Comments on: Washington DC: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial http://chowtimes.com/2008/08/28/washington-dc-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial/ Suanne and Ben's Food and Travel Adventures from Vancouver, BC Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:24:43 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ben http://chowtimes.com/2008/08/28/washington-dc-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial/comment-page-1/#comment-20581 Ben Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:11:59 +0000 http://chowtimes.com/?p=1776#comment-20581 Hi Mistrmind: I am sorry for not responding earlier as I was away for the past week. Somehow, I felt it meant a lot to you that I set right the account of the US involvement in Vietnam. I must admit that my whole impression of how the Vietnam War ended was video images of how the whole war ended for the US. I vividly remembered how the US abandoned the US Embassy in a hurry by helicopters leaving many South Vietnamese who worked for the US to fend for their own. I also remembered how the image of a North Vietnamese tank crashing through the gate of the abandoned US Embassy. Those images gave me the impression that the US was defeated. I was wrong there. I did a bit of research and also did find out a bit more of the official US account of events during my trip to Chicago where they also had a Vietnam War memorial. Indeed, the US was not defeated but the fact remains that the US initiated ceasefire talks with North Vietnam with the aim to retreat gracefully from a war the US know they can no longer win. After all, the US had 58K men who fought and gave their lives in the war and the objective to prevent the North taking over the South were eventually not met. OK, the US did not "suffer defeat", and also did not retreat, as you wish. Anyway, appreciate your effort to set the records straight. I had updated this post to cancel out the words "suffer defeat". Hope this helps. Ben Hi Mistrmind:
I am sorry for not responding earlier as I was away for the past week. Somehow, I felt it meant a lot to you that I set right the account of the US involvement in Vietnam. I must admit that my whole impression of how the Vietnam War ended was video images of how the whole war ended for the US. I vividly remembered how the US abandoned the US Embassy in a hurry by helicopters leaving many South Vietnamese who worked for the US to fend for their own. I also remembered how the image of a North Vietnamese tank crashing through the gate of the abandoned US Embassy. Those images gave me the impression that the US was defeated. I was wrong there.
I did a bit of research and also did find out a bit more of the official US account of events during my trip to Chicago where they also had a Vietnam War memorial. Indeed, the US was not defeated but the fact remains that the US initiated ceasefire talks with North Vietnam with the aim to retreat gracefully from a war the US know they can no longer win. After all, the US had 58K men who fought and gave their lives in the war and the objective to prevent the North taking over the South were eventually not met. OK, the US did not “suffer defeat”, and also did not retreat, as you wish. Anyway, appreciate your effort to set the records straight. I had updated this post to cancel out the words “suffer defeat”. Hope this helps.
Ben

]]> By: Mistrmind http://chowtimes.com/2008/08/28/washington-dc-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial/comment-page-1/#comment-20218 Mistrmind Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:28:00 +0000 http://chowtimes.com/?p=1776#comment-20218 Ben, please revise your site with the correction that JimVetran wrote. We did not retreat nor were we defeated. Ben, please revise your site with the correction that JimVetran wrote.

We did not retreat nor were we defeated.

]]> By: JimVeteran http://chowtimes.com/2008/08/28/washington-dc-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial/comment-page-1/#comment-20206 JimVeteran Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:44:57 +0000 http://chowtimes.com/?p=1776#comment-20206 Oops, I forgot in my earlier note... Ben wrote "the US suffered defeat in Vietnam". That is a common misconception. The US left Vietnam in March of 1973 after all parties signed the Paris peace accords. It was an orderly and scheduled withdrawal in peace, not a defeat or retreat. We left our allies, the military forces of the Republic of (South) Vietnam (RVN) on their own. All US forces left except a small number of Marines guarding the US Embassy. In May, 1975, communist forces of North Vietnam swept south, overpowering the RVN forces. The picture that many think shows people leaving the US Embassy is that of an Air America helicopter on the roof of the Pittman apartment building several blocks form the embassy. The US military had been gone for two years, they did not retreat and the US did not "suffer defeat." Oops, I forgot in my earlier note… Ben wrote “the US suffered defeat in Vietnam”. That is a common misconception.

The US left Vietnam in March of 1973 after all parties signed the Paris peace accords. It was an orderly and scheduled withdrawal in peace, not a defeat or retreat. We left our allies, the military forces of the Republic of (South) Vietnam (RVN) on their own.

All US forces left except a small number of Marines guarding the US Embassy.

In May, 1975, communist forces of North Vietnam swept south, overpowering the RVN forces. The picture that many think shows people leaving the US Embassy is that of an Air America helicopter on the roof of the Pittman apartment building several blocks form the embassy.

The US military had been gone for two years, they did not retreat and the US did not “suffer defeat.”

]]> By: JimVeteran http://chowtimes.com/2008/08/28/washington-dc-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial/comment-page-1/#comment-20205 JimVeteran Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:29:17 +0000 http://chowtimes.com/?p=1776#comment-20205 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial consists of two more pieces, a flagpole that was not part of the original design and a plaque that honors those who died after the war from indirect causes, as PTSD and exposure to toxic chemicals, specifically Agent Organge. I'm one of the volunteers who works on the web site named The Virtual Wall (TM) at http://www.VirtualWall.org The Vietnam Veterans Memorial consists of two more pieces, a flagpole that was not part of the original design and a plaque that honors those who died after the war from indirect causes, as PTSD and exposure to toxic chemicals, specifically Agent Organge.

I’m one of the volunteers who works on the web site named The Virtual Wall (TM) at http://www.VirtualWall.org

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