Survivors of the Battle for Cu Chi 1966 - Forever Brothers

My husband served his country in Viet Nam in 1966-1967. He was part of the 25th Infantry, Company B, 3rd platoon, mechanized. The men who served in the area of Cu Chi are forever linked together as brothers.

After speaking personally on the telephone with one of these brothers, I had a better understanding of the bond that would forever exist among these men. Squad Leader, Pointman and Tunnel Rat of B Company, 1st Platoon, 3rd Squad, "Butch" served in Cu Chi Viet Nam in 1966 - 67 along with my husband and many other men. These men endured much hardship as they served their country in the jungles of Viet Nam. Many had crawled through portions of the expansive network of tunnels that ran underground. These tunnels were sized to fit the smaller bodies of the Vietnamese and were extremely difficult for American GIs to navigate. Hidden inside these narrow, winding tunnels were the Viet Cong who were more than ready to take the life of any American soldier who dared to brave an entrance into this strange underground world.

The countryside that was once so familiar to the military personnel who served there, has taken on many changes. In place of so many narrow dirt roads and underground tunnels, there are now many major highway systems. Both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are large, modern cities. The narrow Highway One that ran from Cu Chi to Saigon is now a 6-lane highway leading into the bustling Ho Chi Minh City.

Today, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has a population of more than 80 million people and more than half of them are under the age of 25. The literacy rate in Viet Nam today is approximately 85%. The largest cities are Hanoi in the north, and the former city of Saigon in the south, now Ho Chi Minh City. According to Wikipedia, beginning in 1975 following the end of the Viet Nam war, there was a massive influx of Vietnamese people into the United States. They have blended into our communities and have become a part of this great melting pot of America.

The Viet Nam War ran from 1957 - 1975 and cost the lives of more than 58,000 men and women. More than 153,000 returned home with physical wounds and untold numbers with mental and emotional wounds resulting in PTSD, Depression, and other mental and emotional disorders. The monetary cost of the war was more than 111 billion dollars.

Many of the men from the 25th Infantry B Company have returned to visit Viet Nam, especially those areas where they served during the war. Some of the men prefer not to return and that is all quite understandable. Some find additional healing by returning to the area and seeing the changes that are so visible today, while others still struggle with depression and PTSD and would not benefit from the journey back to Viet Nam.

Regardless of where they happen to be in their individual recovery process, they are fully embraced and supported by their brothers. After all, they have all been there.

Sources:

Personal Accounts

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/vietnam/02_time/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese