This year marks the 50th anniversary of the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. The war in Vietnam is remembered for its bombing of Hanoi, brutal battles like Khe Sanh, horrific massacres like the one at My Lai where 504 Vietnamese villagers including many children were killed by American soldiers. They say America lost the war in Vietnam, over fifty-eight thousand men and women lost their lives there and thousands more suffered terrible injuries. The Vietnam War is also remembered for America’s use of Agent Orange used to defoliate the jungle and Napalm sprayed on the enemy and sometimes falling on innocent civilians during the war. The war dragged on for over eleven long years and we left Vietnam without a real victory. When the Vietnam veterans came home there were no ticker tape parades, instead of being welcomed home as hero’s we were looked at as pariah’s, social misfits, drug crazed baby killers. There was nothing positive about the war or it’s veterans. At least that is what the main stream media told us.
Giving a dental examination to a Vietnamese boy.
Despite all of the negativity, there is an aspect of the Vietnam War that never received the attention that it should have. American military men and women did a tremendous amount of good in South Vietnam, at the same time that we were bombing the North and fighting the Vietcong in the jungles and rice paddies, we were also carrying out hundreds of humanitarian efforts throughout villages and hamlets in the country, helping the ordinary citizens of Vietnam improve their lives. These Civil Action campaigns were a part of the US strategy to try to win the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese and the Pentagon believed that if we could do that, we could win the war.
I had the good fortune to participate in a number of these Civil Action campaigns as part of a team of soldiers from the US 9th Infantry Division’s Medical Civil Action unit, we called it MEDCAP. The unit was made up of medical officer’s, medics, Vietnamese interpreters. We visited numerous villages and hamlets dotted all across South Vietnam. The MEDCAP units treated the inhabitants of these villages and hamlets for a variety of health problems, many of these people had never had any kind of medical or dental care in their lives. When we visited these villages we always brought along a variety of fruits, candies and supplies that the people were always very happy to receive.
Giving out goodies on Civil Action campaigns, 1967
During the war the 9th Infantry Division alone treated over 700,000 Vietnamese civilians, other divisions in Vietnam carried out similar missions in the country. In addition to the MEDCAP program, the US 9th Division was involved in building and refurbishing schools and providing classes in English for thousands of students. We also provided help in repairing destroyed houses and buildings. We distributed many tons of food, clothing, repaired more than 400 bridges.
Multi thousands of South Vietnamese people were helped by the Civil Action efforts of American GIs, all throughout South Vietnam. This is a very significant part of the Vietnam War that is all but forgotten that in my mind should be focused on by all of us who fought in Vietnam. It gives us something to be truly proud of.
(Supporting photographs taken by Gary Levinson attached to the US 9th Infantry Division’s MEDCAP Team.)