Historical Interest – “Street Without Joy” – The French debacle in Indochina

I am reading the book “Street Without Joy”. The French debacle in Indochina.

As I was reading, I came across one of the units, The 64^th Infantry Regiment of the 320^th DIV. The DIV number sounded familiar. I got my Dai-Do book and sure enough it was the same DIV we fought in Dai-Do. I did a little research on it. It was established in January 1951.

The country has been at war (fighting) since the Japanese invaded Viet-Nam in 1940. The French Army never left Viet-Nam. The Japanese had an understanding between Japan and the Vichy Government. Ho Chi Minh and Gen Vo Nguyen Giap fought the Japanese from 1940-1945. With us Foreign Aid, anything Ho Chi Minh wanted he got.

They fought the French Army from 1945-1954. In 1954 the 17^th parallel was established, North and South Vietnam. The US started sending military advisors in 1950. In 1954 Marine Advisors were sent to Vietnam to train Vietnamese Marines.

In 1960 my brother was an advisor. He got wounded but did not get a purple heart because it wasn’t a war. President Kennedy changed the rules for the Purple Heart in 1962. He got his purple heart after that. That made three for him. Two in Korea in 1950. We had six presidents that have given foreign aid to Vietnam between 1940-1975. I’m sure some of our troops were killed by the foreign aid the US gave them.

Go out and buy the book, “Street without Joy” by Bernard Fall. He was killed in Hue Vietnam in 1967.

Ray Del Rio