late in life teacher, allowed me to sail summers. Most everybody knew who I was anyway. from back when my boys played.
Sorry about your Uncle, I've been working on a book about Vietnam, what year did you loose him? What was his MOS?
He was a captain in the Army, and was in Vietnam serving as a military advisor in a command role for (
Military Assistance Command Vietnam "MACV") He was killed in 1964 along with Captain Wayne Kidd in a ambush, while serving with Vietnamese troops that were attacked by Viet Cong troops at Long My, Chuong Thien Province, RVN.
My Grandma had letters and reel to reel tapes, of him talking about his frustrations with his mission there and apparently from them a article appeared in the New York Times after his death. Below is excerpts from the article.
BRADENTON, Fla., Dec. 23 (AP)—Capt. John King's war was “long periods of boredom interrupted by short periods of intense hell.”
His war was worn‐out weapons, loneliness, an enemy that melted away, waste, leaders who he said sought advice but didn't need it, a superior who, Captain King said, refused to forward his critical report.
Capt. John King died at 32 on Dec. 12 in South Vietnam, a bullet through his head.
He was from Bradenton, the son of John H. King and the present Mrs. Thomas J. Brooks he enlisted at 17, fought in Korea, rose from private to captain in 15 years. He had a wife and five children in Sebring, Fla. Mrs. King is expecting a sixth child next month.
Captain King's war came to life in letters that arrived at the home of his mother and stepfather following his arrival in Saigon in late September. It ended with a telegram. Excerpts from the letters are:
Oct. 3—“Indications are that we are going to win here, but not overnight. It will take some time. I we lost this country, which is the entry into southeast Asia, there will be no telling what else will go to the Reds.”
Oct. 10—“On your question of Christmas, there is nothing I can think of that I need. I would appreciate your just adding whatever you planned spending on me to the children's Christmas.
Nov. 19—“I guess this is just like, or similar to, Korea in that we are plagued with long periods of boredom interrupted by short periods of intense hell. . .
“The United States is wasting millions of dollars a year having advisers here. These people don't know what they don't know, and are either too proud or too stupid to admit it . . . They listen to our advice and agree that we are right, and go right ahead and execute operations that violate every basic principle of tactics . . . the only way this war will ever be won is for the United States to step in and say our advisers are going to plan every tactical operation at every level of command . . .
“Please do not publish anything I've said here, at least not now. Ha Ha.”
Dec. 1—“I'm in what appears to be hot water at the present time. I'm not sure how serious it is, but I believe I have the right people behind me . . . You see, at the end of each month, I must prepare a written statistical and command valuation of the battalion I'm advising. That I did for the month of November, based on factual, recorded observation maintained by myself and Sgt. Jones in each day's operation.
“For the report to be of any value it must be truthful and accurate, and this is the manner in which I prepared my report . . . All the essential and important parts of the report had to be rated unsatisfactory, showing the battalion commander and his unit to be ineffective . . .
“Well, my immediate superior . . . will not forward my report to division. He obviously does not want the truth to be known, as my report goes all the way to Washington, D. C. I have refused so far to lie, so as to make him and his counterpart look good, for if I do this, there is no reason for any of us being here trying to advise and risking our lives each day. Colonel Preston . . . is behind me so far. We are having a big meeting on this subject tomorrow. If I don't win tomorrow, then I guess I'm in for trouble.”
The telegram from the Pentagon to Captain King's mother and stepfather, Dec. 12, read in part:
“The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deep regret that your son, Capt. John E. King, died in Vietnam on 12 Dec. 1964 as the result of hostile action . . . He was accompanying Vietnamese Army when they were ambushed and attacked.”
