KHE SANH: a walk in the clouds PART II

July 7th had arrived it was hard to imagine I was going to Vietnam with a teacher who inspired me I met Dennis and the rest of our group at LAX Bob Bharata Paul Knight and Glenn prentice all three men served with Dennis at Khe Sanh however this was Glen's fourth trip back to Vietnam since 1993 he knew the country well and would act as our guide Paul's son Jeff would be traveling with us as well Don Elliott would flown in from Arkansas the night before was making her second trip in over a year her brother Jerry is still listed as missing in action at Khe Sanh after his chopper was shot down near Long Bay reports indicate that Jerry had survived the crash and was last seen being led away by North Vietnamese soldiers he hasn't been seen since Donna's making this trip in hopes of meeting with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi to discuss Jerry's case Dennis and the others have been waiting for this day for nearly 32 years in less than 24 hours Vietnam and everything had breathed would be inside of us and it would stay with us long after we were gone fifteen hours later and we were half a world away Incheon South Korea was our stop off point before heading on to Saigon as we prepared to step onto the plane and into another world I couldn't help but wonder if all those years of yearning had prepared Dennis for what would lie ahead undoubtedly the things he remember would surely be different much like an adult who visits his childhood home only to realize it's much smaller than he had remembered Khe Sanh was no small thing it was larger than life something incomprehensible to anyone who didn't fight there someone such as myself I knew the history the dates the numbers and the names names like Gunny Rimmel but I didn't know about death destruction or the aftermath of war when this trip was through I would look at these men and anyone who fought in Vietnam with a newfound respect and understanding what war is and what it does to the soul of a 19 year old kid Ho Chi Minh City still Saigon to those who live here and to those who've returned Saigon was South Vietnam's final stronghold before eventually falling to the Communists in 1975 everything America had fought for died here and with it went a generation of young men today Vietnam is very different it's a communist country but on the inside in Saigon it felt like freedom it's a place of intrigue and it's true what they say about the heat it saturates you the moment you arrive it gets deep inside you the people are what stand out the most this was my first trip to Vietnam and being an American I was concerned about their distrust or their disgust but that was something far removed from the truth the children were the most curious of all greeting us in English wherever we went and I heard that familiar phrase you always hear in the movies America number one it was sad in a way because I knew the history America had let these people down but that didn't seem to matter what mattered was we were returning and for Vietnam that was good as we toured the war museum moving from room to room I could sense their uneasiness as they stood and stared at what was their past and remembering Denis had never been to Saigon but just being back in Vietnam again for the first time in 32 years was beginning to take hold this was just his first step of many to come tomorrow we leave for Wei city we arrived in the ancient city of Wei a city that was nearly destroyed during the Tet Offensive but the streets the citadel it was all still the same way is one of those places that feels nostalgic French architecture set against a vast mountain range to the west the Vietnamese people being somewhat superstitious say there are ghosts in those mountains wei city was familiar terra-tory dennis had spent some time here before and after the siege but wei was an afterthought for him his mind was out in those mountains to the west i can see it in his eyes it's almost like he's nineteen again sitting out like he did so many years before by chance we met a former north vietnamese soldier they sold a good fought against the americans in Khe Sanh Wow this man showed no anger or disgust he looked at being away lucky was with friends people who understood and they did understand yeah as I sat and watched these men talk about the past and what they endured I realized that this man had suffered the same tragedies as the Americans had suffered the rage of war and the loss of friends it made me realize that there are two sides to war and that both sides have casualties there was two different cultures and yet one understanding the tragedies of war and the time it's taken to heal the past load up it's amazing to be here amazing to be here you

Channel: David Kniess

Views: 35,211

Keywords: Dennis Mannion, Khe Sanh, Siege at Khe Sanh, USMC, Vietnam War, Vietnam, 26th Marines, Hill 861, Quang Tri, Khe Sanh Combat Base

Id: yYvKCMlP05U

Length: 10min 56sec (656 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 08 2011