Trafford Publishing: Vietnam: A Community & Country Divided

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Vietnam: A Community & Country Divided

by Ronan High School Students

242 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-1183; ISBN 1-4120-0815-8; US$23.50, C$27.00, EUR19.50, £13.50

Vietnam Veterans share their experiences during the war in their own words -- A collection of thirty oral histories.

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about the book the authors excerpts catalogue info

About the Book

The Vietnam War is a conflict that remains unresolved with the American people. Although the United States military presence there ended, its reasons for going, for staying as long as it did, and even for pulling out remain controversial even today. In A Community and Country Divided the soldiers who served during the conflict share their experiences. As they remember their involvement some share anger and regret, others share pride and patriotism. Voices and opinions from each military branch capture the tension that continues to surround the Vietnam conflict. High school students in Ronan, Montana interviewed these veterans and used the information they gathered to write the stories included.

The Authors

All the authors are high school students from Ronan, Montana, a small town in northwestern Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Patrick Wendler
Katrina Potter
Kristan Neilsen
Yetta Folsom
Beverly Powell
Tasha Lawson
Chelsea Dullinger
Chris Larson
Tiffany Shepard
Catherine Jackson
Corinna Morigeau
Andrew Jackson
Jessica Bisson
Andy Samsel
Kyle Modrie
Joel Diaz
Jennica Joscum
Justin Olson
Chris Bays
Jamie Dickson
Dan Mays
Jessica Pierre
Chris Larson
Erika Reum
Nikki Fleck
Marcus Hackman
Danny Cacho, Jr.
John Wills
Justin Wieshaar
Michael Blixt
Kovin Maughan
Derrick Mikesell
Brenton Green
Mercie Lee
Joelle Smith
Caroline Lozeau

Excerpts

Gene Mays
Navy Boiler Man Second Class
Stationed in DeNang, Vietnam
Interviewed by Jamie Dickson and Dan Mays
February 23, 2003

Gene Mays was born in Miami, Oklahoma August 16, 1947. When the Vietnam War began, Gene dropped out of high school. He figured he could obtain the rest of his education and some, by attending the military. After three years and nine months Gene wasn't able to earn his education because of higher authority's orders. The war was over and Gene returned home with an honorable discharge and studied hard to get his G.E.D. The war was very nerve racking, but provided Gene with the patience and respect for others.
When I heard about the war, my first thoughts were to volunteer myself and join the services. I thought it would be a good way to get my education. I never really liked the draft, because you had no choice and the government required you to go whether you wanted to or not. That's why I volunteered. My family really didn't want me to enter the war because they thought I was too young; after all I was only seventeen. When I first started training, being treated like you were the lowest thing in the world was really hard for me. It got easier after you accepted the fact that they were only trying to prepare you for war itself and to show you how to conduct yourself if you ever became a prisoner of war.
After training I was stationed at DeNang, Vietnam, where I was a gunner on a patrol riverboat on the Saigon River. Each day was very different, but required the same duties of sweeping the river for mines and protecting the ships as they came in to drop off supplies for the military. Some days you had to shoot at your enemy. The next day you wouldn't see any. When you're in the service, you're so busy you don't want to hear what other people have to say about it because you're living in it. Many soldiers hated the war and looked forward to the recreation time that was available. I read the Bible because that's all I could really do.
While we soldiers were in battle, there were many anti-war demonstrations happening back home. I know a person has a right to his/her own beliefs, but I believe that if we're going to live in a country that is built upon our fighting for it to be free, every American should have to fight for our freedom. That includes all races and religions. I think that it's wrong for those who say their religion doesn't allow them to fight for this country, but who are going to do what they please in this country. In my hometown people called us baby killers and didn't want us over there because it was a win-less war. The only source available to the country that showed what was happening in the war was the news, and they covered up most of it. People at home weren't getting the full story. The news reports left out that young boys would walk up to us with live hand grenades and that the locals were told to pretend to like us so they could get close enough to kill us, but our soldiers were often punished for defending themselves against the unknown. Every time our soldiers would try to win this war they'd get court marshaled. Their motives were always questioned when they were just doing what they were put over there to do - to kill the enemy and secure the area. So you see, we weren't killing just people, we were killing the enemy and trying to stay alive. On the other hand, I never really had any encounters with the enemy; I just sunk the vessels they tried to use to combat us. My crew and I got sunk on our fiberglass boat about two three times a week and faced gunfire all the time. What I remember most about the war was the bullets coming at me. I was scared that I may not live to see the next day and I wondered if the Lord would forgive me for killing. I prayed that one day I would make Gene May's Commanding Officer with the other Petty Officers, March 1965 124 it home to see my family. The best part of the war was when it was over and I finally got to come home.
The hardest part of the war was not getting enough rest. I spent four hours shooting a gun and four hours sleeping on the boat floor. There weren't any motels, mattresses and things like that, and I never had adequate supplies. I especially missed my cigarettes. The food wasn't up to snuff and most of the time I ate army rations out of my helmet. The only time we got showers was after ourboat had been sunk. This all made the war hard, but what I liked least about the whole situation was killing some one.
After three years and nine months, I was able to return home on August 16, 1969. I don't really remember if my homecoming was anything special, but I do remember that it wasn't like anybody was running down the road to meet me. As a matter of fact when we got home we were shunned because people thought we killed old people and babies, which we didn't. An American is a human being who respects life and cherishes it, doesn't destroy it, but when a man is shooting at you, you got to shoot back, no matter if it's a man, woman, or a child. Over there a six-year old child can have a gun as big as yours and kill you. It wasn't our deal of trying to kill them; we were just trying to stay alive. The war was a big influence on me. It made me deal with one day at a time and take nobody for granted. Although this was an inspirational experience, I don't really know if this was a war we needed to fight. I'm not a man of politics and I'm not in any position to decide if we needed to fight, but I don't understand why we have to go to war. I think war destroys future generations, people, and places, and it hardens the hearts of people involved.
Still, I know some things are worth fighting for: freedom, family, and your own safety. As a result of World War Two my dad is a disabled veteran. Every time a thunderstorm occurs he will hide in the closet because when it thunders it sounds like incoming missiles. I hope I will never have to go to war again. War was bad then and it's still bad today. I think that young people, who have never experienced war, should know that it isn't a game like on television. You can't just press a button like on video game. These are real bullets and these are real people shooting at you and they're out to kill you. The enemy you're fighting has no morals and is trained to die for their country. As for our country, this possible war with Iraq seems ridiculous because many American lives will be lost over a field of oil when we have the capability of developing fuels of other kinds through the farmers of America. Nonetheless, if this war does break out just say your prayers and make sure you have everything in order, your family, your life. Make sure your loved ones know you love them, because you might not be able to tell them later on. As for my own children, I wouldn't want them to join the military unless they were drafted and had to go. For man or woman, think twice before you enlist. Ask yourself what if I go? What will happen? What will happen if I don't go? When you go to war, you're risking the future. Decisions are the main thing in life, so make the right ones to avoid disaster.

Jamie Dickson

Mission Valley Veterans Remember the War Jacque A. Morigeau
Army Sergeant
Served two tours in Vietnam: Bein Hoa & Pleiku

Jacque Morigeau was born in Missoula, Montana on November 27, 1943. He joined the U.S. Army in 1962 and spent basic training in Fort Ord, California. After Jump School in Fort Benning, Georgia, he joined the 82nd Airborne Division. He completed Aviation Mechanics School and was sent to Vietnam where he spent two tours. For his service in Vietnam he received the Air Medal with ten oak leaf clusters (each cluster signifying 25 combat missions over hostile territories) the Army Commendation for Meritorious Service and the Army Commendation for Heroism. He was in the service for eight years, finally leaving in 1970.
There is a history of military service in my family. We always were patriots, so I figured joining the service was doing my part. I volunteered in 1962, and completed basic in California. It was eight weeks of pure hell. Fort Ord is on a beach and they had us double timing (running) in the sand. It got to be pretty tough. Even though it was a tough eight weeks, it did prepare me for jump school which is where I went next. Jump school made basic look like baby's play.
I had already completed jump school and aviation mechanics school when I first heard about the war. I was stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C. as a part of the 82nd Airborne. As soon as I heard about what was happening in Vietnam, I knew I was going to war. None of my family was too happy about me going, but they did support me.
My first tour was in 1964-65. I was stationed at the town called Bien Hoa, which is thirty-five miles north of Saigon. We "All the crew members had bounties on them: the pilots $20,000, and the crew chief and gunner, $10,000."
saw a lot of action. The buildup was just starting and there were quite a few helicopter units supporting South Vietnamese troops. I was assigned to two different units. First, I was with the 118th Assault Helicopter Company. I was a part of the 2nd Platoon; our nickname was "The Choppers." The second unit I was with was the 501st Assault Helicopter Company. My platoon nickname there was "The Esquires." While I was with the Esquires I designed the nose art for our platoon. While I was stationed in Bien Hoa, the 173rd Airborne Brigade came in to give perimeter support, and we flew support for them on numerous missions. Flying a mission one time in February of '65, my helicopter was shot down in little place called Duc Hoa. Luckily, everyone got out okay, but when the helicopter was retrieved it had over sixtyfive hits including a 106 recoilless rifle puncture. After my first tour in Vietnam I returned to the states. I was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, for a few years before returning to Vietnam for my second tour. In 1967-68 I was stationed at a place called Pleiku. I was in the 189th Assault Helicopter Company and my platoon was called "The Avengers." I designed the nose art for the gun ships again. The Jacque at work in Vietnman The nose art Jacque designed for his platoon graphic this time was the grim reaper riding a coffin, because all the crew members had bounties on them: the pilots $20,000, and the crew chief and gunner, $10,000. We saw lot of action in Pleiku also. We were always under fire. What I liked least about the war was waking up at three to the sound of motor rounds coming in. I didn't have any face-to-face encounters with the enemy, but I was involved in combat the whole time I was in Vietnam. There were other times in addition to the time I was shot down in Duc Hoa, that we were in immediate danger. Another time we were flying support for some South Vietnamese ranger battalions, and North Vietnamese regulars overran them. We were hauling more people in when the helicopter in front of me took a direct hit from a motor round and all were killed on that ship. During the same battle a helicopter directly across from me going into a landing zone that we had just come out of was shot down by a fifty caliber machine gun.
There was some down time also. When we weren't flying missions there was a lot to do like sightseeing, but being young and a drinker, I saw a lot of the inside of the bars and restaurants. We had a lot of encounters with the local people, but the most contact we had with them was on base because they did menial labor for the U.S. military. The Vietnamese could make in a month on base what it would take them a year to make off Mission Valley Veterans Remember the War their local economy. The people over there were what I liked most about my time in Vietnam. They were very friendly. They would do anything for you.
We didn't get any real information about the war while I was in Vietnam. We just knew what we did day to day. In 1964 everyone in the service thought as I did: Fight for our country. But during '67-'68 it was very divided because of all the demonstrations back in the United States. We were getting a lot more draftees in the service and they started to get an attitude that was the same as the demonstrators in the states. The attitude of the people in the service went from good to bad. I think the attitudes of the troops kind of reflected what the country was feeling. The smaller towns, I think, were more patriotic.The people supported the troops. But there was a lot of protest in the larger cities. I felt the negative vibe in the bigger cities. All the protestors were back there hollering. I just wanted to let them spend a day in our shoes. I had experiences where I was spit at and called names. But the treatment wasn't nearly as bad in the small towns.
The media also influenced the country's reaction. I don't think the press did a good job. The news always reflected what it wanted to. It reflected the bad stuff, but it wouldn't show the GI's taking medicines, foods, and helping the villagers and stuff like that. It didn't show any of the humanitarian efforts. I guess it wasn't sensational enough for them. They showed all of the negatives One of Jacque's experiences in Vietnam132 and none of the positives. When I finally made it back from Vietnam, I kissed good ol' American ground. I was thankful and relieved to be home, but I would do what I did again. My feelings about the war haven't changed over time. I think the war changed everybody, but I can't tell you how it changed me. I know being away from the family was the hardest part of the war. When I got back my exwife and I stayed together for a little while, then we got a divorce. I know it was because of my drinking all the time. She just couldn't take it anymore.
Still, after all my experiences there are some things I believe, like freedom and family, that are worth fighting for. But I "When I finally made it back from Vietnam, I kissed good ol' American ground. I was thankful and relieved to be home, but I would do what I did again. "
think people need to know that war is not a game like on TV. It is real blood that is shed in a war. The smell is terrible. Everyone should experience just the smell. War is no fun.

Corinna Morigeau, Catherine Jackson, Marcus Hackman

Catalogue Information