You have an excellent memory — I envy that!
Yes, Bru was a dominant ethnic group, but not the only one we worked with - but I’m too damned old to remember..
Something like the Van Kew or Dan Ku?
The last I heard of the clans from our old region, is those who weren’t annihilated after we left — fought on and evaded the Communists for DECADES before crossing into THAILAND seeking refuge....
I’ll never forget or forgive our betrayal of those gentle and loyal anti Communists.... I remember my shock at learning a significant minority of folks living in Quang Tri were Catholics. They were subjected to “special” treatment after we abandoned the country..
Those who escaped alive — came with their weapons...
That should be an object lesson to the “gun control” maniacs...
What? What were we talking about? Where'd I leave my car?
Yes, Bru was a dominant ethnic group, but not the only one we worked with - but I’m too damned old to remember.. Something like the Van Kew or Dan Ku?
The Dao, Hmong, Tay, Thai, and Nung were the most common tribal/ethnic groups, though we about as often thought of the locals by name of the nearest ville or camp designation, or the local characteristic- black head wrap, orange head wrap, 3 coins, etc, etc. Some tribes were big enough to be spread over several villages [and to rent out the young men as ruffpuff camp guards] others were mostly concentrated in one community. Tai, Muong, Khmer, Nung, and Hmong languages were the most common, but my crappy Wu Chinese would get me by with the Nungs...Cantonese or Mandarin would usually not.
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The last I heard of the clans from our old region, is those who weren’t annihilated after we left — fought on and evaded the Communists for DECADES before crossing into THAILAND seeking refuge....
Yep. The spooks who worked with the Hmong in Laos were decent enough to arrange relocation for a lot of those who had worked for us there...and when the congress cut off the money in 1975, were slick enough to fund the relocation *by other means.* most of the grunts and those on the SF teams didn't quite have the resources to pull that kind of evacuation off on that large a scale, but there've been numerous cases of guys getting their counterparts/translators/radio operators out.
I’ll never forget or forgive our betrayal of those gentle and loyal anti Communists.... I remember my shock at learning a significant minority of folks living in Quang Tri were Catholics. They were subjected to “special” treatment after we abandoned the country..
I don't expect that the CaoDaists around Tay Ninh or the Buddhist Hoa Hao fared much better. But the Diems were Catholic, and the Catholic church had been the largest land owner in the country, exempt from any government-ordered land reforms, and with their own private army to back their claims up.
Those who escaped alive — came with their weapons... That should be an object lesson to the “gun control” maniacs...
At the least it's a lesson in proper care for personal weapons- some have shown up with an M16 from three decades back still intact and functioning. In just a bit over two years in-country, I went through 4 M16A1s/CAR15s, and most of the time I was carrying a shotgun when ammo was around or an M14 [I went through 3 of them!] when I couldn't scrounge 12 gage. With an occasional greasegun, Swedish K or *other sterile* sometimes thrown in instead.
And, of course, it's our *gun control maniacs* who see themselves as the wardens of the reeducation and labor camps for those who would dare to oppose them. After all, Stalin said you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, and they want us to be the eggs.