The Vicissitudes of Vietnam

Jake submits his new review (Library of America's Reporting Vietnam: American Journalism 1959-1975) with the caveat that it may be a bit acerbic. Let the reader be the judge. I for one am happy to publish an article that comments on the recent war from a slightly different angle. The political brouhaha over Iraq is nearing senescence. - RD

Armchair politicians regularly compare Iraq with Vietnam. But how does one evaluate their opinions? The Library of America has collected the most memorable Vietnam journalism and memoirs into two nicely bound volumes, numbering at nearly a 1000 pages. I was initially daunted by such a task, but each page was so engrossing that I only needed 4 very late nights coupled with the requisite cups of coffee to conquer this Everest.

Even the most dilatory of pupils who meanders through any of America’s “Every Child Pushed Through” schools has a vague semblance of Vietnam’s disaster. Johnson’s stubborn belief that winning this war was the key to winning the war against the spread of communism, while only commissioning a small portion of America’s forces, resulted in a lose-lose situation. The army’s morale was truncated if not decapitated and some soldiers estimated that 85% of our military spent most of their days smoking marijuana, simply trying to pass the time in order to avoid conflict. After all, they reasoned, why risk their life for a pointless war?

The collection vivifies one pulse that ran through late 20th century American blood. Thus the careful reader, taking time to peruse these Vietnam writers discovers a key sentiment. Allow me to illustrate with the lyrics of a famous Vietnam song:

Spray the town and kill the people
Drop your napalm in the square;
Take off early in the morning,
Get them while they’re still at prayer.
Drop some candy to the orphans,
Watch them as they gather round;
Use your 20 millimeter,
Mow the little bitches down.
Spray the town and kill the people,
Get them with your poison gas;
Watch them throwing up their breakfasts
As you make your second pass.
Hungry, skinny, starving people,
Isn’t killing harvests nice?

Or the story of Lt. William L. Calley, accused of massacring 109 civilians – much like the flashbacks of Dolph Lungren in Universal Soldier. He would enter a town, line up the orphans and widows and proceed to slaughter them. Even more horrifying is that he was accompanied by a regiment that I dubbed the Merry Harikari band, together singing the jolly Vietnam song.

But unfortunately this concerto consisted of several movements on both sides of the Pacific. After the anti-Vietnam demonstrations at Kent State, one American mother wrote “Congratulations to the Guardsman for their performance of duty (killing several demonstrators) on the Kent University Campus. I hope these actions serve as an example for the entire nation. The governors of our states cannot waste the taxpayers’ money playing games.” She sang soprano.

In short, one skein of the Vietnam War is anger and frustration. Although there are stories that would make even the most cynical American proud, such as McCain’s firsthand account of torture in a POW camp, the end result is rueful and embarrassing. Americans barely escaped from the embassy while abandoning the Vietnamese they promised asylum. It was a dark chapter of America’s history that our president was able to avoid; fortunately his braggadocio in never reading the newspapers probably means that he never commiserated with the Vietnam struggle. Christopher Walken’s performance in The Deer Hunter sums it up well. Hopefully he watches movies.

- Jake McCarty