Word: pentagon
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Even as President Ford pleaded for more military aid to South Viet Nam, Saigon's troops fled from the north in a frenzy, abandoning an estimated $700 million worth of military equipment. Said a Pentagon officer: "We might just as well send the stuff directly to Hanoi?then it wouldn't get damaged." The U.S. was appalled by the brutal way in which South Vietnamese marines, many trained by the U.S., stormed an American evacuation ship leaving Danang, looting, raping and killing refugees in a wild scramble to escape. Many Americans became preoccupied with helping refugees, especially children, though even...
...will be fought in Military Region III. Though three or four full divisions fell apart during the retreat from the north, South Viet Nam still has three divisions, plus five groups of rangers and three airborne brigades deployed around the capital. Many of these troops are highly regarded by Pentagon analysts and apparently have not been badly demoralized by the military reverses suffered in the north. Moreover, the capital area's supply dumps remain well stocked...
...standards, Williams is formidable, being legendary for his ability to mesmerize a jury. Some of his clients have been the late Senator Joseph McCarthy, Labor Boss Jimmy Hoffa, and the Washington Post in the case of the Pentagon papers...
Despite these grim possibilities, there were those last week who held to an optimistic interpretation of Thieu's great retreat. Many analysts, especially in the Pentagon, felt that Saigon had realistically given up provinces it was bound to lose anyway, shortened its supply lines, consolidated its forces and prepared a more defensible perimeter. Beyond that, it could be argued that the Communists would have to divert considerable effort and energy to consolidate their hold on the surrendered provinces...
...friend of mine got blown apart in Hue," said an Army major last week, sipping coffee in a Pentagon cafeteria. "He was in charge of a long-range artillery unit. And now you see the people just walking away from Hué. You don't say to yourself, 'He died for nothing.' But you ask: 'For what?' What have we got after nine years? Twenty-twenty hindsight is always preferable, but we probably did the best we could at the time. But still you ask yourself: 'Was it worth it?' There is just...