Had this song drift back into my head tonight. Went agoogling for a link and found this video with some stunning (I could not think of any other appropriate word) footage, as well as some perhaps questionable. I had a feeling that I had posted about it before, but it is here in my mind again, so...
Update 4:33pm: It seems only fitting that I found both these at about the same time, the following being from the U.S. Department of Defense News Releases this month. Me not being very sentimental, I am heartened when they finally make it home.
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Airman Missing from Vietnam War Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Allen J. Avery of Arlington, Mass., will be buried April 6 at Arlington National Cemetery. On April 6, 1972, six airmen were flying a combat search and rescue mission in their HH-53C Super Jolly Green Giant helicopter over Quang Tri Province in South Vietnam when they were hit by enemy ground fire and crashed. In 1988, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) turned over remains they attributed to an American serviceman; however, the name provided by the SRV did not match anyone lost or missing from the Vietnam War. The remains were held by JPAC pending improved technology to facilitate a later identification. From 1989 to 1992, Joint U.S./SRV field investigations, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), found evidence leading to an aircraft crash site as well as two reported burial sites. Team members recovered human remains and personal effects as well as aircraft debris. As a result, the crew was accounted-for in 1997 and buried as a group at Arlington National Cemetery. Three airmen were also individually identified at that time. In the mid-2000s, JPAC’s laboratory’s improved scientific capability enabled them to match the 1988 remains to the correct loss. The Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) tested these remains against all servicemen who were MIA from the Vietnam War with negative results. Later AFDIL expanded its search to make comparisons with previously-identified individuals. In 2010, as a result of mitochondrial DNA testing, the remains were matched with four of the six airmen from the 1972 crash, including Avery. |
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4 comments:
Thanks for posting this SG. i hadn't seen this particular video but I have seen all the footage shown at one time or another. All of it well known and pretty much documented as authentic. I study the Vietnam War for years and as a focus while working on my History/Education Degree from ODU back in the early 80's.
My Dad's youngest brother, my Uncle Phil flew 2 tours (65-66) and (69-70) in an F-4 and he has quite a file of vintage mission footage including pretty much all that was shown there. There is something beautifully evil about watching those napalm canisters and white phosphorus bombs roll out and explode in slow motion.
That is why it's good to never forget there were real people on the receiving end of that stuff.
Ah.... When I said "perhaps questionable", it wasn't to do with authenticity of the footage but rather some of the Vietnamese people. I tend to question most things, and I am not very familiar with that era.
"Beautifully evil" is a good way to put it. I had said "stunning" for lack of a better word. Now that I think about it, eerie comes to mind.
The behavior of the Vietnamese people was more the questionable, I am a student of that era and our guys literally played with kids during the day that ambushed them at night...nobody knew who the "good guys" were...it was a horrible mess because none of them really wanted us there...
Of the little that I do know, what you said is part of it. From what I understand, very similar in both respects to the situation in a current war.
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