FREEFOR v VIET CONG

 

The American Revolution didn't happen overnight, there was a long period of organization
and preparation before Lexington and Concord.  And those guys didn't show up at Lexington
Green or Concord Bridge spontaneously.  The Companies were organized and commanded.
Their officers took their orders from some authority, already established and accepted.

The Viet Cong didn't rise up out of the dew, they had a history, an organization, and extensive
planning in place.  They are a good model to study if anyone is really serious about insurgency.

They had three wars to gain their sovereignty, the Japanese, the French and the American.
Five years of Japanese occupation, eight years of war against the French, and another ten years
of war against the Americans.  By the time we showed up, they pretty much had it down pat.

They were organized down the village level, hamlet even in some areas.  They had cadre in place,
veterans mostly; weapons and ammunition cached, supplies and stores hidden away.  They had
one object, one goal, one design and they stuck to it throughout.  B-52 carpet bombing? No matter,
they were fifty or a hundred feet below ground.

American mobility and firepower?  They had sanctuaries and safe zones.  Unless they chose to
fight, they weren't where we were hitting.  Only when a decision was made to go 'full scale' did
they lose their asses.  Tet was a disaster for the VC and NVA.  Only CBS declaring a win for them
turned it around.  Gen Giap was prepared to call for peace.  So a Command misjudgement almost
cost them the war.

But this is not about the war, in that sense. This is about their organization and preparations for that
war, THAT NOBODY IN FREEFOR IS DOING TODAY.  VC/NVA could and did withdraw to safe places in Cambodia, Laos. or even across the DMZ.  VC/NVA had an army of support folks in the countryside. They didn't like it but they fed, housed and cared for their troops.  VC/NVA had extensive logisticsupport from East Europe and China, our NATO allies, and neutrals.  Swedish, Norwegian, Englishships routinely docked at Haiphong and 'Sihanoukville' (Kompong Son, IIRC) delivering aid and comfort to our enemies.  (How could we bomb or mine Haiphong with all those 'friendly' ships coming and going?)

We joined active combat in 1965, I remember picking up an old Japanese Arisaka rifle in 6.5mm from a dead VC.  Within two years every one of them had AK's or SKS.  They never lacked ammunition or weapons.  They began stocking up for TET in 1966. Prepositioned material and supplies two yearsbefore the OP began.  That required planning, organization, and efficiency.

What is happening or who is handling little details like that for this proposed "revolution"?

Despite all our efforts, the Ho Chi Minh trail was never seriously disrupted.  They had prepositioned
engineer and transportation units, along with support facilities and elements, to keep stuff moving.

THEY EVEN LAID FUEL PIPELINES ALL OVER THE PLACE, WELL IN ADVANCE.  And kept them,in operation in spite of all.  They had pump stations and personnel available to maintain and repair their, mostly six inch lines.  That took planning, surveying, engineering, organization and efficiency. So where is any of that among our heroes of the republic?

Believe me, after I was Infantry, I was US Army Corps of Engineers, and I can recognize an outstanding feat of military engineering in their logistical campaigns to keep open the roads, bridges, pipelines, tunnels and fortifications.  I rather doubt we have any such plans and preparations anywhere.

They had supply routes secure from our attack, they had sea and overland routes of supply.  They had
powerful allies, willing and able to supply their needs. Who might ours be? They had safe sanctuaries
across contiguous borders . . . we have Canada and Mexico?  Who's kidding who?

They had even more powerful allies right here at home; they owned the media, they had most of the
Catholic Church clergy, they had virtually ALL of Academia and the Intelligenstia . . . and Hollywood. I think we have some way to go there, fellas.

The media turned the country against the war, and General Giap is right, the won the war on American TV screens.


--Dick