VIetnam - Closing the loop

I grew up sitting in the living room listening to the body counts from Vietnam on the nightly news, Kent state shootings, Mai Lia massacre, anti-war protests, the music, Woodstock, etc. Later on I knew vets that returned and had problems, my Vietnamese neighbors that lived through the re-education camps, vets exposed to agent orange, etc.

Vietnam had a huge impact on me ages 10 thru 23'ish, and probably so for others in my age range. The music alone was probably the last time groups made music for the sake of the music and a passionate cause, and not just the money and fame. Fleetwood Mac, CSNY, Chicago, Rolling Stones, Beatles, etc. It was a great age of music that still lives in kids 30 years younger than me.

Turning 50, I wanted to close the loop on the Vietnam thing. So That's why I decided to come here. These are my impressions.

Imagine if Iraq didn't like the results of our Nov elections. So Iraq decides to do a "police action" and assist the USA Islamic forces repulse the democractic oritented terrorists. Iraq pours 72 million gallons of Agent Orange over 20% of the USA, kills 10% of the USA population (20 million - aking some of this up), drops 2,0000 pounds of explosives for every man/women/child, etc. As with any war there are obviously many horrible attrocities on both sides. Eventually USA democratic citizens obviously wind up kicking their sorry asses back home. Then the winning democratic forces embark on policies which isolate the country for
another 15 years and kill/starve/main a bunch more people. At the end you have a starving
country with lots of birth defects from agent orange, mangled veterans, decimated religious/
intellectual business classes, etc.

Now imagine a bald, skinny, 4-eyed Iraqi guy getting off a plane in Washington DC 35 years later. Wouldn't you think most Americans would want to kick his ass?

I'm not trying to make any kind of political statement here. Once leaders pull the trigger on a war machine, its going to be ugly on both sides. When you go to war, you can't sit around and sing kum-by-ya and hold hands. I'm drawing this picture because my impression was that the Vietnamese people would naturally hate Americans for what we did to them. I have never been to a more American friendly country in the world!!! There is this big building in the middle of Saigon with huge letters "Perfect USA" on it. I'm trying to find communism, but this is the most capitalist country in the world. People don't pay taxes (George Bush would love that!), business if BOOMING, economy is nuts, people are fairly free to do their thing, only minor crime compared to the mayhem back home, you can shoot M16 machines guns for $1/bullet. Everyone is making money.

The downside is you work 24x7 for $3/day, the environment is being ravaged, you pay for all your healthcare/pension/school, you drive a moped, people are jammed in elbow to elbow.

And they just love Americans!! Everywhere I go people want to talk to Americans. America "AOK" is what I get. If you look lost tons of people will approach you and try to help you. Now obviously 75% of it is because you have money, but either way they are super friendly money or no money.

During the war I always heard about the "Tunnels" where the Vietcong hid and fought. I always wanted to visit the Co Chi Tunnels, so I did. No wonder why they kicked our butts. They had 3000 people underground 25 miles from Saigon. These tunnels went for 120 miles and down to 30 feet deep. The place is still littered with B52 craters like a moon scape. The whole area was declared a live fire zone during the war, so basically anything goes. There was so much Agent Orange poured on this place it turned into a moonscape. US Planes returning to Saigon had the freedom to dump unused bombs anywhere they wanted. Soldiers could shoot anything that moved. And in the end it just didn't matter, the US and France never could countrol the territory.

Moral of Story #1: Never bail the French out of their own screw ups
Moral of Story #2: White people should never fight a land war in Asia
if you are going to be percieved as aggressors/occupiers
Moral of Story #3: You can bomb people back to the stone age, but you can't bomb their hearts

So the Vietnam loop is closed for me. From the surreal media view as a 15 year old, to walking past Agent Orange beggar kids and mangled veterans - as a 50 year old white bald skinny guy. I was 2.5 years from being drafted in 1975, and I am so very happy to be a bald skinny 4-eyed white guy visiting Vietnam as a welcomed tourist and not a dispised GI tunnel rat.

dreez