HomeMy WebLinkAbout1969 Cooper VN WarNe w,
C
Jerry Coopf',
1Q t: v . 1 3
1
1 ~f~
Tom Dotson and Jerry
r
;h'eston Daily News as
oflowing tours of duty
Wh
l
hd
l
Wi
l
ere e asked W "tell it
o
es
a
e
t
rawa
the Vietnam war and
Both have much to say
l
h
db
ritedifferent.
Would
o
Mean B
at
o
By JERRY LVOPP.R
hasn't mired himself so deeply
d
in his pwmlses of a seale
Coulter
withdrawal that he forfeit, that
How do vvu feel about
C
Y
we do have a responsibility to
moratoriums, Vietnam, troop
ooper.
In Lt. Jerry C.
the people of South Vietnam.
withdrawal and U.S. casualties
N US Army, completed a $j
in Vietnam?
[v one yew lour of duty in the
vi
f:
I wonder too if these peace
-
'
Republic of Vietnam as a
i
demonstrators realize how many
-
t hard
Thew questions aren
;
;R Civil Affairs Officer w
H
people now living in south
for me to ani but my :,sweet,
X June 1st this year.
e ip
Vicnam were at one time
mar arum some clarification for
'
spent most of his year in
i
f Il
refugees from the north. One
tho who don
t logo. me and
se
ct o
an
Due How Distr
of my best friends while in
- -
guns
possibly (or those who
i Nghia Province about w
er.
li
in
do.
miles west of 'Saigon. There ij
Vietnam was a tm
mry
t
A
he helped plan Rod mdse,
merican
prefer working with an
' F
Firm, I'm proud to live In
% operations aimed at ton-
advisory team.
a country where things like nmra-
[ti proving educational, medi-
Ile told me of how his family
-
loriums are allowed. There are
cal and living facilities used
had left North Vietnam almost
a good many places in this
X by some of thc same res. : j
ten years ago become of the
_
world where a person could
ideolz of the district. lie
0
lark of political and particularly
costly expect to be jailed or
ti voluntarily taught English i
whilmus freedom.
quite likely killed for openly
{ to about a Vietnamese
- -tt
This is why I think we do
expressing opposition to the goo-
schwl children, wine of
:j
urpose in being in
have a
emmenl.
whom coaltnlrc w eorres-
p
pond with
Vietnam and why 1 object 'Simon
i
i
la
d on
As for THE mormichm, 1
?
:
:
:
:
Y
S;
%
'
wtuiy to restr
ct
ons p
ce
JERRY ('OOPER
[eel There are a la of people
::;5a`
i:
:SS:
i;:
i:
•
,
3
our military commander, mere
Sees Bloodbath
n the world where desire for
of unarmed civilian populations
that keep mein from haling
war. if the medicine and
a peaceful wand !That's MN
that were Minnatted by the
the lbw of men and arms south-
sh and buildings none front in
cash
desire too) l is p
H
the
VietCongandlhe NVA.
ward. As it Is they can barely
the Noah the U.S,, it
vase responsibility b
time
e
slow the stream at all.
want's much difference to duets.
world Peace.
My f"fings areal Vietnam arc
'
d
ll
They
Tier were getting the products.
m sore, by the muse
colored, I
e
1 consider the w ca
f N
h
The giver:.. By didn't matter.
117 !lase people want to do
relationship I had with those
ort
communist threat o
.
is get out of Viemam because
Vietnamese l oohed closely with
l
Viemam n caaeer that m only
l
t
What Is the point in carrying
lL's o Irustraang, costly , dirty
and ospwialfy those high schoo
Ou
be stopped by being n
h
on a pointless effort rot two
situation. I'll agree with that
kids I taught English In for
o
gad destroyed. Anyone w
b
or three more years' There is
analysis wholeheartedly, hot how
10 months.
e over
thinks our troubles will
rl 1
lhillv: I.v 1 I-ing
if we fwd ewe bars and leave
,
" lc, :it , .:r1 \ ell
1 ,
1.+111 it slid tom mast
but would
is sadly mistaken. ]
Vicnumesr dm. Tit. .N.101
u.•u.ivo .~iu Lillie :none: aoG
11". 1-111- across the
only be the beginning of a longer
knows fur ce:e.ui non flit we:r
bvesta:uipalemblc.,
iemamese countryside play bout
and mad mom natty conflict
pulling out TDey''VI' I03t IImre
'
'
sides of the con, depending on
than the one experienced thus
tom 500,000 men. Arc they
These "peace lovers
aren
t
'
who happens to be in their
far.
going to quit crow' Are they
able or don
t care bar what
area of the time This may
i
h
we would be doing to the people
have been true in Dome places,
Such cancers aren't satisfied
going to bargain in Paris? W
t
the beginning of the iwibul
of South Vietnam if we withdraw
hutnotwhere i was.
with a Snell sacrifice like south
.
tht bargaining advantage went
our troops in a wholesale
In particular, the residents of
Yletmm. They will continually
to the 'North. We re standing
manner. I say we would be
a mfujim hamlet nearby had
seek new morsels to sshsly'
on weak ground in Paris. W'bit
selling there up for a bloodbath
no love for the VC regardless
their never ending banger.
IS the point it. N'atering xd.WD
worse than the we pe•Ipetrated
b
h
N
h Vi
h
of the circumstances. One man
i
Now that know mfeehn
you y g5
Americans die for an {sun-
math
on,
y t
ort
etnamese w
en
e
wax abducted dur
ng the night
ralonans ,,it Vietnam
on m
dial's nut going
blt wills
they invaded the old city of
Huc during lie 'I'ef .dlensive
by the VC and shot In death
' outskirts Of the
on the eer
o
1411 go on b are final portions
to be her y honorable an ay.
y
'
of I968 . Hass graves are still
y
hamlet,
of the original question.
ve already been lumudbatd.
Wh
'
bring um•overn•rl that tell the
In another instance, the people
Sure. I am for withdrawing
W
eVCalready lost the war.
stmv of that mus acre of innocent
of this hamlet were quite pleased
all troops from not only Vietnam
True, something has to be
'
civilians,
when the District Chief had
but frorn southeast Aug.
done. and fast. It
s just A
their hamlet chief replaced
However, i am for this with•
sluane that nltxens. who oppose
'
'low I'm bare some Of you
because he was discovered
drawal when and Only when
the war can
t devise a more
tpeace terers" "at to tell me
misusing materials intended for
we have accomplished what we
effective way to speed up rir.
about the atrocities committed
the use of the needy in the
sel oil to do there and that
Mean's pullout than will, the
by South Vietnamese and. ob
hamlet.
is to halt once and for all
current motawrium efforts.
yes, even U-S. senicemen.
I also had occasion to see
time the overt aggression laying
I vroe't deny that they take
(be government from Saigon clear
Place-
i World venture to na
) that
place or even say they sboold
down to the hamlet level opeale
a good Percentage Of moro•
be excused, be... they
effectively. Funds and materials
I'm against smselesf U.S.
lodumnes know as little of the
shouldn't
` - made available through
notation just as much as any
'
tone namn• ca mr war a do
ti
51
a
thaWOllue, cal liufugw Urn-
t
peace number too. But, 1 can
nny
m
However. war never was and
istries for rebuilding homes.
W putting ool Of Vienam,
cal6nsmsts. A college girt at
O
ll
i
never will be a pretty thing.
building new school classrooms
because that art gloat world
ct. 15 morator
um ra
y,
a
h
k
The things I did hear about
and starting agricultural projects
make aensekss all the casualness
w
en as
ed a quesdoo about
whole I was overseas were always
toupgra lelheeconom-v-
that have Occurred there w
North Vietnam, told flux wriler,
"
twrla4d acts and usually military
far.
Now, wait a minute. Are those
circumsmnces demanded what
For these and many other
the good gays or the bad guys?
we;id stern to msmv to be
reasons too nmerous to mention
if there is to be any major
'
a cruel art.
I am not inclined to favor an
change in we policy let
s let
The momtnrium people know
yet, none of dwse acts even
immediate witbdnwol of U.S.
it be we that '111 help find
Wt something bard is going
approached the imiiscrimmale
troops as advocated by mgrs.
the course to tree pewee in
no in Southeast Asia, and that
shellmgs of civilian villages and
bfiam lxsdera. my greatest
Viemam and perhaps the entire
id
See BETTER. Page 14A
the mass murders (yes, murdersI
hope is that President Nixon
"r
. _