To all marines and sailors on here, I have a story to share

[LeroyOU12]

Huan Nguyen, the new Navy rear admiral was my sister's math tutor when they were at Oklahoma State in 80-81. They remain good friends to this day. On his way to his assignment couple weeks ago he stopped by Dallas to visit my mom and sister.

Huan Nguyen, who came to Oklahoma 44 years ago as a political refugee, takes the oath of office for rear admiral during an Oct. 10 promotion ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial & Heritage Center in Washington, D.C. (U.S. NAVY PHOTO)

During the 1968 Tet Offensive, Nguyen’s father, an armor officer of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, mother and six siblings were shot and killed by Viet Cong communist guerillas in their family home outside Saigon. Nine-year-old Nguyen was shot in the arm and thigh, with another bullet piercing his skull, but, amazingly, survived.

A few days later, the communist rebel leader responsible for the killings, Lem Nguyen, was captured. Hearing the cowardly and heartless massacre committed by Lem Nguyen, then Brigadier General Loan Nguyen, pulled out his revolver and summary executed Lem Nguyen at point blank. The image was captured by Eddie Adams and seared into the American public opinion. The story of why Lem Nguyen met his death was never mentioned and the American press quickly condemned the action of Brigadier General Loan Nguyen as barbaric. The photo became an icon of the brutality of an unwinnable war and helped galvanized the anti-war movement.

https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=111160
http://littlesaigoninside.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-circle-life-of-navy-captain-huan.html
https://oklahoman.com/article/56444...uate-named-first-vietnamese-born-rear-admiral

 

[LyquidMetal]

Huan Nguyen, the new Navy rear admiral was my sister's math tutor when they were at Oklahoma State in 80-81. They remain good friends to this day. On his way to his assignment couple weeks ago he stopped by Dallas to visit my mom and sister.

Huan Nguyen, who came to Oklahoma 44 years ago as a political refugee, takes the oath of office for rear admiral during an Oct. 10 promotion ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial & Heritage Center in Washington, D.C. (U.S. NAVY PHOTO)

During the 1968 Tet Offensive, Nguyen’s father, an armor officer of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, mother and six siblings were shot and killed by Viet Cong communist guerillas in their family home outside Saigon. Nine-year-old Nguyen was shot in the arm and thigh, with another bullet piercing his skull, but, amazingly, survived.

A few days later, the communist rebel leader responsible for the killings, Lem Nguyen, was captured. Hearing the cowardly and heartless massacre committed by Lem Nguyen, then Brigadier General Loan Nguyen, pulled out his revolver and summary executed Lem Nguyen at point blank. The image was captured by Eddie Adams and seared into the American public opinion. The story of why Lem Nguyen met his death was never mentioned and the American press quickly condemned the action of Brigadier General Loan Nguyen as barbaric. The photo became an icon of the brutality of an unwinnable war and helped galvanized the anti-war movement.

https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=111160
http://littlesaigoninside.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-circle-life-of-navy-captain-huan.html
https://oklahoman.com/article/56444...uate-named-first-vietnamese-born-rear-admiral

//The story of why Lem Nguyen met his death was never mentioned \\
How come this doesn't surprise me. Have to sensationalize something to blame.
mainscreamedia is no better than the Natl Enquirer rags at the checkout stand.

 

[LeroyOU12]

//The story of why Lem Nguyen met his death was never mentioned \\
How come this doesn't surprise me. Have to sensationalize something to blame.
mainscreamedia is no better than the Natl Enquirer rags at the checkout stand.

Most men that served in VN knew the real story. You're right it's the press that suppressed it.

 

[RuffledFeathers]

Thanks for posting, never knew the story behind the photo.

A cousin of mine (never met him) married the daughter of Trần Văn Tuyên, the last civilian Deputy Prime Minister of South Vietnam (who died in a re-education prison camp in 1976, in the north)

 

[LeroyOU12]

Thanks for posting, never knew the story behind the photo.

A cousin of mine (never met him) married the daughter of Trần Văn Tuyên, the last civilian Deputy Prime Minister of South Vietnam (who died in a re-education prison camp in 1976, in the north)

A few weeks after General Loan Nguyen executed that VC he was wounded in battle so was my father (he was an army captain at the time). Dad and General Loan Nguyen shared a same hospital room in Saigon. That was how dad came to know the story of Huan Nguyen and his family.

 

[Fear-the Spear]

Most men that served in VN knew the real story. You're right it's the press that suppressed it.

........with the help of vermin like Jane Fonda and John Kerry

 

[LeroyOU12]

........with the help of vermin like Jane Fonda and John Kerry

Fuck Hanoi Jane.

 

[LyquidMetal]

Fuck Hanoi Jane.

Being a Nam era vet(I say it that way because i never went in country) and all the vets I've talked to over the years, so many still harbor ill will(to say it nicely) towards her.
The only thing I ever heard her say about it is that she was sorry the pic with her on the cong tank got published. Not that it was taken or she was there.

 

[RTR...USN (ret)]

Being a Nam era vet(I say it that way because i never went in country) and all the vets I've talked to over the years, so many still harbor ill will(to say it nicely) towards her.
The only thing I ever heard her say about it is that she was sorry the pic with her on the cong tank got published. Not that it was taken or she was there.

This... all of this. Bitch should have been tried for treason and hung.

 

[OldDevilDawg]

Being a Nam era vet(I say it that way because i never went in country) and all the vets I've talked to over the years, so many still harbor ill will(to say it nicely) towards her.
The only thing I ever heard her say about it is that she was sorry the pic with her on the cong tank got published. Not that it was taken or she was there.

This... all of this. Bitch should have been tried for treason and hung.

See...that's not what bothered me. She was allowed access to POWs......to further the North Vietnamese propaganda. It worked.

When our news media got done with it, my uncle had to deal with his own Mom spitting in his face calling him a baby killer when he got home.

 

[batchaps4me]

See...that's not what bothered me. She was allowed access to POWs......to further the North Vietnamese propaganda. It worked.

When our news media got done with it, my uncle had to deal with his own Mom spitting in his face calling him a baby killer when he got home.

IIRC it was Jeremiah Denton … later Admiral and Senator … that passed her a note on torture and she promptly gave it to the VC.

 

[LyquidMetal]

IIRC it was Jeremiah Denton … later Admiral and Senator … that passed her a note on torture and she promptly gave it to the VC.

Or was he the one that was blinking morse code and someone picked up on it?

 

[batchaps4me]

Or was he the one that was blinking morse code and someone picked up on it?

He most certainly was. I may have the wrong POW and have been looking to see if he also passed that bitch a note.

 

[OldDevilDawg]

IIRC it was Jeremiah Denton … later Admiral and Senator … that passed her a note on torture and she promptly gave it to the VC.

Today's "history" denies that that happened. But, yes, you are correct sir.

I had the opportunity to have a sit down conversation on a classified level with Vice Admiral James Stockdale back in the early 90s. He spent years as a POW in Nam and confirmed that such was standard procedure for the NV. He had direct knowledge of that very thing happening.

 

[batchaps4me]

WAPO says it did not happen, they may be correct but I doubt it based on the other actions she took.

 

[RTR...USN (ret)]

It's a "wiki" article, but the information is still true. I got to meet this fellow when i went through SERE school in San Diego. During our exit briefing he talked about his experiences, and could still recite every one of the names that he memorized while a POW in Hanoi. One hell of guy!


Douglas Brent Hegdahl III (born September 3, 1946) is a former United States Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5) who was held as a prisoner of war (POW) by North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. After an early release, he was able to provide the names and personal information of about 256 fellow POWs, as well as reveal the conditions of the prisoner-of-war camp.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Contents

• 1Early life
• 2Military career
• 3Postwar
• 4See also
• 5References

Early life[edit]
Hegdahl was born on September 3, 1946, and graduated from high school in Clark, South Dakota.[7]

Military career[edit]
On April 6, 1967,[2] 20-year-old Hegdahl was knocked overboard by the blast from a 5-inch gun mount[5] from the USS Canberra in the Gulf of Tonkin, three miles off the coast.[7] He swam until he was picked up several hours later by Cambodian fishermen who treated him well. Trying to cover for him, his shipmates did not report him missing for two days, so the commanding officer did not organise a search. Hegdahl was handed over to Vietnamese militiamen who clubbed him repeatedly with their rifles before moving him to the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison.

The interrogators first believed that Hegdahl was a commando or an agent. His story of being blown overboard seemed unbelievable to the interrogators. Hegdahl thought he would be much better off if he pretended to be of low intelligence. Hegdahl was physically maltreated for a few days before he was able to convince his captors that he was of little value to them. His bumpkin demeanor and youthful appearance aided in his ability to convince them that he was no threat to them.

When asked to write statements against the United States, he agreed, but pretended to be unable to read or write, which was believable to his Vietnamese captors. Thinking they had someone who would be easily turned to their cause, they assigned someone to teach Hegdahl to read. After Hedgahl appeared to be incapable of learning to read and write, his captors gave up on him. Later, he came to be known to the Vietnamese as "The Incredibly Stupid One", and he was given nearly free rein of the camp.

With the help of Joseph Crecca, a U.S. Air Force officer and fellow prisoner, Hegdahl memorized names, capture dates, method of capture, and personal information of about 256 other prisoners—to the tune of a nursery rhyme "Old MacDonald Had a Farm".[2] Hegdahl is still able to repeat the information. According to his senior officer and cellmate, Lieutenant Commander Richard A. Stratton, Hegdahl also convinced his captors that he needed new glasses and memorized the route from the prison into the city of Hanoi, where he was taken to be fitted.

During his prison stay, Hegdahl disabled five trucks by putting dirt in their fuel tanks.

Hegdahl was one of three POWs (along with Navy Lieutenant Robert Frishman and Air Force Captain Wesley Rumble) who were released on August 5, 1969, as a propaganda move by the North Vietnamese.[2] Although the POWs had agreed that none would accept early release, they agreed that Hegdahl's release should be an exception.[7] He was ordered by Stratton to accept an early release so that he could provide the names of POWs being held by the North Vietnamese and reveal the conditions to which the prisoners were being subjected.

After his discharge, Hegdahl was sent to the Paris Peace Talks in 1970 and confronted the North Vietnamese with his first-hand information about the mistreatment of prisoners.[8]

 

[OldDevilDawg]

It's a "wiki" article, but the information is still true. I got to meet this fellow when i went through SERE school in San Diego. During our exit briefing he talked about his experiences, and could still recite every one of the names that he memorized while a POW in Hanoi. One hell of guy!


Douglas Brent Hegdahl III (born September 3, 1946) is a former United States Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5) who was held as a prisoner of war (POW) by North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. After an early release, he was able to provide the names and personal information of about 256 fellow POWs, as well as reveal the conditions of the prisoner-of-war camp.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Contents

• 1Early life
• 2Military career
• 3Postwar
• 4See also
• 5References

Early life[edit]
Hegdahl was born on September 3, 1946, and graduated from high school in Clark, South Dakota.[7]

Military career[edit]
On April 6, 1967,[2] 20-year-old Hegdahl was knocked overboard by the blast from a 5-inch gun mount[5] from the USS Canberra in the Gulf of Tonkin, three miles off the coast.[7] He swam until he was picked up several hours later by Cambodian fishermen who treated him well. Trying to cover for him, his shipmates did not report him missing for two days, so the commanding officer did not organise a search. Hegdahl was handed over to Vietnamese militiamen who clubbed him repeatedly with their rifles before moving him to the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison.

The interrogators first believed that Hegdahl was a commando or an agent. His story of being blown overboard seemed unbelievable to the interrogators. Hegdahl thought he would be much better off if he pretended to be of low intelligence. Hegdahl was physically maltreated for a few days before he was able to convince his captors that he was of little value to them. His bumpkin demeanor and youthful appearance aided in his ability to convince them that he was no threat to them.

When asked to write statements against the United States, he agreed, but pretended to be unable to read or write, which was believable to his Vietnamese captors. Thinking they had someone who would be easily turned to their cause, they assigned someone to teach Hegdahl to read. After Hedgahl appeared to be incapable of learning to read and write, his captors gave up on him. Later, he came to be known to the Vietnamese as "The Incredibly Stupid One", and he was given nearly free rein of the camp.

With the help of Joseph Crecca, a U.S. Air Force officer and fellow prisoner, Hegdahl memorized names, capture dates, method of capture, and personal information of about 256 other prisoners—to the tune of a nursery rhyme "Old MacDonald Had a Farm".[2] Hegdahl is still able to repeat the information. According to his senior officer and cellmate, Lieutenant Commander Richard A. Stratton, Hegdahl also convinced his captors that he needed new glasses and memorized the route from the prison into the city of Hanoi, where he was taken to be fitted.

During his prison stay, Hegdahl disabled five trucks by putting dirt in their fuel tanks.

Hegdahl was one of three POWs (along with Navy Lieutenant Robert Frishman and Air Force Captain Wesley Rumble) who were released on August 5, 1969, as a propaganda move by the North Vietnamese.[2] Although the POWs had agreed that none would accept early release, they agreed that Hegdahl's release should be an exception.[7] He was ordered by Stratton to accept an early release so that he could provide the names of POWs being held by the North Vietnamese and reveal the conditions to which the prisoners were being subjected.

After his discharge, Hegdahl was sent to the Paris Peace Talks in 1970 and confronted the North Vietnamese with his first-hand information about the mistreatment of prisoners.[8]

Stockdale was the CO when I went to SERE school in Brunswick, Maine. It's amazing what we don't know about what REALLY happened.

 

[RTR...USN (ret)]

Stockdale was the CO when I went to SERE school in Brunswick, Maine. It's amazing what we don't know about what REALLY happened.

Not just that ODD, it's amazing what we don't know about each other on this board! Not many of us have attended SERE, and most don't know what it was like or all about. Much respect my friend!

 

[OldDevilDawg]

Not just that ODD, it's amazing what we don't know about each other on this board! Not many of us have attended SERE, and most don't know what it was like or all about. Much respect my friend!

We spent the third week in a simulated POW camp. Going through "Geneva Convention acceptable" training. I broke 3 times. You might be the only one here that understands that.

 

[RTR...USN (ret)]

We spent the third week in a simulated POW camp. Going through "Geneva Convention acceptable" training. I broke 3 times. You might be the only one here that understands that.

I do. I downplayed my role on the crew to basically nothing but a cabin boy. Emptying trash, taking out the urinal, cleaning the plane etc.
Not to go into detail as I don't know if the school is classified or not. But I fell asleep in "the box". The "interrogation" I received when they found me asleep was not fun. They actually separated one of my ribs from my sternum. It was the last night in the camp, and if I said anything they of course would have stopped my training and sent me for treatment, but I would have had to start the class all over with a different group. Screw that! I toughed it out and waited until the next day when we were "released" to go to the hospital for treatment.