Our Year of War
Page 40
Patton, George S., 69, 190, 210
Patton, George S., III, 100, 285n41
Patyani, Aminullah, 267
Pawnee, 13
Peace, Charles N., 221
peace talks, Paris (1968), 153, 154
Penner, Brad, 263
Pentagon, march on the Pentagon (1967), 52
“people sniffer,” 189, 304n27
Philippine Insurrection, 24–25
“pile on” tactic, 100, 165
Plains Indians
defeat reasons, 16–17
description/groups, 13
European settlers and, 15–17
history overview, 13–17
reservations/culture and, 15, 16–17
Platte River
description, 14
railroads and, 15
Poindexter, Edward
Black Panthers and, 252
Omaha bombing (1970) and, 260–261
prison and, 261
post-traumatic stress/PTSD, 257
Powell, Colin
individual vs. unit replacement and, 69
Vietnam and, 56–57, 69, 151
presidential campaign (1968)
Johnson and, 204–205
See also Chicago (Democratic National Convention, 1968) riot; specific individuals
Project 100,000, 149
Pugh, Lawrence E., 127
Purple Hearts, 93, 132, 163, 184, 191, 199, 200–201, 203, 221, 232, 235, 246
PX descriptions, 232
Quayle, Dan, 55
racial tension/conflict
blacks shot by white police (in 2000s), 296n36
King’s assassination and, 147–148, 152
Omaha, Nebraska, and, 134–135, 137–139, 140–141, 147–148, 247–250
Rodney King and, 296n36
urban riots, 134–135, 139, 141–143, 147–148, 152
Vietnam War/US and, 148–152, 297n41
See also civil rights
railroads history, 15
Ray, James Earl, 147
Redding, Otis, 226
Redeye antiaircraft missile training, 49–50
“REMFs,” 228
Rice, David (Mondo we Langa)
background, 142, 252
Black Panthers and, 252
Omaha bombing (1970) and, 260–261
prison/death, 261
rice growing importance, Vietnam, 94
Ridgway, Matthew, 106
riots
Omaha (1966), 139
Omaha before 1960s, 138
urban riots, 134–135, 139, 141–143, 147–148, 152
Wallace visiting Omaha (1968), 134–135, 137, 141–143, 248, 250–251, 252
See also Chicago (Democratic National Convention, 1968) riot; Omaha, Nebraska, riot (1969); racial tension/conflict
Robinson, Jackie, 138
Rogers, Philip (“Doc”)
attack (March 28, 1968) and, 121–122, 123–124
death, 185
injury, 173, 175, 185
Mini-Tet and, 170, 173, 175
rank/description, 127, 228
Roth, Eric, 69–70
rubber plantation, French Michelin Company, 119
Saigon
saving from violence and, 170, 174
See also Mini-Tet
Saigon battle (starting May 1968). See Mini-Tet
“San Francisco” (song), 47
Schall, Charles N., 221
Schwarzkopf, Norman
individual vs. unit replacement and, 69
Vietnam and, 69
Scovel, James L., 200, 211, 212, 222
“search and destroy”/“search and clear” strategy, 98
Seau, Junior, 163
Selective Service. See military conscription/US
sergeants
Company B and, 127
shortages in Vietnam, 126–127
training time, 127
Shepoka, Richard, 256
Sheridan, Philip H., 22, 24
Sherman tank, 26
Sherman, William T., 22, 24
Sioux, 13–14
Smith, Rudy, 252
Smith, William E.
death, 182
description/traits, 127, 228
land mine explosion (April 22, 1968) and, 158, 161, 162–163, 164
Mini-Tet and, 167
Sole Survivor Policy (Sullivan Rule), 108
Sorenson, Axel (“Al”), 139, 141
Sorley, Lewis S., 5–6
South Vietnam, xiv (map)
Central Highlands summary, 95
Mekong Delta summary, 95
northern area summary, 94–95
Saigon summary, 95
zones/ARVN overview, 94–95
South Vietnam people
clothing/VC clothing, 158
poverty and, 158, 231
selling to US military, 231
US racism and, 230–232
US terminology/language and, 230–231
VC/communist opposition and, 231
South Vietnamese army. See ARVN
Southeast Asia (1968), xiv (map)
Soviet Union
Czechoslovakia and, 105
foreign/military intelligence (KGB/GRU) and, 17, 20, 140, 250–251, 274n17
See also Cold War
Stars and Stripes, 134–135, 207
Stepp, John P., 221
Stevenson, Howard L. (“Butch”), 134, 142
Streuding, Philip, 168
Strong, Vivian, 249, 251
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), 140
Sullivan brothers, 108, 290n50
Sullivan Rule (Sole Survivor Policy), 108
Summer of Love (1967), 47, 48
Summers, John T., III
death, 120, 121, 122, 124, 130, 133, 134
funeral, 151
Swierczek, Joe, 37
Taylor, Maxwell
Ewell and, 91, 92, 93
Johnson and, 106
Tet holiday, 61, 64
Tet Offensive
aftermath, 107
American public and, 85–87
APC use, 71–72, 77, 78–79, 80
beginnings, 61
casualties/statistics, 86
Cobra gunships, 81
communists hopes for, 63
description/targets, 60–63, 64–65, 84–85
helicopter use, 77, 79, 81
house clearing, 77
Long Binh base/Chuck Hagel and, 60–61, 63, 65–66, 74–76, 77–82
reasons for, 62
Saigon and, 65
US surprise and, 65, 282n11
VC/NVA response to failure, 152–153
Widows Village fighting/Chuck Hagel and, 77–82, 100–101
They Were Expendable (film), 27
Thin Red Line, The (Jones), 132
Time, 35
Time for Burning, A (documentary), 140–141
Tower, John B.
Chuck Hagel on, 130
Ewell and, 117, 155
helicopter use, 77, 79, 81
landmine explosion (April 22, 1968) and, 155
Mini-Tet and, 164, 169, 170, 171, 172
position, 181
Tet Offensive and, 74–75, 77, 79, 81
toxic chemicals use, 157
See also specific chemicals
Tran Do, 64
traumatic brain injuries, 163
Truman, Harry S., 137
Trump, Donald, 55
Tucker, Reuben, 93
Unforgiven (film), 13, 273n1
USO troupe, 150, 188
USS Juneau, 108
USS Pueblo, 105
USS The Sullivans, 108, 290n50
Van Deusen, Frederick French “Fritz”
background, 185–186
death effects, 199
helicopters/jitterbugging and, 189, 190
jitterbugging operation/death, 190, 195, 197
Vietnam posting (June 1968), 185
Westmoreland relationship, 186
Vance, Cyrus, 106
/>
VC (Viet Cong)
American troops names for, 74, 229
attacks and, 8–9
“Charlie worship,” 229
description/traits, 229–230
night and, 213, 215, 216
strategies, 8–9, 99–100, 117, 225
as targets, 8–9
Tom Hagel on, 229
tunnels/Bear Cat, 117–118
weapons, 218, 308–309n38
See also specific operations
Veterans Administration, 246
Vietnam
jungle description, 1–2, 3–4, 72, 99, 114, 115–117, 229
weather/climate, 40, 101, 114, 154, 155, 157, 181, 182, 233, 298n2
Vietnam/Chuck Hagel
9th Infantry Division/patch, 83
background summary/arrival in Vietnam, 66–67
bet on 1968 presidential election, 207
Camp Martin Cox, Bear Cat, 66, 107
comparisons with father/World War II, 71
descriptions, 128–129
individual replacement and, 66–67, 68, 102
on intelligence sharing, 118–119
King’s assassination and, 149, 151
last month of service, 223
as leader, 3, 156
letters home, 130, 131–132
on Project 100,000, 149
Reliable NCO Academy course and, 191
replacing Smith and, 182–183
roadrunner operation/VC and, 69, 72–74
on VC, 174
views on war/fighting, 3, 203, 226
volunteering/expectations and, 34–35
on war/deaths, 182, 242
on weapons/APC, 71
See also Vietnam/Hagel brothers; specific operations/events
Vietnam/Hagel brothers
9th Infantry Division/patch and, 82–83
attempting to serve together, 108–109
becoming sergeants, 209–210
correspondence/phone calls between, 83–84
correspondence/phone calls home, 131–132, 184, 303n14
as leaders, 127–128, 183, 214
planned departures, 223
Purple Hearts, 132, 163, 184, 191, 199, 200, 203, 221, 232, 235, 246
questions about serving together and, 3, 108
relationship, 3, 202–203
reunion/serving together, 109–111
sleep and, 114
vacation in Hawaii with family, 208–209
volunteering for, 50–51
walking point, 1–3, 113–117, 119
See also Vietnam/Chuck Hagel; Vietnam/Tom Hagel; specific operations/events
Vietnam/Tom Hagel
on Agent Orange effects, 157
arrival in Vietnam/9th Infantry Division, 83
Bronze Star, 200, 201, 306n60
Camp Martin Cox, Bear Cat, 82
descriptions, 1, 2, 128
DMZ area and, 84, 107
individual replacement and, 67, 68
killing foe one on one/effects, 197, 201, 202–203
as leader, 3
Reliable NCO Academy course and, 191
Silver Star and, 200
Sullivan Rule and, 108
unit nomenclature, 83
views on war, 2, 191–192, 203, 226
volunteering/expectations and, 34–35
on war/people, 159, 229, 231
See also Vietnam/Hagel brothers; specific operations/events
Vietnam/Tom Hagel last days
beer/marijuana and, 237, 240
building his own bunker/shell fragments and, 238–239
leaving/process, 245–246
nights/remembering violence and, 235–239, 240–241, 242–244
PX description, 232
timing, 224, 226
trip for supplies, 232–235
Vietnam veterans and American society, 258
Vietnam War/US
9th Infantry Division Area of Operations (1968), xv (map)
alcohol/marijuana and, 214, 232
brothers serving together, 111
continuing Vietnam War mistakes, xii, 268
“enemy” behavior and, 241–242
enemy casualties claims/counting and, 177–178, 185, 197, 199, 211, 241, 297–298n50, 302n63
generals views of intensity, 225
inbound/outbound soldiers meeting, 244–245
individual replacement system/problems and, 67–69, 101, 126
infantry branch color, 302–303n7
King’s assassination and, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155
legacy, xi–xii
losing war and, 210–211
“maneuver and fire” tactic, 99–100
news effects on soldiers (summary), 180
number of shells/VC death, 99
punishment and, 214
racism and, 148–152, 297n41
“regiments” and, 96
regional vs. national divisions, 96
riflemen carrying machine gun/ammunition, 158, 299n10
terminology/acronyms, 227–232, 310n9, 311n16
units usefulness (Ewell), 96–97
as war of attrition and, 6–7, 12, 22, 51, 62, 65, 73–74, 86, 98, 106, 129–130, 184, 272n11
withdrawal and, 254–255
See also military serving in Vietnam; specific individuals/groups; specific operations/events
“Vietnamization,” 255
village/house searches
description, 158–159
effects on South Vietnamese, 158
hidden weapons, 159–160
prisoners of war and, 160
tunnels/tunnel rats, 159
Vivian Strong Liberation School, 252–253
Voting Rights Act (1965), 144
walking point
description, 113–116
items carried/weight, 116
See also Vietnam/Hagel brothers
Wallace, George
background, 136–137, 293n2
description/views and, 137, 144, 147, 148, 206–207, 251
in Omaha, Nebraska/riot, 134–135, 137, 141–143, 248, 250–251, 252
presidential run, 134–135, 136, 137, 206–207, 222
Walt, Lew, 104
war. See anti-war movement; military/war; specific wars
War Bonnet Creek battle, Nebraska, 30–31, 83
Ware, Keith, 104
Washington, George, 69
water in Vietnam
microbes and, 119
purification and, 119
See also attack (March 28, 1968)
Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam (Sorley), 5–6
Westmoreland: The Inevitable General (Furguson), 5–6
Westmoreland, Katherine Van Deusen, 199, 247
Westmoreland, William
background, 6, 24, 271n5
US Army chief of staff position (1968), 146
World War II/Korea and, 6, 24, 50, 67, 94
Westmoreland, William/Vietnam War
artillery calculations and, 8–9
books on, 5–6
departure, 146, 153, 178
description/traits, 5, 6, 20, 84, 85, 179
enemy casualties and, 177
Ewell and, 94
forecast (1968), 11, 12
man-by-man rotation/tour, 67
National Press Club talk (1967), 4–5, 11
New York Times article on, 10
phases/American numbers and, 7
position, 5
speaking about Vietnam, 4–5, 11
Tet Offensive and, 65, 84–85, 86, 282n11
troop request/plans (1968), 105, 107, 144–145
views on, 4, 5, 10, 51
on war strategy, 6–7, 62
weapons/APC and, 71
Weyand, Frederick C.
criticism of war/Westmoreland, 10, 65
military background, 10, 65, 93
Mini-Tet and, 169
Tet Offensive and, 65, 77
Vietnam War, 10, 65, 77, 104
“White Mi
ce” meaning, 168
White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, 49–50
Widows Village
creation/description, 77–78
fight casualties, 82
fighting description, 77–82, 100–101
Williams, Danny, 221
Wooten, Philip M., 176
World War I
casualties and, 199
drafting soldiers and, 53
Haig/battle descriptions, 89
Ludendorff’s strategy and, 63–64, 285–286n1
Offutt and, 90
See also specific individuals
World War II
B-24s (US) and, 27–30, 31, 275n32
Battle of the Bulge/effects, 86, 98
Civil War comparisons and, 22, 23
death statistics, 22
firebombing/atomic weapons use (US), 18–19, 22–24, 30
German surrender, 22
Japan continuing (1945), 22–24
Japanese Zero pilots, 27–28, 275n34
Pearl Harbor bombing/Japan and, 26–30
US “regiments” and, 96
US weaponry and, 98, 99
Vietnam War comparisons, 86
See also specific individuals
Young, Paul, 252
Zamperini, Louis, 28