African Americans in the Vietnam War

Between 1961 and 1964, African Americans accounted for more than 20 percent of Army fatalities, even though they represented only 12.6 percent of Army personnel in Vietnam. According to New York Times reporter Sol Stern, "the statistics show that the Negro in the army was more likely than his white buddy to be sent to Vietnam in the first place; once there, he was more likely to wind up in a front-line combat unit; and within the combat unit was more likely than the white to be killed or wounded."(1) African American Vietnam vets who were not killed in Vietnam returned home to encounter persistent racism and widespread unemployment. 

Letter from Rupert Trimmingham,

"Myself and eight other Negro soldiers were on our way from Camp Claiborne, La., to the hospital here at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. ...We could not purchase a cup of coffee at any of the lunchrooms around there... As you know, Old Man Jim Crow rules. But that's not all; 11:30 a.m. about two dozen German prisoners of war, with two American guards, came to the station. They entered the lunchroom, sat at the tables, had their meals served, talked, smoked, in fact had quite a swell time. I stood on the outside looking on... Are we not American soldiers, sworn to fight for and die if need be for this our country?"(2)

Even though they were all fighting for the same country, the African American soldiers were not treated as equals. They could see the injustice of being forced to go to war for a country who did not see them as full citizens.

Haywood T. "The Kid" Kirkland shared his experience as a Black GI in the Vietnam War.

He says,

 “You would see the racialism in the base-camp area. Like rednecks flying rebel flags from their jeeps. I would feel insulted, intimidated. The brothers they was calling quote unquote troublemakers, they would send to the fields. A lot of brothers who had supply clerk or cook MOS [Military Occupational Specialties] when they came over ended up in the field. And when the brothers who was shot came out of the field, most of them got the jobs burning sh-- in these 50-gallon drums. Most of the white dudes got jobs as supply clerks or in the mess hall. “(1)

He goes on to discuss his life after the war, as he struggled to find a place in a society he did not feel welcome in.

The last sentences sums up the feelings many African Americans had towards the war.

 “They killed Dr. [Martin Luther] King just before I came home. I felt used.”(1)  

1. http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/kirkbloodsvietnam.html
2. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/warletters-letters/#trimmingham 

Vietnamese Water Puppets: Therapy for Veterans

The Vietnamese art form of water puppetry has expanded in popularity since its humble beginnings in rice paddies and ponds of the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. Traditionally, puppeteers stand waist deep in water, hidden from the audience's view, as they manipulate puppets as large as 36 inches in and out of the water. Shows include music, singing, ornate puppets, and fantastical storylines. Many guided tours of Vietnam include this elaborate and culturally representative display in their itineraries. Water puppet shows can hold a more significant purpose than simply a tourist attraction.

Creative arts therapy is often used to treat people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder because of its ability to connect with victims' nonverbal, kinesthetic and visual memories. For Vietnam war veterans, Vietnamese water puppet shows can be the perfect therapy. These puppet shows allow veterans to experience Vietnam in a medium independent of war, ultimately allowing them to cope with their troubling past encounters.Veteran Joseph Bangert believes Vietnamese water puppet shows have the ability to normalize relations between Vietnam and the United States. He hopes people will be able to "discover that Vietnam is not the name of a war but of a society and a culture."

Credit to http://www.csmonitor.com/1992/0629/29101.html/(page)/2 and
http://www.developmentaltransformations.com/images/james_drama_therapy_in_the_treatment.pdf

Tunnel Rats

To battle against the Vietnamese and the Cu Chi Tunnels, many United States soldiers were trained to go down into the tunnels, often armed with only a flashlight and a pistol, to scout and look for underground enemy troops.
The following video contains standardized procedure when faced with the prospect of scouting a tunnel, and footage of soldiers going inside:

Ron Giles, a Vietnam War veteran, recounts his experience as a Tunnel Rat in an article with a New Jersey newspaper. He states that he volunteered for the job at first because of his small stature and of thinking that it would be a "one-shot deal". Even though tunneling underground didn't happen frequently, he still had to go down there roughly "two to three times a month". Giles described how if he turned down an assignment he "would have lost respect. [And he] would have lost a lot of face" with his company.
The intense anxieties Giles faced while down in the tunnels can be compared to that of a horror film. Many of his experiences still haunt him to this day; "It's kind of like a catharsis," he said. "But the scariness of it, the horror, the trauma, it just never, never leaves you."

Giles' experience and feelings linked with the tunnels can be compared to that of Tim O'Brien's novel The Things They Carried and how the characters were affected by the war. Many recurring themes within the novel can accurately represent Giles' time at war, such as the fear of blushing and the psychological strain war has on soldiers.

 

http://www.warchapter.com/Vietnam_war_Tunnels.html

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/vietnam_veterans_to_share_stor.html

Found Poem

A Vietnamese Bidding Farewell to the Remains of an American

From the original Vietnamese poem by Tran Thi My Nhung, translated by Phan Thao Chi

You died in the forest, alone.

The two of us dug this grave for you,

prayed for you to rest in peace.

Is it too late to love each other?

You and I,

once separated by an ocean,

by the color of our skin,

by language.

But destiny bound our lives together.

Between us now, the ocean seems so small.

How close are our two continents.

I believe your American sky

is as blue as the sky above this country.

May you rest forever in the soil of your home.

Original Poem: http://voiceseducation.org/node/399

The original poem was written by Tran Thi My Nhung from the point of view of a Vietnamese person burying an unknown American soldier. My found poem illustrates the theme that despite the cruelty of war, compassion can still be found among those who realize the two sides are not so different from each other.

History of the Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi tunnels were originally used as a defensive strategy by the Vietnamese to fight the French, who occupied Vietnam during the 1940's. By the time the United States troops came over, the tunnels stretched over 120 miles from Saigon to the Cambodian border. The tunnels sheltered many enemy troops, refugees, food, weapons and many other supplies that were transported throughout the network of tunnels.
The VC (Viet Cong) would utilize these tunnels to spring surprise attacks on the unsuspecting United States military troops and to hide within them to evade aerial bombings from the US.
To keep the United States from infiltrating their underground bases, the tunnels were often booby trapped with explosives, poisonous reptiles and insects and other deadly traps.
Life in the Cu Chi Tunnels was similar to that above the ground; they built homes, factories, hospitals and bomb shelters. There were even some theaters and music halls to provide distractions for the soldiers. However, there were many dangers to living underground. Flooding, poor ventilation, cave ins and snakes often threatened the lives of the VC and North Vietnamese troops who resided down there.
Since the Vietnam War ended, the Cu Chi Tunnels has been kept and preserved as a memorial to the many fallen soldiers and a tourist attraction in Vietnam. The tunnels played a significant role in the war and are an essential part of Vietnam's history.

 

 A schematic of what the tunnels looked like



 

What many entrances looked like

Information provided by:

http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/cu-chi-tunnels


 Pictures provided by:

http://www.warchapter.com/Vietnam_war_Tunnels.html
http://www.foothand.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?action=0709003048


Culture: Non La

The Non La (Traditional Vietnamese Hat)

The name of the traditional conical hats that were worn in Vietnam is Non La, which means leaf hat. The hat is made from young leaves that have been softened by the dew and flattened either by hand or ironing. It is coated with an oil for protection. The Non La is worn primarily by women, although there are some versions designed for men. A Vietnamese feminine beauty standard is white skin, so the hats are used to protect the skin from the harsh sun and rain. Special conical hats were called Non Bai Tho which means poetical leaf because they were adorned with poetic verses that were only visible when the hat is above your head in the sunlight. Throughout the years, Non La's evolved to the point where there were over 50 versions however the hats are now only worn in agricultural areas. 

Here are some pictures of Non La's being worn during the Vietnam War:

Found Poem: The Beauty of War

"The Beauty of War," is a satirical poem written by Curt Bennett who was a U.S. pilot on active duty in Vietnam. Until the last few stanzas, Bennett conceals the desired message of his poem. With a quick shift from pleasant descriptive diction ("spectacular" and "harmonizes") to a curt statement, Bennett reveals the unmasked reality of war. This poem can be summed up in a short and simple "found poem":

Somehow that and the screams

Of the unseen dying somewhere

Out there, tends to diminish

The beauty and fun of it all.

Although this is an adequate summation of Bennett's thoughts, I suggest a personal read-through of his poem to develop the overall tone.