I was 23 in 1966 and a conscientious objector to violence and war. I grew up in a family in Pennsylvania where serving others was a way of life.
In November of that year I left for Viet Nam on a 3 year assignment through the Mennonite Central Committee, an international aid organization (NGO).
Many thought the war was nearing an end as we had half a million troops in this tiny country at this time. I did vehicle repair around the country for our various volunteer units who were serving war refugees.
In mid 1967 I moved from Saigon to Hue and worked with a vocational high school and a food for work program outside the city. Late in 67 the mortar attacks intensified and having a wife and 1 year old daughter we returned to what seemed more secure in Saigon. Little did anyone know the Tet offensive in January of 1968 was soon upon us.
Little did anyone know the Tet offensive in January of 1968 was soon upon us.
I remember hearing the opening shots on the American Embassy in the middle of the night and saying to my wife, “something is going on out there.” To make along story short, in 3-4 weeks after Tet we started providing water, food, and shelter for thousands of refugees who poured into the city for security and filled every park, soccer field, mall area for survival living. It soon became clear the war was raging on and spreading to Laos and Cambodia in what became know as the “secret bombings” of the Nixon era.
I returned home to the United States in mid 1968 with my wife and daughter. 58,000 of our troops who went to serve did not come home alive. I would say that our attempt to serve in Viet Nam was not successful on the battlefield or in the refugee work we sought to do. I am always amazed at the high cost we paid in Viet Nam and the little we as a nation learned from that time.