Displaying 601 To 630 Of 5,801 Comments Part Two Of The Life Of A Draftee Kes, I was thinking about the “news” sources we had in Vietnam. We had AFVN on radio, Armed Forces Vietnam (radio network). And Stars and Stripes news paper. Always very late getting out to us. And of course letters from home. The radio and paper were slanted in favor of the war effort. They reported the “body counts” from our fire fights. Those were always inflated! We were sent out to count the dead enemy after a fight. We did an accurate count, our CO would add a few to the count we gave him because he felt they may have taken some while they withdrew.He would send that number to his “superior” (I hate that word) and the count in the paper or “news” on the radio was always at least double what we actually counted. My dad was a retired 1st Sgt. and got the Stars and Stripes in the mail. One of the articles he cut out and save for me said we killed 198 in a certain battle. I don’t remember any count we made that was that high. Not even triple digits.My guess is that the “superiors” grossly inflated those numbers to keep the folks back home misinformed. Kes, thanks so much for the questions. I my opinion there are no wrong questions that you could ask. Feel free to ask anything. Peace » Posted By Nirek On February 9, 2015 @ 12:37 pm Kalima, thank you so much for the very kind words. You have become such a good friend. You and Kes seem to know how to make me feel like a better man. I have worked on forgiving myself with the help of my grandson and son and others. I never have found a good reason for the “Vietnam conflict”, there are lots of fabricated stories that were supposed to justify it. None to my liking. We were told to fight them there so they wouldn’t come to America and fight here. Bull$hit!Also that they would spread communisum to neighboring countries. More Bull$hit! Peace will overcome some day. » Posted By Nirek On February 9, 2015 @ 7:38 am Thanks Kes. We had available vests that weighed a ton and made us too hot. Very few guys wore them. They didn’t even say they were “bullet proof”. They were thick and heavy. Yes pants and shirt and sometimes no shirt. We got some news from home in the form of letters and new guys coming in as replacements told us about the protesters. Many of us draftees would have protested if we had not been drafted. I know I was against the war in Vietnam. We had little time to discuss news from back in the “world” as we called America. No body told us we couldn’t discuss it though. Kes, I never thought about it, but I did get into my family and work and didn’t dwell on the war experiences. Not until I retired and had time to think of the past. Not that I didn’t think about it at all, I just threw myself into the job and family. I like the “back burner” way of saying how I treated it. I too wish we had learned from our history. We could have avoided the Iraq and Afghanistan wars if we had heeded the lesson of Vietnam. Peace » Posted By Nirek On February 9, 2015 @ 4:48 am I just found this on you tube. It shows how we were duped into Vietnam and what we had to deal with.
» Posted By Nirek On February 8, 2015 @ 12:38 pm Breaking News From the Future: GOP Still Denies Climate Change as Ocean Floods 18th State Ad, Vermont is now a coastal state, did you forget? Our southeast corner is now bordered by the Atlantic. How could you leave this important information out of your post? Also Texas is now a much smaller state and Lousianna is almost nonexistant. » Posted By Nirek On January 26, 2015 @ 4:06 pm Weekend Music Thread – Something in the Air Love this song. » Posted By Nirek On January 25, 2015 @ 12:25 pm Me too, Aquarius. My solar array makes all my electricity plus some to back into the grid.I have a sunny day here in Vermont. » Posted By Nirek On January 25, 2015 @ 10:22 am This one for our friend Aquarius.
» Posted By Nirek On January 25, 2015 @ 5:30 am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akEgsZSfhg I always loved Marylyn McCoo, just saying. » Posted By Nirek On January 25, 2015 @ 5:27 am GOP House Speaker John Boehner Defends Deflated Balls The refs checked the balls before the game and handled the ball before and after each play. If they had a problem , why didn’t they stop play and fix the problem? » Posted By Nirek On January 23, 2015 @ 12:55 pm Watching “Selma” In A Nearly Empty Theater. Why? Kes. I don’t have Netflix but will look for the film you mention. I’m considering a second part to my first ever post “Life of a draftee”. Don’t know if anyone would want to read it. Peace, my friend. » Posted By Nirek On January 24, 2015 @ 12:56 pm I also don’t go to the movies, but for reasons of comfort. The seats are always too uncomfortable for my knees. I wait for the movie to come out on dick or free TV. I’m always a couple yearsbehind the times. » Posted By Nirek On January 24, 2015 @ 4:47 am In 1967, A High School Junior, Me, Was Invited To A Speech By Dr. King Sabreen, I mean no disrespect by calling the folks protesting “rioters”. If I had not been drafted I would have been there protesting along side you. » Posted By Nirek On January 20, 2015 @ 12:42 pm Murph, I like your story very much. Being a Vermonter and living through those days with my experiences, I can relate to your experience. 1967 was the year I was drafted. When Dr. King was killed in 1968 I was with the 6th Armored Cav. at Fort Meade Md.. There were riots in DC and we went down and dispersed the rioters, without hurting a single person. That is what I’m proudest about my 2 years of service. My time in Vietnam haunts me as I’m reminded of that part of my life every time I see anything about war. Sorry, I got off track. Dr. Martin L. King was a wonderful man and he helped form our opinions and sense of right and wrong. I for one white man am ashamed of the way white folks treated black folks. We shall overcome! Some day. » Posted By Nirek On January 20, 2015 @ 3:58 am At the Movies in the White House Brodie, that is interesting. I never would have thought to research what Presidents have watched. Seems they all had a varity of interests. » Posted By Nirek On January 18, 2015 @ 2:42 pm Two faces of Islam: The Jihadist and The Modernist Murph, I can’t say I understand jihadism or ISIS motives in killing any and all nonbelievers. To me they are extremists. All religions have extremists but these guys are more extreme! Look at the Westboro baptists. Talk about extremists! They stop at killing , so far. The extremists of other religions are just as bad. However the jihadists seem to have no bounds. You can’t talk to them or reason or negotiate. It is their way or death to all others. That is what I see. You put a lot of effort in trying to explain this but I for one don’t understand it. I don’t believe all Muslims are bad or condone jihadism any more than all Christians condone the Westboro Baptists. Good try though. » Posted By Nirek On January 19, 2015 @ 3:09 pm KT, you made me think that I should be on the lookout for this movie. Sounds like something my wife and I could enjoy together. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I never even heard about it before now. » Posted By Nirek On January 18, 2015 @ 11:40 am For Your Consideration: Thoughts on the Oscar Nominees KT, I’m always 3-4 years behind. I don’t go to the theaters wait to see on the TV. Can’t speak to any of these new shows. But Murph, I looked at what you wrote. Look forward to seeing some of them in a few years. » Posted By Nirek On January 16, 2015 @ 12:26 pm If Obama had gone to Paris the Right Would Still Have Gone Ballistic! SLM, I agree that it would be worse if PBO had gone to Paris for the “photo op”. I also agree that the media doesn’t care a bit about reporting the truth. They just pick the low hanging fruit and repeat it ad nosium ! » Posted By Nirek On January 17, 2015 @ 4:59 am Only in theis case, Murph. » Posted By Nirek On January 14, 2015 @ 3:54 pm Very Faux like wording. I think it fits. » Posted By Nirek On January 14, 2015 @ 2:53 pm Murph, absolutely right on the mark. This President can’t do anything that would please the GOP! He is damned if he does one thing and damned if he doesn’t. You could write Faux snooze stories if you wanted to. » Posted By Nirek On January 14, 2015 @ 12:07 pm PPO, I prefer to think of God as (Mother Nature). All you need to do is look at the splender of nature. When I’m in the woods and see deer, turkeys, squirles,and other critters I know Mother Nature did a wonderful job. » Posted By Nirek On January 14, 2015 @ 4:54 am Ad, we all know that the GOPers would have said he should not have marched with the “world leaders” if he had gone to France. PBO can’t do anything right according to the “right”! » Posted By Nirek On January 13, 2015 @ 4:17 pm Yup, he should have had Holder march with all those world leaders. The WH even said they missed the chance to do so. Big deal. We did send help in the way of information. What more is needed? On a slightly different subject; Mitt Romney wanted to get the GDP growth to 5% by 2016, Obama beat that by two years! Since Obama has achieved all the republican goals, does he get credit? Not from the GOP, he should have been at a march in France instead of taking care of business! » Posted By Nirek On January 12, 2015 @ 2:29 pm Weekend Music Thread – Free To Do What I Want
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» Posted By Nirek On January 18, 2015 @ 12:11 pmComments Posted By Nirek
You ask good questions. I’ll try to answer them.
The Tet was a surprise in 1968, I got there for the second Tet Offensive in 1969. I don’t think it was as big of a surprise the second time around.
The only Vietnamese we had with us was a “Chu Hoi” (a captured enemy soldier who gave up and turned to help us. I believe that is the meaning of Chu Hoi = give up or surrender.) As I remember our “Chu Hoi”, he was a former Viet Cong from South Vietnam. He seemed to be very friendly and we used him as a guide and translator.
Cheers.
Boehner on the other hand has not only deflated balls but his face looks deflated as well. Just saying.
As I have said before my memories are vivid and haunt me. I always think about the one I’m sure I killed and wonder who is taking care of his family. If he were not shooting at me I would not have had to shoot back.
Peace.
Good to see you here, my friend.
Peace.
Peace.
Peace, my friend.
Paul Ryan wanted to get unemployement down under 6% by 2016, it is now, two years sooner!
Newt said he would get gas prices down below $2.50…
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