Pictured, the National Guard surrounding an unarmed woman protesting the Vietnam War in Berkeley, California, in 1969.
There were brains arms and legs all mixed together, and some of the men were on fire and moaned before all 12 Charlie Company soldiers died in Jan., 1970, after being blown up accidently because a mortar was mishandled, U.S. Infantryman, Jan Scruggs said.
Author, Elizabeth Partridge interviewed medics and infantryman for 2018s, "Boots on the Ground America's War in Vietnam," and provided some very good photos of this horrid and pointless war.
The above picture was taken in 1966 of Claiborne L. Shaw. Shortly after this picture, Shaw was killed.
I acquired "Boots on the Ground" from the Cloverdale library. It's a quick easy read, and Partridge touched on many of the political issues.
Protesting the war in Vietnam while also advocating for civil rights was a major obstacle for Martin Luther King Jr., from both the black and white politicians. I learned this from reading "Boots on the Ground."
Imagine the soldiers who got their feet blown off from stepping on a land mine, or the medics in
Vietnam who had to work on wounded combat troops with severe burns, torn flesh, splintered bones and gashing belly wounds. Extremely sharp wooden stakes with feces on them were laden throughout the jungles, so infections would spread faster when American troops stepped on the stakes that penetrated their boots.
The war effort made President LBJs "Great Society" a myth, and created a troubled and confused society, Martin Luther King Jr. said.
Many Infantryman were sent on Search and Destroy missions. Burning down villages and killing farm animals as well as unarmed women and children was a common thing for U.S. combat troops to do in this war.
"The Vietnam war was tragic, unjust, evil, brutal and senseless," King said.
In October of 1967, 50,000 anti-war protesters marched in Washington D.C., and chanted, hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today? More than 14,000 American soldiers were slain in Vietnam under the leadership of LBJ.
"Being a combat soldier makes you real mean, and I was extremely mean," Gunner, Henry Allen said.
Writer Eliazbeth Partridge with her boyfriend Warren Franklin in 1968.
On May 4, 1970, the National Guard fired 67 rounds in 13 seconds amidst unarmed war protesters at Kent State, Ohio., killing four students and wounding nine.
"If I am the last lone voice speaking for non-violence, that I will do," MLK Jr. said.
Three and a half stars easy for "Boots on the Ground."
Mark Izzy Schurr
