Fraternity-Testvériség, 1971 (49. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1971-10-01 / 10-12. szám
To the Vietnamese, Tet is the most significant event of the year. It is a time for joy—a time for prayer. It is a time to set the course that one’s life will follow for the year ahead. The superstitions concerning Tet are woven deep into the fabric of the Vietnamese way of life. The Vietnamese believe the first person you meet or greet on the morning of Tet will govern the course of events for the coming year. If you meet someone who has had good fortune the previous year, his good fortune will be shared with you during the coming year. By the same token, if the first person you meet has not been so fortunate, the converse is true. So, the less fortunate remain sheltered during the early hours of Tet to prevent their “bad luck” from rubbing off on their friends. In the early hours of Tet of 1968, most Vietnamese families had the Viet Cong as their first visitors. A small point in our eyes, but significant in theirs. It follows that 1968 was one of the worst years in the history of Vietnam. This coupled with massacres at Hue and the stepped up terrorism throughout the country contributed to the shift in attitude of a large portion of the population away from the Viet Cong. Tet of ’68 was a major Viet Cong blunder. I returned to Vietnam in late 1970 and found “Vietnamization” in full swing. Vietnamese divisions were engaging major NVA forces and were doing a fairly respectable job. The leadership has improved considerably. Major road networks are relatively open. Our combat forces are in defensive posture. The “Honda” economy is hustling. Farmers are working their fields. The strides in health and education have been great. And the people appear happier, healthier, and wealthier than ever before. Yes, there is corruption. The dope traffic is still not under control; their armed forces still need our support; a democracy, as we know it, does not exist; the development programs may still require our assistance; terrorism remains a problem; and fighting is still going on. Let it suffice to say, this growing nation still needs our help in many areas to assure their independence. This help should come from a residual force of advisors remaining in Vietnam to see Vietnamization through to the end. The final success of the program will he determined largely by the size of the force we are willing to leave behind and will of the Vietnamese to defend themselves. A government that holds an election with one candidate may not appeal to our democratic tastes. Other candidates were given the opportunity to run. If ihey thought they could muster the votes to win, they would have ran. As it turned out, President Thieu received a far larger vote of confidence than he expected. Aren’t we being a hit presumptious to expect to inspire the establishment of a decomratic process emulating ours in less than a decade while we have been perfecting ours for almost two centuries? We have been impatient and rightfully so. We have invested thousands of lives and billions of dollars and now we would like to see the “books” and determine if our investment will pay off. With our combat forces, either returning or relegated to defensive roles, we will have ample opportunity in the coming months to observe the results of Vietnamization. Our patience should he geared to accept occasional South Vietnamese set-backs, for the NVA and Viet Cong still possess the capability of attacking when and where they choose if they are willing to pay the price in casualties. Our patience should not be so thin on these occasions to immediately clamor for total abandonment of the investment in lives which too many families so dearly made. A CASUAL OBSERVATION by Rudyard Kipling It’s not good for the Christian health To hustle the Asian brown, For the Christian riles, and the Asian smiles, And weareth the Christian down At the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased. And the epitaph drear, “A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East.” Lt. Col. Walter E. Parker just returned from Vietnam from his second year service as Aviation Officer of Military Region II. which comprises two-thirds of Vietnam. He is the son-in-law of our President. STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION Title of Publication — Fraternity. Frequency of Issue —Four (4) times a year. Location of Publication —Bethlen Freedom Press, Ligonier, Pa. 15658. Publisher — Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. Editor — Rt. Reverend Dr. Zoltán Beky, President of H.R.F.A., 3216 New Mexico Avenue, N.W., Washington, D. C. 20016. Owner — Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, 3216 New Mexico Avenue, N.W., Washington, D. C. 20016. No share holders —Non Profit. Total No. of Copies printed — 17,000, Mail Subscription — 16,610, Free Distribution — 200, Total Distribution —16,810, Office use, leftover, unaccounted, spoiled after printing — 190. I certify that the statements made above are correct and complete. Sándor. E. Chomos, Mgr. Bethlen Freedom Press, Inc. Ligonier, Pa. 15658 19
