Vietnam Magazine

03/26/2022

Sgt. Ronald A. Payne Squad Leader, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Mechanized Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, checks a tunnel entrance before entering.

03/26/2022

PFC Fred L. Greenleaf, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 199th Light Infantry Brigade, crosses a deep irrigation canal, 1967.

03/25/2022

"No. 1 Gun": An M60 Machine Gunner in Vietnam Tells His Story | Historynet

A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam.

A former expert with the M60 machine gun shares his experiences wielding the fearsome weapon in Vietnam

03/25/2022

A Man, A Mission, And The Greatest Beer Run Ever | Historynet

Chickie Donohue hauled a burlap bag of beer from New York to his friends in Vietnam...

Chickie Donohue hauled a burlap bag of beer from New York to his friends in Vietnam

03/24/2022

McNamara's Boys | Historynet

In 1966 the U.S. military desperately needed more troops in Vietnam. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara had a plan to get them.

In 1966 the U.S. military desperately needed more troops in Vietnam. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara had a plan to get them

03/24/2022

Navy Typhoon Hunter: Into the Eye of Raging Storms During the Vietnam War | Historynet

An aviation electronics technician describes his experiences aboard Lockheed Warning Stars that flew into the heart of typhoons during the Vietnam War.

03/24/2022

Last Words of A Marine’s Friend and Hero: ‘I’m Going to Get that Gun’ | Historynet

Marine 1st Lt. Lee Roy Herron saved the lives of numerous Marines before being killed during a Feb. 22, 1969 battle in the A Shau Valley.

Marine 1st Lt. Lee Roy Herron saved the lives of numerous Marines before being killed during a Feb. 22, 1969 battle in the A Shau Valley

03/23/2022

Hurry up and wait...

03/23/2022

Enemies to Friends: How Two Fighter Pilots Over Vietnam Buried the Hatchet | Historynet

Thirty-six years after clashing in a dogfight over North Vietnam, two fighter pilots reconciled.

Thirty-six years after clashing in a dogfight over North Vietnam, two fighter pilots reconciled

03/23/2022

Saving Captain Vizcarra: A Downed Fighter Pilot's Rescue from North Vietnam | Historynet

When downed fighter pilot Victor Vizcarra parachuted into North Vietnam, a helicopter rescue team had to find him before the enemy did.

When downed fighter pilot Victor Vizcarra parachuted into North Vietnam, a helicopter rescue team had to find him before the enemy did

03/22/2022

Dr. Eleanor Ardel Vietti, the Only American Woman Who Remains Unaccounted for from the Vietnam War | Historynet

In 1962 Vietti became America's first female prisoner of war in Vietnam. She remains unaccounted for to this day.

In 1962 Vietti became America's first female prisoner of war in Vietnam

03/22/2022

The Mysterious Death of Mike Turpin, U.S. Army Broadcaster in Vietnam | Historynet

The fate of a military broadcaster in Vietnam in 1972 still leaves doubts and questions.

The fate of a military broadcaster in Vietnam in 1972 still leaves doubts and questions

03/22/2022

When His Sister Came to Vietnam, This Door Gunner Left the Central Highlands For a Rare Family Reunion | Historynet

Michael Kelley of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) had a brief respite from combat duty visiting his sister at Nha Trang near the South China Sea.

Michael Kelley of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) had a brief respite from combat duty visiting his sister at Nha Trang near the South China Sea

03/21/2022

An Interview with Vietnam Veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient James C. McCloughan

An interview with Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient James C. McCloughan.

03/21/2022

Meet Fritz, the very good boy.

[Original caption: Cpl. Ural Hunter curries his sentry dog “Fritz” during a rest
break while on patrol with Combined Action Platoon 2-3-3 near Vieh Hao.]

03/21/2022

Is This Vietnam Vet the Only Man to Earn Silver Stars as a Marine and as a Soldier? | Historynet

Clyde Bonnelycke is possibly the only person awarded a Silver Star as a Marine who went on to receive an Army Silver Star as a soldier.

03/21/2022

General Westmoreland's 'protocol' for Promotions Were Sealed With a Kiss | Historynet

Imagine surviving monsoons, dengue fever, dysentery, malaria, and leeches in a bamboo hut in Assam, India during World War II. Imagine deploying to Inchon during the Korean War. Imagine leading the emergency room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Imagine being selected by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to be his personal nurse.

And imagine being the first female in the Army’s 197-year history to be given stars…and then imagine, after reaching that career pinnacle, to be greeted by a kiss by Army Chief of Staff General William Westmoreland because it is, as he says, “a new protocol for congratulating lady generals.”

Imagine surviving monsoons, dengue fever, dysentery, malaria, and leeches in a bamboo hut in Assam, India during World War II. Imagine deploying to Inchon

03/18/2022

The A-10 Warthog Is the Military's Most Beloved Plane. Not So in 1972!

Brrrrrrt!

50 years ago, the A-10 Warthog was seen as a dud—"a leprous project led by a pariah.” How did it become the military's most beloved plane? Brrrt!

03/16/2022

Did General William Westmoreland Actually Have a Logical Strategy in Vietnam? | Historynet

"Having researched and written about the Vietnam War for more than 20 years, I am convinced that Westmoreland pursued the most logical and sophisticated strategy that he or any other U.S. commander could follow given the inherent limitations on his authority." - Dr. Erik Villard argues that Westmoreland pursued the most appropriate strategy any MACV commander could devise between 1964 and 1968.

Dr. Erik Villard argues that Westmoreland pursued the most appropriate strategy any MACV commander could devise between 1964 and 1968.

03/16/2022

The M60 General Purpose Machine Gun Was One of the Vietnam War's Iconic Weapons | Historynet

Five variants of the M60 served in Vietnam, equipping virtually every vehicle, armored personnel carrier, tank, helicopter and Navy patrol craft.

03/15/2022

Sgt. Richard Loy Etchberger: Airman Honored for Heroism on the Ground | Historynet

“Despite having received little or no combat training,” read a subsequent citation, “Chief Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy with an M-16, while simultaneously directing air strikes into the area and calling for air rescue.” Etchberger was nominated for the Medal of Honor. However, because Lima Site 85 was classified, his family was told he had been killed in a “helicopter accident.”

He died saving fellow airmen on a secret mission. And fellow airmen campaigned to get him an MOH delayed for decades.

03/14/2022

1st Cavalry Division Veteran Recounts Combat Tour in Vietnam | Historynet

Aided by his 212 letters home, thankfully preserved, Blessing has published an excellent account of his tour as a combat infantry “grunt” with the 1st Cav. The book provides a snapshot, naturally viewed through his personal lens, of his unit during his 1966-67 tour.

Aided by his 212 letters home, author Dennis Blessing has recreated his tour as a combat infantry “grunt” with the 1st Cav.

03/14/2022

Marines Rack Up Kills in the Air | Historynet

The common image of the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam is a scene with Leathernecks on the ground, holding off—and beating back—a larger enemy force. But Marines in Southeast Asia who fought their country’s battles did so, as the Corps’ hymn states, not only “on land and sea” but also “in the air.”

Marines racked up kills in the air as well as on the ground.

03/14/2022

General Westmoreland's 'protocol' for Promotions Were Sealed With a Kiss | Historynet

And imagine being the first female in the Army’s 197-year history to be given stars…and then imagine, after reaching that career pinnacle, to be greeted by a kiss by Army Chief of Staff General William Westmoreland because it is, as he says, “a new protocol for congratulating lady generals.”

Imagine surviving monsoons, dengue fever, dysentery, malaria, and leeches in a bamboo hut in Assam, India during World War II. Imagine deploying to Inchon

03/13/2022

Flying into a Firestorm: A Secret Mission Inside Laos | Historynet

“Don’t get under there,” Groah shouted. “The NVA is trying to hit our chopper!” -- A helicopter gunner got a bird’s-eye view of the top-secret Operation Tailwind in Laos, but it almost cost him his life—three times in four days.

A helicopter gunner got a bird’s-eye view of the top-secret Operation Tailwind in Laos, but it almost cost him his life—three times in four days.

03/12/2022

Terror in the Skies: North Vietnam’s Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery

North Vietnamese air defense tactics relied on defense-in-depth, both horizontally and vertically. Surface-to-air missiles were the first line of defense, forcing the Americans to dedicate a growing percentage of their air assets to the SAM suppression mission.

The armament downed more American planes and helicopters than all other air defense weapons combined

03/11/2022

Showcasing the Vietnam War’s Jeeps, Tanks, Trucks and Artillery | Historynet

This excellently illustrated book is a guide to American vehicles and heavy weapons used by the Army and Marine Corps between 1965 and 1973 when ground combat units were in Vietnam.

Author David Doyle has created a guide to American vehicles and heavy weapons used by the Army and Marine Corps between 1965 and 1973 in Vietnam

03/09/2022

Researcher Seeks Help Finding Last Photos for Vietnam Wall of Faces Memorial | Historynet

“We need to obtain a photo of every single fallen hero whose name is etched on the Wall. To date we have only 18 more photos to find nationwide.” — A dedicated volunteer researcher, Janna Hoehn is appealing to the public to help her find the last remaining photos to complete the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Wall of Faces.

Volunteer Janna Hoehn is appealing to the public to help put faces to 18 names of the fallen who served in Vietnam

03/08/2022

Night Jump into Dien Bien Phu: An Eyewitness Account From A French Paratrooper Captured by the Viet Minh | Historynet

"I jumped with the first wave close to midnight. No sooner did my parachute open than I found myself in the middle of an extraordinary spectacle—anti-aircraft fire, illumination flares, tracer rounds…" - An eyewitness account of events at Dien Bien Phu from Pierre Faroux, the executive officer of a parachute battalion.

An eyewitness account of events at Dien Bien Phu from Pierre Faroux, the executive officer of a parachute battalion

03/06/2022

The Disasters Before Dien Bien Phu: In 1950, the Vietnamese Routed the French in Chinese Border Battles | Historynet

“When the Tonkin theater commander, Maj. Gen. Marcel Alessandri, was informed of the order, he wired Carpentier: “Cancel everything. If you carry on it will be a crime.” - When the smoke cleared, the French had suffered perhaps their greatest colonial defeat since 1749.

When the smoke cleared, the French had suffered their greatest colonial defeat since 1749, wrote French historian Bernard Fall

03/05/2022

Did the U.S. Consider Using Nuclear Weapons in Vietnam? | Historynet

The short answer is yes, though with important qualifications.

03/05/2022

Blackhorse Regiment Rode Steel Steeds to the Rescue in Vietnam | Historynet

He writes of the “sort of mystique” about the Blackhorse as it was “equal parts ‘riding-to-the rescue’ horse cavalry and ‘no-mission-too-difficult’ modern cavalry.” It was made up of men, he says, who “rode to war” on “modern day steeds of steel and aluminum.”

Author Don Snedeker tells the stories of scores of individual troopers of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment using photographs, drawings, maps and documents.

03/04/2022

How George S. Patton IV Lived Up To His Father's Legacy | Historynet

The son matched in two wars the two Distinguished Service Crosses and two Silver Stars awarded to his father in two wars. Before he left Vietnam, Patton’s decorations included a Distinguished Flying Cross and 27 Air Medals.

He matched the two Distinguished Service Crosses and two Silver Stars awarded to his father.

02/28/2022

'Forever Burned Into My Memory': One Airman's Recollections of Operation Babylift

"The handwriting was on the wall—the nightly TV news showed we were losing the Vietnam War. North Vietnamese forces were closing in on Saigon and military bases in the area. It was only a matter of days before the North’s complete takeover."

An airman’s service on the harrowing 1975 Operation Babylift An airman’s service on the harrowing 1975 Operation Babylift

02/27/2022

Words on War: General Kroesen’s Thoughts on Vietnam

"It was in Vietnam that the centralization of control reached an apex, with the White House dictating bomb­ing targets and division and brigade commanders playing “squad leader in the sky.” We reached a condition in which the chain of command was in a state of dysfunction." - General Frederick Kroesen shared his reflections on the Vietnam War in his 2007 memoir, "General Thoughts: Seventy-Five Years with the Army."

General Frederick Kroesen shared his reflections on the Vietnam War in his 2007 memoir, "General Thoughts: Seventy-Five Years with the Army."