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GENERAL WILLIAM WESTMORELAND
Commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1964 to
1968
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Retired Gen. William Westmoreland, who commanded American troops in Vietnam — the nation’s
longest conflict and the only war America lost — died Monday night. He was 91.
Westmoreland died of natural causes at Bishop Gadsden retirement home, where he
had lived with his wife for several years, said his son, James Ripley Westmoreland.
The silver-haired, jut-jawed officer, who rose through the ranks quickly in Europe during
World War II and later became superintendent of West Point, contended the United States did not lose the conflict in Southeast
Asia.
"It’s more accurate to say our country did not fulfill its commitment to South Vietnam,"
he said. "By virtue of Vietnam, the U.S. held the line for 10 years and stopped the dominoes from falling.
As commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968, Westmoreland oversaw the introduction
of ground troops in Vietnam and a dramatic increase in the number of U.S. troops there.
American support for the war suffered a tremendous blow near the end of Westmoreland’s
tenure when enemy forces attacked several cities and towns throughout South Vietnam in what is known as the Tet Offensive
in 1968. Though Westmoreland fought off the attacks, the American public remained stunned that the enemy had gained access
to the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, even if only for a few hours.
After the event, President Lyndon Johnson limited further increases in troops; Westmoreland
was recalled to Washington to serve as the U.S. Army Chief of Staff after asking for reinforcements in response to the attacks.
"I have no apologies, no regrets. I gave my very best efforts," he added. "I’ve been hung in effigy. I’ve been
spat upon. You just have to let those things bounce off."
 Later, after many of the wounds caused by the divisive conflict began to heal, Westmoreland led thousands of his comrades
in the November, 1982, veterans march in Washington to dedicate the Vietnam War Memorial.
He called it "one of the most emotional and proudest experiences of my life."
How North Vietnam Won The War
Taken from The
Wall Street Journal, Thursday August 3, 1995
Question: How did Hanoi intend to defeat
the Americans?
Answer: By fighting a long war which would break their will to help South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh said, "We don't need to
win military victories, we only need to hit them until they give up and get out."
QUESTION: Was the American antiwar movement important to Hanoi's
victory?
Answer: Completely secure while the American rear was vulnerable.
Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9 a.m. to follow the growth of the American antiwar
movement. Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda, and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and ministers gave us confidence
that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses. We were elated when Jane Fonda, wearing a red Vietnamese dress,
said at a press conference that she was ashamed of American actions in the war and that she would struggle along with you
The General from the Eyes of a Grunt
Everyone has their own thoughts on Nam and just as the times were…there all different…When
Nam is mentioned ,for those who were there, we flash to a time when the world was ugly…Truly...Wet…soaking wet…everything…wet
and muddy…hands and feet pure white and wrinkled…sore…wet…miserable nights and long slow days…Seems
to never end…
Monsoons they are called and they come in seasons thru out the Nam…they
were one of the hardest times for me…I hated every minute of it…wet to the bone…choppers find it hard to
fly in…writing letters home is tough…short on dry matches…these are just some of the thoughts that
come to me when I think of General Westmoreland…
It seemed that every time we
were starting to dry out old Westy
would send us off to another area and there it was again…wet…soaking
wet…went from the plains of Bong Song in two Corp up to Camp Evans and Phu Bia…Dong Ha…Quang Tri…Hue
and the Ashau Valley in I Corp. and then down to the Plain of Reeds in three Corp.
The
General Loved the first Cavs  mobility and their fighting ability...
a lot has been
said of him both positives and negative…though I hated the monsoons I would have gone anywhere for the General...His
cause was just and his plan was solid if left to achieve it but that was not the case thanks to The politics of the war…our
hands were tied and a lot more good men paid the ultimate price for it…
I for one will mourn his passing...he was
a Man that tried to do right by his country and his men...but the powers to be had other plans...
I do not believe that the men who served in uniform in Vietnam have been given
the credit they deserve. It was a difficult war against an unorthodox enemy.
William C. Westmoreland
His ultimate field command — leader of the U.S. forces in Vietnam will forever be
marked by disputed claims, controversial tactics and repeated military setbacks, not to mention the more than 58,000 plus
Americans killed in action and the eventual loss of the war.
There were 16,000 U.S. personnel in Vietnam when Westmoreland arrived, and he kept asking
for more. The number climbed to 27,000 by February 1965 and to 300,000 by mid-1966. The total would top half a million by
1967.
To many Americans, Westmoreland was a military leader whose ability to win had been crippled
by hesitant, uncertain politicians. Veterans groups applauded his speeches and hailed him as their champion.
I was participating in my own lynching, but the problem was I didn't know what I was being
lynched for.
William C. Westmoreland
A man who kills on his own is a murderer. A man who kills at his government's request is a national hero.
Ramman Kenoun
War is fear cloaked in courage.
William Westmoreland
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