Our Year of War Read online

Fort Benning, Georgia, 67, 90, 91, 113, 115, 128, 188, 192, 252

  Fort Bliss, Texas

  bivouac week/training, 45–46

  description, 40

  drill sergeants and, 38–39, 40, 41, 42, 50

  evaluations summary, 43

  fire watch, 42

  individual proficiency test, 46

  individual skills/evaluation, 43–45

  night infiltration course, 46

  physical fitness test, 45

  recruits work and, 41–42

  rifle marksmanship, 45

  role/MOS, 46–47

  Tom Hagel and, 50

  Fort Dix, New Jersey, 50–51, 60–61

  Fort Ord, California, 47–49

  Fortas, Abe, 106

  France and Vietnam, 11, 119, 157, 166, 216

  “Freedom Bird,” 244

  Freedom of Information Act, 261–262

  French Revolution, 53

  From Here to Eternity (Jones), 132

  Fromson, Martin, 10

  Furguson, Ernest B., 5–6

  Garcia, Martin M.

  Company B and, 111, 127

  Hagel brothers and, 111, 191, 207, 209

  on staying busy, 239

  Get Smart (television), 230–231, 311n17

  Giap, Vo Nguyen

  Tet Offensive and, 61, 62–63

  views on US peace movement, 64

  on war deaths, 62–63

  war strategy, 9

  Gise, Donald R., 221

  Gitlin, Todd, 54

  Goldberg, Arthur, 106

  Grant Park, 204

  Grant, Ulysses, 24, 88

  Great Society, 144, 206

  Groom, Winston, 69–70, 304n25

  Gross, John E., 75

  “grunts,” 227, 228

  Hagel, Bertha, 26

  Hagel brothers/after Vietnam

  college and, 253, 254

  fistfight, 253–254

  renting place together, 253

  return to Vietnam (1999), 263–264

  Vietnam war views, 253–254

  Hagel, Charles Dean

  alcohol and, 32, 33

  American Legion/war remembrances, 25–26, 257

  childhood, 26

  death, 33

  description/traits, 32

  marriage/children and, 31–33

  relationship with father, 32, 33

  role in World War II, 27, 29–30, 31, 71, 98, 176

  sons remembering him, 34

  work/moves, 30–31, 32, 33

  World War II and, 25, 26–30, 31, 67, 71, 98, 136, 176

  Hagel, Charles Leo

  brothers/parents and, 26

  relationship with son, 32, 33

  World War I and, 26

  Hagel, Chuck/after Vietnam

  Afghanistan trip (2013), 265–268

  dealing with Vietnam and, 257

  Jimmy’s death and, 256–257

  “Omaha Two” and, 261, 262

  talk radio, 258–259, 261

  as US Secretary of Defense, 265–268, 297n48

  as US senator, 262, 263

  See also Hagel brothers/after Vietnam; Vietnam/Chuck Hagel

  Hagel, Chuck/childhood

  birth/full name, 31

  descriptions, 31–33, 35

  education, 34

  newspaper delivery and, 31

  relationship with brothers, 33

  sports and, 32, 34

  as “Tim,” 31–32

  Hagel, Elizabeth (“Betty”)

  children’s births, 31

  Chuck/Tom discussing Vietnam and, 254

  description/traits, 33

  following husband’s death/as mother, 33–34

  Jimmy’s death and, 256–257

  remarriage, 254

  sons volunteering/serving and, 51, 111–112, 130, 203

  vacation in Hawaii with family, 208–209

  views on war/those avoiding war, 209

  wedding/background, 31

  work/lifestyle and, 32, 33

  Hagel, Herman Christian, 26, 83

  Hagel, James

  birth, 31

  childhood, 33–34

  death/effects, 256–257

  high school, 256

  at home/brothers in Vietnam, 110, 111

  vacation in Hawaii with family, 208–209

  volunteering for service/medical and, 203

  Hagel, Michael

  birth, 31

  childhood, 33–34

  at home/brothers in Vietnam, 110, 111

  on parents, 32, 34, 184

  vacation in Hawaii with family, 208–209

  Hagel, Tom/after Vietnam

  dealing with Vietnam and, 257, 258

  Jimmy’s death and, 256, 257

  law school/as public defender, 258, 263

  See also Hagel brothers/after Vietnam; Vietnam/Tom Hagel

  Hagel, Tom/childhood

  birth/full name, 31

  descriptions, 31, 32, 33, 35

  personality/traits, 33, 34, 35

  relationship with father, 33

  Haig, Douglas, 89

  Halberstam, David, 10, 297n50

  Harriman, Averell

  peace talks and, 146

  Vietnam and, 106, 146

  Hasselbach, Alma, 34

  Head Start beginnings, 144

  Heatherton, Joey, 150

  helicopters/Vietnam

  advantages/disadvantages, 70, 71, 100, 102, 186, 187–188

  crashes/US casualties and, 187–189

  maintenance/schedule, 102–103

  types/descriptions, 187

  Van Deusen and, 186

  See also jitterbugging

  Hell in a Very Small Place (Fall), 237

  Hendrix, James Marshall “Jimi,” 150, 297n42

  Hitler, 86

  Ho Chi Minh, 61

  Ho Chi Minh Trail and NVA, 9

  Hodges, John, 221

  Holoday, Richard K., 195, 197

  Homestead Act (US/1862), 14–15

  Hoover, J. Edgar, 140, 250–251

  Hope, Bob, 188

  Huie, Robert A., 78, 82

  Humphrey, Hubert

  description, 204–205

  Johnson and, 204–205, 206

  presidential run (1968), 204–205, 222

  “humping,” 228–229

  Iraq war, xii, 268, 311n22

  Jersey, William C., 140

  Jezek, Henry, 77, 78, 79

  Jim Crow, 138

  jitterbugging

  Chuck Hagel on, 190

  continuing/casualties (summary), 199

  description, 189–190

  Ewell and, 190, 211, 212

  helicopters damaged/destroyed, 199

  jitterbugging operation (July 1968)

  aftermath, 197–199

  casualties, 193, 194, 197, 198, 201, 202

  fighting description, 192–197

  inflating enemy casualties, 197

  soldier numbers carried and, 191

  staff officers after/souvenirs and, 197–198, 201

  Van Deusen and, 190, 195, 197

  VC/helicopter shoot-down, 196–197

  jitterbugging operation (July 1968) and Tom Hagel

  aftermath, 198–199

  fighting/injury and, 192, 193–194, 196, 197

  Purple Heart and, 199

  shooting VC, 197

  Johnson, Howard (“Skeets”), 91, 92

  Johnson, Jerome (“Skip”)

  description/traits, 152, 175, 228

  Mini-Tet and, 175–176

  Obama and, 297n48

  Vietnam/race and, 151–152

  Johnson, Lyndon B.

  anti-poverty legislation/results, 252

  Chinese-intervention and, 6

  civil rights and, 137, 143–144

  COINTELPRO and, 251

  global conflicts (1968) and, 105

  Humphrey and, 204–205, 206

  Kerner Commission, 143–144

  National Guard and, 55, 105, 127

  p
olitical rivals/decision on 1968 presidential race, 145–147

  public views on, 145–146

  riots and, 143, 144

  Tet Offensive and, 144

  Vietnam counsel/advice and, 106–107, 146

  Vietnam peace speech, 146–147, 153

  Vietnam War and, 6, 7–8, 10, 51, 105, 143, 144, 145–147, 153

  Westmoreland and, 6, 7–8, 105–107, 146

  Jones, James, 132–133

  Joyce, William

  background, 38–39

  Chuck Hagel and, 43–44, 47, 50, 72, 163, 268

  as drill sergeant, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43–44, 50, 72

  on staying busy, 239

  Julius Caesar, 94

  Keane, Jack, 69

  Keats, Robert G.

  death, 82, 151

  description, 228

  Tet Offensive, 74, 75, 79

  Kennedy, John F., 93, 145, 180

  Kennedy, Robert F.

  murder/effects, 180, 248

  presidential run, 145

  views, 148

  Kerner Commission

  findings, 143–144

  purpose/representation, 143

  Kerner, Otto, Jr., 6, 143

  Kerry, John, 56

  King, Ernest J., 94

  King, Martin Luther, Jr.

  assassination/effects, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155, 248, 293n1

  civil rights and, 139

  FBI/KGB and, 147

  Vietnam and, 136, 144, 293n1

  King, Rodney, 296n36

  Kinnard, Harry W. O., 93

  Kipling, Rudyard, 119

  Korean War

  description, 67

  as limited war, 67

  results/effects, 10

  US “regiments” and, 96

  US weaponry and, 99

  Kudzu operation, 212

  La Chapelle, Gary G., 221

  Lakota, 13, 16

  land mine explosion (April 22, 1968)

  explosion/aftermath, 161–163

  report from village chief, 155

  return to base, 160–161

  searching village/houses, 159–160

  travels to village/plan, 156–158

  village/location, 155

  land mine explosion (April 22, 1968) and Hagel Brothers

  explosion/injuries and, 161–163, 184

  medevac chopper and, 163

  recovering, 163–164

  trip/search and, 158–161

  Lee, Robert E., 88, 89

  LeMay, Curtis

  Andrews Air Force Base and, 17–18

  background, 21

  description/traits, 17, 20, 24, 106, 222, 239

  SAC/Offutt Air Force Base and, 17, 18–19, 31, 137

  Wallace’s presidential campaign and, 136, 222

  World War II and, 21–22, 23–24, 25, 30, 98

  Lincoln, Abraham, 88

  Little Big Horn River battle, 15

  Little, Malcolm (Malcolm X), 139

  Lodge, Henry Cabot, Jr., 106

  Logan Fontenelle public housing complex, Omaha, Nebraska, 249

  Long An Province operation/deaths, 181–182

  Long Binh base

  Tet Offensive and, 60–61, 63, 65–66, 74–76, 77–82

  as VC target, 66

  See also specific individuals

  Louis, Joe, 163

  Ludendorff, Erich, 63–64, 285–286n1

  M*A*S*H (film/television), 77

  McCarthy, Eugene, 145

  McGovern, George, 52, 256

  McKenzie, Scott, 47

  McNair, Leslie J., 68

  McNamara, Robert

  Johnson and, 10

  Vietnam War and, 68, 105–106, 149

  MacPherson, Myra, 31, 57

  MACV. See Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  Malcolm X (Malcolm Little), 139

  Mao Zedong, 8, 72

  map reading skill, 115

  Marine Corps methods, Paris Island, South Carolina, 39

  Marshall, George C., 24–25

  Matchee, Donald, 78–79

  Medicaid beginnings, 144

  Medicare beginnings, 144

  Mekong Delta

  importance in Vietnam War, 94, 95

  rice and, 94

  Michaelis, John (“Mike”), 93

  Middle East conflict (1968), 105

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  description, 5

  See also Vietnam War; specific events; specific individuals

  military conscription

  French Revolution and, 53

  Soviet Union (World War II), 53

  military conscription/US

  Civil War/paying a substitute, 55

  history overview, 53–54

  voluntary history vs., 53

  military conscription/US Vietnam War

  arbitrariness of, 53–54

  avoiding, 54–56

  draft/draftees, 52–53

  ending draft, 255

  other armed services and, 55–56, 280n39

  resistance/jail and, 54

  Selective Service categories, 54

  statistics on, 53–54

  student deferment, 55

  volunteers and, 54, 56

  military serving in Vietnam

  age and, 57

  economic class and, 57–58

  education and, 58

  overview, 56–57

  senior people and, 56–57

  shortages, 83, 126–127, 288n31, 292n33

  statistics on, 57–58

  See also military conscription/US Vietnam War

  military/war

  administrative problems and, 108–109, 110

  attrition strategy and, 51

  brothers killed, 108, 290n50

  “butchers” overview, 88–89

  combat rifleman phases, 224–226

  getting hit by the enemy/meaning, 132–133

  individual vs. unit replacement, 66–69

  “limited war,” 67

  picking leaders and, 37–38, 50

  “regiment” changes, 96

  soldiers returning after injuries, 133–134

  staying busy and, 239

  terminology/acronyms, 227–232

  US weapons/enemy kills ratio over time, 99

  See also anti-war movement; specific events; specific individuals

  Minard, Larry D., 259

  Mini-Tet

  air power and, 170, 172–173, 301n48

  ARVN and, 165

  civilians moving out/deaths, 166, 167, 173, 178

  comparison to Tet Offensive, 165

  enemy casualties claims, 177–178

  fighting descriptions, 168–176

  Hagel brothers and, 164, 167, 170, 174

  helicopter observation and, 169, 170

  location/Saigon and, 165

  miscommunication/results, 171

  South Vietnam police and, 168, 174

  timing of, 164, 165, 179

  US casualties, 168, 170, 171, 172, 173, 175, 176–177, 179

  US fighters involved/plan, 164–165

  VC after, 181

  VC/NVA fighters involved, 165

  Mondo We Langa, 261, 295n16

  See also Rice, David

  moon/walking on moon, 248

  Morrison, Frank

  background, 139, 259

  as governor, 139

  Hagel brothers and, 259

  “Omaha Two” and, 261

  as public defender, 259, 261

  Murphy, Robert, 106

  My Lai massacre, 242, 313n53

  Nakota, 13

  napalm use, 172, 178, 190, 232, 243

  National Advisory Commission on Civil Disobedience. See Kerner Commission

  National Guard

  Johnson and, 55, 105, 127

  Omaha, Nebraska and, 139, 142, 147, 249

  training/obligations, 55

  Vietnam War and, 55

  Navarre, Henri Eugène, 1, 11

  Nebraska, xii
i (map)

  before Civil War, 14

  European settlers and, 14–17

  following Civil War, 14–15

  Great Plains Indians history overview, 13–17

  Indian reservations, 273n9

  See also specific individuals; specific locations

  New York Times, 10, 144–145

  Newsweek, 35

  Newton, Wayne, 150

  “night hunter” operation

  description, 215–216

  Ewell and, 211, 212, 213, 222

  October 1968 operation/casualties, 220–221

  October (1968), 222

  soldiers for, 213–214

  Viet Cong/night and, 215, 216

  “night hunter” tactic/Chuck Hagel leading

  description/VC and, 215–220

  equipment/preparation, 214–215

  radio/messages, 217

  selecting men, 214

  9th Infantry Division

  Area of Operations (1968), xv (map), 103

  avoiding atrocities, 242

  casualties summary (2-47th), 200

  components, 96

  “Old Reliables” nickname, 66, 283n23

  patch, 82–83

  as regional division, 96

  See also specific individuals

  Nixon, Richard M.

  background, 206

  COINTELPRO and, 251

  election (1972) and, 256

  presidential run, 145, 206, 222–223, 251

  “Tricky Dick”/“new Nixon,” 206

  Vietnam and, 206, 254–255

  views, 148, 206, 251

  North Koreans

  conflict/violence (1968), 105

  See also Korean War

  North Vietnam Army (NVA)

  ending war, 263

  going south and, 6, 9

  Obama, Barack, 297n48

  O’Brien, Tim, 204, 306–307n1

  Officer Candidate School

  Chuck Hagel and, 49

  Tom Hagel and, 50

  Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska

  atomic bombers, 18–19

  LeMay and, 17, 18–19, 31, 137

  Nebraskans and, 19–20

  riot (1966) and, 139, 140

  SAC headquarters, 18–19, 250

  Offutt, Jarvis J., 90

  Omaha, Nebraska

  National Guard and, 139, 142, 147, 249

  race riot (1966), 139

  race riot before 1960s, 138

  racial tension/conflict, 134–135, 137–139, 140–141, 147–148, 247–250, 259–262

  riot/looting with Wallace visit, 134–135, 137, 141–143, 248, 250–251, 252

  See also Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska

  Omaha, Nebraska, bombing (August 1970) and aftermath

  Black Panthers and, 259–261

  description/casualties, 259

  FBI/COINTELPRO and, 259–260, 261–262

  trial/verdict of “Omaha Two,” 260–261

  white males leaving scene and, 260

  Omaha, Nebraska, riot (1969)

  Black Panthers and, 250–253

  casualties/damage, 249

  causes/underlying conditions, 249

  Chuck Hagel on, 248

  description, 247–250

  “outside agitators” and, 250

  Omaha Star, 251–252

  Omaha World-Herald, 31

  Palumbo, Antony P., 176