‘Hard to believe we ever went to war with them’: US veterans reflect on Vietnam War 50 years on

WASHINGTON DC: American air force pilot Michael Brazelton took to the skies over North Vietnam for his 111th combat flight on Aug 7, 1966.

The doomed mission would be his last involvement in the Vietnam War, as he was captured by the Vietnam People’s Army after ejecting from his plane which came under heavy enemy fire.

“I think they thought they’d killed me. I stood up with my hands raised. And they were all surprised! They looked around (and) I wasn’t hit or anything. Still had my sunglasses in my pocket. So I was in good shape,” Mr Brazelton, now 80, told CNA.

He was one of the many veterans honoured at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, on Wednesday (Mar 29), 50 years after the end of one of the longest wars in American history. 

National Vietnam War Veterans Day honours yearly the soldiers who served in the conflict, and the tens of thousands who lost their lives.

The day brings back mixed memories of trauma and relief for former prisoners of war (POWs), held captive until the signing of peace accords.

PRISONERS OF WAR

Recounting the dark days, Mr Brazelton said that after his capture, he was imprisoned for almost seven years, months of which were spent in solitary confinement. With no contact to the outside world, he was interrogated and tortured.

“We were the only Americans they could get their hands on, so every time there was a bombing raid, they'd take it out on us,” he said.

“You could end up with your feet in stocks, or in handcuffs behind your back for weeks. Literally weeks.”

Mr Brazelton was safely repatriated when his countrymen eventually pulled out of Vietnam in 1973.

“From our point of view, it was about time. My mum and sisters were really happy to see me. I have a picture of me meeting them for the first time. I’m much luckier than a lot of other soldiers and airmen were,” he said.

Close to a fifth of the hundreds of POWs died in captivity.

The US involvement in the Vietnam War was bloody and controversial, with millions of citizens protesting against it at the time.

However, those who fought in it are still considered national heroes today.

This includes many of the almost 60,000 Americans killed in the line of duty and memorialised at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and those who made it back alive.

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden awarded retired army officer Paris Davis the Medal of Honor for his bravery and gallantry in Vietnam, rescuing his troops who were wounded in battle.

“You are everything our nation is at our best: Brave and big hearted, determined and devoted, selfless and steadfast. American, American,” President Biden had said.

FIGHTING ALONGSIDE THE VIETNAMESE

The Americans did not fight the war alone, and had alongside them the South Vietnamese who were looking to overcome Communist forces to the north.

When the US military departed ahead of the official end of the war, ex-soldier Chi Hoang, back then a First Lieutenant in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, feared his side was destined for defeat. 

“We were betrayed by the Americans. I talked to a lot of American soldiers, they looked at me and said ‘there’s nothing we can do, our hands are tied’. One told me ‘if you have a chance to get out, get out’,” he said.

Mr Chi fled with his family to the US, where they worked to rebuild their lives, as they settled down near the capital Washington DC.

"It was easy because I speak a little bit of English (and) I was willing to do anything to make a living. It doesn't matter what kind of job,” he recounted.

He has since returned to visit his beloved home country several times in the past decades.

Mr Brazelton has since returned to Vietnam too, expressing utmost respect for the Vietnamese people.

“It’s sometimes hard to believe we ever went to war with them. But we did.”