Full disclosure. (I need to do this)
I have waited until the end-end to Post this. I started writing it after the visit to the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ and furthered my thinking after not visiting the War Remnant’s Museum (went there, walked around, spent the remainder of the time sitting outside) and finally, after visiting the VC tunnels outside of Saigon and having a very nice lunch with three former VC military officers.
I initially wasn’t going to go here and address these issues but the more time that I spend in Vietnam it becomes apparent that the subject of the war is still an important one….. and it is hard to escape it.
To be honest, it was quite unsettling for me, and I was hesitant to express anything as I was not sure how it would/could be received. One of the most important points about writing stresses that you must know your audience. I’m quite sure that you don’t tune in here for any Op/Ed pieces written by me. I know how I write….. kind of lighthearted, hopefully entertaining enough to keep you engaged, and I get the satisfaction of having some photography be a part of this.
So, I tried twice before to come to grips with these issues of mine, how to share with you what we saw when we were over here and I think that I’ve come up with the best way to do this and that is to just report what we saw and experienced, leave out the personal feelings and rhetoric and try my best to be on the “light side” of this still stinging subject.
So, here it goes……
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Nope, can’t do it.
I’m sitting here, hovering over my keyboard for an inordinate amount of time, trying to find a way to put this all together in a way that won’t unintentionally offend anyone. Maybe I’m guilty of overthinking this topic but even from the get-go we got questions like, “Why would you go there?” and I know why that question was asked that way. Most of the readers of this Blog were alive and experienced the division of opinion, the protest, and the personal involvement or loss of someone who did not return home, or did return home, but not to a respect of their duty, but to a scorn for their involvement. I will let an analogy given by a Viet Cong officer answer that in a few moments….
This topic and the discussion of it is something that needs to be in person, give and take, back and forth, questions and answers, or questions and opinions because there is still no shortage of thoughts on the subject of that War.
From the bottom of my soul I will make an offer to anyone reading this and who would like to further this ‘conversation’ to contact me, my email is donhall930@gmail.com. You may send me a message, and we will further any conversation by phone, much better than trading keyboard words. And if you are anywhere that we travel to (and most of you are) then we can meet in person, which I would prefer.
I’m going to finalize this Post with our luncheon with three former officers from the Viet Cong. They are our contemporaries; we are all basically the same age. We listened to their stories and had a rather frank back and forth discussion. Blunt.
One of the questions asked was “My father-in-law went to his grave with hatred and animosity towards the VC . How do you feel and/ or do you know anyone that still has those feelings towards the US soldiers that fought over here?”
The three VC officers conferred amongst themselves for a minute and then the highest-ranking guy answered the question.
“The War was a long time ago….” he then hesitated for quite a while. “We,” he said looking at his friends, “We think of ourselves as like boxers”…….. pausing once more and glancing up and down the table, “When we are in the ring we have a job to do…… but, when the bell sounds and the rounds are over we go to our corners and eventually leave the ring as friends.”
I was fortunate enough to have been sitting almost directly across from him, and I was able to study his face as all of the questions were being asked, and then answered, especially this one. I am a positive person by nature, and I avoid conflict usually to my detriment so, I was hoping for an answer like he gave us. He was kind of the spokesperson for the three of them and could have lied when telling their feelings, but in my opinion his eyes would have given him away because I did lock mine on his and I did not let go until I glimpsed the start of a little twinkle in them. That’s when I reached across the table and shook his hand. His smile broadened even more as his handshake became that much firmer in my grip.
Too much was lost on both sides, and both sides knew it, and both sides just wanted to let the memories of the valor displayed speak for themselves in perpetuity, like all valorous stories should.
Thank you.