My Story about The PBS / Ken Burns "The Vietnam War"

9/28/2017 Thursday

Tonight was the 10^th and last session of the Ken Burns epic.  I watched every minute of it. I think everyone should watch it.  It was probably the most moving documentary / movie I have ever seen.  Even though I was not directly involved in it, it brought back lots of memories.    And the behind the war scenes, particularly the political, although I may have suspected but did not know how really bad it was.  I was just another young adult leaving a duty tour with the US Navy, going to college, working and raising a family.  

 Although our involvement started in about 1954 I was not really aware of it until about 1964.  The out right lying and subterfuge by both the US Government and the South Vietnam Government was outrageous.   It was a terrible ordeal for the whole US country as well as for the Vietnam and actually North Vietnam as well. Maybe the worst and most dramatic message it left was the loss of trust in our government through 5 presidents over 21 years.  I think I will watch the 10^th session again on Sunday Afternoon. 

Maybe one thing they did not cover quite enough was the medical people, particularly the nurses (and doctors) in the hospitals.  Often the medics on the ground were covered.  There was only 1 segment, as I recall of a nurse, who volunteered because she wanted to help.  And the ‘emotional pain’ she had to go through was terrible.  Also I missed that the money side by the military industrial complex was not covered.

The segment about ‘The Wall’ hit me really hard.  It actually brought tears to my eyes, which does not happen very often.  Many of the interviewed people had similar feelings as mine as I expressed earlier and will repeat here - -

-- I have vivid memory of the Wall on the National Mall in Washington DC.   I was working at the time with Honeywell in Clearwater FL.  The Memorial completed late 1982. I traveled on business to Washington DC off and on.   At that time I would usually go for run in the mornings.  During the 1^st few visits after the Wall was built, I do not recall exactly how many times, I just could not bring myself to visit the Wall.  It was and is very hard to describe a specific reason.  Then, finally, I decided I had to visit.  I ran across the bridge from Virginia to the National Mall and up to the Wall, touched it, felt the names.  I was absolutely, totally impressed, and never had any trouble visiting it afterwards.  I have visited the traveling wall a couple times.  The last being 8 years or so ago in Mentone IN with my brothers on our motorcycles.  So because of the Ken Burns story and the length of time since I had visited it, I needed visit the Wall again.   So I went to Francesville this Saturday morning. ---

It was everything I expected from Ken Burns and PBS. 

9/16/2017 Saturday

The Vietnam War - - My Story

Ever since I became aware of the Ken Burns PBS story about the Vietnam War, about a year ago, I have been waiting for it to happen.  It will happen on PBS September 17 8PM EDT. 

“In an immersive narrative, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never-before been told on film. THE VIETNAM WAR features testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.”

I am positive it will bring back lots of memories and feelings I had back when it was happening.  Probably, as memory serves me, both pro and con.   I would like to say that everyone should watch this series - - but that may not be true.  I am sure it may be just too devastating in many ways for some people to watch. I am sure, based on past Ken Burns PBS films; it will be a very significant piece of history. 

I will introduce my story by a couple pictures from this morning, Saturday 9/16, the day before the start of the series: 

 

I am sure all, or many, will recognize this as the ‘Traveling Vietnam Memorial’ – ‘The Wall’.  I went over to the small town of Francesville about 20 miles west of us on purpose to see and touch the memorial.  It was there as part of their town fair. 

I have vivid memory of the Wall on the National Mall in Washington DC.   I was working at the time with Honeywell in Clearwater FL.  The Memorial completed late 1982. I traveled on business to Washington DC area off and on.   At that time I would usually go for run in the mornings.  During the 1^st few visits after the Wall was built, I do not recall exactly how many times, I just could not bring myself to visit the Wall.  It was and is very hard to describe a specific reason.  Then, finally, I decided I had to visit.  I ran across the bridge from Virginia to the National Mall and up to the Wall, touched it, felt the names.  I was absolutely, totally impressed, and never had any trouble visiting it afterwards.  I have visited the traveling wall a couple times.  The last being 8 years or so ago in Mentone IN with my brothers on our motorcycles.  So because of the Ken Burns story and the length of time since I had visited it, I needed visit the Wall again.   So I went to Francesville this Saturday morning.

We had moved to FL from New Jersey in Feb 1963.   Sometime after that, 1963 or early in 1964 which is when the Gulf of Tonkin incident happened, I was taking a public speaking adult education class in Clearwater.  An article in Readers Digest on our almost hidden involvement in Vietnam triggered me to give my class speech on that subject.  It was clear to me and to the class that hardly any of us new anything about it.

Later, in the midst of the war our youngest brother (of 6 boys) in Winamac IN was drafted. He was most certainly heading to Vietnam.  On the way, in Indianapolis, he responded YES to a request for a transfer to the US Navy.  He spent his entire 2 years in Washington DC.  The way I word it, ‘mom thought she had died and gone to heaven’. He lost several close acquaintances in the war.

Those are my main stories of my distant relationship with the war. I refuse to discuss the hideous news each evening that gave the ‘body count’.   

I am sure the Ken Burns documentary will cause many many memories to come back.  As they probably should.  They should never be forgotten and they should never be repeated.

Tom Anspach

PS: Here is an interesting article about the history of the Vietnam War:

http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history