Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Le Tran Nhan, 1981

Well I got drafted in 1965 in South Vietnam and I was assigned to and after training training I was just assigned in first ep of a division. And I was sent to Pleiku then to go on key to me. Do you. Push your rivals. It was still one of us want to want. Better to push. That and keep the commuter for the first get to land. And I meet them there. What did you have to do. What was your function. I took it to a. Full like. A. Public relations good between us and Vietnamese local officials interrogating. The. Priest knows that if you. Take or whatever and need translation. And I'm not around. But if you will be there in. Case you had some interesting. Observations on you all right. Just what was the real vote.

For you. It was a story about. Why the first thing I noticed when he learned in casting to believe the. Marine U.S. Marine Corps and casing was you lost two and twenty three helicopters in the very first day we landed. And I knew that if you go by talking to helicopter crews. And they're shifting back and forth from our base to casting. And the firing was. Kind. Enough you had to be stupa in positions anyway you get by the entrance of a bunker. You get shot a lot times just right and. It's still a story again mention that this was probably really cool. So yeah the reason I remember that figure because I used to compare that to the amount we have

in the south east division. You're right. And well when you're all right and for saying the first thing we noticed I noticed was the modern helicopter gunned down by anti aircraft weapons. The North Vietnamese division. And we lost on that day. What the horse selfie division couldn't have. Twenty three helicopters and a single day. Was this. A new observation. Americans. Generally. Yeah. The American troops are fighting like a rich man and you're fighting like a very very poor man. So there is a lot of firepower on even like a skirmish or a. Spring and just to get it out three four get lost trying to

ambush a sniper. You know. More about the. American way that you feel funny for us to see an American in war. A lot of times if you have a go to last night three or four guys you're going to waste and I asked strikes who have won or artillery strike or even Navy gun supports. And yes for three of us if we have to do it. In a Vietnamese army will send us a squad. And tried to dislodge them. Instead of having so much waste. To rebury. Which will result

would be so much activity. Well by talking to a priest no poor nuffin missed troops officially. I got the idea that every time good enough you had me that you are in the area. They know. Where you are going to land before hand just by the amount of ass trying like you have gunships going to. The area. Then. They did and they said they are pretty sure we are going to land there. And now just wait there and see somebody might get hurt. And they are supposed to remain quiet. NTA the trooper landed. Then they can have the ambush set up and split after the ambush. So that's a good ass rock is a good indication believe it or not Vietnamese troops you know that we are landing. What about. This observation. You must realize this when you know you were never married.

We're out talking to. We don't talk much about the war because we are actually involved in that war and nobody wants to see a war so many casualties so many innocent people killed so we when we talk we just talk about you know like live the movie. Mostly we don't talk about the war. The American presence. In Iraq. We have usually looked down on people you have a high prestige. No respect people more with more. But since the arrival of U.S. troops they have a lot of people get rich off the bases. So. Just.

From last up on those people then we usually do like for us to survive. So there are friends of accepting down social fact more than reporting them like we do before. You're living. A very. Big you're. While pushing the yes so. I would be. I know I'll be assigned to another unit. So I will be transferred. That's the direct impact of the poor and the sick an impact because. When the American pull out we hope you will get. What they were this ban on those American troops and I thought she'd ask you if you're going to have a lot of ammunition just a fan. They can plead the rich way. Instead of wasting human lives you can wait a minute. I thought it was

good but I was wrong because supplies always lacking there. Then. You remember the election. Do you have any thoughts about what you think about the fact that what you think about over the. Weekend. I don't think it's a very democratic way of. And then the election. But. Well I don't deal for ticks. And I think politics he should do you would because you know playing with human life that. So. I don't think it is right. First you have a single man for an election. And also I don't think much about him. I don't think he's a good man in any any sense. But I will support him any time if I have the calmness enhanced.

If I have to think about supporting T.O. or the calmness I will vote for to any time what we think about we're going to go oh you're right you wouldn't you think they were. Somewhat like oh well. Tell me about what you thought about your writing. Well I think the calmness to a person they don't have the soul of their own. They have so much brainwash. And I guess I have experience with Priest know war stuff wants to help us to locate caches. We send them out on patrols to locate those caches ammunition. Supply dumps. So I treat them like human being brother. They sleep in the same tent and I say do if you have ever got a tent. They have

to stay with me when I go and wherever I go even in back back in the rear. So I got quite friendly of them. And they talked about how great you know if you know how great the show and the freedom how much freedom they have. But once I take them to Saigon the operations we know that we can trust them you know. So they give us a leave one or two days and then go back to say Go and show them the street. So many hound you know motorcycle around. They couldn't believe it. They even touched the wall of first cry. Well it's not a sky scraper but a tall building and say this is real. They couldn't believe it was so rich and they keep telling me after that. That. Hard noise much better. I was born enough yet now I was born in Hanoi. I know what it looks like compared to Saigon.

And they kept telling me that even they saw it with their own eyes that we have so many of you have so many freedom movements and not too many police around and they keep the noise better they have more freedom they have refrigerators they have cost abound. So I don't think they have a a so their own at least not. So. What is your reaction to the. President. You want her to go. Well I think about the peace treaty. Anybody who signed her calmness no matter what kind of treaty did. You talk to you talk my soul won the whatever. Because to NEVER respect. Out of. So many treaties to sign to Helsinki to yacht up black. The never

respected so why you want to sign another pact because we have to respect it. And we are fooling people. If you sign it. So I think here. I don't think he's a stupid guy so he knows it. I think he was forced to sign that treaty and grabby been writing you wouldn't believe anybody I read a newspaper but I don't see anything or know anything about it. So that will continue. 3 What was the main difference was it. Its main thing is more maybe even me. While the in 1973 the main difference is the moral of the troops. Because.

In 1973 the main thing is the moral of the troops because a lot of people think we are going to have the. Peace in the near future and nobody wants to be the last death of the war. And they try to be to play it safe. And. Even discipline. We have some problems to discipline to. The commanders. They have the same mentality. They don't want to be a last that drive thru Pleiku. And. The reaction of the troop to the command is the same. What did we do we got them in low respect. So we have some discipline but not much after the treaty was signed. But after like three months afterward they

realized no treating. So we keep up the fight again. What about the president. Well from reading the newspaper newspaper in Vietnam yes he was. One of the core hawks. Who was for the war. So if he'd resign the leadership in America. Is confusion then you know it's all so confusing on the Vietnam policy of the American government. So he does have some impact. The last request economy the economy and military aid was so long. And we know we need out in the field we know we need to supplies right away. It can't be any deal. So he does have some negative effect. Water in Vietnam.

So with. That or our training center I was an instructor then I guess after the American troop pull out I was reassigned. I got two Purple Hearts to get me sent me to do feel they send me to a training center at Signal Training Corps and after graduation I was holdback to be an instructor there will be until one communication system and what happened in the middle of April. How did you keep training people instructing people. Yes I was training on the route. Even on the very last day of April last deal training

although we have reports that long was lost and you know if you had a missed group pushing toward. We don't have any anti-tank guns and I was told there are still about 13 tanks rolling toward. And on the 30 F April the military command of West gone so I knew there was nothing much we can do. And I set out with some of my students. So my trainees. To trying to go to the four corps because the fourth was in touch. So we think we have better resistance there. But I couldn't make it to. The fourth call on the way I was picked up by A and even Navy and they told us there's nothing left so you better get on our ship and go. And I lost contact with my family then. My family still

remains in Vietnam.