Tuesday, January 30, 2018
An Anniversary: The 1968 Tet Offensive
The divisions brought on by the Vietnam War linger today. After losing 58,318 killed and over 153,000 wounded from 1954 to 1975, the U.S. withdrew its forces from Vietnam. The deaths on the Vietnamese side were far more grievous: as many as 2.5 million Vietnamese on both sides of the conflict perished.
Perhaps the major milestone in the war was the Tet Offensive, launched by the North Vietnamese Army and their Viet Cong allies, which began 50 years ago today. The campaign was intended to trigger a general uprising among the people of South Vietnam, and involved some 80,000 NVA and Viet Cong troops attacking multiple towns and cities. The offensive created a shock wave in the U.S., and prompted more widespread questioning of the war's legitimacy and purpose. It was widely seen in the U.S. as a major setback, in that we could not protect South Vietnamese cities and towns from widespread attack. Ironically, the North Vietnamese initially considered the Tet Offensive a failure, having lost over 45,000 troops and not succeeding in launching a general uprising. Looking back at the human costs and the futility of war, both were right.
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6 comments:
Daddy was there - I remember every year. P.E.C.
P.E.C. -- We should all remember the sacrifices your dad, you and your family, and so many others made. Thank you.
We had a family member who was killed in Vietnam and we went to the Wall thinking it would be simple a way to honor him. It turned out to be a life-changing experience that I is impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't seen it. It is magnificent and solemn, and has to be seen to be believed.
Diva -- A cousin of ours was with the 3rd Marine Division and was killed in 1969 in Quang Tri. We did a rubbing of his name on the Wall right after the Wall was opened and sent it to his parents. All the names, so many names.
Diva, we had that same experience. We were expecting a cold, severe slab of granite but we were overwhelmed by the significance of the overall imagery. It starts with two names, then more, more, more as you walk along. The enormity of what we lost, the sacrifice, the service by our soldiers...it's stunning.
And the memorabilia that people leave there in tribute: flowers, trinkets, photos...so touching.
Sorry for our losses.
Well said, donnah. I heard there were folks who were sprinkling the ashes of vets at the Wall. Not sure how true this is.
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