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General thoughts12/9/2023 ★ North Vietnam exploited the guerilla efforts of the Viet Cong, establishing the base for their winning strategy. I was most proud that during my year with the 196th Brigade we were able to reestablish the district of Hiep Duc, the westernmost district in Quang Tin Province. ★ We had some very successful combat operations and some very successful civic action projects while I was commanding the brigade. Nevertheless, it was a valuable operation from my standpoint. The enemy chose to retire rather than fight. For almost six weeks we established new fire bases and prowled the jungle, but with little effect. ★ Shortly after I assumed command, the brigade was ordered to conduct Operation Pocahontas Forest, a foray to move farther west in Quang Tin Province than the division had ever before ventured. My experience in building and then disassembling the Army that went to Vietnam gave me a long-standing interest in force management. ★ In the early stages of the Vietnam buildup it was a constant struggle to properly time the activation of units and organizations that were requested by MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) and get them trained and shipped. ★ While serving in Vietnam, I earned my third Combat Infantryman’s Badge – one of my proudest possessions – and my second Purple Heart, having already received one in World War II. I had a lot of catching up to do in basic soldiering and in remembering the requirements for command. For example, I had never fired the M16 rifle. Frankly, I was ill-prepared professionally for the job of commanding a brigade. I spent my years from 1955 to 1968 in staff duties, going to school and on the faculty of the Army War College. I had commanded a battalion as a major in Korea, so I was not given a battalion while I was a lieutenant colonel. ★ It had been 13 years since I had last held a command. The principal thing that keeps men fighting together in combat is their need for the respect of their own buddies. ★ My company and field grade commands were almost all in combat zones, so I learned firsthand why men fight. The brigade had been tried severely under fire and had proven that it was a capable, professional organization. Morale was high in all the battalions, and I thought the commanders had a sense of confidence that only a very good combat outfit could have. When I assumed command of the 196th Brigade it was in very good condition. ★ I first went to Vietnam in 1968 to become a brigade commander in the Americal Division. Kroesen, who commanded a brigade and a division in Vietnam, passed away at age 97 this April 30 and has received a tribute in the Farewell section of the August 2020 issue of Vietnam magazine. Army, in his memoir “General Thoughts: Seventy-Five Years with the Army” published in 2007 by the US. The following reflections on the Vietnam War were written by General Frederick Kroesen, former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Words on War: General Kroesen’s Thoughts on Vietnam Close
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