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Retired Navy Capt. Dave Carey speaks in Monticello about life after his plane was shot down in North Vietnam nearly six decades ago.

Episode 2612 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about POW Vietnam Vet Dave Carey. The featured story appeared in the News-Gazette of Champaign, Illinois and was titled: Surviving and thriving: Vietnam POW recounts harrowing tales during Monticello visit. By Nora Maberry-Daniels nmaberry@news-gazette.com. She is editor of the Piatt County Journal-Republican, a Community Media Group newspaper.

Dave Carey, recently spoke to a group in Monticello about his experiences as a POW in North Vietnam. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy and was a carrier-based pilot during the Vietnam War.

On Aug. 31, 1967, he was 30 miles off the coast of Vietnam on what he remembers being a hazy day. The pilots manned their airplanes at 7 a.m. Their target that day was a small airport bridge. In the air they went, crossing from over the water to over the beach. That’s when the shooting started.

“They fired in succession from way out in front of us two surface-to-air missiles,” Carey said. The first missile missed his plane. The second did not. There was a huge explosion that destroyed the entire tail section of his plane, which was on its back, spinning and tumbling through the air.

Carey ejected and landed in a small Vietnamese village, where he “started running across the rice paddy.” He was quickly captured, tortured and taken to Hanoi where he spent the next five years in a North Vietnamese POW prison.

Carey was ultimately released during Operation Homecoming on March 14, 1973. When he and other POWs returned home, they weren’t met with the same animosity that other soldiers returning from Vietnam experienced.

Despite his rough treatment in North Vietnam, he sympathized with his fellow Vietnam Vets with this declaration: “We came back home completely different than the troops, The way the troops came home from Vietnam was a disgrace. Those folks went because we made them, and then when they came back, we spit on them. It is absolutely a disgrace.”

Dave Carey believes that people can survive anything.

Listen to episode 2612 and discover more about POW Vietnam Vet Dave Carey’s story.

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Johnnie and Arthur Ashe

Episode 2611 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Arthur Ashe’s brother Johnnie who served in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine. The featured story appeared in the UCLA Newsroom and was titled: Brother of Arthur Ashe made decision that kept tennis legend out of war. It was submitted by Jonathan Van Dyke on November 8, 2016.

According to Van Dyke’s story Arthur Ashe had a younger brother named Johnnie who served as a Marine in Vietnam for two tours. When Johnnie returned home from his first tour in 1967, he volunteered for a second tour in country to prevent his brother Arthur from having to go to Vietnam.

Arthur at the time was serving as an officer in the U.S. Army at West Point, NY. He graduated from UCLA and was in the Army ROTC program. Johnnie was aware of the greatness of his brother Arthur, so he made the decision to do something courageous to save his brother from going to Vietnam. He knew of the government policy against sending brothers to war at the same time.

Johnnie recalls that their family always felt a strong bond to service. Two of his uncles were in the Marine Corps — one was among the first 20,000 ever to serve in that branch of the military. He said “I decided to go into the corps right out of high school, knowing that there was a possibility of going to Vietnam.”

Johnnie recalled; my Uncle Rudy used to tell us how tough [the Marine Corps] was, and how it can make you a man. “During that period, I was either going to get caught up in the draft, or I could join some service on my own.”

So he joined the Marines in June 1965 and deployed in August 1966 to Southeast Asia.

Listen to episode 2611 and discover more about Arthur Ashe’s brother Johnnie who served in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine.

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Episode 2610 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature an op-ed about the sage advice for all Vietnam Veterans from Oklahoman Jim Redwine. The op-ed appeared in the Pawhuska Journal-Capital and was titled: Some thoughts as U.S., Vietnam become partners. The piece was submitted by Jim Redwine.

Jim Redwine lost his good childhood friend and neighbor, Gary Malone, when the latter was killed in Vietnam on July 28, 1966. He thought about Gary when President Biden stood in Hanoi before the flags of the two countries and announced to the world a new strategic partnership between our two countries.

He wondered what Gary would think about this development. He said this; “Gary cannot express his feelings about his country’s rapprochement with the people our government sent him to fight. But I may soon get to see his brother, Bud Malone, who along with Gary’s twin, Jerry, also saw combat in Vietnam. Maybe Bud and I will discuss the war and Gary and Jerry or, more likely, since Bud is Osage and we have been friends for almost 80 years, not much will need to be said.”

He added this; When American young people were both fighting and protesting the Vietnam War, our government was issuing vague exhortations about the need to stop the advance of Communism in China and the U.S.S.R. (today’s Russia). In fact, as Gary and 58,000 more members of our generation were serving and being killed in Vietnam, our government’s pronouncements then sound much like our government’s rationales for war today. We must fight China, Russia, Iran and a myriad of other perceived enemies there now so we will not have to fight them here later. The one constant we can rely on is that old people will do now what old people did then when 22-year-old Gary gave his life for what he believed in. That is, our government will send young people to pay the price.

Listen to episode 2610 and discover more about the sage advice for all Vietnam Veterans from Oklahoman Jim Redwine.

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Indigenous MACV-SOG personnel

Episode 2609 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the MACV-SOG story. The story appeared on the US Army website and was titled: MACV-SOG History. It was submitted by Robert Seals, USASOC History Office.

The men who served with the MACV-SOG in Vietnam did their country a great service. The Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) was activated, January 24, 1964, to function as a joint special operations task force. Commanded by a U.S. Army Special Forces colonel, MACV-SOG was a subcomponent of MACV. Born from a need to conduct more effective special operations against North Vietnam, many Central Intelligence Agency programs were transferred to SOG, which eventually consisted of personnel from U.S. Army Special Forces, U.S. Navy Sea-Air-Land (SEALs), U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, Force Reconnaissance and CIA personnel. Special operations were conducted in North Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam.

MACV-SOG grew in size and scope over the next eight years. Missions evolved over time, and included strategic reconnaissance, direct action, sabotage, personnel recovery, Psychological Operations (PSYOP), counter-intelligence, and bomb damage assessments. Maritime operations covered the coastal areas of North Vietnam. PSYOP missions included ‘Voice of Freedom’ radio broadcasts into North Vietnam, to publicize the advantages of life in South Vietnam.

After 1970, the scope and intensity of SOG operations were affected by the ‘Vietnamization’ of the war, and steady withdrawal of U.S. forces from Southeast Asia. In March 1971, 5th Special Forces Group, the largest source of volunteers for the unit, returned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Congressional restrictions prevented U.S. personnel from accompanying operations into Cambodia and Laos. On April 30, 1972, the unit was deactivated. Colonels Clyde R. Russell, Donald D. Blackburn, John K. Singlaub, Stephen E. Cavanaugh, and John F. Sadler served as SOG commanders.

Nine ARSOF SOG soldiers received the Medal of Honor and the unit was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. Some sources credit the organization with providing upwards of seventy-five percent of intelligence on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. SOG innovative tactics, personal equipment, and lessons learned influence SOF to this day.

Listen to episode 2609 and discover more about the MACV-SOG story.

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Episode 2608 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Hanoi Jane Fonda apologizing for her egregious actions in Vietnam. The featured story comes from the Far Out Magazine and is titled: The controversial reason why Jane Fonda was blacklisted from Hollywood. It was submitted by Calum Russell. He is based in Manchester, UK, Calum Russell is a passionate film writer and enthusiastic music listener whose love of cinema extends from the British social realism of Mike Leigh to the eccentric animation of Jan Švankmajer. When a film night is not on the cards, he enjoys a hearty dinner in front of Peep Show, for there is nothing else as satisfying.

Every Vietnam Veteran is aware of the unforgivable actions of Jane Fonda during her trip to North Vietnam in 1972. The time has come to forgive her for her despicable actions Hanoi.

Russell’s story gives good reason for such actions. He describes her apology and her explanation for her change of heart when he wrote the following:

Explaining her actions decades later in a blog entry titled The Truth About My Trip to Hanoi, Fonda explained: “It happened on my last day in Hanoi. I was exhausted and an emotional wreck after the 2-week visit…someone (I don’t remember who) led me towards the gun, and I sat down…I hardly even thought about where I was sitting. The cameras flashed…It is possible that it was a set up, that the Vietnamese had it all planned. I will never know”.

Continuing, she added: “But if they did I can’t blame them. The buck stops here. If I was used, I allowed it to happen…a two-minute lapse of sanity that will haunt me forever…But the photo exists, delivering its message regardless of what I was doing or feeling. I carry this heavy in my heart…It was never my intention to cause harm”.

Listen to episode 2608 and discover more about Hanoi Jane Fonda apologizing for her egregious actions in Vietnam.

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Episode 2607 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the upcoming PTSD conference at San Antonio, Texas. The featured story comes from The UT Health San Antonio Newsroom and is titled: 2023 San Antonio Combat PTSD Conference to examine 50 years of progress.

PTSD is one of the most challenging hang-over’s from the war in Vietnam. On Oct. 17–18, 2023, a conference of  PTSD interest parties will be held in San Antonio.

The featuring of this story on the podcast is to honor the service of Ron Mosbaugh. He served as a field corpsman in the Marines in Vietnam where he saw much combat close up. Because of his close combat experiences, today he suffers from a severe case of PTSD. It is hoped this conference will produce new ways to deal with PTSD.

At the event, experts in the field will discuss advances, challenges, and next steps in diagnosing and treating combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring conditions. Veterans and clinicians of different war eras also will share their lived experience.

Karl Marlantes will set the tone as he shares his reflections in the conference’s popular “Profiles in Resilience” address. The Marine veteran received numerous medals for his heroic service in Vietnam, and years later completed his New York Times best-seller Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, which he credits with helping him heal from post-traumatic stress. In 2011, he published a second book, What It Is Like to Go to War, which includes his own memories along with an analysis of the effects of war on those who fight and thoughts on how we can better prepare service members for the experience of war.

Other highlights will include keynote speaker Terence Keane, PhD, of the VA’s National Center for PTSD and Boston University School of Medicine, who will chart the course of psychological trauma research from the Vietnam era through today.

CLICK HERE For more information about the San Antonio Combat PTSD Conference and registration.

Listen to episode 2607 and discover more about the upcoming PTSD conference at San Antonio, Texas.

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Episode 2606 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Riverine Operations in Vietnam. The featured story comes from History Net  and is titled: All You Need to Know About Riverine Operations in Vietnam Riverine operations were central to the Vietnam War. It was submitted by David T. Zabecki.

The mobile riverine forces in Vietnam faced a challenging situation. They had to patrol 15,000 miles of waterways in the Mekong Delta. The second brigade of the 9^th Infantry Division provided the power of the force. The unit did a good job and should be commended for a job well done.

In the Vietnam War, the Mobile Riverine Force (MRF) (after May 1967), initially designated Mekong Delta Mobile Afloat Force, and later the Riverines, were a joint US Army and US Navy force that comprised a substantial part of the brown-water navy. It was modeled after lessons learned by the French experience in the First Indochina War of Dinassaut and had the task of both transport (of soldiers and equipment) and combat. The primary land base was at Đồng Tâm Base Camp, with a floating base which operated in the major rivers of the Mekong Delta. Soldiers and sailors went out in river boats from the floating base to assault the Viet Cong. During part of the 1968-69 period, there were two such mobile bases operating in different parts of the Delta, Mobile Riverine Groups Alpha and Bravo. The MRF played a key role in the Tet Offensive.

Each river assault group, later designated river assault squadron, was to consist of the following: 52 Armored Troop Carriers (ATCs or “Tangos”), 10 Monitors with 40mm cannon and 81mm mortar, 32 Assault Support Patrol Boats (ASPBs), 5 Monitors to serve as command and control boats and 2 LCM-6’s to serve as refuelers. A salvage force would include: 2 2,000-ton heavy lift craft, 2 YTB’s for salvage, 2 LCU’s (landing craft, utility), and 3 100-ton floating dry docks.

Listen to episode 2606 and discover more about the Riverine Operations in Vietnam.

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Episode 2605 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature the incredible story of Vietnam Vet Larry Liss and the injustice he has faced over the years. The featured story appeared in the Stars and Stripes and was titled: Vietnam pilots who flew rescue helicopter into firefight 6 times deserve Medal of Honor, advocates say. It was submitted by John Vandiver.

On May 14, 1967, Army pilot Capt. Larry Liss arrived at the Green Beret outpost at Cau Song Be, Vietnam, in an unarmed Huey — the only helicopter on site at the time — when all hell broke loose.

What came next involved Liss and co-pilot Tom Baca flying six times into a small, contested area, in a frenzied rescue operation that helped save 87 troops with the help of a second Huey.

Their heroics were comparable to the exploits that led to last week’s ceremony at the White House, where President Joe Biden pinned the Medal of Honor on Vietnam War pilot Larry Taylor, according to people with firsthand knowledge of the events.

Larry Liss’ brother Arthur has compiled a 2,100-page history of the rescue that incorporates affidavits and flight logs as well as admissions from leaders at the time who say the pilots and several others weren’t given their due. For more than a decade, a push has been underway to get the Distinguished Flying Crosses awarded to Liss and Baca upgraded. Liss is now 82, and Baca died in 2020.

After numerous rejections, the Army’s awards and decorations office in May issued an advisory opinion saying that Larry Liss met the minimum standards for the Silver Star and referred the matter to the Army Board of Corrections for Military Records. The board, which can accept or reject the advisory opinion, has yet to rule on the matter.

While a Silver Star would be an upgrade, Arthur Liss said it still falls short of recognizing the level of valor his brother demonstrated on May 14, 1967.

Listen to episode 2605 and discover more about the incredible story of Vietnam Vet Larry Liss and the injustice he has faced over the years.

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Episode 2604 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about more about Vietnam Vet David Drummond and his important message for all. The featured story comes from the Asbury Park Press and is titled: ‘It will eat you alive’: How Vietnam POW from Manalapan let go of his hate. It was submitted by Jerry Carino. He is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

David Drummond is another tremendous representative of the Vietnam Veteran Generation – one as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country. He served as a B-52 pilot in the Vietnam War. In late 1972 his aircraft was shot down while participating in Operation Linebacker II. He survived the crash and 98 days in the Hanoi Hilton.

According to Carino’s story: For many years, David Drummond has told his incredible story to students: How, as an Air Force pilot, he was shot down during the Vietnam War, survived a harrowing ejection as his B-52 bomber plummeted end over end to the ground, then was captured and held as a prisoner of war for 98 grueling days.

On Friday, when the longtime Manalapan resident speaks as part of a National POW/MIA Recognition Day vigil at Memorial Park in Metuchen, he will have a touching epilogue to share.

Drummond ended the story with this statement, “It took a while, but I let go of hate. I know there were people who did bad things. You just can’t hang onto this.”

That’s always been a theme of his presentation, but his return to Vietnam drives the point home.

“This rounds the story out. This closes the loop.”

Listen to episode 2604 and discover more about Vietnam Vet David Drummond and his important message for all.

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Episode 2603 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a paper about the complex tapestry of the Vietnam War. The paper was provided to this podcast by the Merry Band of Retirees. The title of the paper is Unveiling the Complex Tapestry: A Historical Analysis of the Vietnam War and its Impact on America. It was submitted by Khánh Minh [minhkh@gmail.com] of Duy Tan University, DaNang, Vietnam.

This episode will be a look at fallout, legacy and conclusion  of the Vietnam War presented in the paper. It is important to learn as much as we can about events and circumstances that result in something as tragic as the American Vietnam War. The featured paper does a good job of explaining the whys of that War.

The writer states this in his article abstract: This journal article presents a comprehensive historical analysis of the Vietnam War and its profound impact on the United States. The study delves into the intricate layers of the conflict, shedding light on its causes, progression, and aftermath. By examining both the military and socio-political dimensions, the article aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the war’s complexity and its lasting implications for American society, politics, and foreign policy. The Vietnam War, intricately woven from geopolitical strategies, ideological clashes, and military tactics, holds enduring significance. Emerging from colonial legacies and Cold War dynamics, its escalation echoed the domino theory and containment policy. Amidst guerrilla warfare and air power strategies, the war’s reach extended beyond battlefields, resonating in the anti-war movement, cultural expressions, and societal rifts.

The Vietnam War, spanning from 1955 to 1975, emerged as a pivotal episode within the broader context of the Cold War. The global struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union for ideological and geopolitical dominance cast its shadow on the Southeast Asian region. The backdrop of decolonization and the spread of communism contributed to the intricate web of factors that led to the Vietnam War. The division of Vietnam into North and South following the Geneva Accords in 1954 set the stage for a conflict that became emblematic of the ideological struggle between capitalism and communism. The American perception of the “domino theory,” which posited that the fall of one nation to communism would trigger a chain reaction of neighboring states following suit, further fueled U.S. intervention.

Listen to episode 2603 and discover more about the Fallout, Legacy and Conclusion of the Complex Tapestry of the Vietnam War.