# Vietnam Era History



## arizonaguide (Mar 4, 2009)

Does anyone have any "favorite" links on special units during the Vietnam conflict.  There is a lot to learn from that conflict, that I believe is still applicable.  Down to earth "boots on the ground" lessons, that should not be forgotten.

I have an ongoing mission to make myself an expert on Southeast Asia history from WWII to the present, (including events leading up to Pol Pot's Cambodia).  I have been doing a lot of reading, and much research, and all of it just intrigues me more.

I found this excellent link (as an example):
http://www.tlc-brotherhood.org/

And, I was just wondering if anyone had other favorites they might recommend?


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## HOLLiS (Mar 4, 2009)

A good read before venturing into too much "history":

http://www.25thaviation.org/johnkerry/id27.htm


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## QC (Mar 4, 2009)

There's an interesting unit of the Australian Army, the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam or AATTV. This unit was small and still the longest running unit in the Oz Army with two VC's and a host of other gongs to its credit. There is a history which I've read but can't remember the name.


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## Trip_Wire (Mar 4, 2009)

Here's a couple to look at.:

http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index.html

http://www.vwam.com/vets/hisintro.html

There are many!


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## arizonaguide (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks Trip, QC, H! :)

I'm always on the hunt for good ones.
I'm gonna try to be the best Southeast Asia / Cambodia / Vietnam Historian that was too young to have been there during the conflict. (10 yrs old in '71).
But I remember the news of the times, and I was an Air Force bratt, so I heard many fresh stories from returning GI's talking to my Dad (at Elmendorf).  I was always the type of kid that would rather sit quietly in the corner and learn from the adult stories.  And when it was too cold outside, there wasn't much else to do anyway. ('cept listen to all of Dad's Country music, and read Skeeter Skelton stories!!)
:cool:


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## pardus (Mar 4, 2009)

Combat Tracking, Vietnam.

http://www.combattrackerteam.org/

http://www.historynet.com/combat-tracker-teams-dodging-an-elusive-enemy.htm


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## arizonaguide (Mar 4, 2009)

Excellent Pardus! Thanks.
Have you seen this book:
"A Soldier's Best Friend: Scout Dogs and Their Handlers in the Vietnam War" (Barnam)
It's on my list to purchase.


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## pardus (Mar 4, 2009)

That's a new one to me, interesting.


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## Trip_Wire (Mar 4, 2009)

The real story of Vietnam K-9's is what happened t them when we left them to the Vietnamese. We betrayed them big time!

http://community-2.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP-K9/K9History6/


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## pardus (Mar 4, 2009)

Trip_Wire said:


> The real story of Vietnam K-9's is what happened t them when we left them to the Vietnamese. We betrayed them big time!
> 
> http://community-2.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP-K9/K9History6/



That always has and always will disturb me.

A similar thing happened after the Iraq invasion too, many adopted dogs were ordered to be killed


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## digrar (Mar 4, 2009)

Trackers - The untold story of the Australian dogs of war, by Peter Haran is a good read.

Phantoms of the Jungle and Sleeping with your ears open are two more good books on SASR in SVN.


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## pardus (Mar 4, 2009)

Digar who that aussie bloke from VN, Lex Macauly?

Great books on the OZ involvement in VN.


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## arizonaguide (Mar 4, 2009)

Trip_Wire said:


> The real story of Vietnam K-9's is what happened t them when we left them to the Vietnamese. We betrayed them big time!


Thanks for that link too, Trip!

Sounds like the same thing as was done to the Montanyards, I'm getting a good education about that from some of the reading.  That seems like one of the valuable lessons we SHOULD have learned, but I'm not sure we did (as a country, I mean).
It doesn't sound like we ever learn, from Pardus' post about Iraq. Damn.
Damn.


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## arizonaguide (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks Digrar.
Those sound great, also.


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## digrar (Mar 4, 2009)

pardus762 said:


> Digar who that aussie bloke from VN, Lex Macauly?
> 
> Great books on the OZ involvement in VN.



Yeah, Lex, he's written a couple or three books, two of them focusing on two of our more significant battles, Long Tan and Coral Balmoral. He's ex service, the books are technically very good,
 Sleeping with your ears open is written by Gary McKay, he was a platoon commander in SVN and ended up a Battalion commander. He's also a prolific writer, In Good Company, Delta Four, Sleeping with your ears open, Jungle Tracks, Bullets beans and bandages, to name a few.


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## arizonaguide (Mar 5, 2009)

pardus762 said:


> Combat Tracking, Vietnam.
> 
> http://www.combattrackerteam.org/
> 
> http://www.historynet.com/combat-tracker-teams-dodging-an-elusive-enemy.htm


Pardus, finally got a chance to check those out.
Excellent links, thank you.


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## AWP (Mar 5, 2009)

This site has some pretty interesting stories, well worth a few hours to read some of them.

http://www.air-america.org/


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## arizonaguide (Mar 6, 2009)

Thanks FREE!  That is an excellent site!  Great stories!


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## 7point62 (Mar 10, 2009)

The Marine Combined Action Platoons, in which I served under the 2nd Combined Action Group, are pretty interesting...but most of the good websites about it have faded away.

Our casualties were very high but our kill ratio surpassed that of regular Marine rifle companies. Our units were frequently overrun, but some have said that we had one of the most successful COIN operations of the entire war.


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## arizonaguide (Mar 10, 2009)

Thanks 7point! I was actually looking into that (CAP's) again, after I saw that excellent post (letter) from your friend...I'm serious about it being my mission to know everything possible, (having been too young to be there), and making sure the lessons are (respectfully) passed along in any way that I can. It's all part of honoring my Cambodian wife, and the folks that I respect the most in my life (yeah, that would be you guys!). Maybe this is one of my ways of finding a "supporting role"...since the MF's don't want me back in Active duty...something about 48yrs being to old or some shit. Go figure. :cool:

I'm still getting my ass back in shape, and training, and finding other possible ways to contribute.
And it really rubs me the wrong way to have valuble lessons and experience just fade away. I will try to stop that, even if it ends up being a one man effort.

God damn it, the "old guard" has much more to contribute than just sitting around telling war stories over a beer at the VA! (not that that's a bad thing, either). Something has to be done. I remember you posted another post a while back about the similarities between the CAP's and current Afghanistan that hit home with me...it's all part of what's got me motivated to make sure the lessons are NOT forgotten. (or ignored!)


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