*************************
What more could you ask for than the great Johnny Rivers? Back when men were men and damsels were in distress. I really got into Johnny Rivers listening to him in the bars of Bien Hoa in 1967 - 1968.
A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Johnny Rivers
*************
2010 when he was 68 and damn if I can tell any difference in his voice and looking good!
Incredible.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way I would have thought he looked to be 68 years old in that video.
Such a distinctive voice too, I had no idea he was even still around.
There are some classic tunes with his name on them for sure and that is one of them.
Thanks for posting that Brock, I got a kick out of it.
& he's still going strong at 74.
DeleteNice to see you have some good memories of the battle field.
ReplyDelete"If we die, we die & the only other option is death"
One of the five stages of death ' acceptance '. I wonder
if he went thru the other four.
Thanks for the trip in memory lane. Much better times.
I imagine the little boy stayed in Saigon and with any luck he lived. The picture in the article below is gone, but I have it from a Saigon newspaper which I took with me and will scan it again.
Deletehttp://namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=302
If he was sent to Xuan Loc outside the city where the last gallant stand was made, I doubt it. Makes you want to cry, if only Thieu didn't give the order to abandon the Highlands, but they would have still gone down in defeat eventually as he was fighting a "poor man's war" as the North Vietnamese stated.
http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-supermen-battle-of-xuan-loc-april.html
the NVA massed 40,000 men and overran Xuan Loc.
During this fight, the ARVN 18th had 5,000 men at Xuan Loc. These men managed to virtually destroy 3 NVA divisions, but on April 17th, 1975 they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and the weight of the “Mass.” Before overrunning Xuan Loc the NVA had committed six full divisions, plus a host of various support troops.
"A pregnant lady" – abandoned by her lover to face her fate.
http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-pregnant-lady-abandoned-by-her-lover.html
By noon on March 16, a mass of humanity; troops, dependents, civilians, and deserters; was clogging the old road. Some 400,000 civilians, 60,000 ARVN, and 7,000 Rangers began the attempted escape to the sea.
By the time that the last straggling men, women, and children had reached Tuy Hoa on the coast; 300,000 civilians, 40,000 ARVN, and 6,300 Rangers were missing, never to be accounted for.
Any personal ideas or overheard rumors on what happened to the missing?
ReplyDeleteAll killed by the commies on their long trek. They purposely shelled/mortared the civilians to sow panic. Needless to say, a retreat is the most difficult maneuver, period and to attempt it taking 400K civilians along is probably something no army could accomplish considering the composition.
DeletePoor people. They were doomed. No dam conscious.
ReplyDeleteI just could not imagine such. But, it is the real
reality not the glory folks always hear.
Thank you for the above info. I can tell you have great
empathy and fondness for these people and their plight.
I guess that is why so many soldiers went back.
Thank you and April 30th was the saddest day of my life, bar none. You would think the death of your parents would be, but their fate was known many months in advance, so you built up a shield. Although I knew on April 1st http://namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=239&highlight=toner http://namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=20&highlight=toner it was doomed, the many years I spent there kept me hoping until the end when I left with my family 5 days before the end. I've got many more links on my NamSouth site if you're interested. This is probably the most informative single link.http://namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=21&highlight=suicides
DeleteI plan on going back after the Spring or Fall PATCON.