 |
|||||
|
|||||
| Imagine daylight, and total darkness, apples and oranges.. That is the difference between Vietnam then and Vietnam now. When I was there in 1968, just days before the Tet Offensive, smiles, security, and safety were only words in a dictionary. Every hour you lived, every day and every week were bonuses. Life spans were measured in hours. Fear was what we all lived with on an hourly basis. The Vietnamese peoples had been living this nightmare for centuries, but it was knowing that didn't make it any less fearful for us..The one thing we had going for us was that if we made it through our tours, we would go home. The Vietnamese were home and could go no further. In my short time in Vietnam I honestly cannot remember a day that we didn't encounter some form of action with the enemy. Our days consisted of patrolling during the day and ambush patrols or listening posts at night.. A 20 hour day was about normal ..a 12 or 15 hour day was like having a vacation. Stand downs were rare, so most of our time was spent in the Bush. Walking point, or flank security made your risks that day all the more terrifying and dangerous.. We were the bait! Forty one years later upon going back to Vietnam, you will not see or feel or taste that fear of your first trip back to the NAM. You will encounter a happy, diligent industrious nation of people trying to undo centuries of warfare, and doing a great job of repairing what those centuries of history did to devastate a country. Dividing it in two, and now back to one nation. To hear children laughing, playing, watching them study to better themselves and yes to better their country, is such a pleasant experience for men and women like us who only saw the negative side of Vietnam all those many years before. A chance to mingle with your former enemies, see the natural beauty of Vietnam without someone trying to kill you or you trying to kill them is like being lost in a desert and coming to an oasis with cool water and refreshing shade to soothe your body. This Vietnam is NOT the same Vietnam you remember. This is a land where nightmares become pleasant dreams, where flashbacks and night time sweats disappear and are replaced by soothing uninterrupted sleep. Put your past fears and hates behind you. Do yourself and your family a favor .. explore Vietnam as you could never before have imagined it ..This is truly a land of enchantment, beauty and mystery.. A land waiting to welcome you .. Bill Braniff |
|||||
