Af Holds 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemoration Ceremony

[holdenmonty]

Just wanted to share this article with you guys showing that the civilian might not have appreciated what you guys did in Vietnam but here is an article that even though it could be considered a dog and pony show it does me good to see that they are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDispl...rsary-vietnam-war-commemoration-ceremony.aspx

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War by honoring prisoners of war and missing in action, veterans and their families during a wreath-laying ceremony at 10:30 a.m. EST, March 2, at the Air Force Memorial in Washington D.C.

This is the first Headquarters Air Force event in support of the 50th Vietnam War Commemorative Partner Program. This multi-year campaign aims to thank and honor the veterans of the Vietnam War for their sacrifice and service and pay tribute to the contributions of their families.

"Vietnam veterans are a generation of Americans who saw our country through one of the most challenging eras we have ever faced," said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James.

March 2, marks the 50th anniversary of retired Lt. Col. Hayden J. Lockhart's aircraft being shot down over Vietnam and his becoming the first Air Force POW. The day also marks the beginning of the Operation Rolling Thunder bombing campaign. During this three-year Vietnam War campaign, Air Force, Marine and Navy aircraft bombed targets throughout North Vietnam. U.S. and Australian warships complemented the air assault by bombarding coastal targets.

The bombings cost North Vietnam more than half of its bridges, virtually all of its petroleum storage facilities and nearly two-thirds of its power generating plants. The U.S. lost more than 1,000 aircraft in the campaign.

"Airmen fought bravely and proudly in the service of our nation and we honor them," James said.

The U.S., North Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam signed the Paris Peace Accords on Jan. 27, 1973. Article 8 of the accords required the repatriation of POWs by all adversaries within 60 days.

Between Feb. 12 and March 29, a total of 591 Americans, including 566 military and 25 civilian personnel, were released by their captors. Nine foreign nationals were also released.

For more information about Vietnam War commemoration, how to become a commemorative partner, and calendar of local events, click here.

 

[BaMuoiBa]

Yup, it all began for me about 50 years ago this month as well.

So, you think this was a shithouse?

Nah, this is what a real shithouse looked like back in the day.

 

[atilla]

I remember shit burning detail.

 

[JarHed]

Wow, so long ago. I'm amazed when I think of it that I'm even here. Went over in feb. '68 during TET, what a mess.

Sadly, many Americans that grew up in that era think we were and are idiots for not leaving the country or refusing to go. These same people are the ones that didn't and benefited the most from not having had to. I'm bothered by people that 'Thank me for my Service'.

Too little, Too late. Just a Grunt's opinion, as always. It still weighs heavy on my mind, even now.

Jar

P.S. I too can still recall the smell of shit and diesel fuel burning.

 

[holdenmonty]

Luckily for me I don't know the smell of burning shit and diesel fuel but at Kandahar we had what we called the poo pond. It was a sewage treatment area that was made for I think somebody said 50,000 people and there was around 150,000 people that it was being used for...and you could smell the shit baking in the 130 degree heat about a mile away in any direction, and then there was the general burn pit that sometimes if the wind blew hard enough we would get some ash in the compound where I worked. You could smell the burn pit all the time even though they claim there was no burn pit there and published a report saying that the toxic odder coming from the sewage treatment lake wasn't strong enough to cause any health issues unless you were right on top of it.

 

[JarHed]

MMM, poo pond..............yikes!

Truly, in war all soldiers are expendable. I don't think I could be convinced otherwise. Guess it becomes our other mission to look out for ourselves.

Agent Orange was dispersed over the entire area of VietNam. So, even if you didn't have direct exposure it was in the water, food and everywhere else. So, all vets that were there had some level of exposure. Kinda' late now to change that except for the soldiers and vets from the recent wars to be mindful of these things and that I can and probably to some degree will affect you.

Jar