European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 22, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse America Ficik f continued from Page 11 officer another from president John , the commendations that accompanied Tom s medals the news paper clippings about his death a High school essay where Tom got an he picked out a letter from Tom. Dated aug. 10, 1961.-"read it he said it la Tell you what kind of boy he had written i know exactly How you feel about the cold War Situa Tion. It does t look Good from this end either. What do you mean you should be Here instead of me you did your share in the 40s, now it s my , you and Mother Are doing More than enough Back there so Don feel As if you Are the conversation turned to dissent Over the War. Mrs. Davis who had been just listening said no Mother wants to see her son Volunteer to go into the army but i would disown one of min that would Ever consider burning his draft Davis of you d be proud of your boy , i would to said mrs. Davis firmly. I d die i d just Davis was a Volunteer enlisting just before graduation from Tennessee tech in 1957. He was an instructor at the . Army Security Agency school at it. Benning a. When in Early 1961, he wrote Home i m going to j Ames Clarence Davis a drug store owner in Livingston tenn., warlike a lot of americans. He did t know where Vietnam was or what it was until Young americans began going there in increasing numbers by the hundreds at first in the 1950s, by the hundreds of thousands in the 1960s.Vietnam is an a shaped land hugging the coast line of the South China sea South of the chinese Mainland. Its peo ple have known War from the centuries before Christ when vietnamese tribes men settled in the red River Delta area. In the 17th Century came the first roman Catholic missionaries from France and by the late 1800s, French forces had gained control not Only of Vietnam but also Laos and Cam Bodia the divisions that made up French Indochina. Then came world War ii and Japan Ese occupation. Before the French could reassert their authority after that War to Chi Minh and his communists had formed a separate government in North Vietnam. France fought to s troops bit Terly from 1946 until 1954 when the communists Defeated them in the blood siege of Dien Bien Phu. As far Back As 1943, president Frank Lin d. Roosevelt had criticized French Rule. He was determined that the coun try should have an International trustee ship. It did not come to dec. 23, 1950, the United states agreed to give France indirect . In the fall of 1954 diem asked for United states assistance and on oct. 22 president Dwight d. Eisenhower ordered a crash program to strengthen the diem regime. One week later the United states declared its. Intention to give direct Aid. At Odiern s request the first unite states military assistance advisory group Maag took Over training of the South vietnamese army when the French began moving out in february1955. The Southeast Asia defense treaty seat providing for the collective defense of Southeast Asia came into be army into South North Vietnam had invaded at that time they could have walked " into Saigon standing up Williams said. They couldn9t have been stopped.9 military Aid in Southeast Asia. It Fol Lowed that in september 1951 with an agreement with Vietnam for direct economic assistance. Then came 1954 and 16,000 French casualties at Dien Bien Phu. Pierre Mendes France became Premier of France on a Promise to negotiate peace. The resulting Geneva conference partitioned Vietnam into two countries with a demilitarized zone along the 17thparallel separating them. It also imposed regulations on foreign military bases and personnel and on in creased armaments called for country wide elections leading to reunification to be held by july 20, 1956, and set up a International control commission to see that the accords were carried the United states nor South Vietnam signed the agreements but the United state promised to View any re Newal of the aggression. With grave concern and As seriously threatening International peace and As the Geneva conference was ending Ngo Dinh diem was appointed South Vietnam s Premier. One million refugees began flowing to South Viet Nam from the North including a Strong contingent of dedicated trained communists. Ing in 1954 with eight signatory nation signing were the United states Brit Ain France Australia new zealand the Philippines Pakistan and Thailand. Late that year a Gruff talking texan it. Gen. Samuel Tankersley Williams Veteran of the initial Normandy land Ings and five major world War ii campaigns in Europe division command Erin four major korean War campaigns took Over As commander of the 481military advisers there to build up the South vietnamese in his san Antonio Home recently the now retired general talked about those Days. When the French pulled out North Vietnam already had an army of 300,000 Battle trained men Williams said. Butin the South a weak army with almost no trained officers had its hands full with an armed revolt against the diem regime by the Binh Xuyen political Bandit group. The unrest spread throughout the Southern provinces with the participation of two religious sects the Cao Damiand the Hoa Hao. If North Vietnam had invaded a that time they could have walked into Saigon standing up Williams said. To hold his Tom we always stated in our though i m not sure we eve Washington that there any invasion from North 1 after South Vietnam was of a tremendous guerrilla \ prophecy happened to Turr Viet Cong communist in South Vietnam began their attacks in mid-1957 on oct. 2, 1961, diem is no longer a guerrilla a face but a real War waged enemy who attacks us Wil he followed that 16by proclaiming a state of Ethe situation worsened Kennedy sent his personal mint Viser Gen. Maxwell b. Taylor in Nam to investigate. On dec. 8, Testate department said South was threatened by the cleanest danger of communist cams fourteen clays later Tom Davis killed. O n feb. 8, 1962, the United reorganized its South Vietnam assistance group which by Hen 1 1,500 advisers into a command four Star Gen. Paul Donald hark is now lives in retirement in Dallas the country was roiled with Riols buddhists who claimed they were persecuted by the regime of die roman Catholic. By mid-1963began publicly setting themselves i and the world was damning government. In a television interview on sepll1963, president Kennedy called press ions of the buddhists very Una but said he thought the Gen. Maxwell Taylor Here meeting Ngo Dinh diem in Saigon was sent to Vietnam by president p
