OH+Questions

TOPIC: THE VIETNAM WAR INTERVIEW SUBJECT: JOHN MINGO (GRANDPA)

1) it was a different kind of war 2) those people (VC) were very tenacious 3) we had to get the ok from congress in order to do anything and by the time congress would ok it, it was to late
 * Why was it hard for the US and South Vietnam to defeat North Vietnam?**

1) we have no business being there 2) people who served in the Vietnam War didn't put it on their resumes 3) many lives were lost and that was becoming expensive
 * What opposition to the war did you see?**

I first joined the war in 1963. I was part of the staff of headquarters so I wasn't involved in too much fighting. I was also a Navy Operations Offiecer in Saigon. I was in charge of any information that applied to the navy operations. I spent 13 months in Saigon and two tours aboard ship by the eastern border of the Vietnam coastline. There were a line of destroyers called a gunlike. I was in control of 10-12 destroyers at a time, which meant I was in control of the firing of guns.
 * What was your job in the war?**

In Korea I was stationed in Japan for a while. I was then told to bring a ship full of supplies to South Korea. We got there just in time because the North Koreans and the Chinese were pushing the South Koreans further south. So what made my experiences different was the way of fighting. Vietnam was guerilla warfare and Korea wasn't.
 * What was the difference between your experiences in Korea and Vietnam?**

SInce the North Vietnamese were so confident and dedicated it made it hard for us to win. They won't let anyone crush them and tell them what they can and cannot do. Also the way that they fought was difficult and new to the US. There was a lot of activity in by the rivers and North Vietnamese soldiers would hide on tree and attack the US soldiers. So then we used a chemical to destroy the trees but as a consequence there were many health issues.
 * What was so difficult about fighting in the Vietnam War?**

I think that getting involved was a mistake because we really weren't prepared. Congress wouldn't give us orders to get the job done in Vietnam.
 * What was your reaction to the Vietnam War?**

I didn't get involved too much in the actual fighting part of the war because I was in the navy. But I did make field trips with other headquarter staff members to look at things. We would fly in helicopter and over look Vietnam. So I would do lots of location and controlling jobs with headquarters. Also since the North VIetnamese didn't have a well established navy, it wasn't too difficult for me out there.
 * What are some of your memories from the war in Vietnam?**