War has changed.
Local veterans of the Vietnam War envy today’s soldiers in Iraq
who are utilizing new technologies that four decades ago could have
saved countless American lives.
War has changed.
Local veterans of the Vietnam War envy today’s soldiers in Iraq who are utilizing new technologies that four decades ago could have saved countless American lives.
Some of the new tools are as simple as night vision goggles and improved bullet-proof vests.
“They have a lot better vests than we had. Our vests wouldn’t stop much at all,” said Mickey Dominguez, of Hollister, who was a Marine sergeant in Vietnam. “I think the war would’ve went a lot better. I think some lives could’ve been saved.”
The most recent statistics available from the U.S. Department of Defense show the new body armor prevented the deaths of 25 soldiers in Afghanistan prior to June 2003. There are no firm numbers for Iraq, but the DOD estimates the same results likely are occurring in Iraq.
The vests, made of Kevlar, are designed to stop bullets from hand guns and fragmentation from mortars and hand grenades.
The Jeep was a staple of Vietnam, but it became a thing of the past – replaced by the armored Humvee.
“The Jeeps that we had were the ones that were used in Korea, and they were more or less expendable,” said Wayne Cegelske, commander of the American Legion Post 6309. “They were made very cheaply, and you didn’t care if they were exploded or not.”
Each five-ton Humvee, on the other hand, costs $150,000 to produce – $80,000 for the vehicle and $70,000 for the armor. The Humvee is a utility vehicle, designed to carry troops, equipment and wounded soldiers. It is mostly used for security patrols and at battlefield checkpoints.
From armored vehicles, to new weapons, to cool gadgets, it’s hard to say what technology is the biggest improvement. Cegelske said the missiles that can be accurately launched from ships in the Persian Gulf or dropped from planes are the real lifesavers.
“I wish we had had that during the Vietnam War,” said Cegelske, who served two tours in Vietnam. “We probably would have lost a very minimum of personnel rather than the 58,000 that we lost.”
The keystone of modern technology is the use of satellites for global positioning systems and communications in warfare. In Vietnam, radio communications were spotty at best, with frequent dead spots.
“It’s like when I ran a mission behind the lines in Vietnam. They’d fly a plane out to me in order to get radio contact to see if we were OK,” said Vietnam veteran Lee Roy Pipkin, of Gilroy. “Today, communication equipment is really aiding to the success in the battle field.”
The biggest change since Vietnam may be a positive shift in our attitudes. First is the high priority on the health of the troops. Now, a medic is placed with every unit to aid in treatment of the sick until they can be transported to treatment.
“High tech has just shortened the time between when the man is wounded to when he gets help and medivaced,” Pipkin said.
He was injured in Vietnam and had part of his leg amputated.
Second is the sort of reception veterans receive upon their return home. Pipkin remembers protesters beating on the outside of the Red Cross bus as he was driven out of Travis Air Force Base.
“That was my welcome,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
