US aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam in March: Defence ministry

Hooah!

I too have neighbors and friends who go to 'Nam yearly for vacation and wonderful times. They too, find the people to be ultra friendly and willing to move-on and forget the past.

Cheers! Very good to hear, gentlemen! Thank you for sharing! Vietnam conjures emotions and memories in many of our brothers and sisters. I am wondering how they feel about all of this? I know from visiting the Soviet Union on my own (Russian history buff!) in 1984, that the PEOPLE of a country don't necessarily reflect the government of a country. Russians love Americans and respect and revere JFK. They are a proud and hard working people. It's a shame that the current leftists in our country have turned them into an adversary. Perhaps we should think about Vietnam and Russia as partners in a race for world peace and prosperity? Don't get me wrong, I am NOT an advocate of homogenization, nor of a "Globalist" view. Local problems need local solutions. I prefer a League of Nations over a UN. EU is another bad idea. Bring back individual currencies and borders. There is a reason people become protectionist - if you work hard, play by the rules and save for your future, why should it be given to someone who just walks across the border with nothing and nothing to offer? Hooah!

MAJ Montgomery Granger - Major, Its funny that you mention the Soviet Union (Russia) I know that when I was onboard the Enterprise, we visited the Island Nation of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. They had been deviated by a Typhoon and we pulled in to assist in Disaster Control. It was us and the French Carrier Clemenceau, Between the US Navy and the French we had working partys all over the island for a week. When we pulled out a Soviet Cruiser of the KARA class, what we thought might have been the Tashkent pulled in. Her crew were manning the rails looking at the Enterprise and its Air Wing and we were looking her over. They were smiling, waving and yelling while taking pictures of "The Legend" We were doing the same... Sailors are sailors no matter what uniforms they wear. It was basically the same every time a TU-95 Bear buzzed us, no matter whether if we were in the Pacific or the Atlantic. When the US Airmen took pictures of the Bear aircrew you never knew what to expect, it culd be like the one I have here where the bear rear gunner and photographers are flashing the PEACE sign to the crew of the F-4 that is flying beside them, there are also pictures of Bear crews holding up PEPSI bottles and even one crewman holding up an issue of PLAYBOY. I was told one time by the XO of my squadron that he had escort duty once years before and when he pulled beside the BEAR in his F-8 Crusader, he saw a crewman shooting the MOON out the side blister.
One thing though you will notice in any picture of any TU-95 being shadowed by any US or NATO aircraft. The 23mm Guns in the tail (which are deadly accurate) are never pointed at the escort aircraft. They are usually pointed UP the two guns in the belly mount are also not active. Other than the flyover itself, there is nothing menacing about the actions about the Bear crew.