by the Direeter ef the Defense Intetligenee ageney te serve the needs ef the Department. et' Defense fer aperenriate enrrent intelligence- It is furnished te nen—Defense Department ageneies fer infer— matien Unljf. Interpretattens et' intelligenee int'ermatien in this ptlhlieatien represent preliminary views whieh are .stt‘e— jeet Le medifieatien in the light ef tnrther intermatien and mere eemplete analysis. {131(3) 10 1130.424 33mm [fig “This deenment eentains elassified infermatien afteeting the natienal seenrity ef the United States within the meaning ef the espienage lawsT US Cede Title 18, Seetiens T93. T94, and 798- Irbtr311ou.s.e.424 See. 3.30:) {1) Seo. 3.303) (1) DIA INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY Non Responsive * * * VIETNAM AND RELATED DEVELOPMENTS REPUBLIC OF Situation report. A—S VIETNAM: NORTH Air defense developments. A—T VIETNAM: Air situation and status of airfields. A-8 Top Western envoy now in Switzerland. A-8 Possible visit by American newsman. A—Q COMMUNIST Rotation of AAA units in North A-lO CHINA: Vietnam. ' Non Responsive 22 Mar 68 i DIAIS 68—68 Sec. 3.303) (1) Sec. 3.313;} {1; Non Responsive ii .
    [Show full text]
  • Through the Hollywood Lens: the Vietnam War
    Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at W&M Summer 2020 Through the Hollywood Lens: The Vietnam War Scott A. Langhorst, Ph.D. First Lieutenant 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment 25th Division Tay Ninh, Vietnam (1969-70) Using Zoom tools - reminder • Use the menu bar (mouse over bottom/top of screen) to appear • Use icons to on menu bar open tools (click “on” click “off”) • Use “chat box” to ask questions or make comments • Use “participant” list for raising hand or other gestures • Make the session interactive by using the Zoom tools © Scott A. Langhorst, Ph.D. 1 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at W&M Summer 2020 Questions or comments from last week? Cao Dai Temple Tay Ninh Apocalypse Now (1979) • Directed by Francis Ford Coppola • Vietnam adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” • Won 2 Oscars (Cinematography and Sound), nominated for 6 other Oscars, including Best Picture • Vietnam sequences filmed in the Philippines • Storyline: An allegory about the elements of the human psyche, and the struggle to maintain balance and sanity in the horrendous conditions of war. Captain Willard is assigned to assassinate a “mad” Colonel Kurtz and must complete a perilous journey up a river into the wild depths of Vietnam. © Scott A. Langhorst, Ph.D. 2 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at W&M Summer 2020 What the movie got right • Visually stunning movie, visceral images • The “horror” of war • “…In this war, things get confused out there.” (LTG Corman) • Over-the-top battalion commander LTC Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall) – yes, there were a few like him • Steaks and beer (and lobster) for unit stand-downs • “Round eyes” (e.g., Playboy Bunnies) in the most unlikely places • Effectiveness of M-79 “blooper” in skilled hands • Brown water Navy also played an important role in Vietnam What the movie got wrong • Too much dramatic license with storyline and allegory about journey “up the river” as a descent into an uncivilized hell • Very unlikely that Col.
    [Show full text]
  • Date 1Ère Page Prolif Papers
    FFooccuuss ssttrraattééggiiqquuee nn°°3355 bbiiss ______________________________________________________________________ The Battle over Fire Support The CAS Challenge and the Future of Artillery ______________________________________________________________________ Elie Tenenbaum October 2012 Laboratoire de Recherche sur la Défense The Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri) is a research center and a forum for debate on major international political and economic issues. Headed by Thierry de Montbrial since its founding in 1979, Ifri is a non- governmental, non-profit organization. As an independent think tank, Ifri sets its own agenda, publishing its findings regularly for a global audience. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Ifri brings together political and economic decision-makers, researchers and internationally renowned experts to animate its debate and research activities. With office in Paris and Brussels, Ifri stands out as one of the rare French think tanks to have positioned itself at the very heart of the European debate. The opinions expressed in this text are the responsibility of the author alone. ISBN: 978-2-36567-083-8 © Ifri – 2012 – All rights reserved All requests for information, reproduction or distribution may be addressed to: [email protected]. Ifri Ifri-Bruxelles 27 rue de la Procession Rue Marie-Thérèse, 21 75740 Paris Cedex 15 – FRANCE 1000 – Bruxelles – BELGIQUE Tel : +33 (0)1 40 61 60 00 Tel : +32 (0)2 238 51 10 Fax : +33 (0)1 40 61 60 60 Fax : +32 (0)2 238 51 15 Email : [email protected] Email : [email protected] Website : www.ifri.org “Focus stratégique” Resolving today’s security problems requires an integrated approach. Analysis must be cross-cutting and consider the regional and global dimensions of problems, their technological and military aspects, as well as their media linkages and broader human consequences.
    [Show full text]
  • Air America in South Vietnam III the Collapse by Dr
    Air America in South Vietnam III The Collapse by Dr. Joe F. Leeker First published on 11 August 2008, last updated on 24 August 2015 Bell 205 N47004 picking up evacuees on top of the Pittman Building on 29 April 1975 (with kind permission from Philippe Buffon, the photographer, whose website located at http://philippe.buffon.free.fr/images/vietnamexpo/heloco/index.htm has a total of 17 photos depicting the same historic moment) 1) The last weeks: the evacuation of South Vietnamese cities While the second part of the file Air America in South Vietnam ended with a China Airlines C-123K shot down by the Communists in January 75, this third part begins with a photo that shows a very famous scene – an Air America helicopter evacuating people from the rooftop of the Pittman Building at Saigon on 29 April 75 –, taken however from a different angle by French photographer Philippe Buffon. Both moments illustrate the situation that characterized South Vietnam in 1975. As nobody wanted to see the warnings given by all 1 those aircraft downed and shot at,1 the only way left at the end was evacuation. For with so many aircraft of Air America, China Airlines and even ICCS Air Services shot down by Communists after the Cease-fire-agreement of January 1973, with so much fighting in the South that occurred in 1973 and 1974 in spite of the Cease-fire-agreement, nobody should have been surprised when North Vietnam overran the South in March and April 75. Indeed, people who knew the situation in South Vietnam like Major General John E.
    [Show full text]