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Khe
Sanh:
The Other Side Of The Hill
The 1968 battle for Khe Sanh, the biggest battle of the
Vietnam War and its longest sustained siege, has been the
subject of history, story-telling, and myth-making. But for
all the books, articles, and buddies’ accounts of their
experiences, one aspect has so far been little touched. That
is the tale of the adversary, the North Vietnamese enemy
who fought in the hills and villages around the combat base.
In our book, Valley of Decision, Khe Sanh chaplain Ray W.
Stubbe and I worked hard to present something about the other
side. We thought we had done well with the information available
at the time. But since the book was published in 1992, much
more has come out, including official histories of the NVA—officially
know as the Vietnam People’s Army—and many of
its units, as well as collections of Vietnam Workers Party
documents, enough to make possible for the first time a more
extensive treatment of the North Vietnamese side of the battle.
What follows is a fresh look at that story. [read
complete article ]
Get ready For Some
Musical Fireworks
A funny thing happened to Wes Guidry, VVA’s national
meetings planner, last December. While attending the Nevada
Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Reno, he ran into
the legendary country music star Lee Greenwood. Guidry, not
the shy and retiring type, walked right up to Greenwood,
said hello, and then asked if he would be amenable to performing
his mega-hit “God Bless the U.S.A.” at the Opening
Ceremonies of VVA’s 13th National Convention in Springfield,
Illinois, in July. Greenwood said he liked the idea but needed
to check his schedule. An official letter went out the next
day from VVA National President John Rowan. Early this spring
came the official reply from Greenwood’s associate,
Jerry Bentley, who happens to be a Vietnam veteran and a
VVA member. Lee Greenwood would happily come to Springfield
to sing his song, as well as the National Anthem, at the
Wednesday morning, July 18, Opening Ceremonies. “It’s
going to be a special treat for the delegates and guests
at the Convention to hear Lee Greenwood,” Rowan said. “His
song is world famous and will fit in extremely well with
our always-spirited Opening Ceremonies.” [read
complete article]
In The Tornado’s Trail
On Thursday, March 1, the sky over Enterprise, Alabama,
turned dark, then ominous. Shortly after one o’clock,
a tornado’s funnel reached out of the swiftly moving,
leaden sky, touched down by the airport, withdrew, then
slammed to the ground again. The twister dawdled through
Enterprise, destroying everything it touched along a 10-mile
trail. Eight students were killed at the high school, and
many homes and businesses were totally ruined. [read
complete article]
Memorial Day Done Right
Quincy, Mass., Veterans Honor Their
Own
It started out small. A fraternity of veterans in Quincy,
Massachusetts, most of them Marines, would gather in late
March to honor those who died in the Vietnam War.
Twenty years ago, they were blessed with a memorial: a clock
tower built by the O’Connell Development Company—Billy
O’Connell had served during the Vietnam War—and
Forge Development Corporation. It rises some four stories
at Marina Bay in the Squantum section of Quincy. Inscribed
on one of the four panels at the base of the tower are the
names of 47 local men who perished in Vietnam. [read
complete article]
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
RANDY WRIGHT
WE ARE ALL VIETNAM VETERANS
The notion of leading a local VVA chapter and helping to
build it into a vibrant force in the organization was not
part of Randy Wright’s personal agenda in the late
summer of 1971. Fresh from the Vietnam War as an Army platoon
commander, Wright was intent on becoming a lawyer. [read
complete article]
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©2006-
2008, Vietnam Veterans of America. All Rights Reserved. 8605 Cameron
Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910