The French, Americans and British all had vested interests in keeping the Communists at bay during those chaotic days. They were particularly interested in keeping them from gaining a foothold in Saigon. A suitable governor had to be found, one that was loyal to the “idea” of a South Vietnam and who would advocate for western policies once in place. A name that had surfaced on-and-off throughout the years of French rule was one Ngo Dinh Diem… READ MORE>>
Posted in Asia, Essays, History, US Military, Vietnam, War
Tagged French Indochina, Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam War
Ray Holz — the first American to enter Germany following the end of World War I… On A Harley! (photo from AD Farrow)
Posted in Automotive, Motorcycle, Photography, US Military, WWI
Tagged Veteran, Veterans Day, World War I
English: Sketch of Tun Tavern in the Revolutionary War, birthplace of the Continental Marines, from which is descended the USMC. this is a sketch of the place that the marines used to go to (9) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today is the birthday of the United States Marine Corps. On November 10, 1775, at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, members of the Continental Congress convened, presumably fortified with hot toddies and rye, to approve a resolution officially forming the Continental Marines.
Recognized today as perhaps the most effective fighting force on the planet, the Marine Corps has always focused on “force projection;” specifically, the projection of U.S. military power from Navy ships onto hostile landing areas. They are usually the leading fist of a flurry of powerful punches that the American military will unleash when ordered to protect the nation. Marines have spearheaded amphibious assaults and gained footholds for American troops throughout U.S. history. In addition the Marines can perform as elite combat troops far inland, as at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea for example. Here is a listing of many hard fought actions engaged in by the U.S. Marines:
First Barbary War (1801–1805), where they battled for Tripoli.
In the War of 1812 they held the center of Gen. Andrew Jackson’s defensive line at the Battle of New Orleans.
Mexican–American War (1846–1848), where they made their famed assault on Chapultepec Palace and “the Halls of Montezuma.”
During the Spanish-American War in 1898 Marines stormed the beaches in the Philippines and Cuba where they captured Guantanamo Bay.
In WWI the Marines further consolidated their reputation as a ferocious fighting force at Belleau Wood (1918).
In World War II the Marines did much of the fighting in the Pacific War. The pivotal battles at Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Tarawa, Guam, Tinian, Cape Gloucester, Saipan, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa will live in the hearts and minds of Americans forever.
The Korean War (1950 – 1953) saw the Marines distinguish themselves by holding the line at the Pusan Perimeter, in the lightning amphibious landing at Inchon, and during the desperate struggle in the bitter cold at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
During the ill-fated Vietnam War the Marines fought valiantly at Hue City, Con Thien and Khe Sanh.
In Iraq the Marines were given responsibility for Al Anbar Province where they battled door to door in Fallujah (2004).
And finally, in Afghanistan the Marines spearheaded the largely successful operation to wrest Marja (2010) from Taliban control.
So please take a moment to honor our Marine heroes, those who fell in battle and those who have made the long journey home, without them we would not be who we are today. Thank you Marines!
Posted in Afghanistan, Essays, History, Iraq, Korea, US Military, Vietnam, War, WWI, WWII
Tagged Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Continental Marines, First Barbary War, Marine, Tun Tavern, United States Marine, World War II
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Battlefield Vietnam – Part 01: Dien Bien Phu The Legacy
Battlefield Vietnam – Part 02: The Undeclared War
Battlefield Vietnam – Part 03: Search And Destroy
Battlefield Vietnam Part 04 Showdown in the Iron Triangle
Battlefield Vietnam – Part 05: Countdown to Tet
Battlefield Vietnam – Part 06: The Tet Offensive
Battlefield Vietnam – Part 07: War on the DMZ
Battlefield Vietnam – Part 08: Siege at Khe Sanh
Battlefield Vietnam – Part 09: Air War Vietnam
Vietnam – Part 10: Rolling Thunder
Posted in Asia, History, US Military, Video, Vietnam, War
Tagged History, Tet Offensive, Vietnam, Vietnam War, Wars and Conflicts
Image via Wikipedia
On February 27, 1968, upon returning from a trip to Vietnam after the Tet Offensive, Walter Cronkite closed his CBS News broadcast with Report from Vietnam: Who, What, When, Where, Why?” :
“We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders, both in Vietnam and Washington, to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds. They may be right, that Hanoi’s winter-spring offensive has been forced by the Communist realization that they could not win the longer war of attrition, and that the Communists hope that any success in the offensive will improve their position for eventual negotiations. It would improve their position, and it would also require our realization, that we should have had all along, that any negotiations must be that — negotiations, not the dictation of peace terms. For it seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. This summer’s almost certain standoff will either end in real give-and-take negotiations or terrible escalation; and for every means we have to escalate, the enemy can match us, and that applies to invasion of the North, the use of nuclear weapons, or the mere commitment of one hundred, or two hundred, or three hundred thousand more American troops to the battle. And with each escalation, the world comes closer to the brink of cosmic disaster. To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy’s intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.”
Following Cronkite’s editorial report, President Lyndon Johnson is reported to have said, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.”… WATCH VIDEOS OF THE NIGHTLY NEWS FROM THROUGHOUT THE VIETNAM WAR>>
Posted in Asia, Culture, History, Movies & TV, News Articles, US Military, Video, Vietnam, War
Tagged Hanoi, Lyndon B. Johnson, Vietnam, Vietnam War, Walter Cronkite
Image via Wikipedia
In a scene reminiscent of General Walton ”Johnny” Walker at the Pusan Perimeter in Korea, Army Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann was reportedly shouting and pleading on the radio as he circled in the spotter plane above. He watched helplessly while Captain Ba’s M-113 APCs sat, parked, just short of the edge of the assault radius. But what could Vann really do? He had no real authority over any of the troops that he had staked his entire operation on. MORE>>
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The French underground in Indochina assisted in rescuing downed Allied pilots. A solid spy network had been constructed in Vietnam that was actively transmitting good intelligence on the Japanese. As time passed the OSS gained increasing access to the output of the underground. Pilots were rescued. Then suddenly in spring 1945 the flow of information ceased without warning. The Japanese had launched their coupe de main in Vietnam. Grasping for a new strategy, OSS colonel Paul Helliwell turned to Major Archimedes Patti… MORE>>
Posted in Asia, Essays, History, Spy, US Military, Vietnam, War
Tagged Indochina, Vietnam, Vietnam War
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