It was the United States' longest war. But it was one of Vietnam's shortest.
One-fourth of Vietnam's 4000 year history was spent fighting China, its giant neighbor to the north.
Another 100 years were spent fighting- the French. Then came 20 years of American involvement.
When the fighting stopped April 30, 1975, and communist North Vietnamese forces captured the capital city of Saigon, more than 58,000 Americans-and more than a million Vietnamese had died.
During the summer of 1972 more than 2 million soldiers served in the U.S.-backed South Vietnamese armed forces.
This is the story of some of these soldiers: Nhan P.
(he requested his name not be used because he still has family in Vietnam) was 21 in 1970 when he joined the Red Berets, one of the fiercest fighting airborne troops in South Vietnam.
A year later he was in combat for the first time.
His division was ordered to capture a Viet Cong strong hold inside neighboring Cambodia, now called Kampuchea.
"We were shelled literally thousands of times a day," he said. "But it was nothing. We didn't lose any sleep. There were few casualties and our morale was high."
Nhan's division eventually accomplished its mission. The stronghold was turned over to the Cambodian government.
Two years later, he fought at Cao Nguyen in the highlands of South Vietnam.
His division was surrounded by the Viet Cong. "They shelled us night and day for three weeks," he said. "They tried to attack us but were repulsed every time."
Finally, U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers were called in and fresh troops arrived, he said. "We fought from the inside out and the (the new troops) fought from the outside in," he said. "The Viet Cong all ran away."
Nhan's division was stationed in Saigon when the communist forces took control of South Vietnam.
He spent three years in a re-education camp, which his friend Sinh He nicknamed "University of Blood."
"The Viet Cong are savages," he said. "You get two little bowls of rice a day with salt. They love to play Russian roulette on you. "Another form of torture was keeping you awake for several days , straight to brainwash you. Some times they stuff 50 to 60 people into a container about (7-feet long by 8-feet wide by 6-feet high)."
After he was released from the camp, Nhan fled Vietnam.
Today, he lives and works as a technician in San Jose. At 36, he is studying to be an engineer.
He longs to go back home, he said. His grandparents, mother and two sisters are still in Vietnam. "My body is here," he said, "but my mind is in Vietnam."
Dan Hoang, another Vietnamese expatriot, echoed Nhan's feelings. "I Always, always long for the day to return," he said. "Living on a foreign land is meaningless."
Hoang served in the South Vietnamese Navy from 1969 until the end of the war. "We assisted the army and air force with our artillery," he said.
When Saigon foil, the battleship he was on headed for the Philip ines.
Now 38, Hoang is working as an engineer. "Still, there's not a moment I don't think about home," he said.
Dai Tong, who was a ex-helicopter pilot in the South Vietnamese Air Force, flew many missions in Quang Tri near the demilitarized zone that bordered North and South Vietnam.
His UH-LD Huey helicopter dropped troops into battle zones, backed them up with artillery and carried out the wounded.
His chopper was shot down once, killing the co-pilot.
Tong was rescued by an other helicopter.
Tong can still readily name several of his friends who were killed in battle. "Their sacrifices were very high," he said. "It's painful for me and their families. But it's something that we all accept. War is like that."
Joseph Hoang, a South Vietnamese Marine from 1956 to 1970, knew the suffering of war.
He was wounded six times and retired be cause of a leg wound. "The bullet is still lodged in my leg," he said. "I was going into battle from a helicopter. As soon as I landed, I was shot."
Hoang fought in several battles during his 14 years in the military. He remembers a clash in 1964 against the Gold Star Division, considered North Vietnam's best. "They had more than 1,100 men," he said. "After 46 hours, they had lost about 400 to 500. You know, today I still don't know how we could lose the war."
As he walked away, the limp was noticeable, an incredible reminder of a war that wouldn't go away.
Even 10 years after.
[ back to Golden Gater Online May 2, 1986 ]
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