“The Nam”

Every war is different, and every war is the same.  ∼ Anthony Swofford

Vietnam veterans often refer to Vietnam as “The Nam” when discussing their experiences during the war. This tells us that the Vietnam they remember was almost a living thing; an entity if you will, as much as a place.

And it was, in fact, an entity. As the war moved along, things were constantly changing, regarding politics, missions, goals and tactics. This ever-changing dance card meant that what was true one day, was not true the next. What you did according to orders one day, was not according to orders the next. Who your ally was one day, may have been your enemy the next. It was confusing and chaotic.

So, what year you served in Vietnam, and even what month of that particular year influenced your perspective of that experience.

And where you were in Vietnam also contributed to the myriad of experiences to be had over there. Those in the coastal regions had a far different view, than those further inland. And those along the Northern DMZ, had a much different perspective than those in the Central Highlands, and those in the Mekong Delta, and visa versa.

And what you did in the Nam, varied greatly, even with those having the same MOS (duty classification) in different parts of the country and different times.

And of course Vietnam was a crazy place in its own right; a foreign country which had been at war for decades. “The Nam” was a little, and in most cases a lot different for all of us who served there, especially compared to any other place we had ever seen or heard of. But our collective memories help define those experiences, as to where we were, what we did, who we were, what we saw….and who we are now.

It was “The Nam”.

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