Remembering End of Vietnam War
EDITOR’S NOTE: The 50th anniversary of end of Vietnam War and the 60th anniversary of U.S. combat involvement in Vietnam was the topic of a Memorial Day speech in Henry County by Nate LaMar.
In March, I made a business trip to Vietnam. This was my second visit, with the first having been in 2000. Vietnam was preparing for the 50th anniversary of the end of its war with the USA. Indeed, on April 30, 1975, Saigon fell to the Communist Viet Cong. Contrary to popular opinion, the famous photo of people climbing stairs on a rooftop to board a helicopter was not the US embassy. Rather, this was atop an apartment building rented by the CIA, which a tour guide showed us. In fact, he went on to tell us that those “in the know” had been instructed to listen to the radio, then report there for evacuation when they heard Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” although it was April!
But I digress. For it was 60 years ago that the USA began combat operations in Vietnam. This was a Marine Corps deployment to Da Nang in March 1965. But the first major battle took place in November 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley. This battle was detailed in the 1992 book, “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young,” co-authored by Hal Moore. It was later made into the film, “We Were Soldiers,” in which Mel Gibson played then-Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore.
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first battle in which large-scale helicopter air assault was used. This was by the 1st Air Cavalry Division. This battle also represented the first usage of B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers. By contrast, the Viet Cong inflicted casualties at very close range over a five-day period, having been in tunnels on the hills above the valley.
From 2023-2025, Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the Infantry branch, was renamed Fort Moore, not only after Lieutenant General Hal Moore, but also after his wife, Julia. This was because, after the Battle of Ia Drang, she pioneered casualty notification teams as a uniformed officer and chaplain to visit next of kin, rather than only a telegram, to notify them of the death of their loved ones. She also set up survivor support networks, which are still in use today among Gold Star families.
On May 10, I was privileged to meet many of these Gold Star families. As part of Indiana Run For The Fallen, I ran the segment from Muncie to Anderson, stopping along the way at every mile to read the names of three or four Indiana service members who have died since September 11, 2001. We gave special recognition to any of their family members present to honor their fallen loved ones.
In closing, I would like to remind us of the lyrics to the hymn, “Mansions of the Lord,” written by Randall Wallace and set to music by Nick Glennie-Smith. This was sung by West Point’s Cadet Glee Club at the end of “We Were Soldiers” and for former President Ronald Reagan’s funeral in 2004:
To fallen soldiers let us sing; Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing. Our broken brothers let us bring to the Mansions of the Lord.
No more bleeding, no more fight; no prayers pleading through the night. Just divine embrace, eternal light in the mansions of the Lord.
Where no mothers cry and no children weep; we shall stand and guard though the angels sleep. All through the ages safely keep the Mansions of the Lord.
Nate LaMar, an international director, also serves as Military Academy Liaison Officer (West Point recruiter) for East Central Indiana, and served as Henry County Council President from 2009-2019.