The Carl Vinson and Hang Sa
History in the
Making
and We Were There
Bob and I had a great few days in DaNang with
our friends Todd and Michelle Van Maanan right on China Beach. I would be very hard pressed to tell you what
the highlight of the few days was because there were so many: the SDSU sweep of
the Summit Tournament (Todd and Michelle are from USD), the gorgeous sunshine
and beautiful beach, the fresh seafood, the Marble Mountains and Buddhist
caves, or the golfing at the Montgomerie Links.
At every turn: on the beach, at the golf course, and at the top of the
Marble Mountain, it seemed we met men and women from the USS Carl Vinson.
The historic nature of this landing
was obvious immediately, as it was the first time that a US navy aircraft
carrier had docked in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam/American War. It was here in DaNang that 3,500 troops landed
in Vietnam- over 50 years ago! The ship
itself carries over 90 types of planes and 5,600+ crew members. It is 1092 feet long and 252 feet wide. Don’t take my word for it, students of mine;
LOOK IT UP! The purpose for the visit this year was “routine” and to build relationships, according to Lieutenant Commander Tim
Hawkins. However, the visit comes at an
ideal time to show support for Vietnam in its dispute with China over the
Paracel Islands and the Spratley Islands.
To
further demonstrate the importance of this dispute to the Vietnamese, yesterday
and today the park in our community held a very interesting photographic
display of the Paracel Islands- complete with maps and government documents
supporting Vietnam’s claims of sovereignty over the Paracel islands, called
Hoang Sa here in Vietnam. The Spratley Islands lie farther to the south. To
help educate the students in the area about the conflict more fully, busloads
of middle and high school age students arrived to view the pictures and listen
to several speakers. No, I didn’t
understand the speakers, but several of the maps were in English. Also, I attracted attention and photographers. I assured them that I was thrilled that the USS
Carl Vinson had docked in DaNang and that I loved Vietnam. Then I bought postcards showing life on the
disputed islands.
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| Early in the day - the display educating students about the sovereignty of the Paracel Islands |
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| "A map of China and Japan showing the southernmost part of China only to the Hainan Island- published by Commercial Atlas Rand McNally, Chicago, Illinois" |
I
am praying that the dispute between China and other countries in this region
over these two island chains can be peacefully resolved! Please read more about the disagreement and
find the Spratley and Paracel Islands on the map.
Interesting reading:
https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=USS-Carl-Vinson-CVN70
Love your posts. My cousin's son serves aboard USS Carl Vinson!
ReplyDeleteSome of the names you mention, Da Nang, China Beach familiar and engraved in the memories of those of us that grew up in the 60's and 70's. Hard to believe it has been 50 years!
Take care.
I know the sailors get tired of being thanked for their service, but I must say it! It is hard to believe that it has been 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War, and Vietnam today is a wonderful country!! So many lessons could be learned from any war- if we would but listen!
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