TET '68 and the Siege at Khe Sanh - 44 Years Ago

The Chinese New Year holiday holds memories of fierce bravery and combat.

Tet Offensive, Vietnam- 1968

(DA NANG, Vietnam) - The infamous Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, 44 years ago, marked the turning point in a long U.S. military struggle to help the South Vietnamese win a decisive victory against the Communist North. Both sides had strong determination, and the Americans fought for years with the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam (ARVN) with many victories to their credit.

However politicians ran the Vietnam War as they run all wars, and as close as the United States came to securing victory, (more than once the North Vietnamese admitted) the powers-to-be didn't allow it to happen.

American perceptions of the war in Vietnam were greatly changed by the surprise offensive against U.S. and ARVN forces that was launched on the Chinese New Year, normally a time in Vietnam for reflection and celebration.

Those Americans who served in Vietnam became part of a machine that still grinds in many ways today. Their battles today are with their own government which has left many Veterans in the cold.

The video below is from Marine Warrior Truman Powell in Tyler, Texas. It shows TET '68 and the siege at Khe Sanh. Two of the battalions at Khe Sanh were 1st and 3rd Battalions 26th Marine Regiment.

Truman Powell said, "My first infantry platoon before going to Tanks was Company C 1st Battalion 26th Marine Regiment. The scenes from the video clip are from the siege, Hue City fighting and fighting around the American Embassy in Saigon".

He says it was a long, long time ago, in a place far, far away.

Special thanks to Paul Sutton and Mike Fishbaugh.

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