Sep 14, 2022 · 50 min
In this episode, hosts Mike Nelson and Stephen Willet talk with Joe Dalton, a Vietnam veteran with plenty of stories to tell! You'll hear about Joe's service, his helping the civilians, his views on the war's political side, and much more in this spectacular interview! A GLENS FALLS TODAY PRODUCTION NOTE: The opinions reflected in this podcast are not indicative of the views of Saratoga Business Report, SaratogaBride.com LLC, Saratoga TODAY, Glens Falls TODAY, or Spa City Digital. 00:06 - Introduction 04:40 - A Brief History of Joe’s Service in Vietnam - From ’63 to ’67 06:12 - Marble & Monkey Mountain, and a Little Photography 10:29 - Adopting Fertilizer Use 12:13 - Winning Over an Enemy… By Helping Their Little Girl 13:37 - The Buddhist Caves of Marble Mountain 15:12 - A Brief History of Vietnam: French Indochina, Japanese Occupation, Presidential Screw-Ups 17:51 - Robert McNamara and His Cheap, Faulty Munitions 19:01 - LBJ’s Complacency: How the Red Tape Got in the Way 20:06 - A Quick Correction 20:41 - Returning From Vietnam: Dealing With the Reception of the American Public 23:22 - Why Did Soldiers Get the Blame and Not the Politicians? 25:26 - The Tet Offensive: Misinformation Abound 26:59 - An Old Story: The People Didn’t Want a War, Those in Power Did 28:29 - Blue-Collar Workers: A Consistent Ally 29:11 - What Does the Word “Service” Mean to Joe? 30:49 - The “War Fought by African-Americans” Myth 32:11 - Respect in America and its Military on the Decline 35:15 - What Does Joe Miss the Most - and Least - About His Time in the Military? 36:35 - Politicians Ruin Everything: From Vietnam to the Present Day 38:36 - It Spreads Deep: High-Ranking Officers are Corrupt Too! 40:33 - What Would Joe Tell Young Recruits Before They Join Up? 44:07 - Camaraderie: The Most Valuable Thing to Many Servicemen 48:10 - The Prestige Within Joe’s Own Basic Class: Medal of Honor, Silver Stars! 49:24 - Closing Thoughts: Don’t Forget to "Contribute" to McNamara’s Grave!