Thank You for Your Service

cneedham

My father is a Vietnam veteran, so I am interested in the history and stories of the war. I was just reading through the posts and wanted to thank each and every one of you. Dad was in the Marines at Marble Mnt. in '67 and '68. He was a gunner in a CH-53 and was also an electrician in the avionics shop and in the flight crew. He was with HMH-463. If I remember correctly, he said he flew into Khe Sanh about 36 times during the seige. Here is a photo taken by one of his buddies while they were there. I probably have several more if ya'll are interested in seeing them. Again, thank you all. I hope ya'll don't mind me hanging out in here once in a while.

cneedham

I was old enough to serve and was registered but was never called. I had no direction in my young life. My real dad served in Vietnam aboard carriers. He was a career naval officer and divorced from mom when I was very young. My mom remarried and the man that became my stepfather was 1st Lieutenant Robert G. Phillips, Bombardier Army Air Corp. Robert had been shot down over Tokyo in one of the largest bombing raids in history with over 500 B-29 Superfortresses. He was the sole survivor of his plane that exploded in mid air over the bay of Tokyo. ( the story of his final flight can be seen at the site "Z SQUARE 7" I am seen with him in a pic there. He was captured, beaten and tortured. He eventually took his own life, unable to cope with his war demons and I ended up on the street running with the Mexican Mafia when mom left us on our own to a degree. My uncle Col. George T.Lee, holds the WWII record for air command missions at 258 in his Thunderbolt Fighter Bomber. He was killed in a jet trainer in 54. Amyway, I am saying I am very familiar with the suffering of those who served and sacrificed and I bow my head with tears in honor of those who have served and sacrificed. SALUTE.

cneedham

I take for granted the freedom that you fought to preserve, yes I am shamefully guilty. I am aware that many of your very best friends died while attempting to bring these same freedoms to others. The soldiers who died in Vietnam made a selfless sacrifice which makes them true American heroes as far as I am concerned. I strongly believe that the political goal in Vietnam was honorable - (Bring freedom and democracy to the Vietnamese people). We were winning the war until we decided to give up, the POLITICAL price became too high to bear. Politicians did not want to continue an unpopular war and when faced with the options of "Do whatever is necessary to bring the conflict to a successful conclusion militarily" vs. "End the conflict with Peace with Honor salesmanship" they spinelessly chose the easiest route out of Vietnam.

With the quality of men we had in service at the time - I am convinced we could have won the war within 12 months after conclusion of the Tet Offensive, the enemy was beaten. If the President had the balls to let the military run the show completely, we could have hammered the north the way a prize fighter uses a vicious counter punch. Instead, Vietnamisation gave the President a way out of Vietnam that left many veterans who had lost friends wondering "what was it all for, what did my friend die for?"

To All Vietnam Veterans - Don't ever hang your head in shame. You were collectively the finest fighting force in the world at the time. While you may have had your nose bloodied on occasion, you never lost a battle. With a kill ratio of 15 to 1 and total enemy killed above 3 million, as soldiers you certainly did your part towards ensuring a victory. As an American citizen I am honored whenever I stand in the presence of any veteran, however, that being said I am especially proud of our Vietnam veterans who gave so much and received so very little in return. God Bless all of our veterans.

cneedham

cneedham

I wanted to say thank you to all the Vietnam vets. You have my utmost respect for the service you have given.

Thank You,

Bob

Laredo Lefty

Very nicely said, and thank you for thinking of us.

2/8th Inf, 4th Infantry Division, Pleiku, Sept 1968-sept 1969.