We're Under Attack

[C-Mag]

I was raised in my early years by US Combat Veterans of the war. They never spent any time telling me how great the NVA or Viet Cong were, none at all. They did tell me that the best fighters of the war were the ROK Tigers. EVERYONE respected them, and the Commies would avoid combat with them whenever possible. If they realized they were fighting them, the Commies would run.

Saying the Viet Commies are greatest of ALL TIME is a huge statement, considering they were not likely even the best of the war.

[Fife]

I was raised in my early years by US Combat Veterans of the war. They never spent any time telling me how great the NVA or Viet Cong were, none at all. They did tell me that the best fighters of the war were the ROK Tigers. EVERYONE respected them, and the Commies would avoid combat with them whenever possible. If they realized they were fighting them, the Commies would run.

Saying the Viet Commies are greatest of ALL TIME is a huge statement, considering they were not likely even the best of the war.

My grandfathers and great-uncles were spread across WWII (1 Europe; 5 Pacific) and the Korean War (3); only one of them died (USMC Okinawa '45) before I came along. I just wish I could have appreciated at the time how awesome the family reunions were in the late 70s/early 80s.

The only officer in the bunch was the European theater guy (my great uncle who got rich with boys he met in the service in Fla space coast real estate in the 50s and 60s, and flew first-class to the redneck Thanksgivings and Christmases in Jackson from his crib in Cocoa when I was a kid--what a rock-star), and he thought the krauts he knew were not so bad.

All the Pacific guys had more hatred for the japs than any other emotion I thought. The stories about the PI girls when the wives were not around were the best.

The ones in Korea just talked about how crazy AF the Koreans, north and south, were.

My dad's generation (he was in West Germany through the 60s) just seems a lot less open about telling their stories than my great uncles, but the few VC stories I've heard from the guys 20 years older than me have been pretty gruesome; I don't know, could be a function of the age I was at the times.

[Smitty-48]

It would seem that fighting against an empire does motivate one to be a bad ass guerrilla warrior.

The NVA weren't guerillas, they were a regular army, they hugged the belt to get inside of the American firepower defenses, but when the NVA came calling, they went toe-to toe, jungle war yes, but still conventional and symmetrical, once they got inside of the firepower by hugging the American belt, they overran American units with abandon, whole companies and sometimes even battalions of Americans, just wiped out at bayonet range.

So long as the Americans kept them at bay with artillery and airpower, the NVA was survivable, but once they got inside to bayonet range? It was no contest.

I pride myself on not letting trivial details get in the way of a snarky shitpost.

Fair enough I guess, but for me, the NVA, were so damn dedicated, so damn stalwart, so damn cunning, and so damn glorious in their will to fight, sacrifice, and win, toe to toe, against the most overwhelming odds imaginable, at any cost, that they deserve their due; pound for pound, best damn regular army, in the history of the world, bar none.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Interesting that some measure an army by the men in it, and others by the overall effectiveness, weapons, terrain, and all.

Apples and oranges.

[Xenophon]

Back on topic, my web sleuthing has turned up nothing. This attack wasn’t planned on a message board, it seems.

[Okeefenokee]

What the hell is going on in here?

We're under attack, and we're telling war stories, and not even our own, but other people's?

Martin, what's the objective? Who's on point? Has anyone even prepared their fighting position?

Speaker and Carlus, you're with me. We're gonna make a pass around the fort and see if anything's on the wire.

Grumps and HM, collect the ammo and water and bring it to the CP.

DB, establish a triage area.

Smitty, you're on KP.

You fuckers better get your shit together and stop acting like a bunch of fucking spoons quick, fast, and in a hurry, because Charles has come to call.

[Smitty-48]

Interesting that some measure an army by the men in it, and others by the overall effectiveness, weapons, terrain, and all.

Apples and oranges.

Tactics don't amount to a hill o' beans if they do not support a strategic objective and ultimately victory, but even tactically, the North Vietnamese were vastly superior, they had the edge in every way, particularly stealth, speed, maneuver, surprise, sustainment, and most importantly, reading the ground, in reality, the US and allied performance in Vietnam was nothing short of pathetic, it's not the troops fault, they were just doing what they were told, but in terms of the chain of command, they had no idea what they were doing, they literally sent 58, 220 American boys to the deaths, just on sheer incompetence, the Pentagon proved to be a bunch of amatuers who couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag when push came to shove, no matter how much valour from the individual American soldier.

[Okeefenokee]

Back on topic, my web sleuthing has turned up nothing. This attack wasn’t planned on a message board, it seems.

Well at least one soldier here knows his damn job. If we make it through this, I'm putting you in for a medal.

[Okeefenokee]

Interesting that some measure an army by the men in it, and others by the overall effectiveness, weapons, terrain, and all.

Apples and oranges.

Tactics don't amount to a hill o' beans if they do not support a strategic objective and ultimately victory, but even tactically, the North Vietnamese were vastly superior, they had the edge in every way, particularly stealth, speed, manuever, surprise, and most importantly, reading the ground, in reality, the US and allied performance in Vietnam was nothing short of pathetic, it's not the troops fault, they were just doing what they were told, but in terms of the chain of command, they had no idea what they were doing, they literally sent 58, 220 American boys to the deaths, just on sheer incompetence, the Pentagon proved to be a bunch of amatuers who couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag when push came to shove, no matter how much valour from the individual American soldier.

47k vs 1100k KIA says the tactical contest was pretty one sided.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Interesting that some measure an army by the men in it, and others by the overall effectiveness, weapons, terrain, and all.

Apples and oranges.

Tactics don't amount to a hill o' beans if they do not support a strategic objective and ultimately victory, but even tactically, the North Vietnamese were vastly superior, they had the edge in every way, particularly stealth, speed, maneuver, surprise, sustainment, and most importantly, reading the ground, in reality, the US and allied performance in Vietnam was nothing short of pathetic, it's not the troops fault, they were just doing what they were told, but in terms of the chain of command, they had no idea what they were doing, they literally sent 58, 220 American boys to the deaths, just on sheer incompetence, the Pentagon proved to be a bunch of amatuers who couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag when push came to shove, no matter how much valour from the individual American soldier.

What would you have done different? Retrain the marines to wear sandals and eat shit for 6 years?