in Indochina he battled for a decade. decade. a for battled he Indochina in
Hawks have painted him as a superpa- a as him painted have Hawks distorted Vann's unique role in Vietnam. Vietnam. in role unique Vann's distorted
triot, bravely but simplistically questing questing simplistically but bravely triot,
and four-star generals symbolizing the the symbolizing generals four-star and
very establishmentarians whose bungling bungling whose establishmentarians very
Vann at Arlington National Cemetery Cemetery National Arlington at Vann
week's military funeral for John Paul Paul John for funeral military week's
John Paul Vann: Vann: Paul John
was the prominence of cabinet members members cabinet of prominence the was
Like the funeral, many eulogies have have eulogies many funeral, the Like
WASHINGTON — The irony in last last in irony The — WASHINGTON
Dedication and Iconoclasm Iconoclasm and Dedication
made bim indispensable indispensable bim made
John Paul Vann Vann Paul John
ese Army (AR.01) — in effect, Vietnam- Vietnam- effect, in — (AR.01) Army ese
ate strengtherft of the South Vietnam- South the of strengtherft ate
sufficed. sufficed.
as few as 100,000 U.S. troops would have have would troops U.S. 100,000 as few as
Communist takeover and nothing more, more, nothing and takeover Communist
hard U.S. policy the prevention of a a of prevention the policy U.S. hard
50,000 American lives lost in Vietnam Vietnam in lost lives American 50,000
if President Johnson in 1965 had fixed as as fixed had 1965 in Johnson President if
were tragically unnecessary. He felt that that felt He unnecessary. tragically were
nerness, Vann left no doubt he felt anti- felt he doubt no left Vann nerness,
a mess of it. it. of mess a
at campsites in the Vietnamese wild- Vietnamese the in campsites at
talking privately to us late into the night night the into late us to privately talking
rebel, Vann avoided public criticism. But But criticism. public avoided Vann rebel,
Communist forces in Vietnam had made made had Vietnam in forces Communist
outburst. Knowing his influence would would influence his Knowing outburst.
abruptly end if he became a dismissed dismissed a became he if end abruptly
in 1970 that Ambassador Ellsworth Bunk- Ellsworth Ambassador that 1970 in
Although still outspoken, Vann realized realized Vann outspoken, still Although
er in Saigon would sack him at the next next the at him sack would Saigon in er
hard, critical view is his legacy. legacy. his is view critical hard,
tenant-colonel ; a decade earlier. That That earlier. decade a ; tenant-colonel
lieutenant-general, Vann had not changed changed not had Vann lieutenant-general,
ton. At the end, performing essentially essentially performing end, the At ton.
policies that moved Saigon and Washing- and Saigon moved that policies
figures to emerge from the war, Vann Vann war, the from emerge to figures
conformist critic of tragically mistaken mistaken tragically of critic conformist
military duties formerly entrusted to a a to entrusted formerly duties military from the first to the last was a non- a was last the to first the from
Avoided Avoided somehow corrupted by power into em- into power by corrupted somehow
his critical outlook as an obscure lieu- obscure an as outlook critical his Besides being one of the very few heroic heroic few very the of one being Besides
bracing what had once disillusioned him. him. disillusioned once had what bracing
picted him as a former critic of the war war the of critic former a as him picted
after military victory. Doves have de- have Doves victory. military after
But that would have required immedi- required have would that But
Most important, Vann deeply believed believed deeply Vann important, Most
What changed was Vann's discretion. discretion. Vann's was changed What
The facts are dramatically different. different. dramatically are facts The
A A
criticism criticism
military military
er for not fighting Thieu's imprisonment imprisonment Thieu's fighting not for er
made no secret he felt Bunker was much much was Bunker felt he secret no made
the war effort. In official circles, he he circles, official In effort. war the Vann felt his political intrigues undercut undercut intrigues political his felt Vann
too soft on Thieu. Thieu. on soft too
Vietnamese leader available to the U.S., U.S., the to available leader Vietnamese
bassy in Saigon viewed Thieu as the best best the as Thieu viewed Saigon in bassy
Thieu and his intimate relationship with with relationship intimate his and Thieu strongest against President Nguyen Van Van Nguyen President against strongest
bat soldiers in a useless residual role. role. residual useless a in soldiers bat
more powerful. But he criticized the the criticized he But powerful. more
slow U.S. troop withdrawal and argued argued and withdrawal troop U.S. slow
Ambassador Bunker. Whereas the em- the Whereas Bunker. Ambassador
ing tens of thousands of American com- American of thousands of tens ing became more respectable and his voice voice his and respectable more became
unsuccessfully with Gen. Cr eight on on eight Cr Gen. with unsuccessfully
Abrams and the Pentagon against keep- against Pentagon the and Abrams
and Vietnamization in 196'9, Vann's views views Vann's 196'9, in Vietnamization and
More More
carbines. The Pentagon refused, forcing forcing refused, Pentagon The carbines.
— and dying. dying. and —
lieutenant-colonel in the early 1960s, 1960s, early the in lieutenant-colonel
ARVN to lag behind well-equipped U.S. U.S. well-equipped behind lag to ARVN
troops, who then did most of the fighting fighting the of most did then who troops, tomatic rifles in place of obsolete M-1 M-1 obsolete of place in rifles tomatic Vann urged arming ARVN with M-16 au- M-16 with ARVN arming urged Vann
ization four years before it came. As a a As came. it before years four ization
New Orleans States—Item States—Item Orleans New
iconoclast leaves a legacy legacy a leaves iconoclast
Specifically, Vann never forgave Bunk- forgave never Vann Specifically,
His private ire in recent years was was years recent in ire private His
With the advent of Richard M. Nixon Nixon M. Richard of advent the With
Rowland Evans Evans Rowland
Robert Novak Novak Robert
respectable respectable
and and
fq fq
and iconoclasm that made Vann indispen- Vann made that iconoclasm and
the misery of Vietnam. Vietnam. of misery the
sable. In assessing Vann's death, that is is that death, Vann's assessing In sable.
the essential point to be made, because because made, be to point essential the
Department opposition. opposition. Department
cials. Last year, he named a junior For- junior a named he year, Last cials.
suring his death in battle but giving him him giving but battle in death his suring
eign Service officer as his deputy for for deputy his as officer Service eign
shot fired in anger. In return, they they return, In anger. in fired shot
pacification, overriding determined State State determined overriding pacification, officers assigned to the pacification pro- pacification the to assigned officers
a mobility unequalled among senior offi- senior among unequalled mobility a piloted his own helicopter — perhaps en- perhaps — helicopter own his piloted
viewed Vann as a pop-off who did not not did who pop-off a as Vann viewed play by the rules. rules. the by play
tem. Against Gen. Abrams' wishes, he he wishes, Abrams' Gen. Against tem.
talent at beating the bureaucratic sys- bureaucratic the beating at talent clubs and loathed those Foreign Service Service Foreign those loathed and clubs
Beating the system system the Beating
generals in their air-conditioned officers' officers' air-conditioned their in generals
reaucrats. He despised the armchair armchair the despised He reaucrats.
gram who valiantly tried never to hear a a hear to never tried valiantly who gram ratus that overflowed South Vietnam. Vietnam. South overflowed that ratus
Acres and acres of now-deserted camps camps now-deserted of acres and Acres
ously supplied by sea rather than than rather sea by supplied ously
the stupidity of American military bu- military American of stupidity the
tion in Vietnam should have been contin- been have should Vietnam in tion
politics and, therefore, damaged the war war the damaged therefore, and, politics effort. effort. were seen by him as mute testimony to to testimony mute as him by seen were
through the gargantuan logistical appa- logistical gargantuan the through
of opposition leader Tran Ngoc Chau Chau Ngoc Tran leader opposition of
knew"). To Vann, Thieu's peremptory peremptory Thieu's Vann, To knew").
personnel policies were steeped in crass crass in steeped were policies personnel
("one of the greatest men I ever ever I men greatest the of ("one
It was this rare marriage of dedication dedication of marriage rare this was It
What dismayed them most was Vann's Vann's was most them dismayed What
Vann often said U.S. military interven- military U.S. said often Vann
combination is so sadly lacking in in lacking sadly so is combination
- -4 -4