Gerald Maclennon's Blog - Posts Tagged "reconciliation"
The Hà Nội Reconciliation Banquet of Vietnam war pilots
Depending on which source you reference, about 2/3rd of Vietnam's American Veterans are still living in 2019... self included (though the grim reaper is standing behind my right shoulder). And even though 50 years have passed, the images of the war, and the losses suffered, are still vivid in my mind. And... communism is still the enemy.
It's just peachy that some American participants can now kiss and make up, as those at the Hà Nội reconciliation banquet did. Bless their hearts. Seriously. Don't get me wrong... I don't hate the North Vietnamese... I never did. I hate war and the political and philosophical differences that drive humans into such bloody conflicts.
At this juncture, I would suggest pilot hero Col. Nguyễn Văn Bảy was only alive until 2019 because LBJ & McNamara made all North Vietnamese MiG airfields and barracks off limits to USN & USAF bombers. The White House was afraid Russia might enter the war directly if we killed Russian pilots and trainers and aircraft. That particular fear (of China, too) cost the lives of many American aviators... and caused the torture of our POWs*, some unto death.**
In "Dragon's Jaw" by Stephan Coonts & Barrett Tillman, in the final chapter (page 266) the authors state: "Fifty eight thousand Americans lost their lives in Southeast Asia during that war. Their deaths in a cause the nation ultimately abandoned still rankles. Veterans came home to a nation that blamed them for the whole mess."
The word 'rankles', in this context, means 'continues to be painful.' In today's geopolitical scenario, rules and attitudes have changed. I know. But, I'm 72 and - as you can probably tell - for me that war, and everything I've learned about it through memoirs and histories (such as Bloody Sixteen by CDR Peter Fey USN-ret) continues to perplex and rankle me.
*Yes, I am aware that Nixon gave the "go ahead" for bombing MiG airfields during Operation Linebacker.
**causing the torture of our POWs, including pilot from my aircraft carrier, LCDR John S. McCain III for five and a half years
Dragon's Jaw: An Epic Story of Courage and Tenacity in Vietnam
Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 during the Vietnam War
It's just peachy that some American participants can now kiss and make up, as those at the Hà Nội reconciliation banquet did. Bless their hearts. Seriously. Don't get me wrong... I don't hate the North Vietnamese... I never did. I hate war and the political and philosophical differences that drive humans into such bloody conflicts.
At this juncture, I would suggest pilot hero Col. Nguyễn Văn Bảy was only alive until 2019 because LBJ & McNamara made all North Vietnamese MiG airfields and barracks off limits to USN & USAF bombers. The White House was afraid Russia might enter the war directly if we killed Russian pilots and trainers and aircraft. That particular fear (of China, too) cost the lives of many American aviators... and caused the torture of our POWs*, some unto death.**
In "Dragon's Jaw" by Stephan Coonts & Barrett Tillman, in the final chapter (page 266) the authors state: "Fifty eight thousand Americans lost their lives in Southeast Asia during that war. Their deaths in a cause the nation ultimately abandoned still rankles. Veterans came home to a nation that blamed them for the whole mess."
The word 'rankles', in this context, means 'continues to be painful.' In today's geopolitical scenario, rules and attitudes have changed. I know. But, I'm 72 and - as you can probably tell - for me that war, and everything I've learned about it through memoirs and histories (such as Bloody Sixteen by CDR Peter Fey USN-ret) continues to perplex and rankle me.
*Yes, I am aware that Nixon gave the "go ahead" for bombing MiG airfields during Operation Linebacker.
**causing the torture of our POWs, including pilot from my aircraft carrier, LCDR John S. McCain III for five and a half years
Dragon's Jaw: An Epic Story of Courage and Tenacity in Vietnam
Bloody Sixteen: The USS Oriskany and Air Wing 16 during the Vietnam War
