IRAQ/VIETNAM

Common Dreams: Have We Forgotten Anger in the Eyes? by James L. Larocca

Ordinarily, our boats patrolled Vietnam's rivers in pairs. But on this
night we had several teams operating together as we launched the
Pentagon's latest ingenious scheme for winning the war in the Mekong Delta. The
concept was simple enough: instead of surprising people with
conventional gunfire during raids, the boats would first set the houses and
buildings on fire with bows and arrows. The brass called this early version of
"shock and awe" Operation Flaming Arrow.

Of course, the flimsy huts burned like matchbooks, leaving the families
homeless and destitute. The next day, civil action teams of GIs would
arrive bearing sheets of corrugated tin for new roofs and bags of rice
to help the villagers get started again. There would also be bars of Dial
soap and clothing from church groups in the states.