Vietnam My Story – Remembrance

This was the longest—if not literally, then definitely emotionally—day of the trip. We made our way through some significant military sites of the War as it was played out in South Vietnam. We worked our way from Hue to the DMZ—Demilitarized Zone, landing eventually at the border between South and North Vietnam.

In the midst of the Quang Tri Province we had to ask locals to help identify the locations of former sites of former military Landing Zones (LZ) that have now been overtaken by vegetation or have been turned into plantations. Some evidence left behind were bomb craters and remnants of bunkers or hangars.

Vietnam Veterans Professor Fred Bergerson, Bob Beard (squad leader with the 2^nd/7^th Cavalry Battalion), and Frank Remkiewicz ’74 (acting platoon sergeant, marine 3rd tanks), had distinct memories of these sites. We first headed out to LZ Stud and LZ Evans, where Prof. Bergeson served Captain in the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile). As an intelligence officer, he participated in the relief of Khe Sanh from LZ Stud. This relief operation, codenamed, “Pegasus,” was announced during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1968 speech in which he said he would not seek reelection. Captain Bergerson received a Bronze Star for his meritorious achievement in assisting in the planning of the successful relief of Khe Sanh.

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In addition to honoring the men in our group who served in the military, the group, led by Prof. Bergerson, memorializing the valor of four young men who served under Capt. Bergerson and who did not make it home.

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Bob and Kathy Beard – A Shau Valley

We headed out at 7:30 am from Hue to the A Shau Valley located in Vietnam’s Thua Thien province. The valley was the scene of heavy fighting during the war and was a strategically important area due to its proximity to the Ho Chi Minh Trail. On our way up, we traveled on the new Ho Chi Min trail that was build in 1973.

As we headed into the A Shau valley we had our first encounter with a government official. In fact, we got an official escort into the area – mostly because of its proximity to the Laotian border.

The A Shau Valley was the site of a number of battles in the 60s and 70s, including the infamous battle for Hamburger Hill (Hill 937) in 1969 – this battle was dramatized in a movie with the same name. This whole area was affected by dioxin – Agent Orange.Bob Beard, a member of the group and husband of Katherine Beard ’70, served in this area during his tour in Vietnam that lasted from March 1968 to February1969. Beard was a squad leader with the 2nd/7th Cavalry Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division.

He shared with the group how it was to fight and live on this land.

Kathy Beard was a married college student during Bob’s tour in Vietnam.

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Hue – Citadel

We’ve now traveled north from Da Nang to Hue on Hwy 1. In the afternoon, after checking into our hotel, we visited the Imperial Citadel in the center of town. It was the first rainy day of our trip and it was a relief from the typical humid heat we’d encountered so far.

The Citadel seems a bit of an anachronism in this bustling city that was once the capital of Vietnam – from 1802-1945. During the Tet Offensive, which began January 31, 1968, the Citadel was a key strategic target in the Battle of Hue. This battle, dramatized in the film Full Metal Jacket, was the longest battle of the Tet Offensive and for the first time in the Vietnam War, involved heavy house-to-house fighting. It included a massacre of more than 2,000 middle-class civilians by the NVA and VC forces.

Professor Fred Bergerson’s Order of Battle Section provided intelligence for the Army, which supported Marine units that participated in the battle. The US Navy was also involved in this battle.

Losses and casualties were great on both sides; The South Vietnamese Army and U.S. Army forces lost 668 killed and 3,707 wounded. The North Vietnamese forces lost an estimated 2,400 to 8,000 killed.

According to Professor Bergerson, despite heavy losses incurred by the North Vietnamese, this battle changed the world’s perception of the war and people began to believe that the U.S. forces could not win. A key event was a broadcast by TV journalist Walter Cronkite who was reporting from Hue during Tet, “For it seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate.”

After visiting the citadel and making a quick stop at a local pagoda, we took a boat trip down the Perfume River – the river runs through the city and was once a supply line from the coastal city of Da Nang to the DMZ.

China Beach

China Beach in Da Nang was dramatized and somewhat memorialized by the 80s TV show, starring Dana Delaney, about nurses during the Vietnam War. In addition to being a hospital base, this was the place where GIs came to for in-country R&R during the war. The beach is still beautiful. The original military hospital has been replaced by a multi-story Vietnamese hospital.

Acting Platoon Sargent, Marine 3rd Tanks, Frank Remkiewicz ’74 recounted his departure from Vietnam via China Beach.

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Professor Fred Bergerson’s stay in China Beach was short but memorable. During his R&R he visited the White Elephant, a fancy restaurant reserved for officers during the war. While the White Elephant no longer exists, and has been replaced by a coffee shop, we made a quick stop at the old location.

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Marble Mountain

Marble Mountain is really a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located south of Da Nang  — each is named after the five elements metal (Kim), water (Thuy ), wood (Moc), fire (Hoa), and earth (Tho). The area is full of caves, tunnels and several buddhist sanctuaries. 

We climbed 126 steps up to the summit, 156 steps down, and along the way, we also climbed up and down other stairs exploring caves and temples. One of the larger caves contained a number of buddhist statues and altars. It’s a very touristy area – vendors were selling buddhas up and down the mountain. Yet, its hard not to get struck by the uniqueness of this place and be impressed at how a mountain and these caves can serve as a place of worship for the Vietnamese. 

Like many locations in Vietnam, there is a connection to the war. The VC used this area as base in the 1960s. It has raised issues as to whether it is appropriate for the military to take refuge in a holy space and claim sanctuary when in fact they are waging war. It’s a fine line — one that continues to come up in current military situations, mainly in the middle east. 

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My Lai

We visited the My Lai village – a life sized memorial of the massacre which took place here in 1968. Eerily, the images of this tragedy were photographed and are displayed at this site.

According historical accounts, the mass murder was carried out by a unit of the U.S. Army on March 16, 1968, killing 350-500 civilians – mostly women, children, and elderly villagers. It has also been reported that the platoon was informed that these villagers were members and supporters of the VC.

Kieu, a young woman who has been working at the museum since 2001, was our guide. Her mother was one of the survivors of My Lai; she made it out alive by hiding underground while the soldiers burned down the village. Unfortunately, many other members of Kieu’s family were not so fortunate. Kieu takes a great deal of ownership of the museum and referred to it as “my museum.” Despite the number of years that she has been a guide, she displayed genuine emotion while talking about the massacre. Nevertheless, she did not sound bitter or angry during her discourse – but rather she was grateful that her mother survived the attack and was intent on telling her story.

A good portion of her presentation included talking about the U.S. military men who aided the villagers and confronted those who were in charge of the actions in My Lai. She was very grateful to these servicemen for helping her people. These men include: Hugh Thompson, helicopter pilot; Lawrence Colburn, helicopter gunner; and crew chief Glenn Andreotta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPYbi28Unp8

Again, according to some accounts, Colburn and Andreotta provided cover for Thompson as he went forward to confront the leader of the U.S. forces. Thompson also evacuated civilians and then landed his helicopter again to pick up a wounded child and transport him to a hospital. A helicopter gunner, Ronald Ridenhour gathered eyewitness accounts from other soldiers and wrote about the event,  leading to an official probe. Subsequently, Lt. William L. Calley, a platoon leader, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killings, but served just three years under house arrest when then-President Nixon reduced his sentence.

We walked through the village, looking at replicas of homes that once stood in these fields, as well as remnants of homes that were burned down. Our tour ended at a ditch where dozens of villagers where lined up and shot by U.S. service men. It was a bit intense to stand there and imagine what transpired that day. I trully wanted to understand what happened here – to get a sense of how “regular” young men from the United States could do such a thing. I could not begin to understand what these soldiers lived through during the war – struggling to survive, fighting, and watching their friends die. Nevertheless, the inhumanity seems unreal. Of course it helps to think that people tried to stop the massacre and succeed in saving a number of lives.

After the tour the group gathered to have a discussion led by Professor Fred Bergerson.

Dr. Albert C. Labriola was one of professor Fred Bergerson’s closest friends in infantry school, intelligence school, and in their service together. Labriola was the Commanding Officer of the 11^th Infantry Brigade’s Military intelligence detachment during the Vietnam War. And, it was members of the 11th Infantry Brigade who committed the My Lai massacre. Prof. Bergerson spoke about his distinctive perspective, informed by conversations with Labriola, on the causes and conditions of My Lai.

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Highway 1 – South to Nha Trang

Rice Field - Photo by Edwin Keh '79

It’s easy to get lost in the scenery of Vietnam. We are driving south from Qui Non where we will see both countryside and seaside towns.

Looking out from the bus we are deluged by sights of people working in huge rice fields, women riding along the road with large bales of rice, hay structures that are shaped like pears and which serve the dual purpose of providing hay for the animals and being an incubator for growing mushrooms; and of course, there are many, many water buffalo. Apparently these animals are very smart and can find their way home from the rice fields on their own. We saw a couple of them in the middle of the road during the day – perhaps they were heading to work or home for lunch.

Our first stop is the Tuy Hoa airport, where the 4^th Division, also known as the Ivy Division, was first deployed. As with a lot of the landing zones, airports and camp sites, it was dramatically changed from what was here 40 years ago. We found some airplane hangars and a lot of open space.

Tuy Hoa - Airplane Hangers

Still on the hill side, I am intrigued by a tall tower that sits on tops of a hill. It is a Cham tower. Apparently there are a number of them in this area. At first I thought it was some sort of Buddhist temple, as we’ve seen countless Buddhist pagodas on the road. But, the rather ancient structures were actually built by the Cham people and they lean more toward the Hindu faith. This area was once the Cham capital of Cha Ban.

Cham Tower - Photo by Edwin Keh '79

We drove up the hill toward the tower and our guide led us on a short hike up the mountain to get a closer look at the lowest of the Banh It Cham Towers. This tower was built around the end of the 11^th century or beginning of the 12^th. Aside from the restoration portion of it, the structure was constructed without mortar. Amazing, considering it was been stating for nearly 10 centuries.

Photo by Edwin Keh '79

We continue on to Nha Trang along the shoreline. Our guide tells us about the fishing villages, there are numerous shrimp and lobster fisherman in the area, as well as lobster and shrimp farms.  It seems to be a semi-profitable occupation, although the poverty of this whole area is glaring.

We stopped at a fishing village where the women build basket bowls, small fishing boats, used by lobster and shrimp fisherman.

Nicole Winger '95 talks with some of the local children

These bowls are made of bamboo and are covered with a lacquer of sorts made of cow dung. We took this opportunity to look around this small community. Many of the children were curious about their new visitors and stood around as we all attempted to community with each other.

Back on the bus – it was a long bus ride today – we continue south to Na Trang our final destination for the night. 

Kat Larsen poses with local children

Good Morning Nha Trang

This morning the group had breakfat at the Yasaka Saigon Hotel restaurant in Nha Trang. Sporting Poet gear, Yuki Miyagiwa ’09 caught the attention of a fellow Whittier alum, Don Orr ’66. Mr. Orr, a former Poet quarterback, is traveling in Vietnam as well.

Fred Bergerson and Don Orr '66 in Nha Trang

On the Road to An Khe

 

Professor Fred Bergerson speaking to the group - Photo by Edwin Keh '79

We took an early morning flight to Qui Nhon. Despite delays at the airport, the 1-hour flight was mostly pleasant. Upon our arrival, we were met by our new tour guide “Tom”. He proceeded to take us directly to the Bong Son area, where we explored the former Area of Operations of the 1^st Cavalry and 173^rd Brigade in Binh Dihn Province, stopping at Landing Zone English, LZE. 

This was the first stop of that included a site were Professor Fred Bergerson had been at during the war. According to him the area had changed dramatically. It is now primarily a rice field. 

In this video, Fred discusses the role of the Air Cavalry Division in the war.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt34bnBzj_Y 

LZ English

While at LZE, we had the opportunity to talk to some of the women who work in the rice fields. They were very curious about us. In particular, they were fascinated by the skin tone of the women in our group. It was a friendly visit. At the same time, what we saw here follows a theme I’ve observed  — that is, in different circumstances the people of Vietnam have adapted things left over from the War for their use. At the Cu Chi Tunnel complex, for example, we were shown how the soldiers used the things left behind by the US military for their purposes, anything from old tires for shoes, to bomb remnants used as tools and weapons. Currently, this old landing strip is now a rice field. Nothing is wasted in Vietnam and the US in a way continues to have an impact on the country. 

Bob Beard, a Vietnam Vet and member of our group, shared a story with the group about a similar group of women he encountered during the war.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYaJTiisdc8

After lunch and checking into our second hotel of the trip – a very nice spot near the ocean – we continued our tour. We headed south toward An Khe, the site of Camp Radcliff and Hon Kon Mountain, the former base camp of the 1^st Air Cavalry Diving, the unit in which Fred served as a captain of the military intelligence. 

Fred Bergerson and Edwin Keh '79 at Camp Radcliff

We were not sure if we would be allowed to stop at Camp Radcliff, but Fred’s determination to visit his old station won out and we made it onto the site. This was a more emotional stop – bringing back memories of time served in Vietnam. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoaxVXG-v2c 

This was an exhausting day for the group – a lot of time spent on the bus – but it also gave the group the first opportunity to see the countryside of Vietnam. As we drove to through the area we explored both the history of Vietnam and its current situation. 

One of the most memorable sites for me were the sheets of rice that were being 

Woman working on the rice

dried by the side of the road. While the government discourages this, probably due to road safety, the people continue to do what they have to do to make a living. Another thing that stood out was how hard the women of Vietnam must work.

Leaving Saigon

Group photo in Saigon

Saigon is an amazing place – cosmopolitan and very busy. Everyone drives around in motorbikes, which makes crossing the street a challenge. By the end of our time in Saigon we became experts at navigating ourselves around the motorbikes. I remain fascinated by their audacity on the road. You see all kinds of people on the bikes, old and young, couples, families sometimes with babies. Seatbelt laws are not a reality here.

Motorbikes in Saigon

And, there are so many young people in Saigon — we were told that 65% of Vietnamese are under 36. That means a great number of people in Vietnam were born after the war. I wonder how this plays out in the Vietnamese attitude toward Americans. Most of the people I’ve encountered have been very friendly toward us. But, I am sure there is some sort of historical memory of the war and its effects on the families of everyone in this country.

Before we left Saigon we have a great tour of the city. We made a couple of tourist stops – the Old Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral – built by the French – is quite beautiful. There is a giant statue of the Virgin in front of the church. While the official religion of Vietnam is Buddhism, there is a significant portion of the population that is Catholic. This was an interesting fact to me.  

Group photo - Presidential Palace

One of our final stops was the Presidential Palace, where in 1975 the North Vietnamese drove in with their tanks as a sign of victory over the south. We toured the palace and our very knowledgeable guide, “John,” told us about “Uncle Ho” (Ho Chin Min) and his love for all the Vietnamese.

After the tour, we stood around awkwardly taking a photo in front of the historic tank. It’s weird. I was not sure what to feel. It seems like a museum — but the implications of what happened in 1975 are so recent. It is curious how the history of a country so far from ours can have such a great impact on our own history.