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Project Jenny KLIK - 1st Inf Di v Women in Vietnam RELATED-- To AFVN To Saigon To Vietnam Further Afield Index
From: Preston Cluff
Dated: November 15, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
A few days late everyone (just received it), but very very touching.
Preston
Foreigners Serving with the US Forces in Vietnam
November 2018
From: Jim White
Dated: November 19, 2018
Subject: Foreigners (Never sent as a message)
AFVN had at least one non-American assigned to it. A Japanese citizen, Tado Urasaki, was assigned to the Engineering Section on October 20, 1970. He had gone to the US to study and then somehow ended up being drafted.
From: David Pinto
Dated: November 15, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
Thank you.
Wonderful stuff!
David Pinto
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
I've been told estimates range between 10 to 30,000 Canadians served in Vietnam. The latter seems rather high, but I do know that those Canadians who did serve in Vietnam did so either because they thought the cause was right and mirrored American pilots who went north at the beginning of WWII before the US entered the war and enlisted in the RCAF, or because they were studying in American colleges and universities and, as such, had to register for the draft, and their number came up. Stay warm up there in La Belle Ville, David!
Marc
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
Thanks for that info,
Steve.
From: Steve Pennington
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
I heard the number at 10,000, and served with several. Fred Gaffin wrote a great book "Cross Border Warriors, " available on Amazon. It tells the story of Canadians in U. S. service in Vietnam.
Steve
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Foreigners
Nancy, re: foreigners in the American Armed Forces in Vietnam, I once interviewed a Hungarian fellow who flew Hueys for the Army in Nam. I interviewed him in regards to his (then) current job, flying Hueys for the L.A. Fire Dept. Will never forget him and his fellow helo pilots very kindly inviting me to stay for lunch at their fire station/hangar after the interview. They taught me how to play a certain card game, the name for which was a certain two-word obscenity, the last word of which was "you". The deal was whoever lost the card game washed the dishes. Of course the whole thing was a set up and yours truly was the loser and, therefore, dish washer that day!
Marc Phillip Yablonka
From: Nancy Smoyer
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
Regarding "foreigners" who served in VN, an Australian asked me last week if any Australians were on the Wall.. I stumbled around until I remembered that yes, if they served with the American military, they are on the Wall. Another volunteer knew the name of an Australian and when I looked him up in the book, his Home of Record as just Australia. If they were with the Australian army, they have their own memorial in Canberra.
Nancy
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 18, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
Very quickly, right Ken?
Please see a related conversation on Canadians in the US Military.
From: Steve Pennington
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
Marc, yes, I do remember our conversation. When I respond to any of the AFVN posts often times they do not get through. I think it is either my carrier (Juno) or SPAM filters because of my E mail address. You probably know the story of Peter C. Lemon, a Vietnam MoH recipient from Vancouver. Interesting story about Pierson and LBJ. LBJ was pretty obnoxious and crude. Funny how the press let it go in those days. I really appreciate your posts. Cheers.
Steve
From: David Pinto
Dated: November 15, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
No, I am not, Marc.
However, I am in contact with someone here in Montreal who joined the Marines and served in Vietnam.
David
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
And I appreciate yours, Steve. I did not know the story of Peter Lemon. will Google him.
Marc Phillip Yablonka
AFVN Group Conversations
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
And Canadian Vietnam vets have two memorials for their service that I know of. The first one was erected in Windsor, Ontario. The second one is in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Perhaps David up in Montreal knows of others.
Marc Phillip Yablonka
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 15, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
David, See that you write in from Montreal. Are you one of the several thousand Canadians who served in Vietnam in American uniforms by chance? If so, I wrote about them in my first book.
Best,
Marc
From: Steve Pennington
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
I just looked at the Virtual Wall web site and it lists 42 Canadians who died in Vietnam.
Steve
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 18, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
I just Googled him and the site jeanpaulleblancvietnamnorth.com popped up, but as soon as I clicked on it and I got a fake warning to call Windows right away at some bogus number. One of those pay up or we'll destroy your files kind of messages, so I just shut town. Fired up the laptop again, Googled him again and the site was gone.
Marc Phillip Yablonka
From: Ken Kalish
Dated: November 18, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
I believe he lives somewhere in New England now. Called him once and reminded him that he owes me money from a bet he lost. Very slow payer. Still haven’t gotten that money.
Should have let him carry his burp gun. I told him it was just a showpiece. Sure enough, the bad guys were more than 50 feet away and he appreciated my making him carry the M-14. Got to think for the newbies so they can become old hands.
Ken Kalish
From: Marc Yablonka
Dated: November 16, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
That number sounds more appropriate, Steve. In fact, you and I had this very same conversation about Canadians who served in Vietnam before, didn't we? You mentioned that book of Mr. Gaffen's and I offered up what I believe was his first book on the subject, "Unknown Warriors: Canadians in the Vietnam War". My wife and I were very impressed with the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Mr. Gaffen's former place of employ, which we toured several years ago. It had a Vietnam exhibit.
Perhaps the saddest anecdote I heard when I wrote my original piece on Canadians who served in Vietnam, was from a fellow named Mike Ruggerio, who served with our Marines. Because of the unpopularity of the war in Canada and the fact that the Canadian government didn't recognize their service, he didn't tell his new bride that he'd been in Vietnam until three years after they'd been married.. Sad!
Mike also felt that it was a misnomer to say that Canada did not participate in the war because, apparently, one of the companies that was responsible for Agent Orange was producing the stuff at a plant in Saskatchewan. Also read somewhere that LBJ invited then Canadian PM Lester Pierson to the LBJ Ranch in the hopes of convincing him to send Canadian troops to Vietnam, and when Pierson refused, LBJ lifted him up by the collar and told him, "You're pissin' on my rug!"
Marc Phillip Yablonka
From: Ken Kalish
Dated: November 18, 2018
Subject: Tribute to our Military
We had a Quebecois on our boat. Jean Paul LeBlanc.
Ken Kalish