thedrifter
08-11-03, 07:46 AM
King Kong lives!
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Posted: August 11, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Richard Botkin
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
Every now and then on the television news, I'll catch the return of an aircraft carrier battle group home from deployment to the far reaches. No matter how many times I see the same scenario played out happily squealing little kids racing up to some Adonis-looking young chap with chiseled jaw and superbly tailored flight suit as he unstraps his F-18, followed by the obligatory fighter pilot sorority-queen wife, the hugs, the tears of delight, the small and ubiquitously waving American flags the lump returns to my throat.
Current opinion polls would suggest that it is a particularly good time to be an American fighting man. All across the land, citizens celebrate the triumphal return of sons and daughters from our recent victory in Iraq. Everywhere, the sacrifices, character and bravery of our service members are widely affirmed. How sweet those homecomings must be.
Difficult for today's warriors to fathom would be the antithetical welcome given their fathers more than 30 years ago as they too returned from honorable service. Even in 2003, the interpretation of the American experience in Vietnam continues to confound the pundits. Did we win, did we lose, how, why and just what did the deaths of 58,000 of our finest men along with the blood and sweat and grit of those who survived their service get us? Whether one's view was from Kent State or Khe Sanh, many would likely agree the treatment accorded our returning fighting men was a national disgrace of epic proportions.
Fortunately for us all, the men who have fought and bled and suffered in our nation's wars have been driven by more than public opinion or the need for constant affirmation. Certainly that was the case with the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who cycled through Vietnam between 1962 and 1975.
Within the universe of Vietnam veterans is a small and select group of men whose critical participation in that war has gone largely unnoticed. So when I was invited by my dear friend, retired Lt. Col. George Philip, U.S. Marine Corps, to be his guest at the reunion of the American Marines who served as advisers to the Marine Corps of the Republic of Vietnam, I could hardly refuse.
For those who have an opinion of South Vietnam prior to 1975, common is the myth of a country rife with political and social corruption, of a military effete, lacking the will to go toe-to-toe with their pure and incorruptible brothers from the North. History offers barely a footnote to the elite units of the Republic of Vietnam their Airborne, their Rangers and their Marines units as good as any ever employed on Southeast Asian fields of battle.
The experience of the typical American fighting man was surely different than his South Vietnamese counterpart or his North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong opponents. As most Marines and soldiers were either one-term enlistment volunteers or draftees, they would serve a single tour of duty in Vietnam. For soldiers, that tour would last 12 months, for Marines 13. Generally there was no "rotation date" for Vietnamese, North or South.
For the men who volunteered to labor as advisers with the Vietnamese Marines, it was usually their second combat assignment. These men represented the crθme de la crθme. They were the thoroughbreds, the gunfighters of the Corps young captains and majors, mostly, who had already tramped the rice paddies and jungle trails in earlier tours commanding infantry platoons and companies or artillery batteries.
This second time around would surely be different. Earlier, sustained by the brotherhood of American warriors, they did not have to go much outside their culture, as they were simply in a very strange place. As advisers, they would have limited interaction with fellow Americans. Their closest counterparts would be their Vietnamese radio operators and most importantly if things worked as designed, the men who commanded the maneuver battalions of the Vietnamese Marines.
Seasoned by American standards and experience, these battle-tested captains and majors were often neophytes compared to their Vietnamese contemporaries for whom it was not uncommon to have a dozen or more years of combat time. Known by the Vietnamese name "co-van" for "trusted friend," when all went as advertised, it was clearly a term of endearment and respect.
What was it that made the American Marine covan a trusted friend? Was it his uncommon bravery and aggressiveness? His insight into defeating a wily enemy? Surely those were part of it, especially in the early years. Mostly though, it was the "juice" the "goods" that the enterprising officer could deliver.
In the history of modern warfare, the chapters on fire-support coordination and the integrated use of artillery, naval gunfire and air support for infantry operations were largely invented by the U.S. Marines. The Americans might not have had as mature a perspective on the war as did their Vietnamese brothers, but that in no way limited their ability to place maximum ordnance on target in a hurry. This ability to expeditiously deliver a world of hurt on the bad guys made the covan a very hot commodity indeed.
At this gathering of eagles, I was surrounded by men whose names I had read and reread about as a young lieutenant, and was newly introduced to others worthy of study. Legends. It brought to mind an old picture I had seen years ago of a small boy, clad in cowboy boots, hat and toy six-gun looking up in reverent awe as he met the Lone Ranger or Hopalong Cassidy for the first time. Here at this reunion, I was just like that boy, but these men were certainly for real. Their individual and collective intellect, courage and leadership had altered history. Because of their service and dedication, uncountable numbers of American and Vietnamese children have since been born. Our world is clearly a better place by their having served.
The common history of these two fighting organizations dates to 1954, immediately after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu and the partitioning of Vietnam into the communist north and the democratic south. Organizationally different, but culturally and tactically patterned closely to their American benefactors, the Vietnamese Marine Corps would, of necessity, grow rapidly into an effective and robust combat force.
The adviser relationship was there from the beginning. In attendance at the reunion was the spry and vigorous octogenarian Col. Victor Croizot, Covan No. 1 himself. Between 1954 and the fall of Saigon in April of 1975, upward of 600 Leathernecks would earn the title "covan." From those 600 a veritable "Warrior's Who's Who" would come an impact and influence, way out of proportion to their numbers, on the nation's defense in the years following their time as advisers.
Among the attendees were nearly a dozen former covans who went on to become general officers, and four or five times that number of men who would serve as colonels and lieutenant colonels. Included were such men as Gen. Anthony Zinni. Gen. Zinni saw duty as a covan in 1967 and would finish his active military career as the commander of CENTCOM. Recognized for his foreign policy acumen, he is currently employed as a U.S. envoy to the Middle East.
There also was Gen. Walter Boomer, who, as a lieutenant general, commanded all Marine forces during Operation Desert Storm. A younger Maj. Walt Boomer was a covan during the period that included the Easter Offensive of 1972, in which he performed with great distinction. Retired Col. Wes Fox, who has recently published his superb autobiography, "Marine Rifleman," served as an adviser in 1967, and later on his extended Vietnam tour would earn the Congressional Medal of Honor. Col. Fox offered reflections on his covan experience different from many of the others.
It is ironic that the period during which the Marine covans made their greatest contribution would take place right after American ground combat troops had been completely withdrawn from Vietnam. The epic struggle in which they would so prominently figure today draws a blank stare from all but the most erudite students of that war's history.
continued.........
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Posted: August 11, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Richard Botkin
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
Every now and then on the television news, I'll catch the return of an aircraft carrier battle group home from deployment to the far reaches. No matter how many times I see the same scenario played out happily squealing little kids racing up to some Adonis-looking young chap with chiseled jaw and superbly tailored flight suit as he unstraps his F-18, followed by the obligatory fighter pilot sorority-queen wife, the hugs, the tears of delight, the small and ubiquitously waving American flags the lump returns to my throat.
Current opinion polls would suggest that it is a particularly good time to be an American fighting man. All across the land, citizens celebrate the triumphal return of sons and daughters from our recent victory in Iraq. Everywhere, the sacrifices, character and bravery of our service members are widely affirmed. How sweet those homecomings must be.
Difficult for today's warriors to fathom would be the antithetical welcome given their fathers more than 30 years ago as they too returned from honorable service. Even in 2003, the interpretation of the American experience in Vietnam continues to confound the pundits. Did we win, did we lose, how, why and just what did the deaths of 58,000 of our finest men along with the blood and sweat and grit of those who survived their service get us? Whether one's view was from Kent State or Khe Sanh, many would likely agree the treatment accorded our returning fighting men was a national disgrace of epic proportions.
Fortunately for us all, the men who have fought and bled and suffered in our nation's wars have been driven by more than public opinion or the need for constant affirmation. Certainly that was the case with the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who cycled through Vietnam between 1962 and 1975.
Within the universe of Vietnam veterans is a small and select group of men whose critical participation in that war has gone largely unnoticed. So when I was invited by my dear friend, retired Lt. Col. George Philip, U.S. Marine Corps, to be his guest at the reunion of the American Marines who served as advisers to the Marine Corps of the Republic of Vietnam, I could hardly refuse.
For those who have an opinion of South Vietnam prior to 1975, common is the myth of a country rife with political and social corruption, of a military effete, lacking the will to go toe-to-toe with their pure and incorruptible brothers from the North. History offers barely a footnote to the elite units of the Republic of Vietnam their Airborne, their Rangers and their Marines units as good as any ever employed on Southeast Asian fields of battle.
The experience of the typical American fighting man was surely different than his South Vietnamese counterpart or his North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong opponents. As most Marines and soldiers were either one-term enlistment volunteers or draftees, they would serve a single tour of duty in Vietnam. For soldiers, that tour would last 12 months, for Marines 13. Generally there was no "rotation date" for Vietnamese, North or South.
For the men who volunteered to labor as advisers with the Vietnamese Marines, it was usually their second combat assignment. These men represented the crθme de la crθme. They were the thoroughbreds, the gunfighters of the Corps young captains and majors, mostly, who had already tramped the rice paddies and jungle trails in earlier tours commanding infantry platoons and companies or artillery batteries.
This second time around would surely be different. Earlier, sustained by the brotherhood of American warriors, they did not have to go much outside their culture, as they were simply in a very strange place. As advisers, they would have limited interaction with fellow Americans. Their closest counterparts would be their Vietnamese radio operators and most importantly if things worked as designed, the men who commanded the maneuver battalions of the Vietnamese Marines.
Seasoned by American standards and experience, these battle-tested captains and majors were often neophytes compared to their Vietnamese contemporaries for whom it was not uncommon to have a dozen or more years of combat time. Known by the Vietnamese name "co-van" for "trusted friend," when all went as advertised, it was clearly a term of endearment and respect.
What was it that made the American Marine covan a trusted friend? Was it his uncommon bravery and aggressiveness? His insight into defeating a wily enemy? Surely those were part of it, especially in the early years. Mostly though, it was the "juice" the "goods" that the enterprising officer could deliver.
In the history of modern warfare, the chapters on fire-support coordination and the integrated use of artillery, naval gunfire and air support for infantry operations were largely invented by the U.S. Marines. The Americans might not have had as mature a perspective on the war as did their Vietnamese brothers, but that in no way limited their ability to place maximum ordnance on target in a hurry. This ability to expeditiously deliver a world of hurt on the bad guys made the covan a very hot commodity indeed.
At this gathering of eagles, I was surrounded by men whose names I had read and reread about as a young lieutenant, and was newly introduced to others worthy of study. Legends. It brought to mind an old picture I had seen years ago of a small boy, clad in cowboy boots, hat and toy six-gun looking up in reverent awe as he met the Lone Ranger or Hopalong Cassidy for the first time. Here at this reunion, I was just like that boy, but these men were certainly for real. Their individual and collective intellect, courage and leadership had altered history. Because of their service and dedication, uncountable numbers of American and Vietnamese children have since been born. Our world is clearly a better place by their having served.
The common history of these two fighting organizations dates to 1954, immediately after the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu and the partitioning of Vietnam into the communist north and the democratic south. Organizationally different, but culturally and tactically patterned closely to their American benefactors, the Vietnamese Marine Corps would, of necessity, grow rapidly into an effective and robust combat force.
The adviser relationship was there from the beginning. In attendance at the reunion was the spry and vigorous octogenarian Col. Victor Croizot, Covan No. 1 himself. Between 1954 and the fall of Saigon in April of 1975, upward of 600 Leathernecks would earn the title "covan." From those 600 a veritable "Warrior's Who's Who" would come an impact and influence, way out of proportion to their numbers, on the nation's defense in the years following their time as advisers.
Among the attendees were nearly a dozen former covans who went on to become general officers, and four or five times that number of men who would serve as colonels and lieutenant colonels. Included were such men as Gen. Anthony Zinni. Gen. Zinni saw duty as a covan in 1967 and would finish his active military career as the commander of CENTCOM. Recognized for his foreign policy acumen, he is currently employed as a U.S. envoy to the Middle East.
There also was Gen. Walter Boomer, who, as a lieutenant general, commanded all Marine forces during Operation Desert Storm. A younger Maj. Walt Boomer was a covan during the period that included the Easter Offensive of 1972, in which he performed with great distinction. Retired Col. Wes Fox, who has recently published his superb autobiography, "Marine Rifleman," served as an adviser in 1967, and later on his extended Vietnam tour would earn the Congressional Medal of Honor. Col. Fox offered reflections on his covan experience different from many of the others.
It is ironic that the period during which the Marine covans made their greatest contribution would take place right after American ground combat troops had been completely withdrawn from Vietnam. The epic struggle in which they would so prominently figure today draws a blank stare from all but the most erudite students of that war's history.
continued.........