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This email, although American - I would suggest, resonates with the both
the Australian and New Zealand Vietnam Community and the Canadian Vet's as well.
Read on.
Cheers
Gaz
(Garry Heskett; Assoc Pres)
Nick Bacon
USA 1SGT (RET.)
Medal of Honour Recipient
After my retirement in 1984 from the U.S. Army, I worked for the VA Regional
Office in Phoenix, AZ as a contact representative and as an adjudicator of
claims. After a short period with VARO, I resigned and helped John McCain in his
race for the U.S. Senate. Of course, John won and I went on to become a City
Manager in Surprise, AZ for 3 years.
When I moved to Arkansas in 1990, I returned to assisting veterans with their
claims. In 1993 I was appointed to the position of State Director of Veterans
Affairs where I spent the next 12 years helping veterans and their families.
I was always surprised at the number of people claiming to have been Military
Veterans, especially Vietnam Veterans. After opening the Arkansas State Veteran
Cemetery several years ago, I was shocked to see so many of my VN brothers being
buried. Then I received the following fact sheet from my good friend Major
General (Ret.) David R. Bockel, Director of Army Affairs, Reserve Officers
Association.
After the shock wears off, please send this information to all your address
banks and local media. After so many years of misleading reports and unpleasant
media comments; lets disseminate to this country the real truth, as painful as
it may be.
My son, my younger brother, my nephews are still serving in harms way in the war
on terrorism. Let's not let them be treated like we were so many years ago -
Fight Now, Fight Strong and Fight as long as we have to.
God Bless America
&
God Bless Our Veterans
Nick Bacon
* * * * * *
Subject:
Vietnam Facts vs Fiction
For over 30 years I....like many Vietnam veterans....seldom spoke of Vietnam,
except with other veterans, when training soldiers, and in public speeches.
These past five years I have joined the hundreds of thousands who believe it is
high time the truth be told about the Vietnam War and the people who served
there. It's time the American people learn that the United States military did
not lose the War, and that a surprisingly high number of people who claim to
have served there, in fact, DID NOT.
As Americans, support the men and women involved in the War on Terrorism, the
mainstream media are once again working tirelessly to undermine their efforts
and force a psychological loss or stalemate for the United States. We cannot
stand by and let the media do to today's warriors what they did to us 35 years a
go.
Below are some assembled some facts most readers will find interesting. It isn't
a long read, but it will....I guarantee....teach you some things you did not
know about the Vietnam War and those who served, fought, or died there. Please
share it with those with whom you communicate.
Vietnam War Facts:
Facts, Statistics, Fake Warrior Numbers, and Myths Dispelled
9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam
era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975.
2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam
Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation.
240 men were awarded the Medal of Honour during the Vietnam War
The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1958. He was with
the 509th Radio Research Station. Davis Station in Saigon was named for him
58,148 were killed in Vietnam
75,000 were severely disabled
23,214 were 100% disabled
5,283 lost limbs
1,081 sustained multiple amputations
Of those killed, 61% were younger than
23
11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old
Of those killed, 17,539 were married
Average age of men killed: 23.1 years
Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old.
The oldest man killed was 62 years old.
As of January 15, 2 004, there are 1,875 Americans still unaccounted
for from the Vietnam War
97% of Vietnam Veterans were honourably discharged
91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served
74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome
Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet
age groups.
Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age
group by more than 18 percent.
87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem.
There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non-Vietnam
Veterans of the same age group (Source: Veterans Administration Study)
Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only one-half of
one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes.
85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life.
Interesting Census Stats and "Been There" Wanabees:
1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of
August, 1995 (census figures).
~ During that same Census count, the number of Americans falsely
claiming to have served in-country was: 9,492,958.
~ As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving
U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. This is hard to believe,
losing nearly 711,000 between '95 and '00. That's 390 per day. During this
Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country
is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets
are not.
The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially
provided by The War Library originally reported with errors that 2,709,918 U.S.
military personnel as having served in-country. Corrections and confirmations
to this errored index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S. military personnel
confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally listed by the Department
of Defense. (All names are currently on file and accessible 24/7/365).
Isolated atrocities committed by American Soldiers produced torrents
of outrage from anti-war critics and the news media while Communist atrocities
were so common that they received hardly any media mention at all. The United
States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam
made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. Americans who
deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did
so received commendations. >From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front
assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The death squads
focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of
the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and school teachers. -
Nixon Presidential Papers
Common Myths Dispelled:
Myth: Common Belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted.
Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men
who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in
Vietnam were volunteers.
Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans
range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population.
Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. "The
CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5
years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among
Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. After that initial post-service
period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than
non-Vietnam veterans. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate
of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans' group.
Myth: Common belief is that a disproportionate number of blacks were
killed in the Vietnam War.
Fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were
black, 1.2% were other races. Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley
Butler, in their recently published book "All That We Can Be," said they
analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam "and
can report definitely that this charge is untrue. Black fatalities amounted to
12 percent of all Americans killed in Southeast Asia – a figure proportional
to the number of blacks in the U.S. population at the time and slightly lower
than the proportion of blacks in the Army at the close of the war."
Myth: Common belief is that the war was fought largely by the poor
and uneducated.
Fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a
slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or
infantry officers. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had
ever sent into combat. 79% had a high school education or better.
Here are statistics from the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF) as of
November 1993. The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The
Wall): Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. (Although 58,169
names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth
date Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who
were listed as missing in action)
Deaths Average Age
Total: 58,148 23.11 years
Enlisted: 50,274 22.37 years
Officers: 6,598 28.43 years
Warrants: 1,276 24.73 years
E1 525 20.34 years
11B MOS: 18,465 22.55 years
Myth: The common belief is the average age of an infantryman
fighting in Vietnam was 19.
Fact:: Assuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in
Vietnam, the average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam to be 19
years old is a myth, it is actually 22. None of the enlisted grades have an
average age of less than 20. The average man who fought in World War II was 26
years of age.
Myth: The Common belief is that the domino theory was proved false.
Fact: The domino theory was accurate. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast
Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and
Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. The
Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America's commitment in
Vietnam. Without that commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the
Malacca Straits that is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to
the free world. If you ask people who live in these countries that won the war
in Vietnam, they have a different opinion from the American news media. The
Vietnam War was the turning point for Communism.
Myth: The common belief is that the fighting in Vietnam was not as
intense as in World War II.
Fact: The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War
II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam
saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the
helicopter. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty.
58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. Although
the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds
were 300 percent higher than in World War II ....75,000 Vietnam veterans are
severely disabled. MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Over
900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). The average time
lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result,
less than one percent of all Americans wounded, who survived the first 24 hours,
died. The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. Without the helicopter
it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border
with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954
and the Geneva Accords or 1962 would secure the border).
Myth: Kim Phuc, the little nine year old Vietnamese girl running
naked from the napalm strike near Trang Bang on 8 June 1972.....shown a million
times on American television....was burned by Americans bombing Trang Bang.
Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang
that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. The planes doing the bombing near the village
were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in
support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. The Vietnamese pilot who
dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United States. Even the
AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. The incident in
the photo took place on the second day of a three day battle between the North
Vietnamese Army (NVA) who occupied the village of Trang Bang and the ARVN (Army
of the Republic of Vietnam) who were trying to force the NVA out of the village.
Recent reports in the news media that an American commander ordered the air
strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect. There were no Americans involved in
any capacity. "We (Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF,"
according to Lieutenant General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding
General of TRAC at that time. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of
Kim Phuc's brothers were killed in this incident. They were Kim's cousins not
her brothers.
Myth: The United States lost the war in Vietnam.
Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. The American
military did not lose a battle of any consequence. >From a military standpoint,
it was almost an unprecedented performance. General Westmoreland quoting
Douglas Pike, a professor at the University of California, Berkley a major
military defeat for the VC and NVA.
THE UNITED STATES DID NOT LOSE THE WAR IN VIETNAM, THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE DID.
Read on........
The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the
American military left Vietnam. The last American troops departed in their
entirety 29 March 1973.
How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? We fought
to an agreed stalemate. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January
1973. It called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces,
limitation of both sides' forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to
peaceful reunification. The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of
Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT
American military running for their lives. There were almost twice as many
casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia) the first two years after the
fall of Saigon in 1975 then there were during the ten years the U.S. was
involved in Vietnam. Thanks for the perceived loss and the countless
assassinations and torture visited upon Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians
goes mainly to the American media and their undying support-by-misrepresentation
of the anti-War movement in the United States.
As with much of the Vietnam War, the news media misreported and
misinterpreted the 1968 Tet Offensive. It was reported as an overwhelming
success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite initial victories by the
Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat of those forces.
General Vo Nguyen Giap, the designer of the Tet Offensive, is considered by some
as ranking with Wellington, Grant, Lee and MacArthur as a great commander.
Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces
on all fronts. It resulted in the death of some 45,000 NVA troops and the
complete, if not total destruction of the Viet Cong elements in South Vietnam.
The Organization of the Viet Cong Units in the South never recovered. The Tet
Offensive succeeded on only one front and that was the News front and the
political arena. This was another example in the Vietnam War of an inaccuracy
becoming the perceived truth. However, inaccurately reported, the News Media
made the Tet Offensive famous.
Please give all credit and research to:
Capt. Marshal Hanson, U.S.N.R (Ret.)
Capt. Scott Beaton, Statistical Source
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