Our Year of War Read online

  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
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  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