Khe Sanh may have been the worst battle of all time. This link has pictures of some of the battle. The battle was the longest battle in American history. 6000 marines held off 20,000 North Vietnamese for more than 70 days. 240 marines were killed and 2400 were wounded, while more than 12,800 north Vietnamese were killed. The marines had a lot of help from air force and marine pilots dropping napalm at the very edge of the fire base. The marines were trapped at the base and required air drops for food and ammunition. That made Khe Sanh air drops a very dangerous business. 1968 was a dangerous year for American soldiers and marines.
1968 we elected Richard Nixon as president. He had promised to end the war in Vietnam. He never intended to do so. He amped up the war instead. We bombed more; we fought more than before. 2.4 million tons of bombs were dropped over Vietnam, more than twice dropped over Germany in WW-2.
I sit here in tears watching the horror of the Vietnam war. This was a war that could not be won, and yet we sacrificed 58,000 young men during the war. I have read and watched every book and documentary on WW-2, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan I could lay hands upon. Maybe it is because Vietnam was my generation's war. Maybe because it was an unnecessary war in my opinion. I can only imagine each generation feels their war was the worst. Maybe because I was a tiny part of the Vietnam war I feel guilty I was not a larger part of the war. I was lucky that I was in the navy before the war started and was spared being drafted into the ground war, although after I re-enlisted and was home on leave, I received a draft notice to join uncle Sam's jungle war. Vietnam was the first and only war that when soldiers came home they were harassed, shoved and spat upon after serving their country. I personally have known men who experienced that treatment, that should never have happened.
Lastly I feel for the wives of all those men in all the wars that held up the home front while never knowing how their husbands were doing or even if they were alive. I can't begin to know what they went through every day, waiting, wondering if today would be the day they would find out their husband was dead.
I suppose as the bible says, "there will always be wars and rumors of wars" but I wonder why? May God bless all those who lost their life in American wars and all who will in the future. I cannot help but think that if the world's leaders who send troops into war were also the ones leading those troops into battle, there would be far less wars.
1968 we elected Richard Nixon as president. He had promised to end the war in Vietnam. He never intended to do so. He amped up the war instead. We bombed more; we fought more than before. 2.4 million tons of bombs were dropped over Vietnam, more than twice dropped over Germany in WW-2.
I sit here in tears watching the horror of the Vietnam war. This was a war that could not be won, and yet we sacrificed 58,000 young men during the war. I have read and watched every book and documentary on WW-2, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan I could lay hands upon. Maybe it is because Vietnam was my generation's war. Maybe because it was an unnecessary war in my opinion. I can only imagine each generation feels their war was the worst. Maybe because I was a tiny part of the Vietnam war I feel guilty I was not a larger part of the war. I was lucky that I was in the navy before the war started and was spared being drafted into the ground war, although after I re-enlisted and was home on leave, I received a draft notice to join uncle Sam's jungle war. Vietnam was the first and only war that when soldiers came home they were harassed, shoved and spat upon after serving their country. I personally have known men who experienced that treatment, that should never have happened.
Lastly I feel for the wives of all those men in all the wars that held up the home front while never knowing how their husbands were doing or even if they were alive. I can't begin to know what they went through every day, waiting, wondering if today would be the day they would find out their husband was dead.
I suppose as the bible says, "there will always be wars and rumors of wars" but I wonder why? May God bless all those who lost their life in American wars and all who will in the future. I cannot help but think that if the world's leaders who send troops into war were also the ones leading those troops into battle, there would be far less wars.
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