Kenneth, everything Kerry said about what was going on in Vietnam, was going on in Vietnam at the time he said it. I'm sorry that was true, but it was and it needed to be said. The sad part of it is that much of it was being done by people that would have lived clean lives and have never considered doing such things if they hadn't gone to Vietnam.
I was in a bar in Bien Hua on time on my way back from RxR. I was talking to a chopper door gunner. He was a good guy. Maybe 20 years old. Blond hair, blue eyes, square faced guy from the midwest somewhere. After a couple of beers I asked him what it was like door gunning. He knew I was a grunt and had been around a lot of killing. He started talking about it and looking at me to see how I was taking it. I could see he was trying to unload it even while he was trying to laugh it off.
You wouldn't believe some of the things he told me. I'll give you one. He saw three gooks running out of a meadow. Two of them got to the treeline before he could get them. the third one was a pregnant woman and she wasn't fast enough. He got her before she could make it. He knew what he had before he shot her but he shot anything that moved unless it was American. He laughed when he told me.
How do you think that man sleeps at night? Trust me when I tell you, there were tens of thousands of men doing those kinds of things in Vietnam. That's what happens when you're scared, angry, and have the power of guns with NO EFFECTIVE controls on your actions.
My Company fought in the deep jungles against the NVA. We suffered a lot of casualties and the living was tough, but we never had to deal with civilians, or women, or children. We were lucky but those with a target rich environment, lots of fear and anger and their fingers on the triggers did a lot of things I'm sure they wish they could undo. It's the way it was and not saying it didn't make it go away. |
