One GI's Experience

As a draftee, I arrived in Vietnam in late 1964 and served through 1965 in the Saigon/Cholon area. Together with other GIs, I spent my 'off duty' hours working in an orphanage and distributing food to refugees. I tried to learn the language and the customs and in the process made quite a few Vietnamese friends. They were generous and gave me much more than I returned to them. It is not a surprise to me that Americans going to Vietnam are stunned at how friendly the people are. They forget or did not know that most Southerns were our allies and not the enemy. I have never regreted being there but regreted that it was a war that brought me there.