Drug Use in Vietnam... an age-old military problem, by Phill Coleman
"The discovery of morphine was also only a few years
prior to the invention in the 1860's of the hypodermic
needle. In the US following the Civil War so many
soldiers had became chemically dependent on opium and
morphine it was known as the "soldier's disease", and
one of the chief reasons that the government
established the Bureau of Pensions, known today as the
Veteran's Administration."
Hey Brother, Can you spare a joint?, by Phill Coleman, Vietnam Vet and
Editor-in-Chief, DEA Watch
Most Americans think about combat in Vietnam as a war of bullets and
bombs, and
body bags filled by dead sons and husbands fragmented after contact with
the
enemy. But there was a different kind of war waged in Vietnam... drug
warfare.
The VC and NVA leader****p used any and every means available to them, not
just
military operations, to win their political and military war in 1975 three
years
after the United States decided to withdraw our combat forces... who
proved
unable to decisively arrest Northern aggression after seven years armed
effort.
To defeat their democratic inspired allies determined to quash communism
in
Vietnam a variety of real and propaganda campaigns were waged by the
North, all
too successfully on the grass roots level.
Race warfare was used by Communist directed prostitutes in brothels to
encourage
not just receptive but willing whites to victimize black and other
minority
GI's. Economic warfare was used to encourage corrupt GI's to make
bargains
"with the devil". The underground and overground Vietnamese economy was
maintained by fraudulent commerce... led by American soldiers who openly
bragged
about sending home tens of thousands of dollars per month.
But the most destructive form of non-combat warfare masterminded and waged
by
Hanoi... with the help of unscrupulous American military personnel... was
drug
warfare. "Americans didn't serve ten years in Vietnam... they served ten,
one-year tours." Each successive tour saw an increase in drug use among
American
military personnel. The GI who served in Vietnam in 1966 was far, far
different
than the GI who served only a scant two years later in 1968. And two years
later, in 1970, drug use in Vietnam exceeded, per American population, the
combined use of narcotics in every American city... combined!
From "Cannon Fodder: Growing Up For Vietnam", Chapter Twelve:
"Hey Brother, Can you spare a joint?
"Even though everyone on campus knew about the nightly Stone Trek, it took
almost 2 months before the CO found out and another month before he made a
move
to end it. Afraid to upset the comcenter's delicate balance of morale, the
CO
was aware that the comspecs who participated in Stone Trek were also some
of the
best communication specialists on campus. Sober, they held the
country-wide
record for processing the greatest number of messages in the shortest
amount of
time. Watching them work was like watching a well-oiled machine. Often not
even
needing to speak to each other, they all knew each others strong and weak
points. Without supervision, each man automatically assumed the job he
knew
best. The only times things went awry were when a new OIC would come in,
pull
rank, then re-****ft job responsibilities according to his "trained
judgment."
After working with them myself, I realized this was why the previous CO
discontinued the comcenter OIC position just before I arrived. These men
worked
better by themselves than with supervision.
"And even though the CO was aware the comspecs sensitive state of morale
had to
exceed job proficiency, it wasn't until drugs started to effect comcenter
productivity that he decided to put an end to the nightly Stone Trek.
Using
well-thought out diplomacy, he assigned Dormally and another clerk to blow
up
the warehouse one afternoon while the trekkers were all at work. Using the
excuse that they had to "get rid of a couple of aging grenades", 2 birds
were
killed with one stone. Morale was saved and the only secluded area within
walking distance was no longer accessible.
"But undaunted by what most trekkers called "a damnable inconvenience,"
jay
smoking now went on unabated in the hootches, chow hall, latrine, Day
Room, and
the bunkers. It even began at the comcenter. One positive by-product
resulting
from Flip's forming the Stone Trek Brigade was that of the dozens of small
"fraternities" on campus, they were the first to socialize interracially.
"But despite the average high IQ of the people quickly becoming hooked on
drugs
to escape their boredom, not enough of them realized that they were
becoming
victims to something greater than drug addiction. They were suc***bing to
drug
warfare. and of those who were open-minded enough to accept the "theory"
that
the Soviets or the Chinese were behind the massive distribution network of
drugs
being made cheaply and readily available to American GI's, they still
didn't use
their intelligence to avoid drugs completely.
"To those of us who never smoked, popped, shot up, or snorted, drugs were
seen
as a deliberate enemy tactic used against the American GI in V'nam to
reduce our
fighting capacity. In terms of strategy, drugs were used against us more
widely
than bullets. and as a weapon, drug warfare was a tool the NVA couldn't
pass up
for 2 reasons. One, the communists were already a very dishonorable lot.
and
two, drug warfare was working.
"Not only was drug availability as easy as simply opening your mouth and
saying
I want it, GI's rarely had to go to any work in making it ready for
consumption.
Hash was retailed in compact, individual, consumer-sized pellets ready for
the
pipe. Marijuana was not only already rolled, you could even specify filter
or
non-filter. Substituted and sold in regular packs of cigarettes, the only
way of
knowing whether you had a pack of Winstons or a pack of jays was to cut
each
cigarette open and examine the tobacco.
"The duplication process was very meticulous. Done in large, central
warehouses,
using all the patient care Oriental cultures have mastered..."
Complete your reading of the full text online at URL:
http://members.aol.com/vetsofamer/cf12.htm
Begin your reading of "Cannon Fodder" at URL:
http://members.aol.com/warlib/cf.htm
-- Otis Willie (Ret.)
Military News and Information Editor (http://www.13105320634.com)
The American War Library, Est. 1988 (http://www.amervets.com)
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Gardena CA 90247
1-310-532-0634
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