Vietnam & After

Pearl Harbor Never to be forgoten

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Navy veteran Louis Conter was a young sailor standing watch on the quarterdeck of the USS Arizona when Japanese bombers swarmed the skies over Oahu and attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor 69 years ago.

Within minutes that Sunday morning, the Arizona itself had exploded in flames, smoke and pandemonium. Conter was among the fortunate few hundred men to get off alive as the battleship crumpled and sank at its berth, taking 1,177 of its 1,400-member crew to their deaths.The loss of life aboard the Arizona accounted for nearly half of the 2,390 Americans who perished at Pearl Harbor and other attack sites on the island on Dec. 7, 1941, the day that drew the United States into World War II.

On Tuesday, as he has for 10 years on every anniversary, Conter, now 89, placed a wreath at the shrine built over the Arizona in memory of the dead, including the sailor with whom he was standing watch that morning.

"Every year it brings back big memories," said Conter, of Grass Valley, Calif. "We look at the ones still aboard the ship out there as the heroes. We're the lucky ones. We came home and got married and had kids and now grandkids. And they're still there."

Conter is part of an aging and ever-dwindling contingent of survivors still attending the annual commemorations. About 120 of the estimated 2,000-4,000 Pearl Harbor veterans still alive returned on Tuesday.

Fighter jets from the Montana Air National Guard flew above Pearl Harbor in missing man formation to honor those killed in the attack.

Sailors lined the deck of the USS Chafee and saluted as the guided missile destroyer passed between the sunken hull of the USS Arizona and the grassy landing where the remembrance ceremony was held.

After the ceremony, the survivors, some in wheelchairs, passed through a "Walk of Honor" lined by saluting sailors, Marines, airmen and soldiers to enter a new $56 million visitor center that was dedicated at the ceremony.

Merl Resler, 88, of Newcastle, Calif., remembered firing shots at Japanese planes from the USS Maryland and standing in the blood of a shipmate hit by shrapnel 69 years ago.

"My teeth was chattering like I was freezing to death, and it was 84 degrees ... It was awful frightful," said Resler.

USS Pennsylvania sailor DeWayne Chartier was on his way to church but never made it. "I got interrupted someplace along the line," said Chartier, 93.

He returned to Pearl Harbor from Walnut Creek, Calif. "It is my duty. It is not just a visit," Chartier said. "I felt I should be part of it."

Conter said only about 20 survivors are left from the USS Arizona, and just five are healthy enough to travel.

A Pearl Harbor Survivors Association has been around for 52 years and, while struggling to continue, 100 members voted against disbanding at their annual meeting on Monday, said association president Art Herriford.

Herriford, 88, said old age makes it difficult for members to organize their biennial meetings and handle other duties, but they "don't want to throw in the towel right away."

"Some of these old duffers, if you tried to do away with this organization, you'd have them all to fight," Herriford said after the group met in Waikiki. A vote count was not provided.

New visitors center
This year's 69th anniversary coincides with the dedication of the new Pearl Harbor visitors center, featuring indoor and outdoor galleries, interactive exhibits, two movie theaters, an amphitheater and an education center.

The facility, paid for with a mix of private and public funds, is a centerpiece of the World War Two Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and a starting point for tours to the USS Arizona Memorial, a white structure on the harbor surface that stretches across the remains of the sunken battleship.

 The visitors center also forms the backdrop for Pearl Harbor Day commemorations. Veterans, relatives and dignitaries bow their heads in silence at 7:55 a.m., the time at which the attack began, as military jets soar overhead in a "missing-man" formation and a parade of warships cruise by in salute.

In a new addition to this year's event, the ship's bell from the USS Arizona was to peal while a survivor visited each of the 14 attack sites around the harbor, said National Park Service historian Daniel Martinez.

Besides the nearly 2,400 lives lost, the two-hour surprise attack wounded 1,178 people, sank or heavily damaged 12 U.S. warships and damaged or destroyed 323 aircraft, badly crippling the Pacific fleet.

The 69th anniversary celebration began on Sunday and runs through Wednesday, with a remembrance of the USS Nevada, another battleship stricken at Pearl Harbor but salvaged and repaired in time to see World War II action both in Europe and in the Pacific.

Guns salvaged from the No. 2 main turret of Arizona were later installed on the Nevada and fired against Japanese forces on the islands of Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

Similarities and Differences in the Wars

Similarities in the wars include:

(1) Misleading Congress and the public to permit the United States to enter the conflict; (2) Repeated false U.S. claims of success in the war; (3) Massive numbers of civilian casualties; (4) Major economic, social and political costs; (5) Use of weapons likely harmful to long-term health of combatants and non-combatants -- in Vietnam use of the defoliant Agent Orange, in Iraq use of shells containing depleted uranium; and (6) Violations of the Geneva Conventions.

Differences between the wars include:

In the Vietnam War: (1) Use of a conscripted U.S. military force; (2) Much larger numbers of U.S. casualties (58,000 dead and 150, 000 wounded); (3) Extensive television coverage of U.S. casualties; (4) Massive protests in the United States; and (5) Withdrawal of U.S. troops in 1975.

In the Iraq War: (1) Use of a volunteer U.S. military force; (2) Far fewer U.S. casualties; (3) Limited television coverage of U.S. casualties; (4) Fewer public protests; and (5) Less effective efforts so far to end the war.

Both wars led to profound public health effects and both engendered policy statements adopted by the APHA Governing Council -- In 1969, over five years before U.S. troops withdrew, APHA called for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam; In 2005, APHA condemned the participation of health professionals in torture in Iraq, but has made no statement calling for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_144656.htm

 

Pictures of War

Saw this online and made me think of the dissucsion in class about how the news will tell you one thing about what is going on in the War, while the pictures show us something else.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40533246/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

"A Critique of the Oppositional Media Thesis"

   Daniel C. Hallin examines "objective Journalism" during the the war in Vietnam. Hallin believes that some journalists cover "easy" topics so they can report in an objective way.  The easiest way to do this is by asking "technical" questions that will not suggest the reporter is giving an opinion.  According to Hallin:

                        "It is much easier to discuss with an attitude of 'disinterested realism' the accuracy of the HES than, for example, the question of whether American intervention in Vietnam was ultimately good or bad for the Vietnamese peasant". 

The Hamlet Evaluation System (HES) was a computerized process used to "produced the official figures on the progress of pacification" (Hallin, 553-554).   Hallin references a report by CBS news in 1968 regarding the pacification program.  The correspondent for this report was Murray Fromson's.  Fromson wraps up the first and second part of his report:

"Fromson (concluding Part I.) So pacification does not stand still.  It moves forward, it moves back.  But what is the balance?  What is the trend. . . .?  An effort is being made to measure this and we'll look at the measurements in our next report."

"Fromson (concluding part II).  Another offensive by the Communists would undermine the program. . . .But the momentum seams to be in the other direction.  Since the November 1 bombing halt governement and U.S. troops have taken over nearly 800 hamlets. . . .  The goal is to occupy another 300 of these hamlets by the anniversary of the Tet offensive." (Hallin, 533)

The "concluding" parts do not seem to conclude anything. According to  Hallin the report focused on the "effectiveness of existing policy" and did not reexamine the "roots of the war".  It is easier to report information that is gathered by American sources as opposed to speaking to the Vietnamese.  Not only is that difficult, but the reporter would have to explain the political conflict in Vietnam that is largely different from the politics in America. The more important issues in the war were not being covered properly in part because of this "easy reporting", especially in television.  Lastly, I will quote Hallin's thoughts on television:

                        "More broadly, the narrow immediacy of television meant that noe of the larger questions posed by the war was raised in any substantial way in the news.  There was no discussion of the origins of revolution ("Guerrilla war, like hives, can break out any time, any place," one correspondent explained).  There was no second look at the doctrine of containment or it's application to a conflict like Vietnam: should such a conflict be treated as one "front" in a global struggle? there was not discussion of why this war eventually seemed to contradict so drastically the image of war and the image of themselves Americans held when they went into it: Why the violence that came to be symbolized by My Lai?  Why the collapse of morale?  Why the hostility of so many of those we thought we were saving, even the ones fighting with us?" (Hallin, 556)

War in Afghanistan

This is a website to a movie I just saw this on Good Morning America this morning about a platoon in Afghanistan's Korengal valley.  http://restrepothemovie.com   The movie follows this platoon for one full year.  It is on National Geographic Channel Monday November 29th at 9pm Eastern time.  I just wanted to let everyone know since our last essay is a comparison between the war in Vietnam and the war in Afghanistan and Iraq I thought this might come in useful.

 

My Lai: WGBH/PBS American Experience Documentary

One of the best resources about My Lai is the PBS American Experience documentary "My Lai". The web site provides links to other good sources of information about the massacre including trial transcripts,photographs and a timeline. You can watch the documentary online courtesy of WGBH.

John Kerry - Testimony of a Veteran

 

 
During his testimony for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, John Kerry, representing himself and other men who served, wanted to show the horror many soldiers faced after the war and the many problems he as well as other veterans saw within the war.  The purpose of his testimony was to stand up for what really went on in Vietnam and the need to resolve it.  Kerry’s motive was stated with determination to end the war and heal the veterans who suffered during their time in Vietnam and continue to suffer after returning home. 

Kerry blames the administration and leadership.  Kerry felt that the administration led American people to believe the war in Vietnam was a different situation than what was actually going on.  Kerry made a point that men were going to Vietnam to die for no reason and if they were lucky enough to survive, they came home ashamed and betrayed.  Kerry believes that the administration had turned their backs on them and used them to accomplish their goal.  Some felt abandoned by our leaders and felt their fight was for nothing.  Veterans were returning home to be left alone and developed no sense of purpose for their lives.  Some men did not even survive after making it home dying in VA hospitals or contemplating suicide.  Due to the lack of support, which they needed most, veterans felt deserted and abandoned by their leaders.  

In Kerry’s support of the anti-war movement, he believed there was no reason for the war and that we as Americans were the only thing hurting Vietnam, he wanted the blame to be shared and to stop blaming the Viet Cong for everything that happened.  He felt the administration were hypocrites in the way the war was handled and by doing what we were trying to stop Vietnam from doing, we created a horrific war.  The responsibility needs to be shared and the leaders need to admit their part and show support to the veterans.  He believed that the war was pointless, yet, we still remained in it while men where dying everyday.  “Someone has to die so that President Nixon won’t be, and these are his words, “the first President to lose a war".”

 

Martin Luther King's view of the Viet Nam War

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out against the war in Vietnam at the University of California, Berkley on May 1967.

    Prior to this speech Dr. King had been an advocate for civil rights for 

African Americans.  Although he was still an advocate Dr. King felt that as a pastor he 

needed to speak out against the mistreatment of the Vietnamese people from a moral standpoint.

    Dr. King discusses how the war is sending the poor and the

African American people to fight the war.  He also states that

both the African Americans and the white Americans are expected to

fight together in Viet Nam but are unable to share the same schools

or eat at the same restaurant here in America.

    Dr King discusses Viet Nam's history of its fight for independence

since 1945.  He states that America didn't recognize Viet Nam's

request for independence.  He goes on to state that we supported the French instead of recognizing the Vietnamese government.   Dr. King goes on to talk about how the American government wouldn't allow elections because they believed that Ho Chi MInh would unite the country.  He also spoke against America's putting Diem in power.  

    Dr. King made the point that the US was not percieved as Viet Nam's saviors but as their enimies.  He gave the example of women and children being killed.  He used the term concentration camps to discribe the fortified hamlets.

    Dr. King brings the argument that the Americans created the NLF by allowing Diem to gain power in the South.  He feels that the US should listen to North Vietnam's perspective.  Dr. King states that the US has caused the mistrust between the two countries because of the bombing in Vietnam and the US not recognizing Ho Chi Minh as Vietnam's leader.

    Dr. King calls for a halt to the war.  He has five suggestions

"1.  End all bombing in North and South Vietnam.

2.  Declare a unilateral cease-fire in the hope that such action will create the atmosphere for negotiation.

3.  Take immediate steps to prevent other battlegrounds in Southeast Asia by curtailing our miilitary build-up in Thailand and our interference in laos.

4.  Realistically accept the fact that the National Liberation Front has substantial support in South Vietnam and must thereby play a role in any meaningful negotiations and in any future Vietnam government. 

5.  Set a date on which we will remove all remove all foreign troops from Vietnam in accordance with the 1954 Geneva Agreement" (King 212).

     Dr. King reminds his listeners that America is one of the richest countries in the world and we have a responsibility to set a moral precedent.  He states the best defense of Communism is to abolish poverty.  If everyone is treated equally than there is no need for Communism to thrive.  He states that peaceful action will stop Communism.

 

The Black Man's Stake in Vietnam

  

Eldridge Cleaver  (1935 – 1998) was the Minister of Information for the Black Panther Party and author of Soul on Ice (1968) and Soul on Fire (1975). 

 

Cleaver believed that there were two critical issues in American, the war in Vietnam and the Negro revolution in America.  He said “liberal-sounding, unenforced laws” had deceived black Americans.  Also, that the black man’s future had no guarantee for safety.  To guarantee safety, the reign of terror had to end.  To ensure this guarantee black people had to develop an organizational unity. 

 

Black Americans were fighting and challenging racial injustices for a second time in history.  The first time was during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War.  The Reconstruction Period ended abruptly and brutally.  Racial segregation was the remnant of Reconstruction.  Cleaver stated, “It has taken a hundred years to struggle up from that level of cool-out to the miserable position that black Americans now find themselves in.  Time is passing.

 

The Civil Rights Era was a time like no other.  Cleaver mention that everyone was a rebellion, from the smallest man on the street, anyone black man, woman or child who had been denied their unalienable rights and who had been robbed of dignity and self-respect had to fight against the system of white supremacy.  The time to act was NOW.  The call of order was for the full proportional share and participation in the sovereignty of America. 

 

Reconstruction was not going to come and go again.  This time the black revolution was putting everything on the line.  Black Americans took on the role of a Black Trojan Horse.  Cleaver emulated Malcolm X’s decree that the American black man’s struggle had converted the original plea for “civil rights” to the universal demand for “human rights.” 

 

Julian Bond brought leaders of Africa and black American together to reinvigorate Malcolm X’s epiphany of an Afro-American Unity Organization.  Cleaver made claim that the U.S. sent 16% of black troops to Vietnam for two reasons: 1.  To kill off the black youth and  2. To spread hate against the black race throughout Asia.  He said other countries saw black Americans as fools to fight for something they don’t have themselves.

GI Dissent and War Resistance in Vietnam

    Even though the Unites States lost the war in Vietnam, there is still a sense of success based on the numerous social movements that occurred during this time.  Richard R. Moser states, "From 1971 on, the veterans' movement became a leading force in the antiwar movement at home and in Vietnam." (The New Winter Soldiers, page 42)  Moser also mentions, earlier in his writing, the different "urban rebellions" that took place around this same time period.  The antiwar movement seems to be the foundation for many other groups to step up and fight for their own beliefs.  It was a time where many people exercised their right of freedom of speech.  During the antiwar movement, women, african americans, bisexuals and homosexuals, among others were fighting against the war and for equality. 

 

    The Weathermen Underground were a group of extremists who were against the war, but more so against the United States Government.  Their idea was to show the people of America what our troops were doing over in Vietnam and their slogan was "Bring the War Home."  The members of this group were considered at-home terrorists, because they were Americans terrorizing America. 

 

    

"The Civil Rights movement made great changes in society in the 1960's. The movement began peacefully, with Martin Luther King and Stokely Carmichael leading sit-ins and peaceful protests, joined by whites and Jews. Malcolm X preached about Black Nationalism. The Black Panthers were formed and advocated "self-defense" against oppression." (Music Changes the World)  The Black Panthers were also against the Vietnam War and worked with the Weather Underground in their Anti War Movement.