After nine years in the Marines, I went many places that were far away. I was in Vietnam, Japan, Korea and Australia. With the exception of Australia, when I was there, I was, in a way, home. I mean, that was where I lived and as such it was it was my home for the short term. It is true I was away from my family but that was where I worked slept and whatever else.
I guess this was especially true while in Vietnam. I did not move in voluntarily and I would never want to live there but I did for very nearly a year. If you ask me if I want to go there again, or even Japan, my reply is an instant no. I prefer the good ol’ USA
However, I certainly learned a little in every place I lived. I learned about the people and their customs. I guess I could write a small pamphlet about each place. However, I guess the one place and time that made the biggest impression on me was when I was assigned to a med-cap. That is short for medical civilian action patrol, that is, if my memory serves me right.
At any rate, the point is that it was an eye opening experience. There was a squad of us, 14 that accompanied two doctors, I guess four or five corpsmen and a dentist to help the villagers. On the way, I looked out from the truck that we were on and saw an old man apparently gathering his crop of rice.
Some might not think a thing about it but I did. The old man likely had a family. He was likely doing what he could, in among the Vietcong trying to steel what he worked so hard for and the Americans trying to go after the Vietcong while not damaging the work of the poor farmer and his family.
My best guess. He likely had not one clue what was going on. He just wanted to be left alone. I don’t blame him. However, when the Americans left Vietnam, the old man likely lost his farm, and maybe his life too. It is the sort of way the communists work. They take from those that have and give it to those who don’t. In the process, they keep a bunch for themselves and go about killing very indiscriminately.
Then there was the time we were actually in the little village. I took an 8mm camera with me and I did take some movies. While I stood guard, there was a kid who kept bothering me. I had no idea what the boy was talking about but I wasn’t about to give him the camera. He’d not be able to use it if I did.
Finally, I figured it out with the aid of one Vietnamese who spoke some English. It seemed he didn’t want the camera but a little gold colored piece of plastic, something of a fake gold seal. I managed to explain to the kid it wasn’t real, but he still wanted it.
I took my knife and cut the string holding the thing and gave the seal to the boy. I shook my head as the boy ran off waving the thing and yelling. I didn’t give the boy much, but you’d never know it from what you’d see. I told one of the guys with me, “I wish I could buy a thousand of them. They wouldn’t cost much but they would make a bunch of kids really happy.”
Bottom line, as I said, I learned a lot about the people while I was there. Still, I wished I could have given away a few hundred of those little pieces of plastic. Even more, I wish we hadn’t abandoned that country. It has made me wonder about the old farmer and the 7 or 8 year old kid. Just what happened to them?
The peace-nicks of the day forced us out of there, actually after the war was already won. They were taking their instructions from people who said they were demonstrating for peace, all the while undercutting the effort to provide peace for Vietnam. In the end they got their way, as did the communists. I can’t say with certainty they wanted to help the communists but the most assuredly did. They caused the death of millions and destroyed the hopes of freedom for others. Oh yes. One more thing. They likely cost that farmer his farm.
bfrhodes99 