“What ‘the fog of war’ means is war is so complex it’s beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend all the variables. Our judgment, our understanding, are not adequate. And we kill people unnecessarily.” — Robert McNamara Cambodia; ancient, beautiful and mysterious War often becomes an uncontrollable force, diverging from its originators’ intentions. In 1970 Richard Nixon, with guidance from Henry Kissinger engineered an invasion of Cambodia. Nixon was feeling the heat as the end of war date he had predicted had come and gone, and the […]
Category: War and Military Stories
I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was. ∼ Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Guest writer Dave Wagenblatt and I served […]
Sight is what you see with your eyes, vision is what you see with your mind. ∼ Robert Kiyosaki The Meaning Behind “The Land of the Big Bx” American military personnel of the Vietnam War often affectionately referred to the United States as “the land of the big Bx.” Interestingly, […]
Introduction Guest writer Dennis McDermott shares information on his United States Air Force unit in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Biography information on Dennis follows the article. 22nd Tactical Air Support Squadron in Vietnam […]
Gary Labanow has shared this story with us. Gary and I have been friends since high school, and we have the shared experience of being United States Air Force Vietnam War veterans. Gary’s Air Force tales influenced me into joining back in 1968. After his military service ended, Gary eventually became a […]
If the tiger ever stands still, the elephant will crush him with his mighty tusks. But the tiger will not stand still. He will leap upon the back of the elephant, tearing huge chunks from his side, and then he will leap back into the dark jungle. And slowly the elephant will bleed to […]
War is a ferocious form of insanity. ∼ Cora May Harris Hien Quy Minh Nguyen was born and raised in Hanoi during the Vietnam War. In 1972, B-52 planes carpet-bombed Hanoi when she was 8 years old. She witnessed houses in Hanoi being destroyed, the wall of the French Consulate building in Hanoi […]
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 […]
Introduction Jim McLefresh retired as an E-8 from the U. S. Air Force after twenty years with AA, AS, BS, MS & MA degrees. After retiring from the Air Force, he taught Intro to Physics at […]
Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. ∼ Eleanor Roosevelt Two hundred and seventy three thousand Airmen served in Vietnam during the war. Introduction Steve Salkof, a United States Air Force Veteran – entered service on April […]