General Discussion

Ping Tung

(4,365 posts)

16. When they asked me to reenlist or extend my enlistment I was told that they wouldn't send me to Vietnam.

Fri Feb 27, 2026, 11:28 AM

Feb 27

Even the master gunny sergeant couldn't keep a straight face. I was already against the war that was just some "advisors" and to keep the South Vietnam "free". Some of us recognized that it was really about LBJ trying to gain some anti-commie creds. He, and most people, thought it would be an easy and short conflict because a few thousand eager to kill
American troops would arrive and the Viet Cong would run away.

I decided that I would take my chances being a protester against the glorious war.

USMC 1961 - 1965

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Anybody here old enough to remeber the beginnigs of US involvement in Viet Nam? [View all] 3_Limes Feb 27 OP

The trick is to wage war without declaring war dalton99a Feb 27 #1

Resulting in 58,000 US soldiers killed, 300,000 wounded. surfered Feb 27 #12

+1. Saigon is now a huge modern metropolis dalton99a Feb 27 #18

That picture is beautiful MarineCombatEngineer Feb 27 #53

Wow! SWBTATTReg Feb 27 #73

Ho Chi Minh City surfered Feb 27 #105

My mind is old popsdenver Feb 27 #25

Even the Korean War was described as a police action dalton99a Feb 27 #30

My father served in Vietnam in 1966-67. He never forgave Johnson and McNamara. mommymarine2003 Feb 27 #34

In December, just before the Tet occurred popsdenver Feb 27 #40

If only your father could have known about... Chemical Bill Feb 27 #104

Yeah, at the time, it wasn't a declared war, it was a so called police action, MarineCombatEngineer Feb 27 #56

It was a slow process. GCG Feb 27 #2

I saw this unfold as a young mother. My son was 3 years old. I feared the war would drag on until he was 18 and he would CTyankee Feb 27 #10

The first US soldier killed in Vietnam Emile Feb 27 #15

Johnson lied America into war via Gulf of Tonkin. Kid Berwyn Feb 27 #3

Because he was lied TO by the generals Jilly_in_VA Feb 27 #67

And the admirals, and the NSA, but most of all the CIA. Kid Berwyn Feb 27 #75

Good old Allen Dulles Jilly_in_VA Feb 27 #76

Maximum temperatures, please. And for John McCloy... Kid Berwyn Feb 27 #88

You don't even have to go back that far. Ritabert Feb 27 #4

+1 dalton99a Feb 27 #6

Balloon the debt, it did popsdenver Feb 27 #29

Ah yes, you're bringing back memories PatSeg Feb 27 #36

I bring up current things popsdenver Feb 27 #43

Not everyone is paying close attention PatSeg Feb 27 #58

I've been paying attention since 1969. Reagan really made me pay attention. Ritabert Feb 27 #63

I remember we paid a lot of attention PatSeg Feb 27 #83

I didn't realize what Reagan and his minions were up to until later... Ritabert Feb 27 #97

It is often different when you right in the middle of it PatSeg Feb 27 #101

You are so right. Ritabert Feb 27 #60

Liars all. Ritabert Feb 27 #59

you took the words off my keyboard WhiteTara Feb 27 #39

The reason we are in the economic mess we're in. Ritabert Feb 27 #62

+1 leftstreet Feb 27 #52

After Vietnam divided in half in the '50s the US provided financial support to the south, Ocelot II Feb 27 #5

I thought Eisenhower had *advisors* in Vietnam during his administration at the request of the French Deuxcents Feb 27 #78

He did. Kennedy started the escalation. Ocelot II Feb 27 #82

Truman started that in 1950. Celerity Feb 27 #87

November 1, 1955 "the official beginning of American involvement in the war" muriel_volestrangler Feb 27 #96

Guess I didn't really ask the right question. 3_Limes Feb 27 #7

Maybe on February 27, 1968: Ocelot II Feb 27 #17

It was probably around that time, PatSeg Feb 27 #38

That' was definitely the time Jilly_in_VA Feb 27 #69

I was in college 1967-1971. There were anti war and civil rights protests all the time. I remember things gaining steam KitFox Feb 27 #37

I started college in 1965 and I had a roommate who was already into the antiwar movement. Ocelot II Feb 27 #41

I cannot speak for the average American but... 303squadron Feb 27 #66

Don't have to look that far back. haele Feb 27 #8

True! Iraq is probably a much better example 3_Limes Feb 27 #11

I remember discussing in in my "Problems of Democracy" class in High Schol Mossfern Feb 27 #9

LOL Moss popsdenver Feb 27 #47

If there's one thing we've learned, we cannot trust anything JD Vance says. surfered Feb 27 #13

Yes, I remember, MarineCombatEngineer Feb 27 #14

Piece of Cake! BidenRocks Feb 27 #61

Excellent!!! MarineCombatEngineer Feb 27 #64

I hate to even think this MCE popsdenver Feb 27 #92

When they asked me to reenlist or extend my enlistment I was told that they wouldn't send me to Vietnam. Ping Tung Feb 27 #16

From one Marine to another... MarineCombatEngineer Feb 27 #46

There was a general I admired. Remember him? Ping Tung Feb 27 #85

Gen. David M. Shoup, there's a name I haven't heard in ages, MarineCombatEngineer Feb 27 #86

His name just came to my brain while going through this thread. I vaguely recall his name because Ping Tung Feb 27 #91

family legend- mopinko Feb 27 #19

why does they agresser side always say ," it will be over in a few weeKs" but in reality war would last 3/4 years or AllaN01Bear Feb 27 #20

The reason is oil or some other resource. multigraincracker Feb 27 #22

It was quagmire before the US became involved. Layzeebeaver Feb 27 #21

+1 dalton99a Feb 27 #24

The movie We Were Soldiers opening depicts the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu. MarineCombatEngineer Feb 27 #50

We had military advisors in VietNam since the eaerly 50's. patphil Feb 27 #23

I have a number of monographs on the subject. NNadir Feb 27 #26

Errol Morris' documentary "The Fog of War" covers this really well. Ocelot II Feb 27 #28

Not really an answer to your question but... llmart Feb 27 #27

And we'll be greeted as liberators and heroes, right? Xavier Breath Feb 27 #31

Unlike 1965, a large percentage of people know the real reason for this current BS war. Crowman2009 Feb 27 #32

I remember JFK snowybirdie Feb 27 #33

The US had advisors there from the early 50's, including when the French niyad Feb 27 #54

Ah yes Jilly_in_VA Feb 27 #70

I just posted before I saw yours..Eisenhower had advisors in Vietnam at the request of the French Deuxcents Feb 27 #79

Added to that, the most recent protracted wars are still fresh in people's memories. Crowman2009 Feb 27 #35

VOTE. IMPEACH. CHARGE. PROSECUTE. CONVICT. EVERY DAMN ONE OF THESE BUMS! Joinfortmill Feb 27 #42

63-67 so four years. By 67 it was Quagmire. Captain Zero Feb 27 #44

WW II in Europe For The US Was 1 Year: D-Day Was 1944. ColoringFool Feb 27 #49

The American Army's air wing was fighting in Europe long before 1944, nonaa Feb 27 #95

In 1948, Ho Chi Minh came to this country, asking for $3 million and niyad Feb 27 #45

Ho Chi Minh warned America The Wizard Feb 27 #55

And, in the end, we betrayed our allies. The images of April 1975 niyad Feb 27 #65

Yes, Back When It Was Indo-China And France Was The Invader. ColoringFool Feb 27 #48

In the 1950s The Wizard Feb 27 #51

I'm not old enough to remember the beginnings, but I remember the 60's and 70's. mommymarine2003 Feb 27 #57

Same with Afghanistan and Iraq. But we were involved in Vietnam from WWII until the disastrous withdrawal in 1975. ChicagoTeamster Feb 27 #68

Born April 1955 BidenRocks Feb 27 #71

A lot of it started (shit had been going with Vietnam, France, China, and others for 100s of years) with WW II Botany Feb 27 #72

Yes, indeed. MineralMan Feb 27 #74

Truman was already making moves in 1950, well before Eisenhower was even elected. Celerity Feb 27 #89

Thanks. A little before my time, I guess. MineralMan Feb 27 #90

Old enough to proofread as well. rzemanfl Feb 27 #77

Kind of, but Vietnam actually started for the French before the Korean War ended for us. maxrandb Feb 27 #80

Just go back to the Iraq war -- tells you what you need to know mainer Feb 27 #81

I would mark the beginning as 1945 when we supported France's return to their former colony. flashman13 Feb 27 #84

"Trump will put the Navy in harms way in a completely untenable situation in the narrow seas in and around... LudwigPastorius Feb 27 #93

They said Admiral Kacher was not a good fit. I agree with you. He was fired because he told them, "don't attack Iran". flashman13 Feb 27 #103

😮‍💨im old enough, service brat. I remember it like it was yesterday, msfiddlestix Feb 27 #94

Great Book - Fire In The Lake OutNow Feb 27 #98

In 1967 Codifer Feb 27 #99

Old enough but smoked too much pot and drank too much beer. kerry-is-my-prez Feb 27 #100

I'm not quite that old, snot Feb 27 #102