Fighting+Terrain-+JWM

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Fighting Terrain
== == == == = = =(Top) Men of H Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, move along rice paddy dikes in pursuit of the Viet Cong. , 12/10/1965 Still Picture Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives= =(Bottom) Men transport injured soldier through muddy swamp=

Soldiers arrived on the sandy beaches minutes before charging into the jungles. Lush valleys and forests were turned into thick and horrific environments. Thick, dusty air polluted the lungs of soldiers, and mud encumbered all actions. Hellacious forests awaited troops with fire, explosives, mud, water, and appalling events they would never forget. This is what soldiers of the Vietnam War endured through the long, hot days. The earth proved to be an obstacle. Debris, including bundles of barbed wire, cluttered the forest floor and trap tunnels threatened to pull you into the ground, where certain death would be met. Land mines were another extreme danger. Placed in unsuspecting places such as high grasses, abandoned tunnels, dark and shady areas, and among the remains of destroyed buildings, these explosives threatened to blow everything around them to smithereens. These buildings were a danger, as their construed parts created yet even more obstacles. Another key factor in the fighting was the water. Tanks became stuck in the mud. Streams flowing through the forests and along the hills stood as other impediments. Soldiers patrolled the waist-high, swampy water. The harmful quality of air was an imposing threat. A herbicide, Agent Orange, was sprayed over the forests and was so intense it defoliated the trees. It not only poisoned the trees, but the people too. Dirt and dust swirled through the air. Such an environment made the soldiers dirty, and the polluted air was detrimental to the troops’ health. Children were dying. Dead bodies cluttered the ground. Many more became ill. The battleground in Vietnam was grueling and unforgiving. One wrong step or movement could result in a large range of consequences. All the soldiers that fought in Vietnam battled their hardest and risked their lives for their country. Each one of these men and women were intrepid and had the courage to fight in one of the United States’ most complicated wars. The troops were a very tenacious bunch and deserve a great deal of thanks and recognition for fighting for our freedom. So when you hit your knees tonight, send one up for all those soldiers that fought in the Vietnam War.

Historical Atlas of the Vietnam War Combat Photography Portrait of a Tragedy [|www.cybersarges.tripod.com]

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