I was reading about all the War of Northern Aggression reenactments scheduled for this year as it is the  sesquicentennial of the War. For those of you from St. Petersburg, that’s one hundred fifty years. Thinking about this sent me woolgathering back to 1961. January 9th, to be exact. That was the chosen date for the beginning of the “Vietnam Conflict” as Walter Cronkite called it then. Up to then I though a conflict was a disagreement your parents had about where to go out for dinner. The idea that two disparate groups of the same parentage could try to annihilate one another like we did from 1861-65 and call it a conflict intrigued me. It sounded way more civilized than what our northern cousins did to us inVirginia. I was 10 years old in 1961. War was COOL.

My father had gotten out of Dien Bien Phu on March 5th, 1954 by air. He had been sent over from Japanwith a group of AF, Army and Naval officers to see if we could learn anything from the French or get some training for our troops. They didn’t leave a moment too soon according to what he told me later. He compared it to what Custer encountered-way too many Indians.

When he came back from his second “official deployment” as Vice Commander of 7th AF under  Bill Momeyer in ’68, he told me we were never going to win that war. McNamara could build cars, but he couldn’t figure out the supply requirements for a war. Pilots were dropping 250 lb. bombs by then because we were out of 100o and 500 lb. GPUs. If fact, we were buying back 500 pounders fromGermanyat $900 a pop that we sold them in the early 50’s for $15 each. It was about this time I decided I just couldn’t miss this shindig. It looked like the last war we were going to have for a while and eau de gunpowder was my kind of perfume. I was 17 in 1968.

Vietnam was the first war we ever lost. Some would put a better face on it and say we took a silver or a bronze, but its the first war or “conflict” that we didn’t take a gold in. Screw that Peace with Honor bullshit Nixon was selling. 58,209 KIA  and 153,303 WIA was not a “conflict”. It was a war. Although that number is counted from 1955 when we decided to start tinkering with politics over there, the Defense Department marks time with a different calender. We officially started spraying AO on January 9th. 1961 according to the VA. If you look closely at the little silver bar on your Green and White “I was there”medal it has a 60- on it. I’ve never seen one with 60-75.

Which brings us back to the 50 year anniversary of the start of the Vietnam war. I was thinking of putting out a call for reenactors of a few memorable battles from that era. I doubt I’ll get any Marines who would like to relive Hué during Tet 68. In fact, I doubt I could convince anyone who was there to relive a moment of that life.What I don’t doubt is that everyone who never went to Vietnam, but said they did, would show up.

While I did spend two years over there, I would never do it again if I knew what I know now. My draft number was 39 in 1969. They took all the way to 70 something.  I joined the AF when my notice from the Army came to report to AFEES inHampton,Va. September 1st. I never would have gone to Canada. Everyone in my family has been in the military. Its in our blood. My Uncle was captured at Corregidor and did the 550K Bataan fun run with a bullet through his ankle. He was a guest of the Japanese Army for 4 years. My father was a P-51 ace (16 1/2 kills) with 27 Air medals. My future brother in law was a 90 day wonder with gold slats in 69. Hell, my great great great  grandfather fought in the American Revolution (Maine Volunteers- part of Massachusetts then). My great grandfather fought for the South from South Carolina. So you understand why I couldn’t walk away from this one. It sounds like Lt. Dan from Forest Gump and in a way it was. Only I wasn’t supposed to die slowly from it 40 years later.

What must go through the minds of reenactors? Reliving history? Wanna be confederate or union soldiers?  I have spent a lot of time helping and listening to Vets in the last 4 years while I learned how to win at this VA thing. Virtually all of them were in SEA. None of them who experienced combat had or has any desire to relive that period. Most would prefer to bury it and walk away. Absolutely none would pine for a do over. Its very  embarrassing to go to a war and lose. It would be like losing a football game in your senior year to the worst team in the league- inTexas. You just don’t get over those things. I haven’t.

So, I suspect there would be no interest in a Vietnam Reenactors Society. There would be that big problem with BATF over the M-60s and the M-79s not to mention the grenades. Finding period aircraft to drop the napalm is going to be a big hassle as well as finding pilots still on flight status. I suppose Claymores would be right out. I don’t think they make dummy ones either. Finding Vietnamese reenactors here would also be a non-starter because they all fought for the losing side, too. No, I guess this will be one for the history books.

We all know that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. I just didn’t expectAmericato forget it so soon, though. When I go to the VAMC now, I see kids my age when I fought. Real Veterans- not reenactors with boo-boos. More collateral damage again and no end in sight. Dammit.