Vietnam (Tet Offensive) and the Undeclared Wars in our Day

A Salute to Our Veterans and A Challenge to Congress

By a not distinguished Veteran, but a patriotic one

Former US Air Force Sgt James D Allen

Walter Cronkite

During the Vietnam War, we would watch Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in America, deliver the evening news. Early on during the war, Mr. Cronkite believed we were winning. Each night, we would listen as he and others reported the American death toll vs. the Viet Cong and N. Vietnamese death toll. It seemed that comparing the body count became the determining factor of winning or losing; however, the pain in the homes of those Americans who gave their lives was not calculated.

We are approaching the 56^th anniversary of the Tet Offensive by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong against our troops in Vietnam (January 30, 1968). It was a massive surprise offensive that struck hundreds of locations across South Vietnam. It was a disaster for the enemy but a wake-up call for America. Over 500,000 US military were in Vietnam at the time, and during this offensive, 2600 American military were killed and over 10,000 wounded (Statista.com), with over 60,000 enemy killed. The body count said we had won, but it was the beginning of a 7-year drawdown.

I was almost 18 at the time of Tet and watched the news closely. I already had a friend or two in Vietnam. This was not a far-off war, but personal, and soon I would hear of my first friend killed in Vietnam—Randall (Randy) Lee Jenkins, Honored on Panel 33W, Line 41 of the WALL, a Marine (Salute). Eventually, I joined the Air Force and served in Texas, England, and the Philippines. I arrived in the Philippines as the war was winding down and was privileged to be on the flight line when the POWs returned home.  What a day of rejoicing and tears.

Let’s get back to Mr. Cronkite. Walter Cronkite decided to go to Vietnam and learn for himself what was happening. He soon realized that it was not a winnable war.

 At 10:00 p.m. on February 27, at the CBS News headquarters in New York City, Cronkite delivered his controversial 30-minute “Report from Vietnam.” Tens of millions of Americans tuned in as “the most trusted man in America” presented facts from the ground in Vietnam, making the case that the situation was more dire than the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson alleged. Towards the end of his report, he delivered his only on-air personal commentary, in what historian David Schmitz has called the “single most important news event” of the Vietnam War. The “only realistic if unsatisfactory conclusion,” as Cronkite saw it, was that the US was not on the verge of victory and should find an “honorable” way out of Vietnam. Watch his report: https://vandvreader.org/report-from-vietnam-february-27-1968/

Body Count and Deception

My dad, a highly decorated veteran of WWII, said it was a crazy war. Yes, he was a pro-military, pro-veteran, but he realized this was not WWII. He had landed on Normandy, fought at the Battle of the Bulge, and was severely wounded at Colmar, leaving him physically disabled. Dad agreed with Cronkite and said we should get out gracefully. He would say the enemy is not Vietnam but China, and wars are not won by body count. How right was my dad and Mr. Cronkite.  

Soon, body counts of the enemy were exaggerated, the number of troops in Vietnam was underreported, and even during the Nixon withdrawal, games were played with troop deployment. If a person was in Vietnam TDY (temporary duty), they may not be counted as there until they reach the 90^th day. Games were played by politicians and military strategists as Americans continued to die. It was not as bad as the infamous reporting of Bagdad Bob in Iraq, but looking back, it was close. Bagdad Bob reported there was no sign of the Americans as our troops approached the capital.

His pronouncements included claims that American soldiers were committing suicide “by the hundreds” outside the city, and denial that there were any American tanks in Baghdad, when in fact they were only several hundred meters away from the press conference where he was speaking and the combat sounds of nearing American troops could already be heard in the background, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Saeed_al-Sahhaf  

Undeclared Wars

The last time the US Congress declared war was WWII. Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq were never stamped as War. Tell that to the thousands who have suffered, including those who have been killed, lost loved ones, been wounded, committed suicide, suffer from mental illness, homelessness, PTS, that it was not WAR. We arrived at a place in this country, Iraq, where we deployed troops in case a country might attack us.  War for our war veterans never ends; it just internalizes. As a boy, I watched my dad shake in fear in his chair as a thunderstorm would pass through. Little did I know that as that storm came through, he was back on the beach in Normandy.

Our longest war, Afghanistan, was not declared. We thought we could impose democracy, impose Western culture, and build a nation in a tribal society trapped in the past and called the graveyard of empires. Where Russia and Britain had failed, we thought we could succeed. Arrogance is as deadly as Cowardice.

Today, we again are at war, but not war; there are no troop deployments, no American military, etc., but I can no longer hear you. There are body counts reminiscent of Vietnam. The Russian losses are always exponentially higher than the Ukraine losses. There were promises of limited involvement, which have already been broken: No attempt to take back past territory (Crimea), no missiles that could hit Moscow, no F-16s, No blah, blah, blah. I can’t hear you because of what I see. I am no pacifist. I understand the world we live in and know we need to be alert; however, too much power has been given to the office of president.  

I am not saying that we shouldn’t help Ukraine or any other country. I am saying that America has moved to a place where military involvement has become far too easy and undeclared wars far too common. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I will surmise that our military strategists already know the only way to win in Ukraine is through a peace treaty unless we want to risk WWIII.

Why I wrote this today

Why did I write this today at 4:30 a.m.? I was thinking of young men and women in our military and young men and women of military age. Our military is underpaid, underappreciated, and not considered when we act. Hey, that is how I feel. I was thinking of young men and women today who may be subjected to a future military draft. I was thinking of Veterans who still suffer the pangs of war. I was thinking about Randy and his family and others who have suffered loss. When I hear others complain about Veterans’ Benefits and wish they had them, I let them know that the recruiting office was open in my day and is still open today. I want to say more, but the Christian in me, holds back the SGT in me.

I want Congress to never commit to a cause they would not die for themselves or offer their sons and daughters to the fight. I want Congress to first consider the cost to our troops and our families when deploying troops. I want Congress to quickly defend our borders, defend our Sovereignty, defend our constitution, and defend our creed as One Nation Under God. I want Congress to grow up and quit the teen antics and be adults. Stop the food fights. I want Congress to demonstrate their love for the country by courage, not arrogance; humility, not pride; by example, not finger-pointing; and by sacrifice, not self-enrichment. If it is too much to ask, please resign, or at least shut up!

Wars and rumors of wars will be with us until Jesus comes, but nations will be judged for their actions.  

Proud American and Veteran

James D. Allen

If you want to read further about the Tet Offensive, Vietnam:

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/tet-offensive/

https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/Article/3291950/highlighting-history-how-tet-began-the-end-of-vietnam/#:~:text=Troop%20limitations%20were%20announced%2C%20and,is%20what%20started%20the%20negotiations

“Report from Vietnam” | February 27, 1968