Posted on May 20, 2021
Hamburger Hill: For war-weary Americans, 10-day battle defined futility of Vietnam War
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On May 20, 1969, US troops captured Hill 937, also known as Hamburger Hill.
"Fifty years after leading a company of soldiers up Hamburger Hill, Gerald “Bob” Harkins sees the assault against burrowed-in North Vietnamese army forces no differently than he did then.
“Our mission in life was to find the NVA and kill them,” said the 75-year-old Harkins, who now lives in Georgetown, Texas. “And we found them, and we did our best to kill as many as we could.
“The hill itself had no meaning. It was just a piece of dirt. The thing that made it important to us was the NVA unit there.”
In the wake of the battle in May 1969, there was no such clarity in America, where anti-Vietnam War protests were in full swing and elected lawmakers loudly decried the bloody Battle of Hamburger Hill, a 10-day meat grinder that left 72 U.S. soldiers dead and hundreds more wounded. Unlike the brief clashes that had characterized most jungle engagements during the Vietnam War, this battle had lasted long enough for American journalists to arrive and report firsthand on its ferocity."
"Fifty years after leading a company of soldiers up Hamburger Hill, Gerald “Bob” Harkins sees the assault against burrowed-in North Vietnamese army forces no differently than he did then.
“Our mission in life was to find the NVA and kill them,” said the 75-year-old Harkins, who now lives in Georgetown, Texas. “And we found them, and we did our best to kill as many as we could.
“The hill itself had no meaning. It was just a piece of dirt. The thing that made it important to us was the NVA unit there.”
In the wake of the battle in May 1969, there was no such clarity in America, where anti-Vietnam War protests were in full swing and elected lawmakers loudly decried the bloody Battle of Hamburger Hill, a 10-day meat grinder that left 72 U.S. soldiers dead and hundreds more wounded. Unlike the brief clashes that had characterized most jungle engagements during the Vietnam War, this battle had lasted long enough for American journalists to arrive and report firsthand on its ferocity."
Hamburger Hill: For war-weary Americans, 10-day battle defined futility of Vietnam War
Posted from stripes.com
Vietnam War
American History
Military History
Combat
Posted >1 y ago
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This hill was my litmus test. What if I was ordered to take the hill. What would I do? When I was satisfied with my answer I joined the army. The LT who posted that he worried exclusively about the quality of life on active duty tells me he his commitment is shallow at best. A future leader needs to understand the level of deep commitment and what he/she brings to the table. Sometimes we need to think about life and death which entails leaders who are deep thinkers.
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