VIETNAM ARVN - SECTION TWO
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alt.war.vietnam.
I was asked to provide more evidence of my negative opinion of Vietnam's
ARVN and the RVN leadership in general during the time of the Vietnam
War. This is part two of two parts. This post gives us what happened
in the latter stages of the war - how the ARVN performed during that
period is key to this issue. Note the American Congress failed to
provide the funding they had promised RVN - which clearly establishes
at least some culpability on the part of the American Congress when it
comes to the failures of the ARVN. . . .
Of course there were some exceptions to the overall rule the ARVN was
a corrupt Army. Some ARVN units excelled, and some ARVN soldiers were
special - but regardless of some that demonstrated personal valor and
efficiency, those few could not overcome the inept ARVN monster that
had been created by the failed RVN political system. . . as we see
evidenced below.
We also see that our Congress was also somewhat culpable in respect to
ARVN failures. . .
The ARVN failed. There were many reasons why it did - but to claim it
was an effective and honorable fighting force is beyond ridiculous, it
is preposterous considering its performance. But to its credit, there
were outside forces that contributed to its failure, as we see below:
http://tinyurl.com/3e7yj The History Place
Excerpts from the above URL: (All excerpts are quotations).
"August 1974- Richard M. Nixon resigns the presidency as result of
Watergate. Gerald R. Ford is sworn in as the 38th U.S. President,
becoming the 6th President coping with Vietnam.
August 1974- The U.S. Congress appropriates only $700 million for
South Vietnam. This leaves the South Vietnamese Army under-funded and
results in a decline of military readiness and morale.
(Doug Says: Once again we see our fearless leaders reneging on a
crucial promise to an ally. The Frank Church, George McGovern led
Congress, and those "useful idiots" (as Vladimir Lenin called them)
that supported them on those University Campuses should often see
millions of the ghosts of SouthEast Asian Children and Women dancing
around their beds every night.)
September 16, 1974 - President Gerald R. Ford announces a clemency
program for draft evaders and military deserters. The program runs
through March 31, 1975, and requires fugitives to take an oath of
allegiance and also perform up to two years of community service. Out
of an estimated 124,000 men eligible, about 22,500 take advantage of
the offer.
(Doug Says: A shameful day for our country. Talk about stolen valor.
What about those men that went in the place of these draft dodgers and
deserters and never came home? You reckon Jerry Ford thought about
them??).
October - The Politburo in North Vietnam decides to launch an invasion
of South Vietnam in 1975.
November 19, 1974 - William Calley is freed after serving 3 1/2 years
under house arrest following his conviction for the murder of 22 My
Lai civilians.
December 13, 1974 - North Vietnam violates the Paris peace treaty and
tests President Ford's resolve by attacking Phuoc Long Province in
South Vietnam. President Ford responds with diplomatic protests but no
military force in compliance with the Congressional ban on all U.S.
military activity in Southeast Asia.
(Doug Says: Ford, as we are doing with Iran today, used "harsh
language" to halt the enemy's resolve - and look what it got him, and
us.)
December 18, 1974 - North Vietnam's leaders meet in Hanoi to form a
plan for final victory.
1975
January 8, 1975 - NVA general staff plan for the invasion of South
Vietnam by 20 divisions is approved by North Vietnam's Politburo. By
now, the Soviet-supplied North Vietnamese Army is the fifth largest in
the world. It anticipates a two year struggle for victory. But in
reality, South Vietnam's forces will collapse in only 55 days.
January 14, 1975 - Testifying before Congress, Secretary of Defense
James Schlesinger states that the U.S. is not living up to its earlier
promise to South Vietnam's President Thieu of "severe retaliatory
action" in the event North Vietnam violated the Paris peace treaty.
(Doug Says: No shit - you think????) And what did Congress do? More
harsh language same as we see about Iran today).
January 21, 1975 - During a press conference, President Ford states
the U.S. is unwilling to re-enter the war.
(Doug Says: Gosh, do you think our fearless leader's open statement
that we are not going to support South Vietnam had anything to do with
the morale of the ARVN, or the resolve of the Communists? Did Ford
consider all of the men that had already been wasted in that war?
Sure he did, sure. ..right. Politicians are concerned about getting
or keeping their party in power - GI's are clearly expendable - and
allies, well, do the words "cannon fodder" mean anything to anyone?)
February 5, 1975 - NVA military leader General Van Tien Dung secretly
crosses into South Vietnam to take command of the final offensive.
March 10, 1975 - The final offensive begins as 25,000 NVA attack Ban
Me Thuot located in the Central Highlands.
March 11, 1975 - Ban Me Thuot falls after half of the 4000 South
Vietnamese soldiers defending it surrender or desert.
(Doug Says: You mean only half of the ARVN ran away or surrendered???
That clearly was an ARVN victory, usually ALL of them run away or flip
sides. . .)
March 13, 1975 - President Thieu decides to abandon the Highlands
region and two northern provinces to the NVA. This results in a mass
exodus of civilians and soldiers, clogging roads and bringing general
chaos. NVA then shell the disorganized retreat which becomes known as
"the convoy of tears."
(Doug Says: Convoy of cowards when it comes to the ARVN - I thought
the ARVN oath included the promise to fight to the death? So much for
oaths when it comes to the ARVN officers. The men they led were
simply abandoned - the Draftee privates that made up most of the ARVN
could not be expected to fight when their officers have ran away).
March 18, 1975 - Realizing the South Vietnamese Army is nearing
collapse, NVA leaders meet and decide to accelerate their offensive to
achieve total victory before May 1.
March 19, 1975 - Quang Tri City falls to NVA.
March 24, 1975 - Tam Ky over-run by NVA.
March 25, 1975 - Hue falls without resistance after a three day siege.
South Vietnamese troops now break and run from other threatened areas.
Millions of refugees flee south.
March 26, 1975 - Chu Lai is evacuated.
March 28, 1975 - Da Nang is shelled as 35,000 NVA prepare to attack.
March 30, 1975 - Da Nang falls as 100,000 South Vietnamese soldiers
surrender after being abandoned by their commanding officers.
March 31, 1975 - NVA begin the 'Ho Chi Minh Campaign,' the final push
toward Saigon.
April 9, 1975 - NVA close in on Xuan Loc, 38 miles from Saigon. 40,000
NVA attack the city and for the first time encounter stiff resistance
from South Vietnamese troops.
April 20, 1975 - U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin meets with President
Thieu and pressures him to resign given the gravity of the situation
and the unlikelihood that Thieu could ever negotiate with the
Communists.
April 21, 1975 - A bitter, tearful President Thieu resigns during a 90
minute rambling TV speech to the people of South Vietnam. Thieu reads
from the letter sent by Nixon in 1972 pledging "severe retaliatory
action" if South Vietnam was threatened. Thieu condemns the Paris
Peace Accords, Henry Kissinger and the U.S. "The United States has not
respected its promises. It is inhumane. It is untrustworthy. It is
irresponsible." He is then ushered into exile in Taiwan, aided by the
CIA.
(Doug Says: President Thieu said our Congress was "inhumane,
untrustworthy and irresponsible." Nothing much has changed has it
gang?)
April 22, 1975 - Xuan Loc falls to the NVA after a two week battle
with South Vietnam's 18th Army Division which inflicted over 5000 NVA
casualties and delayed the 'Ho Chi Minh Campaign' for two weeks.
April 23, 1975 - 100,000 NVA soldiers advance on Saigon which is now
overflowing with refugees. On this same day, President Ford gives a
speech at Tulane University stating the conflict in Vietnam is "a war
that is finished as far as America is concerned."
April 27, 1975 - Saigon is encircled. 30,000 South Vietnamese soldiers
are inside the city but are leaderless. NVA fire rockets into downtown
civilian areas as the city erupts into chaos and widespread looting.
(Doug Says: Looting was organized by many ARVN officers, they
abandoned their men, stole as much as they could so they could get
out. Many of them made it to the USA and were provided sanctuary -
note the ranks of those that are in the USA - where are the ARVN
privates?)
April 28, 1975 - 'Neutralist' General Duong Van "Big" Minh becomes the
new president of South Vietnam and appeals for a cease-fire. His
appeal is ignored.
April 29, 1975 - NVA shell Tan Son Nhut air base in Saigon, killing
two U.S. Marines at the compound gate. Conditions then deteriorate as
South Vietnamese civilians loot the air base. President Ford now
orders Operation Frequent Wind, the helicopter evacuation of 7000
Americans and South Vietnamese from Saigon, which begins with the
radio broadcast of the song "White Christmas" as a pre-arraigned code
signal.
At Tan Son Nhut, frantic civilians begin swarming the helicopters. The
evacuation is then shifted to the walled-in American embassy, which is
secured by U.S. Marines in full combat gear. But the scene there also
deteriorates, as thousands of civilians attempt to get into the
compound.
Three U.S. aircraft carriers stand by off the coast of Vietnam to
handle incoming Americans and South Vietnamese refugees. Many South
Vietnamese pilots also land on the carriers, flying American-made
helicopters which are then pushed overboard to make room for more
arrivals. Filmed footage of the $250,000 choppers being tossed into
the sea becomes an enduring image of the war's end.
April 30, 1975 - At 8:35 a.m., the last Americans, ten Marines from
the embassy, depart Saigon, concluding the United States presence in
Vietnam. North Vietnamese troops pour into Saigon and encounter little
resistance. By 11 a.m., the red and blue Viet Cong flag flies from the
presidential palace. President Minh broadcasts a message of
unconditional surrender. The war is over."
Doug Says: The communists then systematically started to round up
and "make disappear" millions of south east Asians. It is considered
by many the Communists collectively murdered as many innocent people
as Adolph Hitler murdered in his concentration camps. But where are
the war crime trials?
What happened to the "bring the war criminals to justice" in regards
to the fall of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia? Where are the shouts of
"war criminals" "Butchers" "pure evil" and "mass murders" - such as we
heard after that little conflict in Bosnia? Why is the free world so
silent on perhaps the largest mass murder of innocent people since
Adolph Hitler?
Could it be too many press types and college types supported these
mass murderers and now they would rather just "pretend it did not
happen?"
Communist Vietnam today has NOT atoned nor paid for its past war
crimes. Before Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are allowed back in a
civilized world, we need to see some war crime trials.
My opinion of course.
Doug Grant (Tm)