During 13 years as a Journalism Professor and Dean at the University of
Illinois, I was often asked by students in the class I taught on International
Reporting when the war in Vietnam began.
It was a question that I frequently contemplated during my career
as the Chicago Tribune's Far Eastern
Correspondent before entering academia.
The problem, as I discovered during my time as a correspondent
in Vietnam, is that there are many different answers.
One could argue that it officially began May 30, 1962 when
the first Vietnam Service Ribbon was issued.
Or you might argue that it was November 1, 1955 when the Pentagon created the Military
Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) Vietnam to reflect its new direct combat
advisory role with the South Vietnamese Army. The U.S. essentially took over
the advisory role from the French, who were leaving Vietnam after their defeat
at Diem Bien Phu in 1954. Indeed, the Department of Defense views this date as
the earliest qualifying date for inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial.
Or you might say that it began on March 1959 when North
Vietnamese Communist leader Ho Chi Minh declared a People's War to unite all of
Vietnam under his leadership. As far as the communists are concerned this is
when "Vietnam War" against the U.S. officially began.
Then again, some might argue that the war began on August 7,
1964, when, in response to the incidents involving U.S. naval vessels U.S.S.
Maddox and the U.S.S. Turner Joy, Congress overwhelmingly passed the "Gulf of Tonkin Resolution,"
allowing the President "to take all
necessary steps, including the use of armed force" to prevent further
attacks against U.S. forces. While there was never a declaration of war some view
this as the "official" start
of the war.
Finally, we have March 8, 1965, when 3,500 Marines land unopposed
at China Beach to defend the American air base at Da Nang. They are the first
U.S. combat troops to arrive in Vietnam. This event is considered by many to be
the beginning of the war even though the Marines join 23,000 American military
advisers already in Vietnam and American military advisers have been in Vietnam
since 1955.
It appears that the
White House and Pentagon have decided that May 30, 1962--the date of the first
Vietnam Service Ribbon--is the "official" date the war began.
"This month,
we’ll begin to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, a time when, to
our shame, our veterans did not always receive the respect and the thanks they
deserved -- a mistake that must never be repeated," President Obama
said last week.
Following five years of planning, things will kick off with a
Memorial Day gathering of the President and others at the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Wall to mark the 50th anniversary of the beginning of U.S. involvement
in the 10-year-long Vietnam war. This curtain raiser is supposed to launch a
series of national events co-sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund,
the National Park Service and the Department of Defense.
However, many Vietnam veterans and their advocates worry
that plans are sputtering.
They say few events are planned and crucial corporate
sponsorship is nonexistent. Most veterans have not even heard about the effort.
Indeed, to many Vietnam veterans it's a replay of what
happened when they returned home from Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s. Few
received the kind of welcome and recognition that troops returning from
Afghanistan and Iraq receive today. Instead many were treated with indifference
and even scorn.
There is little direction and no real champions in the
Pentagon or White House.
However, the Pentagon insists it will
partner with State and local governments, private organizations, and
communities across America to launch the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary
of the Vietnam War—a 13-year-long program, it says, "to honor and give thanks to a generation of proud Americans who
saw our country through one of the most challenging missions we have ever faced
and pay tribute to the more than 3 million men and women who answered the call
of duty with courage and valor."
There seems to be a genuine desire to "get it
right" this time--given the fact that the nation didn't do that four and
five decades ago.
But getting it right means raising money, and some Pentagon
officials say that has been a major stumbling block. The commemoration office
has received limited funds to organize, and officials have not designed a
mechanism for corporations to contribute.
Nevertheless, the events and activities scheduled for this 13-year-long
commemoration will:
·
Thank and honor veterans of the Vietnam War,
including personnel who were held as prisoners of war or listed as missing in
action, for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States and to
thank and honor the families of these veterans.
·
Highlight the service of the armed forces during
the Vietnam War and the contributions of federal agencies and governmental and
non-governmental organizations that served with, or in support of, the armed
forces.
·
Pay tribute to the contributions made on the
home front by the people of the United States during the Vietnam War.
·
Highlight the advances in technology, science,
and medicine related to the military research conducted during the Vietnam War.
·
Recognize the contributions and sacrifices made
by the allies of the United States during the Vietnam War.
It all sounds great. But just as decades ago when people eager
for an end of the war in Vietnam talked about seeing a light at the end of the
tunnel, one hopes that through these planned events and activities those who
served with little or no recognition will finally see that elusive light and
find their way home.
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