I guess we will just jump right in. We have mr. Wright here today. Instead of giving the cliff notes we will have him talk about it so without further ado. [applause] thank you, philip. I like without further ado. Is ait is an honor for me to participate in this program and this institution committed to protecting and sharing of a rich legacy of the United States navy. And its a particular pleasure for me to be with you today. Im delighted to see veterans and friends and those of you that are curious to learn a little bit more about the vietnam war. I am honored to try to contribute to that process of learning. I do want to talk about my book. That is why im here today and i hope that is why you are here. Maybe the best way to do that is to try to describe why it is i wrote what i was trying to do and why i was trying to do that. Last year, my wife suzanne and i attended a performance of hamilton in new york. Many lines from the play struck me and stayed with me but one kept running through my head eliza hamilton, the wife of Alexander Hamilton sang with a chorus of the Founding Fathers who lives, who dies, who tells your story. This is relevant to my remarks and books because in any war and armed confrontation the first questions are the determinative ones of who lives and who dies. Stripped of all other explanations of the purposes and the goal of the war this is the fundamental human question that those that go to war must face. Indeed it is the cruel purpose of the war of who lives in who dies. Thats why ive had so much trouble in recent years as politicians and pundits have talked about boots on the ground as a metaphor for sending in combat troops. I keep pointing out that we are not talking about shoe leather. We are talking about flesh and blood. We are talking about our young and we are asking of them who lives and who dies. But the burden after all of the shooting stops in any war is the lingering question of who tells your story. Who tells your story of the shared narrative of the battles fought, of the dead forever young and the memories of the survivors. This is critical for framing the story in the narrative of the war. It provides a an assessment of why the lives are lost. It reminds us of what they were and marks forever the lives of survivors who knew them, survivors that would carry their memories. I believe in the most perverse and cruel they there may be nothing more human than the war of individuals in the war for testing themselves and they needed to do so much instinctively as theyve been taught all their lives not to do instinctively and who lives and who dies. I interviewed a number of people for this book. Hanging with me always is a conversation that ive had with the man that didnt go to vietnam themselves. He was a teenager and his brother was iindia am 14 or 15yearsold he lived in a small town in pennsylvania and there was a knock on the door when he was home alone one day he went to answer the door and there were two soldiers. They asked if his parents were home and they said no but they just called, they were running an errand and should be back in 15 minutes or so. He said please wait if you would like to. They said they would sit on the porch and he joined them there. He told me he was so enthused to have these soldiers he said i have a brother whos in the ar army. My brother is a helicopter pilot. Hes in vietnam. I am so proud of him and what he does and he is going to be home in a couple of months. I cant wait to see him. Do you know my brother and he was struck by the fact that these two soldiers sitting on his porch really didnt say much of anything to him, didnt acknowledge his questions. His parents came home, and of course the soldiers informed them his brother was not becoming hombecoming home as hir had been shot down and he was dead. He told me he ran up in the woods behind the house and just wept thinking about his brother and a little bit embarrassed about sitting there asking these soldiers do you know my brother when they had come to informed the family that his brother was dead. We all need to assist in the responsibility of caring and sharing these stories. These stories need to become embedded more and its critical to note it is and only about those who die, those who served with them also have important reflections to share and they need an opportunity to do that rather than to remain burdened with silent memories that so many more veterans to kerry. In this country the narrative has been subdued since world war ii. Many people point to the vietnam war as a declining interest of the veterans and their experiences and they were seldom celebrated in clearly related to the fact shortly by the late 1960s the war had become very unpopular. It didnt necessarily follow the unpopularity of the war and also made them the unpopular in the outright hostility while unfortunately wasnt widespread. But it was an in difference maybe even an embarrassed in difference to engage them to talk to them. If americans really did not know what was happening on the ground in vietnam its also the case that most were not eager to learn that through the veterans. So their stories remained largely untold. In my book i quote from a home shared with me by a sailor hed been serving on a patrol boat down in the delta in april of 1969 he watched a close friend of his die when their boat was ambushed by enemy troops and the delta from these in the small boats. The sailor had gone to saigon a month later and he described sitting in his hotel room looking out the window and watching a storm come onto the city. He wrote the sky is black with silent strokes of lightning. People bustling about for the storm and before the curfew. But soon the rain will come down and cool us all and slow the motion and the city will become quiet under the soothing rhythm of the rain. People will move inside and watch the monsoon downpour from the window. And some perhaps will reflect on the day they just ended. The closing line some will reflect that they just ended. I can assure you those that were there never stopped reflecting and have flown past time for the rest of us to answer something of their experience in this war telling their story, hearing it and all of us reflecting on it is a burden that we share. So i wanted to share a few of my reflection on the war now ended to discuss the human experiences of those that served in the vietnam. In 1965 when the american ground war began, president johnson said in march of 1965 when he sent insignificant army units throughout the spring the dominant public image in the United States this year of those serving in vietnam was young heroes fighting communism in the job roles of southeast asia. Shortly there was a protest against the war and dissent about president johnson escalating it by sending in ground troops, but most americans thought of those kids that were over there as being heroic americans on the front lines in the battle against communism. Many now consider that the objects of sympathy who were sent over to fight a very cruel and illadvised war. But after the story became public late 1969 and those that protested the war those were the up perpetrators. The of stereotyped of the drug psychotic from vietnam vietnam, the apocalypse now movie image, i have described in the book the movie apocalypse now like vietnam needs would stop. And maybe a very good movie and is considered a good movie it is not a story on the vietnam experience. From burbank california made the same statement and the first question from the number of the audience was i was a screenwriter on the movie and it was accurate and reworked very hard. I did not debate that point with him. But for some remarkable books written by the veterans, particularly the of fiction few accounts recognize those who served for what they were. Scared kids for a very scared assignment. As the woodstock celebrants on campus and streets the stereotypes hippies that challenge of boundaries of American Culture but it is clear to me and it is clear to everyone that is not the full face of this generation. Not at all. For example, 40 of the generations in the military about 10 went to vietnam more died in vietnam and went to canada or prison to evade the draft. So that story reminds us of some of the members of that generation. It is enriched by over 160 interviews with men and women who served in combat or medical units and i focus on the ground action, the war fighting. I described in greater detail which i think the best day pinpoint in the nature of the zero or i talk about, why they went to in the experience of serving in vietnam and i talked to many of them about being with friends when they died. And coming home. I also interviewed members of families who told them their son or daughter would not be coming home so a couple of weeks ago i sent out personally inscribed copies to each of the 160 people interviewed for the book and told them they were collaborators in my effort to tell the story. So to grow up in post World War Two baby boomer generation but that exciting america with the expansion of possibility an opportunity and the emphasis on education was a heady time for those of us that remember. But i also detail the scary world in which this generation grew up of an impending Nuclear Attack certainly for the first half of the 1950s and we needed to be ready. I talked about a duck and cover were kids in small midwestern towns were trained to get under the desk. And the conviction or the shared fears of world would be at war and the reminder that this had to be prepared to fight the inevitable war. That the nation and citizens need to step up and all of us have to assume the responsibility that came with citizenship in this republic in an era of the of peacetime draft in my High School Graduating class there were 25 police boys immediately after graduation and was still 17 years old. Going into the service i am not sympathetic to those leaders who took us to vietnam but my interest is less than assessing for policy and commitments of president s from truman through nixon other historians have done this and others will provide this history. Wearing a world that was described by educational and religious leaders as a place where we all need to be prepared to stand up for freedom any place in the world. The world war ii veterans with his indelible lesson of World War Two failing to stand up only encourages more. These are the parents of the baby boomers and will warn what will happen if they did not respond to challenges and threats. By 1961 and kennedy said last now you can do for your country but what you can do for your country. So if this summons if this will being seems quaint in 2017, it was not in 1961. There is a sense of a Global Responsibility and we had to be prepared to read it. Ironically the Global Responsibility will play out in vietnam of all places and the vietnam war was truly never about vietnam to have a much larger conflict and this is where we have to stand up. So we found ourselves that kept escalating one of the most distinct descriptions one of those, that decisions of vietnam was provided by colin powell going out thered generated 1963 is a young army officer kennedy was sending more visors in uniform with the south vietnamese troops. And cents out to the valley which was a desolate place in the northwestern part of old south vietnams a few miles from laos. After orientation so why are we here . And the vietnamese commanders said this outpost is your to provide protection to guard the air strip and he said that makes sense but tell me why is the air strip their . And the south vietnamese officers said the air strip is there to supply the outpost. And colin powell would go there in the 60s said he was unsure he ever heard a better explanation as circular as it was for what we were doing. Working on this but in addition to my research than reading and intellectual framing i certainly knew i needed to visit vietnam. Not just a thriving city but to the delta and the high country out to the far reaches. Where the baby boomer generation fought there were some of the men i was describing had died for gore visited the delta even today you can understand while patrolling the waterways and canals were scary. Traveling up the river i went to the only means of liberty bridge that so Many Americans who had served there in the old areas of the marines called dodge city and a left behind some mementos for those marines killed in two different ambushes with the third battalion seventh marines one in july 1968 in 2nd less than 2 miles away. And to be the site in winnipeg is the old Demilitarized Zone names that i can assure you that most americans never know they are seared into the of the very of the outpost. I walked around the field as it was soaked in blood 1968. I visited the thailands thailand with the old airstrip with the 299 combat engineers with steward was the vicious attacks in 1969. I climbed Hamburger Hill late summer heat is humidity. I never in in the morning of north vietnamese veterans in the village. I was surprised when they accepted an invitation to climb with me. They call a Hamburger Hill because they would grind them up like a hamburger grinding machine. To be sleep a steep and slippery i sweated and slipped and i wondered how those scared young men had climbed the hill they 1969. No one was shooting down enemy and i was not carrying 50 pounds of equipment to detect a small group to reach two hours and it took them 10 days. For those who reached the top. At 70 and 80 percent casualties before the fight was over. While on top of the hill i told the north vietnamese shall soldiers and wanted to share a story with them i had grown up in an old midwestern mining town called galena it was a lead mining town for settled in the 1820s i worked in the minds after i got out of the marines one of my bosses was a world war ii veteran i had tremendous regard in keen to have an affection for his son and picked up a couple of pieces to keep on my desk a few years later i learned my bosss son was killed on Hamburger Hill ayatollah the north vietnamese soldiers about him id put out i pulled out some of lead sulfide and i said i will bury this on the top of the hill where my friend never reach the top penelopes of his hometown was here and ive assured them that the of lead sulfide would last as long as the klay soul is in many ways with the hot humid it triple canopy the research and personal biography to remember those whod died they all overlapped. I have a chapter on Hamburger Hill so represents a and symbolizes so much about the war and to share stories i have found it troubling that perhaps the name that they knew was lt. William was the commander of that unit so there were truly impressive kids who served in vietnam they did remarkable things to demonstrate as much courage as anyone who fought in any of our wars but vietnam was a war without heroes but not a war without heroism. They did this on our behalf because the war was something we preferred not to talk about. I share with you my dedication dedicated to the american generation who on verbally served in this books eludes those who deserve to be known in their lives remembered. To make their willingness to have the sacrifices that we made the greater and not the lesser. Think of what they did when they were asked to serve. Not all were eager to serve i can assure you but they did. They knew the war and it was likely it would be one in a traditional sense. And as a silent in saigon reminded us to do i talk to a young marine officer and was a platoon leader. In the infantry unit. Is in country orientation he was told the critical thing for an officer is not to cry. Never to cry. Never to show that a motion. One of the top men was killed in ambush and how he struggled so hard not to cry when he learned he was dead. This marine just died in the last month and he encouraged me to be sure to tell the stories and his wife shared with me some things he had ridden about 10 years ago when he was riding in a diary in sharp detail about this young marine who was killed in the ambush. He did not forget. Tell the story of a young massachusetts man who join the army asking what options were that you are a College Graduate you could apply to be an officer the neck to serve two more years in the recruiting sergeant said you could either be inside the Officers Club drinking a cold martini or outside walking on guard duty for those who are inside drinking the cold martini. He decided he would be an officer for cry dont know if he ever had a cold martini in vietnam. Idle think so. I know he had warm beer and now the fourth door 50 and Hamburger Hill fourth or fifth day on Hamburger Hill being hit one unit was badly wounded so they stopped and helicopters could not kong in to medevac they had to go to the bottom. The young man from minnesota would lead it then they were hit by another rocket three more were killed and another badly injured. Sullivan said we will get you down. We will get you to a hospital. You will be okay and organize another party and the sergeant said no fertilizer looking at jordan right now with a band of angels coming after me. And they said we will get you to the helicopter is starting to carry him down in three different men tell me they still remember the powerful voice swinging low sweet chariot and is dead by the time they got to the bottom of the hill. I remember interviewing a woman from iowa she and her husband both oppose the war but he got the draft notice rather than go to air canada he said i will go. I will never kill anyone and look after myself he died shortly after he got there afterdamp bush. The army organized a funeral in the small iowa town and she said to the contingency no firing squad please. There has been enough gunfire around him. No more. I interviewed family members part of a strong irish free culture he delayed going in because girl friend persuaded him to stay but the following winter of 19681 of his dear friends was in that original group was killed during the tet offensive so jimmy and his friends dropped out before they graduated he was in vietnam an early 69 and killed in the day may northeast of liberty bridge bridge, dodge city. There is a square in quincy massachusetts named after jimmy key and 19 other squares in that city remembering young men dying in vietnam. Jimmy hickey ogle was remembered by feeling members to be very sentimental and richman and wrote a poem called domestic course the family shared the with me in a printed in in the book. It tells the story when jimmy was growing up he insisted he had a magic horse that no one else could see and he kept tied by his bed at night. It protected him to mr. Burns told the story aisle will leave you home on your read to course. Along with puff the magic dragon dragons live forever but not little boys. One than they were hit by ambush swinging back with heavy firepower immediately they get the ammunition dock and there was a huge explosion in seeing to bodies flying up in the air and how he and the men did a high five the next several years telling people about vietnam the would fly at you get the little bastards they would fly through the year. We got them. But in 1979 he was on a Church Retreat in the Shenandoah Valley and this was to go through a maze of the Church Grounds and he started to think about this two bodies lying in the air may be if we did not kill them they would kill us and that is what war is but you should not celebrate that. They have families at home eagerly waiting for them to come back. I killed two men they should pray for them rather than celebrate. He started weeping and was crying so hard he had to go into the words out of the way. And came back and said i never celebrated death. But the face of war is the heart of war with the types stories that need to be told. And often have no end i spoke on veterans day 2009 at the Vietnam Veterans memorial. And to speak their own very special day was a moving experience standing in front of that wall with a cool rainy day with goldstar mothers in front of me with those veterans but i concluded my remarks with a plea and a reminder that frames my engagement of this book so i said casualtys of for not as those abstractions or casualties or numbers entered into the books so we need to ensure that in his place of memory those with a smiling human faces and engaging personalities with dreams to pursue. Into descend upon the war. And try to remind people of what i of been doing but to sing along with delays of hamilton let me tell you what i wish i had known to have no control over who lives or dies or tells the story. I hope through telling the stories someday somebody can say do you know my brother . With those veterans who were here think you for your service and sacrifice their only to join and tell the stories and most importantly to learn from these stories. Thank you for joining me i am prepared to answer any questions. [applause] how did you get involved yourself . Headed is an interesting book that i had written before but thinking logically and then writing books i want to write something about it this does not fit to in the oped even between the covers of the book so maybe i will try another book. Can you talk about the experience coming back to a civilian life . It was a different time following the vietnam war. They had of wild people applaud them when they see them in the thank them for their service in Vietnam Veterans dont have that experience i am not sure they know too much were asking these kids to do i am not sure we fully appreciate the nature of these complicated missions with the rules of engagement letter necessarily a part of these wars of multiple the planets because theyre older than the of the unknown generation is a Different Military today. Those the unknown veterans were not treated as warmly. Some did experience thats that widespread hostility but there was some difference. We worked our way through that trying to of knowledge of them in some ways says we look upon that and then we say bless you we know more rarely are blessing somebody than being thank for our service in vietnam. And so that vietnam generation and those that have contributed significantly and they still bear a lot of these memories of most people of wanted to know. Can here merck on a the practices associated with a native language welland present conflict in a foreign country. I am not sure i have that much authority very few people knew vietnamese. There was illiteracy but in fact, most of those veterans came to appreciate very early they want them to be there they did not want them. What about the conflict with north korea . We have trouble understanding i think it is very difficult isnt always rational i think the concern is the misunderstanding or the of this calculation given the of vulnerability of the north vietnamese. What do you think to have a concept of National Service in my person from New Hampshire they could teach cooler do anything in entering of vietnam war and only 40 percent of that generation did not for a variety of reasons why an over 75. 52 percent of us are veterans. there is less than 2 percent and it will not turn around so if we have a draft today it would have to be a lottery and told they could be any other way but in 2010 it was 4. 5 million then turned 18 but the military has 180,000 per year. So which of those are going to serve . I think the military would prefer to have those that want to serve as there is a study pointing out not only representative of our society but they increasingly is a military caste system and they serve and the military are children of those. So could we have a National Service for those other 4. 2 million 18 yearold . Into agreeing on some pretty basic things in to make certain with that objective. In is how to implement the practice. In to do something for the common good. We would like to present you with this desktop version. [applause] [inaudible conversations]
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