The "The Horrors of Battle: Part II"

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting with Tom in his family room, looking at his scrapbook of Polaroid enlargements of the Vietnam War.  Yesterday I began my story by talking about the use of the chemical Agent Orange during the war and the horrors it caused then, and is still causing now, to all the troops that fought so valiantly during the Vietnam War.  Today I will show you a few of Tom's photos to give you an idea what it was like to be in battle during the 20 year war which eventually was won by our enemy, North Vietnam.  The photos, to many, will probably mean nothing more than a glimpse of what another country looks like, but to Tom who fought the battle for what now seems like a lost cause, it is a part of his life that he looks back on, not with fond memories, but with memories of those who had to endure the hardships of living in a land where warfare was with them every day of their lives.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This is a bunker north of Saigon.  The commanding officer had planes bomb the area in the distance where there were suspected North Vietnamese firing at the bunker.  The walls of the bunker are seven to eight feet thick with sand bags.

This is Sergeant Tom in the bunker. 

Tom accompanied by his dog, Lucky "2".  The communication antennas are 2 1/2 stories high. 

This tower was a 5 story high lookout.  It was bombed with rockets from the North Vietnamese and fell when Tom was close to the bottom.  He luckily wasn't severely injured.  

Ann Margaret and Bob Hope arrived in 123 degree heat for a Christmas presentation for 25,000 troops.  No one knew of the location where the program was held until the last minute to prevent bombing of the program.

This is a fish net factory on the fringes of Saigon that was being protected by US troops.  Fish nets are needed by many in Vietnam for work and survival. 

Tom is stationed on top of the fish net factory in this photo.  The rounded sections are semi-conductor culverts that are covered with sandbags.

This is a Buddhist Temple which was destroyed immediately after the United States withdrew their troops.

Photo that Tom took while on R&R in Hawaii.  His camera and photo were taken from him as they were not allowed.  Another serviceman returned the camera and photo to him before he returned to his base in Vietnam.

Tough to realize the horrors of war that Tom faced on a daily basis because he wasn't able to capture any photos during incoming fire or during the night when the Agent Orange rained down upon the troops as they slept under their ponchos.