Fullbore. Funny that while Hollywood was content to let the 50th anniversaries of the major Vietnam War events pass without notice, the Aussies produced an exceptional movie honoring the Diggers that fought at Long Tan:
My Father was a staffie for Westmoreland's staff at this time and later said "when they walked in to the room for debriefs you knew they were tough sum bitches and had nothing to prove".
Full Bore and great choice. Glad they are still on our side.
The NZ Gov has gotten squishy in a few areas related to the CCP, 5 Eyes, Huawei, and hacking.
In return, the CCP has been stirring up Propaganda against the Kiwi's
"On 1 December 2020, Prime Minister Ardern expressed concern about a doctored Chinese Foreign Ministry official Zhao Lijian's Twitter post showing an Australian soldier holding a bloodied knife against the throat of an Afghan child, describing the post as "un-factual." Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta had also described the tweet as "inflammatory disinformation" and conveyed New Zealand's concerns to Beijing. The Australian Government had earlier condemned the tweet as "offensive" and "outrageous" and demanded an apology from Beijing. The Chinese post had occurred against the backdrop of the Brereton Report and recent tensions in Australia–China relations. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying expressed surprise at New Zealand's concern and defended the accuracy of the picture and posts"
My guess is that the PRC doctored photo was intended for two audiences: countries that are on the bubble vis-a-vis PRC v. Australia, and PRC citizens as a way of ginning up a new external enemy as a distraction from internal problems. I am SO glad the U.S. government doesn’t do anything that underhanded.
Which is truly unfortunate. Papa Scoobs had a buddy who went down to fly A-4s with the Kiwis on an exchange tour. This gent was (in)famously one of the shortest Naval Aviators ever to strap on a Scooter, and the joke in the squadron was he would be hard pressed to keep up with the RNZAF and find a trophy wife - fortunately he succeeded in both respects!
If it wasn't for the encouragement it would give the Chinese and Russians, we really really should give the Australians permission to reclaim their renegade territory.
Fullbore to the New Zealanders of yore. Little appreciated in the story of the sinking of submarine I-1 and code book capture. The one Kiwi death (Leading Signalman Buchanan) in the battle earned a US Navy Cross.
Yes - thank you for sharing! Been spending some time in the NARA archives and have come across some fascinating POW interrogation reports relating to the crew of I-17, which (in)famously shot up Santa Barbara and met her fate courtesy of USN aircraft & HMNZS TUI: http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-17.htm
I learned that NZ and AUS were involved in Vietnam when I read a novel (likely highly speculative, but who knows) called the Five Fingers, by pseudonym Gayle Rivers, who I believe was NZ SAS. He also wrote a book called The Specialist which was more reality based. A man I knew quite well mentioned once that he knew him and worked a bit with him. When he died I learned that man was 22 SAS in the 60s, mostly middle east and eastern Europe.
Interesting the people you know and what they did that they failed to mention while alive. He always looked perplexed and a bit angry about the spate of "I was in Special XYZ" books that started in the 90s. In 22 SAS when he was in, you didn't talk about shit.
I watched a documentary about Area 51. One of the authors interviewed talked about how no one in the government or was a contractor would say Area 51 or Groom Lake; they would just say "a test area".
That's the thing: when people blab about secret stuff, we don't know if they were really involved or if ther stries have any resemblnce to the truth. The people who really know, mostly aren't talking.
Senator Biden voted against the Vietnam Contingency Act (S. 1484) when it was proposed in the US Senate, because he disagreed with two terms in the bill :
military assistance to Vietnam
authorisation to use American troops (if necessary) to protect the evacuation of South Vietnamese citizens.
Specifically, he was against the Ford Administration tying military assistance to Vietnam and the continued use of US troops, with the evacuation of American and Vietnamese civilians.
Kinda' makes you wonder what North Vietnam would have done had the threat of US troops on the ground was real.
At least he's consistent as we now know two years later.
It is highly doubtful that the $150M (yes, M not B) in refugee assistance would have stopped the North from overrunning the country. Here is the summary and the roll call. https://voteview.com/rollcall/RS0940152
All bafflegab designed to conceal the fact that Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City by the North Vietnamese victors who controlled, for whatever reason, the ground it stood upon.
That's how you define victory, not by woulda coulda shoulda excuses.
The promised $1.45 billion military aid package for 1975 was cut $700 million. (Just like Biden did in Afghanistan.)
"But the United States did not keep its word. Is an American's word reliable these days? The United States did not keep its promise to help us fight for freedom and it was in the same fight that the United States lost 50,000 of its young men..."
- Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
With such high quality leadership it's easy to see why the US is not trusted.
"Remind me again how the name Ho Chi Min City came to be"
Well, duh! 9th century AD Champa pirates found the coastal geography to be ideal for their criminal enterprises - wealth flowed and a collection of coastal huts grew. If only there had been an international treaty against piracy back then, all that followed could have been nipped in the bud. If only....
Fullbore. Funny that while Hollywood was content to let the 50th anniversaries of the major Vietnam War events pass without notice, the Aussies produced an exceptional movie honoring the Diggers that fought at Long Tan:
https://youtu.be/n5aeo56ofjA
From 1979, on a lighter note.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIBmc4pn8LY&ab_channel=RedTreeStories
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odd_Angry_Shot
My Father was a staffie for Westmoreland's staff at this time and later said "when they walked in to the room for debriefs you knew they were tough sum bitches and had nothing to prove".
Full Bore and great choice. Glad they are still on our side.
The NZ Gov has gotten squishy in a few areas related to the CCP, 5 Eyes, Huawei, and hacking.
In return, the CCP has been stirring up Propaganda against the Kiwi's
"On 1 December 2020, Prime Minister Ardern expressed concern about a doctored Chinese Foreign Ministry official Zhao Lijian's Twitter post showing an Australian soldier holding a bloodied knife against the throat of an Afghan child, describing the post as "un-factual." Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta had also described the tweet as "inflammatory disinformation" and conveyed New Zealand's concerns to Beijing. The Australian Government had earlier condemned the tweet as "offensive" and "outrageous" and demanded an apology from Beijing. The Chinese post had occurred against the backdrop of the Brereton Report and recent tensions in Australia–China relations. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying expressed surprise at New Zealand's concern and defended the accuracy of the picture and posts"
My guess is that the PRC doctored photo was intended for two audiences: countries that are on the bubble vis-a-vis PRC v. Australia, and PRC citizens as a way of ginning up a new external enemy as a distraction from internal problems. I am SO glad the U.S. government doesn’t do anything that underhanded.
I am SO glad the U.S. government doesn’t do anything that underhanded
I want to live on that planet. Really, I do, but I don't think it's going to happen
🫡
Not sure we can rely on the Kiwis any more...
Which is truly unfortunate. Papa Scoobs had a buddy who went down to fly A-4s with the Kiwis on an exchange tour. This gent was (in)famously one of the shortest Naval Aviators ever to strap on a Scooter, and the joke in the squadron was he would be hard pressed to keep up with the RNZAF and find a trophy wife - fortunately he succeeded in both respects!
If it wasn't for the encouragement it would give the Chinese and Russians, we really really should give the Australians permission to reclaim their renegade territory.
Fullbore to the New Zealanders of yore. Little appreciated in the story of the sinking of submarine I-1 and code book capture. The one Kiwi death (Leading Signalman Buchanan) in the battle earned a US Navy Cross.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Xd2DWfHYE
https://homeofheroes.com/distinguished-service-cross/world-war-ii/navy-cross/foreign-nationals/
Yes - thank you for sharing! Been spending some time in the NARA archives and have come across some fascinating POW interrogation reports relating to the crew of I-17, which (in)famously shot up Santa Barbara and met her fate courtesy of USN aircraft & HMNZS TUI: http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-17.htm
Damn skippy, they were allies. And they could fight like rabid wolverines, too.
Badger Paw Salute!
A kill ratio to be proud of.
I learned that NZ and AUS were involved in Vietnam when I read a novel (likely highly speculative, but who knows) called the Five Fingers, by pseudonym Gayle Rivers, who I believe was NZ SAS. He also wrote a book called The Specialist which was more reality based. A man I knew quite well mentioned once that he knew him and worked a bit with him. When he died I learned that man was 22 SAS in the 60s, mostly middle east and eastern Europe.
Interesting the people you know and what they did that they failed to mention while alive. He always looked perplexed and a bit angry about the spate of "I was in Special XYZ" books that started in the 90s. In 22 SAS when he was in, you didn't talk about shit.
I watched a documentary about Area 51. One of the authors interviewed talked about how no one in the government or was a contractor would say Area 51 or Groom Lake; they would just say "a test area".
That's the thing: when people blab about secret stuff, we don't know if they were really involved or if ther stries have any resemblnce to the truth. The people who really know, mostly aren't talking.
Remind me again how the name Ho Chi Min City came to be, and why it remains so today despite any Anzac heroics?
Really? Need a history lesson?
Senator Biden voted against the Vietnam Contingency Act (S. 1484) when it was proposed in the US Senate, because he disagreed with two terms in the bill :
military assistance to Vietnam
authorisation to use American troops (if necessary) to protect the evacuation of South Vietnamese citizens.
Specifically, he was against the Ford Administration tying military assistance to Vietnam and the continued use of US troops, with the evacuation of American and Vietnamese civilians.
Kinda' makes you wonder what North Vietnam would have done had the threat of US troops on the ground was real.
At least he's consistent as we now know two years later.
All by himself. What a man, that Biden!
It is highly doubtful that the $150M (yes, M not B) in refugee assistance would have stopped the North from overrunning the country. Here is the summary and the roll call. https://voteview.com/rollcall/RS0940152
Even Hillary told him his AFG plan stunk.
All bafflegab designed to conceal the fact that Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City by the North Vietnamese victors who controlled, for whatever reason, the ground it stood upon.
That's how you define victory, not by woulda coulda shoulda excuses.
The promised $1.45 billion military aid package for 1975 was cut $700 million. (Just like Biden did in Afghanistan.)
"But the United States did not keep its word. Is an American's word reliable these days? The United States did not keep its promise to help us fight for freedom and it was in the same fight that the United States lost 50,000 of its young men..."
- Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
With such high quality leadership it's easy to see why the US is not trusted.
"Remind me again how the name Ho Chi Min City came to be"
Well, duh! 9th century AD Champa pirates found the coastal geography to be ideal for their criminal enterprises - wealth flowed and a collection of coastal huts grew. If only there had been an international treaty against piracy back then, all that followed could have been nipped in the bud. If only....