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Vietnam War

Vietnam War – LZ Hereford (1966)

Vietnam War – LZ Hereford (1966)

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Twenty-three Montagnard mercenaries led by Special Forces Sergeants Burton Adams and David Freeman moved quietly through the front gate of the Vinh Thanh Special Forces camp on May 15, 1966, and slipped into the early morning darkness and light fog. Like other patrols sent out over the past week, they were hoping to find anything that would confirm a captured Viet Cong's claim that a combined North Vietnamese Army/Viet Cong force would soon attack their camp. The patrol members moved to the shores of the Song Con River, climbed into small boats and paddled across the deep river making as little noise as possible. On the other side, they picked up a trail heading northeast toward the high, green mountains shrouded in thick morning clouds. Within several hundred yards, the trail narrowed and became steeper and more heavily vegetated. The night slowly gave way to daylight. Troops Landed at LZ Hereford for a Critical Mission The men drew their machetes to cut through the tangle of vines...

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Five Myths About The Vietnam War

Five Myths About The Vietnam War

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Ken Burns and Lynn Novick say their multi-part PBS documentary about the Vietnam War was intended to unpack a complex conflict and to embark upon the process of healing and reconciliation. The series has catapulted the Vietnam War back into the national consciousness. But despite thousands of books, articles and films about this moment in our history, there remain many deeply entrenched myths about the Vietnam War. How the Vietnam War Revealed Viet Cong’s True Strength "Vastly superior in tools and techniques, and militarily dominant over much of the world," historian Ronald Aronson wrote about the hegemonic United States and the impudent rebels, "the Goliath sought to impose on David a peace favorable to his vision of the world." Recode recently compared the Viet Cong to Uber: "young, scrappy and hungry troops break rules and create new norms, shocking the enemy." In reality, the Viet Cong, the pro-North force in South Vietnam, was armed by both North Vietnam - which planned,...

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MSG Jerry M. Shriver, U.S. Army (1962–1969)

MSG Jerry M. Shriver, U.S. Army (1962–1969)

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When Jerry Shriver left the United States for Vietnam, the only reason he ever came home was because the Army forced him to get some R&R. Even then, Shriver spent his time stateside talking tactics with fellow soldiers and looking for weapons to use in his unconventional, often personal war against the communists of Southeast Asia. He earned the nickname "Mad Dog" from Radio Hanoi for his fierce raids into enemy territory, his ability to fight his way out, and his refusal to use long-barreled weapons, instead preferring a short-range fight. Jerry Shriver Became a Legend Before Disappearing It was when the Army believed it had located the communists' Central Office for South Vietnam – the long-hunted holy grail of enemy targets – inside Cambodia that Shriver met an uncertain fate. His name lives on as a fabled, legendary member of the Army's Special Forces, but sadly, his remains have never been recovered.  Shriver joined the Army in his late teenage years, first becoming a...

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Cpl William Thomas Perkins Jr., U.S.M.C. (1966-1967) – Vietnam War Combat Photographer

Cpl William Thomas Perkins Jr., U.S.M.C. (1966-1967) – Vietnam War Combat Photographer

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The only Medal of Honor to be awarded to a combat photographer is now on display in the Medal of Honor Gallery in the "Price of Freedom" exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. William Perkins Jr’s Medal of Honor at the Smithsonian Marine Cpl. William Thomas Perkins Jr. died at the age of 20 on Oct. 12, 1967, when he flung himself on a grenade to preserve the lives of three other Marines during Operation Medina, a Marine search and destroy operation in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. The Marine Corps posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor for "his gallant actions." Perkins' mother, Marilane Perkins Jacobson of Lexington, Ky., donated the medal, her son's letters and other personal effects to the museum's permanent Armed Forces Collections in 2015. "I didn't want his possessions to end up in somebody's brown box in a basement," Jacobson said. "I figured they should go to the Smithsonian." Perkins' award, his Purple Heart, and photography are exhibited...

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Sgt Michael Wynn, U.S. Marine Corps (1966-1970)

Sgt Michael Wynn, U.S. Marine Corps (1966-1970)

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Michael Wynn is a Marine Sargeant, a four-year USMC volunteer, of First Battalion, Third Marines, hailing from Marion, Ohio who took part in Operation Ballistic Charge near Dai Loc, in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. Michael Wynn shared a history of his motivation to join the Marine Corps which was a mixture of patriotism and seeking excitement and adventure. Michael Wynn's Childhood "My name is Mike Wynn and I was born on January 17, 1947. I grew up in Marion, Ohio, and attended Olney Ave. Elementary, Edison Jr. High, and graduated from Harding High School in 1965. I played baseball and football for Harding for 3 years. I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1966. After high school, I attended Otterbein University on a football scholarship. During the season I concentrated on my studies to keep my eligibility to play football. After the season I found other interests and let’s just say I came to a mutual agreement with the school that I would not be returning the next...

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4 Vietnam War Myths Civilians Believe

4 Vietnam War Myths Civilians Believe

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Movies and television have painted a deeply embedded picture of Vietnam veterans in the American collective consciousness. Somehow, despite the numerous books, articles, and documentaries produced about the war and those who fought it, some of them are simply untrue. The false ideas aren't just small myths, either. These misconceptions paint a distorted picture of who fought in Vietnam and the ability of the enemy and shaped how we perceived war for decades after the conflict ended. Here are the most common myths about the Vietnam War that civilians really believe, along with the truth about them. The U.S. Won Every Battle of the Vietnam War But Still Lost the War If anyone told this myth to the veterans who fought at Lang Vei in 1968, Kham Duc later that same year, or Fire Support Base Ripcord in 1970, they'd probably get a sharp, curt history lesson in logistics and math. Movies and television make it seem like the Viet Cong (VC), and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) attacked in...

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The Boys on Cherry Street by Ron Boehm

The Boys on Cherry Street by Ron Boehm

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Tens of thousands of books have been written on the Vietnam War. Thousands more are in the process of being written, and thousands more are being considered by other veterans. Such books inevitably deal with heroic actions and stories of courage and sacrifice. Boehm brilliant book also includes stories about heroes and their courage, but he wrote the book to be a different kind of book on Vietnam. He was highly successful.

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Pvt Harvey Keitel, U.S. Marine Corps (1956-1959)

Pvt Harvey Keitel, U.S. Marine Corps (1956-1959)

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Harvey Keitel is widely recognized as one of Hollywood’s most intense and versatile actors, known for his unforgettable performances in films like Taxi Driver, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. But before his rise to cinematic fame, Keitel served in the United States Marine Corps, an experience that would shape discipline throughout his life and career. Beyond his military service and acting, Keitel has dedicated himself to philanthropy, supporting veterans and aspiring artists alike. Harvey Keitel’s Early Life and Education Harvey Keitel was born on May 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland and Romania. Raised in a working-class family, Keitel grew up in Brighton Beach, where his parents owned and operated a small luncheonette. As a child, he was known for his rebellious streak, often getting into trouble at school. Despite this, he possessed a deep curiosity and an independent spirit. His teenage years were marked by a search for direction. Keitel...

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Service Reflections of MST2 David Brennan, U.S. Coast Guard (1971-2003)

Service Reflections of MST2 David Brennan, U.S. Coast Guard (1971-2003)

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My dad served for 27 years and retired from Jack C. Brennan RMC in 1974. Through his influence growing up and seeing him put on his uniform every Monday afternoon, I wanted to do that someday, too. When I was a senior in high school in 1971, I heard through my dad that the Coast Guard reserves had just opened up for enlistment. My brother, who had graduated in 1970, had a low draft number and was looking for the correct service to join. He went to the recruiter, took the test, and qualified to go to basic training in April. I went as well, still being a senior in high school, and took the exam as well. I failed the first time, but I later retook it and passed. I was to go to Alameda, CA, in May 1971.

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The Base Flagpole Truck

The Base Flagpole Truck

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There are a lot of military myths and urban legends out there, but few are more widespread or ridiculous than the legend of the base flagpole truck. No one knows who started it or why. It's just a legend that has been passed down from generation to generation of veterans. It transcends military branches and eras of wars, and it is as common to hear the myths of saltpeter in the Gatorade or "etherbunny."  The Base Flagpole Truck: What's Supposedly Inside The legend goes that the truck above every military installation's flagpole is actually hollow and contains three to five very specific items for very specific uses. The most common legend is that it has three items: a razor blade, a match, and a bullet. The razor blade, it's said, is used to strip the flag, the match is to burn the flag properly, and the bullet is to use in defense of yourself (or, in some versions, to use on yourself). In another version of the myth, the truck also contains grains of rice and a penny (or some...

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