Loved Ones We Left Behind

Vietnam

by Michael Lansford

We left this country to be sent to a far off land we had only heard of on TV.  Still just kids, we had no clue about the impact it would have on us, or our loved ones, after the last time we saw them. 

With all the life changing events we endured, and growing up so fast and so soon, it was even harder to think about what our loved ones endured, sitting and waiting, only learning where we were and what we were involved in through the TV.

Impatiently, they waited to receive a letter from us just to know, even for a brief moment, that we were okay and still alive. 

For us, it was never possible to write and say exactly what our world had become -- no one would understand any of it anyway, least of all us. 

How could we tell loved ones about war and combat, the suffering and pain we saw, both in life and death?  What they remembered was, only a short time earlier, we were safe at home with them.

Before going, we had no clue what it would be like, nor did we know the impact it would have on us and them for the rest of our lives.  For them, seeing the war on TV and reading about it must have been very hard. Who knows what they saw on TV, heard from others, read in the newspapers, and lastly our mail.  

I believe their fears and anguish were as bad, if not worse, than our own. The fear of the unknown does strange things to people's minds. That had to take more courage than anyone could imagine. Through it all, they stood behind us, backed and supported us, and without question. That's uncommon bravery, unknown except to loved ones waiting for our return, safe and (hopefully) sound. 

Their fears were compounded by all the negatives they saw via protests, picketing, and flag burning. Imagine having a loved one fighting for what they believed in, yet watching so many others on TV marching and hating us without knowing the true story behind why we were there and who we were. 

Our loved ones became targets, or outlets, if you will, for the protesters' rage. It must have been easy for them to lash out, knowing they weren't the ones going to a foreign land with the possibility of never coming home.

How did our loved ones handle all that and maintain their hope and faith that we would be home soon? I still wonder. Through it all, they stood with us. That kept us going, plus it gave us our will to live so we would get out alive. 

Some didn't attain that goal.  Their loved ones' loss was (and still is) great.  That's very humbling to know their grief and suffering will always be with them. 

Even though we came home, we were scarred for life. Most of us couldn't tell our loved ones about anything we did -- there was just no way to explain war to someone who was not there. It was next to impossible for us to even put it into words.

This is one of the many reasons a lot of us withdrew from society after we returned. The fear of reprisal was great from those that hated us, but also, there was the fear that talking about it would hurt our loved ones even more than everything already had. 

In the end, it was our loved ones that were the true heroes -- at least for me. What they did can never be repaid, just learned from. 

To the ones who waited so long for loved ones to come home, only to receive a letter informing them of their loss, I am truly saddened for you. My heart will forever be scarred. We feel their loss almost as much as you do, just in a different context.

You see, we were often the last ones our comrades saw in life and we carry that image with us forever. We can't tell their loved one much about it, except that our only comfort is for them to know their loved one did not die alone. Someone was with them wherever they fell and they will always be honored. 

So this is for all the families, friends, and loved ones left behind --we never forgot you either. Thank you for always being there, even if it was thousands of miles away. 

God Bless and keep you all. Thank you from an old surviving vet. I owe you.

Michael Lansford

Other Articles by Michael Lansford:

Combat Memories Last Forever
Life Changed Forever

Reflections

Promises Made, Promises Kept

Pilots and POW's

Remembering Comrades

The Last Firebase

Sayings and Poems

A Couple of Stories

The Last Road: A Vietnam Vet's Perspective

Holidays in The Nam

Dear Civilians

FNG Initiation and Humor

Life Prepared Me for Vietnam

Leavings at The Wall

Coming Home

Honoring The Wall

Life in the Jungle

In My Own Words: Part 1

In My Own Words: Part 2

Part 3: The KIA

Hill 937: Part 4

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


Feel free to comment on this post. You are also invited to write about anything you want to share. Memoirs From Nam is YOUR blog. You are writing America's history.

Vietnam Vet Recipes: Texas Pinto Beans

Tony's Home - Keller, TX

by Tony Flores

CJ, one good thing about living in this country is that we have people and food from all over the world. 

I can find just about any kind of food within a five-mile radius of my house in Keller, Texas, a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth.

I went to Sydney on R&R from Vietnam and for 5 days I ate at a Texas Cafe there where half of the restaurant was Mexican food and the other side was Cowboy Texas style food. It was a blessing.

Arros con Pollo is one of my favorites. My grandmother from Puerto Rico could make it better than 5-star restaurants. Grandmother died while I was in Nam in 1969.

After Nam, family members all got together and remembered some of her food and put some recipes together. All of our friends would stay over until supper, if they found out we were going to have beans and tortillas, or Arroz con Pollo. I made them from memory, after I came back from Nam.

As to a favorite recipe that I like to cook, that would be my Grandmother's Texas Pinto beans.  I would like to share her recipe.

Grandmother's Texas Pinto Beans

What you will need:

2 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
1 to 2 chopped cloves of garlic
1/2 lb. lean bacon
1 bunch green onion, sliced
1 small can tomato paste
12 cups water
1 small can diced tomatoes, or Rotel
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, snipped
Chili powder to taste
2 to 3 t. Salt
3 limes cut in wedges

Directions:

Wash beans thoroughly. Then combine with 8 cups of water in 3 or 4 quart pot. Bring water to boil, then reduce heat to medium.

Cook beans and garlic over medium-low heat, covered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Skim top occasionally and add additional hot water if necessary.

After beans have cooked 2 1/2 hours, chop bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp. Pour off all but 1 Tbs. fat.

Add bacon with 1 Tbs. fat, tomato paste, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro and chili powder to beans. Continue cooking about 30 minutes more or until beans are tender.

Add salt to taste.

Beans should have plenty of broth so add water when necessary.

Serve with lime wedge.

That is the way my grandmother made her Texas Pinto beans. You can substitute ham hocks for the bacon.

Happy New Year to all my brothers and sisters that served in Vietnam. May the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Father, who combine as almighty God, bless you in the New Year 2015.

Tony Flores
USAF Retired


Have a Question?

E-mail Tony

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


Feel free to comment on this post. You are also invited to write about anything you want to share. Memoirs From Nam is YOUR blog. You are writing America's history.

Old School Patriotism ...

Thank a Vietnam Veteran

... is still alive

by Frank Fox

I am 67 years old and served 1964 to 1970. We all know how Vietnam Era veterans were treated for years. 

It was not until the Middle East became our newest aggression, that people started going back and thanking Vietnam Era vets.

Today a lady that works for my wife called and said “Mr. Frank, I am going to stop by. My daughter, Madeline (10 years old), has something she wants to give you.” 

When I opened the door, Madeline smiled and held out her hand.  In it was clutched a pewter painted heart, that said “The Land of the Free Because of the Brave.” She smiled and sidled over and hugged me. You are never too old to get a lump in your throat.

Pewter Heart

 I hugged her back, and thanked her for being so respectful of something that happened way before her birth. She will be a great asset to this country. All I had to give her in return was some shelled pecans that I had recently gathered, she smiled too. What an honor.

The following reflects the work of R.J. Rommel. Rudolph Joseph Rummel (October 21, 1932 – March 2, 2014) was professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii. He spent his career assembling data on collective violence and war with a view toward helping their resolution, or elimination. 

Rummel coined the term "democide" to mean "murder by government" (compare genocide), and his research suggests that six times as many people died of democide during the 20th century than in all that century's wars combined. He concluded that democracy is the form of government least likely to kill its citizens and that democracies do not wage war against each other; that is the Democratic peace theory.

Deaths Since United States Withdrawal in 1975

* Up to 155,000 refugees fleeing the final NVA Spring Offensive were killed, or abducted, on the road to Tuy Hoa in 1975. 

* Sources have estimated that 165,000 South Vietnamese died in the re-education camps out of 1-2.5 million sent, while somewhere between 50,000 and 250,000 were executed.
Rummel estimates that slave labor in the "New Economic Zones" caused 50,000 deaths (out of a total 1 million deported).  

* According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, between 200,000 and 400,000 Vietnamese boat people died at sea, although Rummel cites estimates ranging from 100,000 to 1,000,000.  

* Including Vietnam's foreign democide, Rummel estimates that a minimum of 400,000 and a maximum of slightly less than 2.5 million people died of political violence from 1975-87 at the hands of Hanoi.  

* In 1988, Vietnam suffered a famine that afflicted millions. 

* Explosive remnants of war (ERW), especially bombs dropped by the United States, continue to detonate and kill people today. The Vietnamese government claims that unexploded ordnance has killed some 42,000 people since the war officially ended. 

* In 2012 alone, unexploded bombs and other ordnance claimed 500 casualties in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, according to activists and government databases. 

The United States has spent over $65 million since 1998, trying to make Vietnam safe. 

Agent Orange and similar chemical substances, have also caused a considerable number of deaths and injuries over the years, including the US Air Force crew that handled them. 

The government of Vietnam says that 4 million of its citizens were exposed to Agent Orange, and as many as 3 million have suffered illnesses because of it; these figures include the children of people who were exposed. 

The Red Cross of Vietnam estimates that up to 1 million people are disabled or have health problems due to contaminated Agent Orange.

In my humble opinion, fewer Vietnamese people would have died if we had not intervened in a war we couldn’t win. Most assuredly we would not have lost our precious youth, and contributed to the numbers of disabled from all wars. It was a very costly scrimmage between major powers. 

Although suffering high losses (not an issue for them) the Communist Party of China got to know us very well, they profited from the “police action.” 

The U.S. had to swallow its pride and retreat from an unwinnable war. We were supposed to have learned that we should make aggression the last option, and for validated causes only.

We can’t continue to waste lives and money for nothing. We need to be prepared and respected again ...

Frank Fox

Combat Medic
Sea/Air Rescue
US Navy with USMC
August 1964 – August 1970 (6 years 1 month)

More Articles by Frank Fox:

Veterans Sharing Recipes
The White House Christmas Card
War: Some Are Better Prepared
Our Generation
The Marine and the Cure
More Thoughts on War and Youth
Opinions, Thoughts and Feelings
A Different PerspectiveA Worthy Rebuttal to Mr. Garrison

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


Feel free to comment on this post. You are also invited to write about anything you want to share. Memoirs From Nam is YOUR blog. You are writing America's history.

"Right or Wrong": by Jim Van Doren

Our Country - Right or Wrong

“Right or Wrong”

Jim Van Doren (2004)

“My country, right or wrong”?

It might be the title of a song

But for our People to be Strong

They need to know what’s Right, what’s Wrong.

Defending our Country is our absolute right.

But imposing our will – based on our might – 

Declares to the world that “Might makes Right”.

It puts our armed forces in an undeserved plight

As they question the instinct: “Fight or Flight”?

As a Citizen, what is my task?

As a Patriot, it’s my duty to ask.

As a Veteran, I will not only plead – 

I will demand of those elected to Lead:

What business have we in launching attacks

Based on suspicion, not founded on facts?

“Actionable Intelligence” must bear correlation

To hard Evidence with proven Corroboration.

Before launching any “pre-emptive” invasion,

We need hard proof, not just a persuasion

That the threat is more than a handy excuse

To sanctify our own “righteous” forms of abuse.

To question a leader who acts like royalty

Is our daily imperative, of utmost loyalty – 

To our Country, its People, and its Laws,

And to our culture, with all its flaws

But especially to those who’ve answered the call – 

Because they ... “All gave some, and some gave All”.

Jim Van Doren 

Dustoff Medic

Vietnam '65-'66

Also by Jim Van Doren:

Again and Again

"I was born in Ohio, but grew up in Vietnam."

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


Feel free to comment on this post. You are also invited to write about anything you want to share. Memoirs From Nam is YOUR blog. You are writing America's history.

New Year's Day Battle of 1968

Nui Ba Den, Black Virgin Mountain, Nov. '67

In late 1967, Pope Paul VI declared January 1 a day of peace and persuaded the South Vietnamese and the Americans to observe a truce.

In a released statement, the Vietcong also agreed to observe a 36-hour ceasefire.

The American military had been patrolling the Vietnamese-Cambodian border in an effort to make contact with either North Vietnamese Army units, or supply runs, to the Vietcong coming down the Ho Chi Minh trail. 

The 25th Infantry Division had set up a two-company perimeter, with artillery 7 miles from the Cambodian border in Tay Ninh Province. The position was located near the junction of Highways 244 and 246, close to Black Virgin Mountain. 

Troops had that day recently set up a landing zone (LZ) for supply helicopters. Once the helicopter pad had been constructed, supplies could be flown in and on January 1, the 25th Infantry Division's Christmas mail arrived. Soldiers spent the day opening packages from their families

On the night of January 1, six hours before the truce ended, a 2,500-man force made up of a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regiment and soldiers from the Viet Cong 9th Division attacked the American position. 

The Vietnamese attacked in three waves and were able to infiltrate the perimeter. The NVA first wave was launched after a heavy mortar attack at 11:30 p.m. A little after midnight, another attack was launched and then a third human wave attack at around 1:00 a.m. 

Spooky AC-47

The Americans were finally able to repel the attacks by using air and artillery support. Air support was provided by attack helicopters and AC-47's. In total, 28 air sorties were launched against the NVA. 

The Americans said that they counted 348 enemy soldiers killed in the action. By comparison, American forces suffered 176 casualties, of which 23 were killed in action. 

Last contact with enemy units occurred at 5:15 a.m. when they fled the battleground. The remnants of the NVA regiment were pursued to the south and southeast.

Thirty days later, on January 31, 1968, NVA and Vietcong forces launched the Tet Offensive throughout South Vietnam. 

Among the soldiers serving in the American units during the battle were future writer, Larry Heinemann, and future film director, Oliver Stone. 

When Oliver Stone returned to the U.S., he was puzzled that the New Year's attack had received no media coverage.

For some time, he even thought he might have imagined the events of January 1 until, at a reunion of the men of the 25th Infantry Division, other Vietnam vets who were there that night confirmed that the battle did indeed take place.

Larry Heinemann later wrote a book about his Vietnam experiences titled Black Virgin Mountain: A Return to Vietnam.  

Oliver Stone would direct a dramatization of the battle in the 1986 film, Platoon.

The final battle scene of Platoon is a dramatization of the real battle Stone experienced. Survivors of the battle often relate just how close to actual events the fighting was to what is seen on the screen, thanks to Oliver Stone.

[From Wikipedia]

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


Feel free to comment on this post. You are also invited to write about anything you want to share. Memoirs From Nam is YOUR blog. You are writing America's history.

Vietnam Vet Recipes: Southwest Chicken

Frank Fox's Southwest Chicken

by Frank Fox

I know many vets are great cooks. They knock the socks off of family and friends who are graced with their efforts.

The sheer diversity of veterans from all areas of the U.S. tells me they have to be producing some tasty meals, or desserts.

Many have specialties like Chili (Yankee or Southern), fried fish (catfish is my specialty), any kind of beans (I prefer Navy or Pinto), and chicken that's roasted, baked, grilled, in soups, and wings ... the possibilities are endless.  I also like to do ribs.

Then there's Mexican food.  I could win blue ribbons for my enchiladas, or Spanish Chicken and Rice, otherwise known as Aros con Pollo.

I find cookouts with family and friends is good for the soul -- you get to impress them, and they smile when they see you.  I will give you a sample recipe:

Frank’s Southwest Chicken:

Tip:  Take it from an old Corpsman, always take chicken very seriously.  Keep everything clean.  If you use a kitchen towel, only use it for the chicken and then throw it into the wash.  And do wash your hands frequently. 

**First, I like to make a pea salad ahead of time and let it chill.

What You Will Need:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (buy as many as you want to serve)
1 gallon Zip Loc bags
Olive Oil
Coarse pepper
Worcestershire sauce (a dash or two)
Chili powder (a dash or two)

Tip:  I always use Gebhardts Chili Powder for Chili, Enchiladas, and well, any Mexican food. It is not as salty as other brands, and you'll have less of a problem with indigestion. 

Your favorite Chicken Rub.  (I use a rub made by Fiesta, 6 oz. bottle)
Cheddar cheese, cut into strips
Avocado, cut into wedges

Preparation:

Using a gallon zip lock bag, insert one breast at a time into the bag.  Then find a firm spot on your counter, and with a meat hammer, (or other suitable type mallet), pound the breast to an even thickness all over. (It will cook uniformly and it all gets done the same that way). 

In a shallow dish add the olive oil, coarse pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder.  Mix well.

Dip the breasts in the mixture and get each of them good and wet.

After dipping, sprinkle your favorite Chicken Rub liberally on both sides. 

When you have dipped and sprinkled each of the breasts, put them in clean zip lock bag and into the fridge until you're ready to cook them.  They will marinate well that way.

Cooking Directions:

I use a gas grill for convenience, but I have also cooked the chicken over charcoal, and in the house oven.  Personally, I prefer the grill.

Make sure to coat the grates with oil.  This will prevent any sticking and it helps to put the grill marks on. 

The grill should be fairly hot and you should stay there with it, until you get used to how it cooks. Breasts can cook fast.  Be sure to move, or flip, them often to cut down the scorching. 

When they are firm and less flexible, they are most likely done.  If you have any doubt, cut into one to look for done-ness. 

Before you remove the breasts from the grill, lay a few cheddar cheese strips across the tops of the breasts, close lid for a minute to melt the cheese, and Voila!

Put them on a platter. 

To finish, just add a couple of avocado wedges and pour some iced tea, or your favorite beverage. 

Give it a go -- it really is easy!

If this works well for you and you like it, I have a roasted chicken recipe that you can do in your sleep.  It takes 2-1/2 hours at low temp and you never touch it. I just leave it alone and go mow the yard, or take a walk.

Frank Fox

Combat Medic
Sea/Air Rescue
US Navy with USMC
August 1964 – August 1970 (6 years 1 month)

More Articles by Frank Fox:

The White House Christmas Card
War: Some Are Better Prepared
Our Generation
The Marine and the Cure
More Thoughts on War and Youth
Opinions, Thoughts and Feelings
A Different PerspectiveA Worthy Rebuttal to Mr. Garrison

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


Feel free to comment on this post. You are also invited to write about anything you want to share. Memoirs From Nam is YOUR blog. You are writing America's history.