Another full-house Vets Breakfast thrived at the Hopkinton Senior Center on Friday, 13 July 2018. The military history theme that was explored by the assembled veterans focused on 1968, in Viet Nam. It has been 50 years since the Tet Offensive which began at the end of January 1968, during which time there were more American casualties than any other year of the war. 1968 was the “peak” of the war by one measure: the median number of KIA (~ half of 58 thousand) were accounted for by mid-year.
Hopkinton veterans experienced battles in major cities such as Da Nang and Hue, and mountain combat bases such as Khe Sanh. Neighboring Cambodia and Laos offered sanctuary to enemy supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Medical personnel from Hopkinton who were in the north (I Corps) and the south worked exhaustively. One incident reported a mortar being launched through the roof of a large hospital in Da Nang while working on casualties.
Contrasted with previous military history discussions, Viet Nam veterans from Hopkinton are among the living and contributed unusually poignant stories about the Tet Offensive.
The attached photo shows an array of images taken from the Hopkinton Veterans Photo Gallery which were used to accent the historical depictions. Seeing specific individuals who were in-country during 1968, added realism to the first-hand stories. Among those who participated in the vivid discussions are (Far left) Steve Bartlett a Marine veteran whose assignments in Viet Nam were along the Cambodian border. (2nd from left) Russ Phipps who was a “whitewater” sailor who served in the Mekong Delta area, and along the coast. (3rd from left) Jim Rose, a career officer, mainly the Air Force, specialized in gathering and dispersing important information including engineered maps. (Far right) Ron Remillard a Signal Corps technician who was called to travel to many outposts to ensure communication equipment was battle-ready, especially for Special Forces.