Author's Name: Thomas P. Knoten
Title: "Ten Things That I Know Were True in Vietnam"
Ten Things That I Know Were True in the Vietnam War (1967-8) 1. A sandbag wall may have protected from an incoming near-miss explosion...but not from a direct hit. 2. Guerrilla-warfare type bombings were a form of communication. 3. For second lieutenants in the U. S. Army, the way to get promoted was: stay alive. 4. Rank among lieutenants was like honor among thieves...it did not exist. 5. As told to me by a major in the intelligence career field, never end a body count with a zero or a five. 6. In a land war without front lines, the only ground that you controlled was what was under your boots. 7. “He jests at scars that never felt a wound.” (William Shakespeare) 8. The two most dangerous times in Vietnam were when you first arrived and just before you departed. 9. The Air Force took care of its own. Witness its Search-and-Rescue operations. 10. The most valuable assets of the U. S. Air Force were neither its high-performance aircraft nor high-explosive bombs but, rather, its enlisted ranks and officer corps. Thomas P. Knoten UMSL Veterans Center September 28, 2017 |