Sinopsis
Mỹ Việt Nam
Personal Memories of an Armored Cavalry Track Commander
By Richard Leland Celsi
Mỹ Việt Nam, a Vietnam war memoir, is in large part the story of a young man--and young men--coming of age together in the jungles and rubber plantations of Vietnam in the late 1960’s. From the perspective of the author, it is also an historical account of the most pivotable time in the Vietnam War, as well as in the lives of these young soldiers. It tells the story of the engagements, daily actions, and reflections of soldiers in B Troop, 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry--the “Quarter Cav” -- during 1968 and 1969. Whether we as a nation choose to embrace their story or not, it should be part of our collective narrative.The narrative continues beyond the author’s return home to ‘the world’ after his tour. It reflects on his life afterward and his return to Vietnam in 2010 to retrace steps, talk to ghosts, and attempt to track down and tie together loose ends. He finds the latter only partially possible. In the mind of the author, despite many positive resolutions, the Vietnam War continues to ebb and wane, never really ending. Is that one veteran’s PTS or is it a reality that all soldiers who ever served in the conflict, carry to their graves?
The following from the author captures the essence of his fourteen months ‘in-country:’
“My tour in Vietnam began in April 1968 and ended in late June 1969. It was a time of profound change. The world was rocked by assassinations, anti-war protests, and race riots. The Tet offensive had changed the perception of the war, right or wrong, to one that could not be won. Yet, in this period of time, the worst two years of the war, numerous nameless battles were fought and won that in any other war would be long remembered. We gave them names. This was our time. In spring of 1968 the war still had a meaning - though a clamor was rising. By the end of my tour in summer 1969 the war seemed more and more meaningless. Why die for nothing? The problem was as young soldiers little of that was fully clear to us at the time. But we felt it... We fought if only for each other. We came of age that year together.
The first weeks of May1968 would see the highest casualty rates for any two weeks in the entire war. It is where this book begins.
May 5, 1968, the Pottery Factory:
‘….as our lead elements approach the gully, we are hit by RPG’s, heavy machine gun, and small arms fire. In an instant, a cumulative haze of cordite, diesel exhaust, and dust is crossed by red and green tracers ricocheting and streaking at odd angles. RPG’s slash through the opaqueness leaving directional trails in the choking air. Canister from our tanks cuts swaths through the bamboo. All weapons clattering full in that initial struggle for dominance. The sound almost instantly rising to that singular roar of battle - a white-noise so intense it is beyond the sound of individual weapons. The air hums electric. It is palpable.’
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