One of the greatest Generals in history turned 100 today.

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dennishoddy

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HANOI, Vietnam — Legendary Vietnamese Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap built his career on never backing down, even against seemingly impossible odds. Now, decades after ousting the French and later the Americans, he’s celebrating another major victory: his 100th birthday.

Giap is revered by Vietnamese second only to former President Ho Chi Minh. Together, they plotted gutsy campaigns from jungles and caves using ill-equipped guerrilla fighters to gain Vietnam’s independence, eventually leading to the end of French colonial rule throughout Indochina.

Two decades later, Giap’s northern Communist forces also wore down the U.S. military, forcing them out of the former South Vietnam.

“It can be said that some of the country’s most glorious and most important events are associated with his name and his cause,” Do Quy Doan, vice culture minister, said at a reception in Hanoi this week ahead of Giap’s birthday on Thursday.

The four-star general has been hospitalized for about two years. But Giap continues to sign cards — including a thank-you note to his “comrades” for their outpouring of birthday wishes — and is still briefed every few days about international and national events, said Col. Nguyen Huyen, Giap’s personal secretary for 35 years.

“He has helped to defeat two major powers,” Huyen said. “Gen. Giap is the big brother of the heroic Vietnamese People’s Army.”

Though he was shoved out of the inner circle of political power decades ago, the slight white-haired military strategist remains a national treasure and still welcomed foreign leaders to his French-style villa in Hanoi until three years ago.

In 2009, he spoke forcefully against a bauxite mining plan in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, calling on the government to reconsider the Chinese-led project because it posed environmental and security risks. He also protested the demolition of Hanoi’s historic parliament house, Ba Dinh Hall. Both projects, however, went ahead.

At an exhibition in Hanoi marking his birthday, black-and-white photographs show Giap visiting troops during the 1954 siege of Dien Bien Phu, a surprise attack that forced the French to surrender and cemented his reputation as a brilliant military strategist willing to endure huge losses to clinch victory.

Vietnamese students like Tran Hong Thong, 20, lingered over photographs of Giap’s early revolutionary days.

A 1946 image “shows a young, skinny man, but he’s already a high-ranking officer in the Vietnamese army,” said Thong, who began learning about Giap in junior high school.

Other images show the aging general meeting prominent politicians, including fellow Communist revolutionary and former Cuban President Fidel Castro.

One shot shows Giap smiling as he shakes hands with his old Vietnam War enemy, former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara. In 2004, during the 50th anniversary of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, Giap recalled that 1997 visit.

“I told McNamara ... the U.S. lost in Vietnam because the U.S. did not understand Vietnam,” Giap told foreign journalists at the time.

The war ended on April 30, 1975, when northern Communist forces seized control of Saigon, the capital of the former U.S.-backed South Vietnam. Some 58,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese and civilians died in the fighting.
 

Perplexed

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Giap is STILL alive? Wow! Even though he was "the enemy," I have to give him kudos for making it this far after all his accomplishments.
 

dennishoddy

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Two decades later, Giap’s northern Communist forces also wore down the U.S. military, forcing them out of the former South Vietnam.

“I told McNamara ... the U.S. lost in Vietnam because the U.S. did not understand Vietnam,” Giap told foreign journalists at the time.
Since this news release came from Hanoi, this is not a true statement. The US forces never lost a full battle. NOT ONE.
Giap made his statement that the US people would not have the stomach for a war like this, and predicted correctly that the US media would actually be the cause of the US pulling out of the war


The war ended on April 30, 1975, when northern Communist forces seized control of Saigon, the capital of the former U.S.-backed South Vietnam. Some 58,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese and civilians died in the fighting.

In reality, Giap ordered the murder of millions of civilians by the vietcong, and NVA regulars.
Any tiny village was robbed of their young, to middle aged men, and death threats were put on the villagers to hold their silence.
Any violation resulted in pregnant women having their stomach sliced open with swords, resulting in the death of their unborn children, along with atrocities that cannot be described on this forum.
Was he a great General? Absolutely. One of history's finest.
His methods got him there.
 

expertzx

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The VC and NVA were some ruthless bastards. I've visited Hue city where they massacred up to 6,000 civilians in 1968. But they did what it took to win their independence.
 

dennishoddy

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The Americans also performed some major atrocities as well (My Lai) as well as lots of other things that weren't reported in the major news.

I can tell by your age, you have attended public indoctrination schools, that serve the kool-aid.
The My Lai Massacre, was, trumped up by the media so bad, that there are no actual substantiated reports of actual casualty numbers. Different reports from different sources. A couple of pics caused the out roar in the public. Who actually killed them? Leaflets dropped from helo's the day before warned them that anybody in the area was in a "free fire zone".

Only 2nd Lt. William Calley, a platoon leader in charlie company, was convicted of killing 22 villagers. Originally given a life sentence, he served three and a half years under house arrest.

The actual evidence was so poor, that Lt Calley was convicted to quell the public.
So sad.

American soldiers captured in battle, executed and left with their genitals in their own mouth, and gonads left in their empty eye sockets was not unheard of.

War is hell, but the NVA were ruthless.
 

Koshinn

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Darn NVA, America would never purposely target civilian population centers to end a war favorably and quickly!

And America would never condone torture!
 

Shadowrider

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Hey Dennis,

Thought I'd help you out here. Not that you need it mind you, but I have a feeling that this is going to come in handy. You're welcome....

[Broken External Image]
 

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