First Post

This is a student project created for a United States History class. The posts in this blog are of historical nature about a specific event in U.S. History. This blog deals with the Vietnam War. This is not meant to be expert scholarship and there may be errors. This is a first attempt at learning something in more depth. There has been a genuine effort to properly cite all pictures, quotes, information gathered in this research project. For a list of sources see the final blog."

Michael Agostinelli

FNG's

Actual Blog date: Sunday, May 16th, 2010
Historical Date: December 10, 1968
10,000 miles we traveled. All of us, a collective force of over three million came strong to fight for dear old Uncle Sam. I arrived on the beach at Da Nang (1), near the border of North Vietnam, ready and eager to serve my country to the fullest. White, Black, Hispanic and Native American, and I’m sure I saw a couple Guamian and Hawaiian men standing proud, bare out of our teen hood. We were originally sent to fight as a unit but eventually just came as replacements. Some of the landing zones were greeted by friendlies and people carrying wreathes. I overheard some of the older troops talking about how the soldiers in the air terminal of Tan Son Nhut were greeted by sniper fire. That’s a funny thing about the older troops, they call us newbies or cherries. it almost made us want to spend a few months in the brush so we could label other new guys cherries or FNG ("****in' New Guys")(1).

Agent Orange Briefing

Actual Blog date: Wednesday May 19, 2010
Historical Date: December 12, 1968
Today we had a safety briefing on the one the chemicals they were dropping by the gallon on the forests. They called it agent orange, a herbicide and defoliant. The supposed goal of the spreading of this chemical was to help destroy the forest where we believed the Viet Cong were hiding. Some of the effects though they told us included cancer, deformations, and several birth defects. They showed us some of the pictures of people who were affected by the chemical. Private Marcus vomited after a short while.(2)

The Tet Offensive

Actual Date: 05/20/10
Historical Date: February 1, 1968
Its been two days since the surprise attack by the Viet Cong. There was supposed to be a cease fire on Tet, some holiday marking in the beginning of spring. They over ran us, we were unprepared and they just walked right in. I ran as fast as I could with the other men in my unit. My heart is still pounding and I’m still shaking even as I write this. We’re heading back to Kontum to see if anyone is still around. To be honest, after today, I don’t think we’ll win this war. (2)

On The Run

Actual date: May 21. 2010
Historical date: February 1, 1967
Second entry for today, we’ve traveled a good 50 miles through dense forest. What’s left of the unit is stopping to take a breather, however we all clench our guns to our chest and have our eyes unintentionally alert. We lost a couple men on our trek, most of them to fire from enemy guerrillas and traps. We had a section on traps and pitfalls the Viet Cong used and the markers to look out for them. Seems they didn’t read too heavily into that part of the book. That’s the worst part about fighting in the jungle, they could be anywhere, they could lay any trap, and we would have no idea if they were right in front of us or in the tunnels under us. (2)

A Just Cause

Actual date: May 20, 2010
historical date: Feb 3rd, 1968
Its been two days since I arrived and I've already seen some things I don't think I'll ever forget. Because the enemy is guerilla forces we never be sure if someone is a Viet Cong or a genuine citizen. The interrogations are brutal and they keep insisting they are not Viet Cong. Lt. Jacobs is adamant though, until he gets a confession he won't stop. Today however was something different, the Lt. had discovered a Viet Cong Officer. There was a police chief nearby named Nguyen Loan. Lt. Jacobs thought it was a good idea for him to execute the prisoner. When he did shoot the officer he congratulated the police chief, telling him it was a "just" cause. There was also a reporter nearby, I only caught the end of his name though, Adams I think it was. I wonder if this made it back to the states. (1)

Massacre at My Lai

Actual Date: May 20, 2010
Historical Date: March 16, 1968
The barracks have been in an uproar recently. News from the United States says that a lot of people oppose the war here. Apparently that photographer did make it back and that photo of Loan executing the Viet Cong officer caused quite an uproar. Another photo showing the effects of agent orange also caused quite a backlash at us. Captain Ernest Medina said he was ordering an operation plan to take out a battalion of Viet Cong. The areas in the Son My Village were designated My Lai 1,2,3, and 4. He said let no one live. (4)

My Lai Massacre Aftermath

Actual Date: May 21, 2010
Historical Date: March 18, 1968
Two days ago 504 civilians were living in their homes worried of the atrocities that could kill them all in a heartbeat. Two days ago people had homes, families, and friends. Today, those homes are burned to the ground and those relationships have vanished. Of the 504 unarmed civilians in the Son My village, only 157 are still alive. I didn’t participate due to having a slight injury from my trek, but I did get to see the aftermath of what happened. After seeing what these soldiers did I’m not surprised to see why people back home would not support us through this war. Woman, children, elderly, even babies were killed.

Shot

Actual Date: May 21, 2010
Historical date: March 20, 1968
Its been a few days since the My Lai Massacre and things have been going downhill sense. I’m still trying to forget some of the images I saw when I went with my unit as back up to My Lai 2. I was on guard duty today, nothing too hard, walk around the perimeter of the camp and make sure no one tries to come charging in. I say I was because about two hours into my shift something hit me. I didn’t feel it at first, I simply felt my body collapsing under me. As I fell the pain shot through me like a rush of blood to the head. I looked down to see a hole through my left knee and Duke, my guard mate, shouting for a medic. We had a rule in the camp, never solute lieutenants cause there were snipers posted all around hoping to pop one. Seems like one was frustrated with waiting and decided to just shoot. I write this on my way to a hospital in Saigon in the back of a jeep. All they could do at the camp was bandage it and give me some drugs for the pain. I haven’t felt anything in my leg for the past hour. (1)

Bed Side Manor

Actual Date: May 24, 2010
Historical Date: March 22, 1968
I hear them screaming throughout the night and into the day. New casualties coming in each day, some with burns covering their face till they are chard black, others with limbs missing. We were packed tight into a hospital, we had enough room to get up and to sit back down. However, I needed help to do both. My leg was amputated above the knee yesterday after being shot the day before that. At first I thought things would be ok, but as I sit here needing someone to help me get to places, the reality sets in. They said it was to prevent the gangrene from moving up my leg. After the surgery, all I could think of was how my wife is going to look at me. (2)

Discharge

Actual Date: May 27, 2010
Historical Date: March 26, 1968
I’ve been discharged. I was leaving Saigon, the war, Vietnam, via helicopter to an aircraft carrier on it’s way back to Hawaii for a short stop, then back home. It’s only been three months and my life has already changed dramatically because of the war. On the bright side I finally get to go home to see my wife. I’m amazed with myself actually, going such a traumatic war and coming out the other side with only a leg missing. They gave me some crutches for now, but they said they’ll give me a wheel chair when I get back home. As we were leaving I saw another soldier pushing off Southern Vietnamese trying to get on the chopper with us. I didn’t notice how many of were there, standing there asking to be taken away from the gates of hell. We didn’t say a single word to each other on the way back to the carrier. (1)

Napalm and McNamara

Actual Date: May 29, 2010
Historical date: June 15, 1972
It’s 4 years since I left Vietnam, and yet we still fight to continue to fight this war. It amazes each day that I see the paper that’s delivered to me to see some new protest by college kids at Kent State or some horrendous war crime committed by the Viet Cong. Today however was interesting, there was a picture of a group of Vietnamese civilians running from a napalm bombing run. A little girl with her clothes burned off was among them. I’ve seen this picture before, it occurred actually last week, but they reran the story after Robert McNamara, the current secretary of defense, declared bombing of Vietnam ineffective. I scoffed at this, laughing almost loudly. A little late on the gun Mr. McNamara. (4)

PTSD and divorce

Actual Date: May 31, 2010
Historical Date: June 28, 1972
I came home to a note today. My wife left. She said I wasn’t the same person I was before the war and that she doesn’t think the baby she is pregnant with would be happy with me as a father. I didn’t bother trying to dispute that, she was right. I wake in the middle of the night trying to run back to that camp outside of Kontum. I’m constantly shaking and when I hear a loud crash even just for a second I find myself back in the field. I cant live with this and I don’t know how I’m going to find a job and live. The government is calling it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and are offering compensation. Each day that goes by I find it harder and harder to try to readjust to normal life. I received a letter from the family of Duke, the guard mate who got me into cover when I was shot. He killed himself a few days ago, leaving a note saying he couldn’t take the noise anymore. Almost makes me wonder how I’m going to keep sane after these events. (1) (2)

The End

Actual Date: May 31, 2010
Historical Date: April 30, 1975
The war Is over. That’s what everyone is saying in the papers and in town. The last U. S. soldier left Saigon today and America has left responsibility of maintaining a Country to South Vietnam. Ford looked pleased as he announced it the public, maintaining a sense of dignity after how horrible Vietnam went. It will not be long before South Vietnam falls and becomes a full communist country with North Vietnam. I don’t think I really care anymore at this point. Watching my friends and those around me die changed me. I’m just happy to be alive, but I think a part of me will always still be in Vietnam. (1)

Sources

Works cited

Articles, letters, written:

(1) Edelman, Bernard. Dear America. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company Inc., 1985. Print.

(2) Gilmore, Donald L., and Giangreco D. M.. Eyewitness Vietnam. New York City, NY: Sterling Group, 2006. Print.

(3) Mcnarma, Robert. New York Times, 6/13/71,

(4) Michael Walzer: Just and Unjust Wars, New York: Basic Books Publishing, p. 310.


Pictures
In order of appearence

Photograph of Private First Class Russell R. Widdifield in Vietnam, 1969

Adams, Eddie. Photograph of Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing Nguyen Van Lem, February 1968.

Grigsby, K. Brian. Defoilation mission. July 26, 1967