Early next year, many of the Marines and Sailors who fought with 1/5 in the Citadel Fortress of Hue will return to Vietnam. It will be both an honor and a privilege for me to lead this group as a part of Vietnam Battlefield Tours’ “1/5 Returns to I Corps Tour.” From 4 to 18 February 2018, our group will visit most of the major battlefields and combat base locations that we spent time at in back in the day. For more information about the tour, go to: http://www.vietnambattlefieldtours.com/tours/2018/18021/tour.asp
We will be spending at least five days in Hue, and I am hopeful that I will be able to raise sufficient funds to recruit a film crew that will join this excursion, to conduct on-site interviews with these combat veterans. The purpose of this project is to produce a new documentary film that will correct and perfect U. S. Marine Corps history about this historic and important battle during the Vietnam War.
There are many reasons to join our tour. This will be my third visit to Vietnam, and I’m really looking forward to visiting this very beautiful country and meeting with the hospitable people who live there. During my first visit, which took place from 15 November 1967 through 9 December 1968, I had very little time or inclination to learn about the people, their heritage or to spend much time viewing and enjoying the absolutely stunning scenery this country offers. After all, there was a war going on, and I had responsibilities. However, my memories of the people and the countryside lingered in my mind for the next three decades. So, my wife, Pamela, and my son, Brent, joined me for one of the best family vacations we’ve ever enjoyed. Along the way, we visited many families and enjoyed the amazing scenery, and this was in 1998 before a lot of the current infrastructure, hotels, roads and other amenities were in place. Despite the rough accommodations, we greatly enjoyed our travels. In addition, I found myself inside the Citadel Fortress of Hue on the 30th Anniversary of the battle, on phase line green (My Thuc Loan street) enjoying tea with the family living in a home that was then the center of much of what happened there. What I learned, finally, was that the war was over, that the battle damage was mostly healed, and that the Vietnamese people were very welcoming.
I’m looking forward to the next journey to Vietnam, as I know that travel and accommodations are much improved over what we saw twenty years ago, but that the Vietnamese people are perhaps even more welcoming.
Several friends and family members are planning to come on the tour, so you don’t have to be a combat veteran to enjoy this “once in a lifetime” experience.