THURSDAY. AUGUST 30. 1362
MEDFOBD MAIL TH1BUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON
Americans Train South Vietnamese Natives for Guerrilla Warfare
Ediior'l nole A cen
iury ago. the) U. S. cavalry
used Indian tcouli to light
fellow Indians during Iht
baltla tor lho old wait. To
day, American Forces in
South Vietnam ara trying
to train primitive nativei
to carry guerrilla war to
the Communiit Viet Cong.
Military experts lay the out
come ol the project may
mean the difference be
tween victory and defeat
for non-Communist forcei
in the jungle-infeiled South
east Asian nation.
By NEIL SHEEHAN
Plciku. South Vietnam
-dPl'To the average Vietna
mese, the tribesmen who in
habit Vict Nam's junfile-in-fesled
central highland are
"moi" savage. The word
has a connotation of utter con
tempt. But regardless of the alti
tude of their countrymen, the
primitive, spirit-worshipping
mountain people are the ob
ject of a great tug-of-war be
tween the wily Vict Cong
guerrillas and U. S. spcchil
forces who are helping the
beleaguered South Vietna
mese government fight t h e
Communist marauders.
American military advisers
believe the outcome of the
struggle for the loyally and
support of the 700,000 mon
Ingnards (montagnard is the
French word for highlander)
may be the difference be
tween victory and defeat in
this ill-defined war to keep
South Vietnam outside the
Communist orbit.
The Viet Cong have de
pended on the montagnards
for food and other logistical
aid in their forays against the
more civilized Mekong delta
and into coastal regions. The
U. S. special forces are 'Ty
ing to train the tribesmen as
an effective counter-guerrilla
force to beat the Viet Cong
at ils own game.
In Action
American military advisers
hope to use the montagnards
against the Viet Cong the way
the U. S. cavalry used Indian
scouts to help subdue warring
tribes in the old west. Two
companies of m o n t a g nard
"scouts" recently went into
action against the Communists
and nine others are in some
staqe of training.
Monlagnards, some descend
ants of Indonesians who came
here 1.000 years ago and oth
ers of Cambodian slock, share
primitive customs and relig
ious practices but their 20
odd tribes speak a variety of
languages. ,
They live in thatched houses
raised on poles as protection
against loving animals and
snakes. Woven reed and grass
walls protect the multiple
family "long houses" from
torrential rains of the mon
soon season.
Montagnard men basically
arc hunters and many still;
prefer brightly colored loin
cloths to western style shirts
and pants. The women, often
bare-breasted, perform most
of the domestic work, much
of it heavy, laborious chores
shunned by women In more
civilized societies.
Not Warlike
These mountain tribesmen
are not warlike by nature hut
have not scruples annul kill
ing enemies who threaten
them. U. S. advisers say they
make enthusiastic fighiers.
The vast majority of the
montagnards today live on ap
proximately the same cultural
level the American Indian did
in the llllh century. Civiliza
tion probably would have
passed Ihem by for m a n y
more generations if the jun
gles and mountains they in
habit were not so strategical
ly important in the struggle
for Southeast Asia.
The central highlands of
South Vietnam dominate the
coastal area to the east, the
rich Mekong delta to Ihe soulh
and lie athwart the niain Viet
Cong infiltration route ncro.-s
try.
jYV--
it.
r
GIVES INSTRUCTIONS American military advisors in
Vietnam believe t lie outcome of the struggle for the loyally
and support of the 700,000 Montagnards ("montagnard"
is Ihe French word for "highlander") may be the difference
between victory and defeat in the ill-defined war to keep
South Vietnam outside the Communist orbit. U. S. special
1
forces are trying to train tribesmen as an effective counter
guerrilla force to beat the Vict Cong. Here, U. S. Army
Ranger Lt. Bruce G. Sinally, 28. of Stowe, Vt., gives
Vietnamese Cpl. Y-Bhung bayonet training in the village
of Buon Ki, outside of Ban Me Thuot, while other Viet
namese trainees look on. (UPI)
to the influx of American encompassing 30,000 tribes- resettled in safer areas. to monlagnard relief, but ars
settlers into the west during i people have been won over! Over the past year, it is still bogged down in red tape
the 19th century. land the village home guards estimatcd by American offi-lani lne "nds nave not 'et
Like tne American inaian.now amount 10 ,uuu men. , ... -nnn
Other similar projects have ' a' " 6
been started in neighboring have fled Viet Cong control
provinces and the eventual led areas. Most of these tribes
hope is to tie them all togeth-jmen are in dire need of food
er. denying the area to theand medicai attention which
Communists. government propaganda
The Viet Cong already have . promised them but which so
become so worried about the , far has 8rrived in very inade-
the tribesmen were giver,
"fire water" in this case
strong chaume-chaume wine
and then cheated of their
lands and goods while drunk.
The result was to create
widespread discontent and a
natural target for Communist
subversion and propaganda
from the north.
Communist propaganda
promises the tribesmen that
if the Diem government is
overthrown, they will be al
lowed to create an autono
mous area of their own.
Had Free Hand
Until the American mili
tary buildup began in South
Vietnam in December, t h e
Communists practically had
a free hand with the montag
nards. The government troops
rarely dared venture beyond
the safety of the larger towns
and outposts.
In February a special Amer
ican counter-guerrilla organ
ization with a headquarters in
Saigon began to initiate proj
ects, aimed at winning the
support of the montagnards.
A team of U. S. Army .ipe-
cial forces men and Depart
Ban Me Thout project that
they have assigned a special i
battalion to attack the villages I
on the perimeter and prevent i
the organization from spread-
ing. So far these attacks have j
been fought off and the spe- i
! cial forces men have their
lingers crossed.
Other attempts to train spe
cial montagnard scout compa
nies as a counter - guerrilla
force have met with less suc
cess because of Vietnamese
suspicion and discrimination.
Not Paid
When this correspondent re-'
cently visited four of these
companies in training at Tan
Canh in northern Kontum
province he found that two
of the companies had not been
paid in six months and had
had 80 deserters. Most of the
men were dressed in ragged,
torn fatigues and lacked other
quate quantities.
been released.
Washington has agreed to
ship 750 tons of surplus corn
and e'her grains to Viet Nam
as aid to the tribes, but this
will not arrive in Saigon un
til October, according to
American officials.
American military advisers
warn that if the montagnards
Negotiations have been go- in need are not helped soon
ing on for the last two months : they may return to the jun
to commit 50 million piastres ! gles and mountains and be
in American aid funds (73 lost to the government causa
piastres to one U. S. dollar) forever.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Come Hear The . . .
TEEN WORLD VOICES
from Los Angeles, California
This is a very talented group of 30
Teens who also have a weekly TV show
called "Teen World"
I
mcnt of the Army civilians 1 essential equipment
the northern Cambodian and and intelligence. montagnards are well-armed, The montagnards, a dark-
southern Laotian borders. ; They point out that any and willing to fight. skinned, short people with
During the past few years Vietnamese -- and most of Accurate intelligence on j the more angular features of (rajncd and armed tribesmen
the North Vietnamese have the Viet Cong cadre are Viet-. Viet Cong bases and move- tne Indonesian race as op- and sent lnern back to their
began working with the Rhadc
tribesmen around Ban Me
Thout farther south. The aim
was to convince the Rhades
in the area, who were under
the control of the Vict Cong
at the time, that they could
resist the guerrillas them
selves and gain independence
from Communist demands for
food, recruits and intelligence.
The special forces team
infiltrated thousands of crack
guerrilla specialists into the
area.
This infiltration. American
officers say, has risen alarm
ingly since formation of the
coalition government in Laos.
Strong Bases
The Viet Cong also have
established strong bases In the
namese is at the mercy of incuts through the central ! posco to inc ligntcr skin and
the tribesmen, provided the j highlands could be compiled, Chinese features of the Vict-
Log Truck Driver
Injured in Accident
A logging truck driver was
injurrd about noon Wcdncs-
ccnlral highlands from which i day in a two-vehicle accident
they raid freely into the coast-! about a half mile south of the
al area lo the east. The even- Lake Creek and Brownsboru
tual aim, American advisers rds. junction, state police re
say, is to gain control of a ; ported.
section of the central high-1 The driver, Charles Elmer
lands and split Soulh Vietnam Cooper, 35, of Klamath Falls,
in two. The war, the Ameri-1 was treated al Sacred Heart
cans say, will be practically hospital for injuries to his!
won by the Communists if ilus
happens.
The only way lo regain con
trol of the central highlands
and deny II to Ihe Viet Cong,
American advisers say, is to
gain Ihe sympathy and sup
port of the montagnards.
American advisers claim,
and apparently with great jus
tification, thai if the monlag
nards were won over to lite
government side the Vict
Cong would he deprived of
the Communists constantly
harassed by jungle-wise tribes
men and guerrilla units de
stroyed by superior forces
when located, the Americans
say.
Love Land
But unlortunalely, Ihe Sai
gon government's policy in
the past has largely resulted
in alienating the montagnards.
The situation results from the
traditional attitude of the
Vietnamese toward the mon
tagnards. who look on the
tribesmen as savages.
right leg and bruises to his
head.
The logging truck was fol
lowing a pickup truck driven
by John Franklin Klingle, 5B,
Lake Creek, as they ap
proached a farm tractor op
erated by Henry Meyer. Lake
Creek. Roth trucks attempted
to pass at the same time, state
police said. The logging truck
hit the pickup truck, swerved
lo the left, and traveled 370
feet, over a bank and into a
a vast source of food, recruits nearby pasture, officers said.
namese, love their land of
mountains and valley covered
with lush green jungle on
which soft white mists float
during the rainy season.
They resented fiercely the
intrusion of land - grabbing
Vietnamese who came after
French administration ended.
As a University of Michigan
study pointed out, the situa
tion bears a close resemblance
villages to fight as a defen
sive home guard. Propaganda
teams were created, a Rhade
medical staff was trained and,
as the number of villages
grew, a radio net was created
to lie them In and give warn
ing of attacks. A strike force
of 700 men was created as a
mobile reserve.
Has Paid Off
The project has paid off
handsomely. Some 113 vil
lages around Ban Me Thout
But if the experiment suc
ceeds, the Americans hope the
scout companies will serve as
a valuable and highly mobile
strike force against the Com
munists, able to exist and
operate in the jungles fqr
long periods of time.
The Communists also have
made serious mistakes over
the past year in dealing with
tile montagnards but the
creaky Saigon bureaucracy
has been excruciatingly slow
lo exploit them. Because of
increased numbers of Viet
Cong who have infiltrated
into the central highlands and
the consequently greater de
mands for food and recruits,
thousands of montagnards
have fled their remote vil
lages to seek protection along
the more secure areas near
ihe towns and main roads.
Thousands of others have been
taken from their villages by
Vietnamese army troops and
TWO BIG
s
7:30 at McLoughlin Jr. High
SATURDAY NIGHT
Hear A Teen Favorite . . .
DAVE GRANT
Baritone, Trombonist, Film and
Recording Star
EVERYONE WELCOME
STATE HOSPITAL
Richmond A slate hospi
lal for the insane, located at
Williamsburg. Va., is believed
to be the oldest such institu
tion, puhlicly supported, to be
established in Ihe United
Stales.
BIG PROVINCE
Winnipeg The province of
Manitoba is larger than any j
stale of the United States ;
mainland except Texas and is j
larger than the areas of Mon- J
tana and Colorado combined. 1
They'll Do It Every T ime
By Jimmy Hatlo
f THIS SUE CALLS A
SAN6WICU P.' DPlEf? THAW
AN OLD WUIak BROOM.1,'
mam on rye asbestos
AKJ iUIW'il PC ic u.inc
LIKE IT.' MUSTA COME SX$-
OUT OF A ROCK KjX
muw i k y . . .fim
Vi
'LOOK.CWUM-WE'VE
BEEN OVER 7WIS
BEFORE ALL
DAMES IS NUTS-
ncni,-tn n
-anfllllL
But on mis day
ocp me takes
oveq tmecmef
department
and evei3vtwn6
is charred
BARBECUE BlACU.!
in .
I I
Peaberry.twe
IRON WORKER,
IS FOREVER.
VELPIN6 ABOUT
MIS FRAU'S ARI0,
SLAP-T06ETMER
SANDWICH
LUNCHES
WELL DONE.'
THAT S THE ONLV
WAV TO COOK MEAT.'
3 AND TUE BUMS uOT
psa TO BE TOASTED
7 PEAEERRV.'
JRNIii LOST
ANOTHER TOOTU
AND HER BRACES
ARE BROKEN.'
ABERRY i.
VMAT IS THIS?
A BLAST FURMACE?,
EVEN THE DOo
CANT EAT IT.'
'c-.;
'.V
i v 1
Village Variety & Garden Shop
Hunting & Filhing licenjM Isiued
PAY ELECTRIC BILLS HERE
"Medford's Only Independent Variety Store"
Next to "Piggly Wiggly"
2 Day Photo Finishing Sarvicc
POST OFFICE ALWAYS OPEN
771 Stewart Avenue 9 A.M. to 9 P.M.
Weekdays - 10 to 6 Sunday 773-7002
Hardwood
FOLDING CHAIRS
Fine Quality
Reg. 4.77
NOW fel'
ONLY Ol Iff
Brass Book Racks
Perfect for the Student
Reg.
1.19 NOW
38
CLOTHES Jl
HANGERS
Skirr - Blouse
Dress - Trousers
All PRICE
CERAMICS
GLASSWARE
Selected
Assortment
y2
Exclusively at
mmi JTm Dn imm wLm IM H 1 1 va H
Shoes for every member of the family with the revolutionary new
UNIFLEX
one-piece molded heel and sole
GUARANTEED NEVER TO NEED REPAIRING
I MADISON SQUARE I f Xl ford .n bjc(
moccasin wmp sI'ikui M MJOISON SQUME. J. I BLUEBIRD 3 evtUt Vt velvet, black glove
m black or brown I 3 evelet tie oitotd in I oxford in black or leather, while smootn
smooth leather. S.;e I black or brown smooth I brown smooth leather. leather, black white
6 to 11, B and D I leather. Sizes 34 to I Sues 8'j to 3, Band smooth leather or
widths. I 6, B and D widths. I 0 widths. ".wo 'n water " tan
8.99 5.99 4 4.99 A ivn
J 'wuriiirf) m'nw and D widths.
y J I 4.99 d 5.99
FRISKIES classic
smooth leather saddle
oxford in all white,
blackwhite or "soap
'n water" tan with sal
mon sole. Also in
black nvlon velvet.
Sues to 8, A, C
and D widths.
Uniflex molds an exceptionally long-wearing, non-marking heel and sole directly on to smart, dressy
leather uppers, without stitches -without nails. The result is a stronger, more durable shoe, yet'so light
and flexible it doesn't need breaking in. It resists dampness, won't soften or crack. Uniflex soles and heels
are guaranteed never to need repairing because they will outwear the uppers-or the shoes will be out
grown before the soles and heels are worn out. Who could ask for more?
PRICE
Open Monday and
Friday Until 9 P.M.
Phone 772-7733
MEDFORD
SHOPPING CENTER
STORES ALSO IN EUGENE, KLAMATH FALLS, SALEM AND PORTLAND