Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 1963)
10 A WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13. 1983 MEDFOHD MAIL! TRIBUNE. MEDFCRD. OREGON Dramatic Viet Mam War Unreal .to Peip! e Back Nome By NEIL SHEEHAN Uniied Pren Inttrnitional Saigon iUPD The young west Point captain stood in the shade of a palm tree and watched the Vietnamese troops splash through the muck and glistening black water of the flooded rice field "Sometimes I think people back home don't know there is a war on in Viet Nam," he said. "My wife's neighbors don't even know where Viet Nam is." The comment was typical of the lonely, often frustrating and always intensely personal kind of war which U. S. fight ing men are waging in South' east Asia. Even the sharply contrast ing landscape of this ancient and violent land lends a dra matic and haunting quality to the daily ritual of killing and dying. . Into this drama, the ulti mate stakes of which are per haps all of Southeast Asia have moved thousands of Americans whose background and education are as varied as their ages and places of birth But they have two things in common - the same uniform and the same code of profes sional dedication. Contact Enemy Daily There are now some 12,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen in Viet Nam. About 4,000 of thesc-ficld advisers, helicop ter and airplane crews, pilots ana special forces teams-have almost daily contact with the enemy. As in any war, many men are based at headquarters in Saigon, once called "the Paris of the Orient," and do the countless routine and unhcro- ic jobs that must be done to keep an army on the move Some use typewriters, purify waler, operate radios, publish native language newspapers, cook and serve food and all the other essential chores of a military operation in a foreign land. 26 Killed in Action The 4,000 men who risk their lives in combat range from the young private who mans a machine gun in a heli copter to the tough, hard driving paratroop and infan try colonels who run the field advisory detachments. As of the end of January, '26 Fob. 27, 28 Mir. 1, 2 7 I I of these young Americans had been killed in direct action with the guerrillas and 21 others died in what have been called "combat-associated" ac cidents. Another seven died in ordinary accidents. Their widows and families receive purple hearts, but no major medals such as the sil ver star of Congressional Med al of Honor, because the U. S Congress has not yet approved such awards for this war. The men who died, and those who will die before it is over, received no extra com bat pay. The families of those who enlisted too late to take advantage of the govern merit's Korean War Insurance program will receive only six months pay and the costs of the funeral. Leary Charged Special Forces 1st Lt. Paul E. Leary, 27, Abilene, Texas, could tell the folks back home what the war is- like in Vict Nam. Early in January a 57- millimcter recoillcss rifle round ripped between his legs as he was taking off his boots, and a mob of screaming Viet Cong charged into his camp hurling grenades and firing submachine guns. Leary and the small group with him fought off the attack. But for some of the Amcrl cans, Vict Nam was their first and last war. Young Paratroop Clpa. Don J. York, 21), Nashville, North Carolina, was driving along a road just north of Saigon last summer when the nearby jun gle suddenly erupted with gunfire. York died fighting under a hail of Vict Cong bullets. Lt. William Train III, 25, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsyl vania, was killed a month earlier on the same road in another ambush a few miles farther south. Train, the son of a general, was carrying on a family tra dition of soldiering common to many of the officers here. One who served his tour of duty and returned safely home was Col. Frank Clay, son of Gen. Lucius D. Clay and the scion of a distin guished military family. Some Veterans But all those who serve in Viet Nam are not green re cruits or fresh military acad emy graduates. There arc the veteran sergeants and colonels who have seen ruRged duly in world Win- 11 and Korea. For them, Vict Nam is a new kind of war and a new challenge. Lt. Col, John Vann, 42, El Paso, lexas, commanded a ranger company in Korea. Vann, one of America's most highly regarded field advisers in Vict Nam, is a tireless offi cer with driving energy. Ramrod Officer Vann spends days plunging through the slinking filth of the paddies or supervising the helicopter evaluation of wounded under Viet Cong fire. Nights are spent writing those endless reports for the commanding officers in Sai gon, or helping his Vietnam ese counterpart plan the next day's operation. Paratroop Col. Wilber E. Wilson, 53, Norman, Okla homa, is a ramrod straight of ficer referred to affectionate ly by his subordinates-but not in his presence-as "Coalbin Willie." For Wilson, one of the most brilliant and capable senior officers in Vict Nam, the army is his life, his home and a de manding taskmaster which consumes all of his time and energy. According to legend, Wil son, who is a bachelor, once said jokingly to a homesick young lieutenant "Son, if the army wanted you to have a wife, they'd issue you one." Special Services Sgt. Mar vin Compton Jr., 36, Louis ville, Kentucky, is a stocky muscular man who speaks in a soft deliberate voice. His balding head betrays his years of military service. Compton put It simply: "I'm here because this is what I was trained to do, and it's my job." Dedicated Soldiers These battle scarred veter ans are dedicated profession al soldiers. They know what they are doing and why they arc here. But being advisers is not easy for men who have been trained to be leaders. End less hours are spent trying to get ideas across diplomati cally to their Vietnamese counterparts who frequently listen, and then reject, their American comrades' advice 4,49 Offenses Reported in City Medford police investigated a total of 4,479 offenses dur ing January, according to report by Chief of Police Charles P. Champlin. Of the total, 82 of the cisos involved major offenses, a de crease of 6 over the number reported for the same month last year. Thirty of the cases were closed, for a 36.6 per centage, the report showed. Ten of the major offenses were burglaries, four less than January, 10(52. Only one of the burglary cases was closed. Forty-eight ot the cases re ported involved thefts un-.lur $50. Twenty-three of tnose cases were cleared. A total of 220 tickets for traffic violations were issued (o Medford drivers last month, a marked incrcjsc over the 65 issued during the same month lust year. The report showed that 3,8113 parking tickets were issued. Eighty vehicle accidents oc curred in the city last month. Eighteen persons were injur ed in the mishaps, according to the report, but there were no fatalities. This compares with 51) accidents last Janu ary, with 10 persons Injured and one fatality, according to the report. SUCCESS MINDED PEOPLE TAKE THE DALE CARNEGIE COURSE In Effective Speaking, Human Relations, Leadership Training See for yourself how you may develop and train these basic traits: SELF CONFIDENCE SPEAKING SKILLS HUMAN RELATIONS INSIGHT DECISION-MAKING ABILITY POSITIVE MOTIVATING ATTTUDES J ATTEND A CLASS SESSION Thurs., Feb. 14 MEDFORD'S YMCA 7:30 P.M. 10 Ways the Dale Carnegie Course Helps Men & Women Acquire Po'r Confidence rH Sell Your sell Your ldfn J"d Bt Your Bot W.th Any O'Oup Remember Nirifi Think n,4 St- on Your feet Control heir jnd Worry Be Better ComerMtipnrflKt Deelo Your Hid den Ahilitie Wm Job Thf Belter More ItKArTte DALE CARNEGIE COURSES Approved for Oregon Korean Veterans Prnnted by J. R. Tylor-Auoil Spomor For Further Information - Mr. Taylor, Prion 773-5125 or Writ 548 lotier lan The job becomes an ago nizing emotional torment when men die and battles are lost because of mistakes which the American can see happen ing, but which he is power less to correct. New Kind of War Perhaps it is because of these frustrations and blind alleys that (hese Americans have thrown themselves so enthusiastically and forceful ly into the struggle. For one thing, it is a new kind of war. American offi cers, trained to move tanks and armored battalions or in fantry regiments in sweeping formations, have never before experienced this kind of hit-and-run war. It is- a type of warfare wag ed on terrain which nature seems to have designed espe cially for guerrilla fighting. The Viet Cong guerrilla is a fanatical and ruthless foe. He is very patient and self critical, and seldom makes the same mistake twice: He is willing to pay almost any price in blood to achieve the ends he has set for himself. Surprise Attacks When the Viet Cong at tacks on any scale, it is usu ally with overwhelming force and the clement of surprise. For the U.S. advisor assigned to a lonely outpost somewhere in the mountains to lh.- north, or the swamps in the south, it is a process of endlo.-s pa trolling and uneasy waiting. Kri -,Wf?-iS -tsJk- 0 r cr- H 7 t . At n Mwfe TROOPS PROTECT PATROL Vietnamr.'iR rit-o imririips fnr Virl (-.nnv pimrrillas riiirinK I troops in manned-armored vphirlns nivp nrn- nnpmlifin "Mnmirtir St:ir' nt fZaiann lITPH leclive cover as three-man patrol searches tjm. mi rhJk ifei--? "VtiLn tr5efV'fl ' i One night - if he is lucky -the dogs bark in the village near the delense post to give a few seconds warning. A stray shot rings out. Perhaps a mine thuds dully, and then the black-clad enemy comes boiling and screaming out of the darkness. Or perhaps it will happen on some jungle trail or delta road. The birds suddmly stop singing and the chirpi.ig of the insects ceases. The mor tars boom in over the tree tops and the machine gun begins its ugly death rattle up ahead. Determined Foa The Communist guerrilla in this part of what as once French Indo-China is one of the most determined foes the American soldier has ever had to fight. Across the havoc and agony of this civil var, the Viet Cong has won the re spect of the professional fight ing men from across the seas. But with this respect comes an awareness of the brutality of the enemy, and a deter mination to trap and destroy him. It is not hatred. It is just the calm determination of the professional soldier to do the job he was hired to do. As one American special forces sergeant put it. "I used to lcel kind of sorry for the Viet Cong, the way they live and fight in such miserable conditions and die of their wounds because they don't have much medical care. But when 1 saw how they ambush with the odds all on their side, butcher these little guys I've trained, kill my buddies, burn villages and all the rest ot it, then I knew they were my enemy, loo. I still don't hate them, but I'll kill every one of them that gets in my way." Gamble With Death Back home in the Uniied Slates, the war in Viet Nam may be on the front pages or flash across the television screen once in a while. To the Americans stationed here, however, it is a daily gamble with death. There are no medals and no extra pay. One helicopter pilot said there are no heroes here, eilher. "We're doin;; the same Ihing here we'd be doing in any war." he said. "We lake Hie troops into bailie and we get shot at." II is "a dirly lillle war," as one American general de scribed it, but it is a war into which the Uniied States has plunged some of its finest young men. When they fall in battle here, the flags do not come to half staff in Washington. There are no solemn funeral processions down Pennsyl vania avenue with a mourn ful nation paying tribute. No Tribute Paid There is a simple ceremony at the Saigon airport. The roar of engines on the busy airstrip and the sounds of a nation at war drown out the chaplains' prayers. Buddies and friends stand at attention in their starched khakis. The hands snap up smartly in a final salutj - a soldiers' farewell - as the flag draped coffin is carried slow ly aboard a waiting transport plane for that final trip home across the wide stretches of the Pacific. When Viet Nam was part of the great French empira in Asia, France poured mil lions of francs and the blood of her finest sons into tha futile struggle to hold onto this faraway place. There is a French military cemetery just outside Saigon. A single tricolor ripples gent ly in the breeze, keeping si lent vigil over the white head stones set row upon row in the reddish brown soil. One corner of the cemetery Is empty. According to legend, tha French say it was left for tha Americans who would some day die in Viet Nam. What 4 Stock Portfolios do our Analysts Favor? Harris, Upham's new hfarket Review answers this and many other questions of current interest to investors. Send for your complimentary copy now. Which common shares do Harris, Upham's research specialists favor in building a $10,000 portfolio for income? for growth potential? for trading purposes? Which convertible preferred stocks do they choose? See the new Market Review for the list of 20 favored slocks our research specialists selected to build four model portfolios for these different investment ob jectives. Their suggestions embody a very helpful viewpoint for today's investor. This issue also dis cusses the inflationary possibilities in the new Federal budget and the tax-cut situation, and reports the results of Harris, Upham's intensive study of 100 different groups of stocks (of which 11 appear to be current favorites.) For such expert analyses of today's market fuels, figures, and psychology, just mail the coupon below lor your complimentary copy of Market Review. Harris, Upham & C2 , Members yew York Stock Exchange and other leading security and commodity exchanges 47 Odices from Coast to Coast 44 S. Central Avenue, Medlord, Oregon 773-7701 Gentlemen: Please send me the Market Review. J13 j Address. Clly k , It's a Real H PURUCKER'S Sweetheart J Ipl of a . . . fi TV N -ill tux- Mi 1 Ifi! I BUY NOW f BPmEmj AND SAVE! L P. Albums ' fe JT . x- . ?.'jr a. ' i -. WOT. l U(V"" w . OtTlCLRS ACCOMPANY TANK L. S. In iHiiliy officers Lt. Col. John P. Vann (lffti. M-nmr advisor to 7 liilantiy Uiv , and linK. den. tliTiild C. Kollrhor, of Armored I iTtini-l Carrier Uiv. accompany lel-nann-r Mildiers on lank patrol during op eration "Morninc Star" recently. il'iM) $33.3 Milion Budget Submitted to Boord Portland I IT School Su-r-inW'iidcnt Mehin Harnc.-. told t ho Portland school board M. mhI. iv niKlit that if a SJ 5 million op. r.i I unit! I levy i pot coi.limuM April Jti H will be almni-l i.npoMhle to oper.tte lite m Ii.k'1 lem v ithiuit sell mn mm lie i( the (unutme " H.irnes nt.uie tlie eomment in MilMintln.ji a tentative hud jiet vt $AH .t nullum for l:itW M, alMHit A per ivnt nutrt thim the current budget. I r" r.tts CUPID APPROVED 1961 Chevrolet 4 Dr. Sfitton Wjqon Park wood, VB, Aueo mjtic, Vjltnhnc Red m color. $2233X3 LEA RAMBLER R Phone 772-6185 Pj Jnd Bjrtlett L. P. Albums Stereo & Mono! Great for Gifts or for Yourself! LONDON CLASSICS! Mono $o 79 s,oreo SI 5 9 Reg. 4.98 JL Reg. 5.98 Mercury Wing Symphonies! $98 Mono or Stereo. Reg. 2.98 Guy Lombardo Albums! Mono 3.98-Sterco 4.98. Buy one it reg. price, got 2nd for ... Grand Award & Richmond Pops! ,r S098 ftry. j.rg INUW UlNLT A- 3C0 Stereo 99c $2 99 IP $ Special E4, Table of Assorted Albums Reduced SI. 00 or Morel rfr Carrying Cases for 45's Opacity for 50 m 95 Capacity for 100 jr tJC Reg. 5.95, Now fcj Reg. 8.95, Now Q CKER'S mm I 111 North Central 0 Record Dept. , Phone 773-7538 1
