Cavan soldiers who fought in Vietnam
In his column this week, Jonathan Smyth recalls the Cavan soldiers who died in Vietnam...
Many from my generation first heard of the Vietnam War through TV shows in the 1980s like the A-Team. Who can forget that opening monologue from the popular series with its reference to a crime, later referenced to have been committed during the Vietnam War. Another memory for me was Bruce Springsteen singing ‘Born in the USA’, a song highlighting the disrespect faced by veterans who returned home from the Vietnam War.
At the cinema in 1987, Robin Williams gave an unforgettable performance as disc jockey, Adrian Cronauer, delivering his daily radio show and his cheery ‘Good morning, Vietnam’, in the movie of the same name, which was set in Saigon. The film was inspired by the real-life Adrian Joseph Cronauer (1938-2018) an Air Force Sergeant and radio personality whose broadcasts on the American Forces Network during the Vietnam War helped build morale in the military.
Then for the over-18s you had Sylvester Stallone’s unbeatable tough guy soldier John Rambo, a former elite Green Beret soldier, in the Rambo movies and a veteran who fought the Viet Cong. But such celluloid portrayals of Vietnam were heavily romanticised, and the reality was much scarier for those on the ground. During the Vietnam War American families saw their teenage sons drafted to fight in barbaric conditions in the intense heat of the jungles in a foreign land. The war began in 1954 and US military advisers were sent to help. From 1965 active combat units were sent in and, by the end of the decade, there were 500,000 soldiers in the field. By 1973, most American units were withdrawn, and the war ended in 1975.
Such was the eventual backlash against the war among the youth of America in the 1960s, that the hippie or beat generation was born in the face of hopelessness, and from it they found artistic expression through the development of major music festivals such as Woodstock, where peace and love were promoted in contrast to the harshness of the battlefields. Opposition to the war was viewed as unpatriotic among staunch conservatives and who can forget the news story about the 60-year old movie star John Wayne rushing down a street with two fists raised to separate a crowd of youthful protesters.
In Washington D.C. the Vietnam Veterans Memorial lists almost 60,000 names. The website www.vvmf.org contains a virtual Wall of Faces dedicated to the memory of the United States Army personnel who died. The website is supported by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and an introductory message states: ‘The virtual Wall of Faces features a page dedicated to honouring and remembering every person whose name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. In an effort to further preserve the legacy of those who died in Vietnam, the VVMF is committed to finding a photo to go with each of the more than 58,000 names on The Wall. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other.’
Michael Francis Smith, was born on November 25, 1945, in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan; he held the rank of SP4 in the United States Army. His casualty record showed he was killed the day after St Patrick’s Day, on March 18, 1967, while on operations in the Tay Ninh Province. Today, his name is honoured on the Wall of Faces at Panel 16E, line 107. The month of March 1967 was a bad month for the Irish in Vietnam with four Irishmen killed, including John Coyle who had family connections to Kilcogy, Co Cavan and Birmingham in England.
James Durney’s absorbing book on the Irish in Vietnam has a chapter on Michael Smith. When aged 17 years, Michael emigrated to America in 1962. He was the third eldest in a family of four boys and four girls and only his older sister Mary had any recollection of him leaving home. As a youngster, Michael was a member of the Ballyconnell School of Irish Dancers and took part in Feiseanna competitions in Cavan. His athleticism extended to the football field, and he lined out with Templeport in the school’s football league.
Smith was drafted in September 1966, joining 2nd battalion, 22nd infantry regiment as an SP4 and then ‘deployed with 4th infantry division to Vietnam.’ Everything seemed to go well for him until he was posted in the ‘danger zone.’ In letters home to his parents, Michael played down any fears he might have had. In one letter he told his mother, ‘I know you, dad and the rest of the family worry about me, but if I honestly thought I was in any real danger I’d be in England or some other place.’
During the Vietnam War, the rank of SP4 stood for that of a specialist or corporal rank in the 4th grade and was eventually replaced by SPC. The specialist rank carried prestige and pay incentives obtainable after two years service, and permitted a soldier to take charge of lower-ranking soldiers. Entering military service with a four-year degree qualification permitted recruits to begin basic combat training in the role of specialist.
Michael was killed when the APC vehicle he was travelling in hit a landmine. His records show he had worked as a Radar Operator and his contribution was said to be exceptional during each mission. Michael’s remains were flown back to Ireland by US Air Force and his funeral was held in Kilnavart Church. After the funeral, the American flag that covered Michael’s coffin was presented by Lt. Carpenter to Michael’s father Thomas Smith.
The death toll by the end of the Vietnam War was vast. Those killed included, 58,000 American armed forces personnel, 250000 South Vietnamese soldiers, over one million North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong guerrillas, and over two million civilians from North and South Vietnam. To discover more on Vietnam, I recommend you try ‘Vietnam the Irish Experience’ by James Durney.
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