War and Misunderstandings of Those who Weren't There

I was talking to a friend about her Dad and WWII. She said he never talked about it. My Dad was also in WWII, When he passed away I received his WWII awards and medals. I never new it but he was a Master Shot with pistol, rifle and machine gun. He was also one of the first to hit the beach at Attu. He helped lay down fire for the rest of the invasion. I didn't know any of this until he passed away. 

Vietnam was different from most of our previous wars. In Vietnam, everyone was the enemy, the enemy did not wear uniforms, a little child could be carrying a loaded pistol in the bag he carried as he walked past you. When we came home, we didn't see all the grandeur that our fathers saw when they come home. Young people, collage age through their garbage at us as we walked through airports and train stations. In my case, my own family called me a failure; partly because of the things I did in the war, but also because I voluntarily participated. 

There are many misunderstandings about wars like Vietnam. 

 

 Some of you may remember this image.

It is a grisly, iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning photo from the Vietnam War that shocked the world.

My eyes were always strangely drawn to the Executioner, General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. The blend of his menacing face, the nonchalance in shooting the man, one must wonder, what leads a person down this path to villainy?

How could one so quickly kill a bound, unarmed prisoner? Upon my further investigation - this might be one of the most misunderstood photos in history. The plainly dressed victim might resemble a normal pedestrian - but he was no ordinary prisoner. He was the leader of a Vietcong death squad, that had infiltrated Saigon with the express purpose of assassinating a long list of people. He had personally executed several military officers and their entire families.

He was found standing over a grave with 34 bodies in it, that included women and children that had been killed execution style.

Following this famous photo, Loan continued fighting in the war for several years. He was later injured, losing one leg.

Loan and his wife eventually escaped to the US. Where he had 5 children and owned a restaurant in Virginia.

 

But his life was haunted by the photo that was taken of him as he was held up as a standard bearer for the evils of war. Loan's property was frequently vandalized and he was targeted by various outlets over the years.

The photographer, Eddie Adams, was deeply regretful of ever having taken the picture. He knew Loan well and stated that he was a good man and misrepresented. Adams felt he captured two deaths in that photo: that of the victim and that of Loan.

And - to be clear - this is not an attempt to absolve this man of all blame. This is dark stuff. However, what Loan did was not far beyond the bounds of what other soldiers were doing.

War is and has always been hell. To pretend it is anything less is to pretend fire isn't hot. So before making demons of men, remember: given the wrong circumstances, we are all capable of terrible things.

After all, we are human.