September 26
2023-09-26
Dear friend,
The first American fatality in what would become the Vietnam War occurred on this day in 1945.
Japan had occupied French Indochina during the war and was holding 4,549 Allied prisoners-of-war, including 240 Americans, near Saigon. Lt. Col. Peter Dewey was part of a team sent to bring the POWs home.
Under the terms of Japanese surrender, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) was under British command. However, the Brits were short on troops and relied on French troops to keep order. The French were the reigning colonial power there. Some of them beat and shot Vietnamese who resisted their authority.
Lt. Col. Dewey complained about this to the British commander, who didn't want to hear it. He declared Dewey persona non grata. As a consequence Dewey was prohibited from flying an American flag from his jeep.
This led to a fatal mixup. The Vietnamese at that time were hostile to the French but not the Americans.
On September 26, 1945, Lt. Col. Dewey was ambushed and fatally shot by Ho Chi Minh's troops. They likely did not intend to shoot an American, and discarded his body in a river.
Ho Chi Minh reportedly ordered a search for the body, which wasn't found, and sent a condolence letter to President Harry Truman.
Lt. Col. Peter Dewey, 1916–1945
Dewey left behind the woman he married on August 1, 1942, Nancy Weller, and their daughter Nancy.
The U.S. Dept. of Defense considers November 1, 1955 the start of the Vietnam War, after the U.S. took over following the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu. Dewey is memorialized elsewhere, but is not listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Dewey's experience was predictive of the 1955–1975 war. From Saigon he wrote, "Cochinchina is burning, the French and the British are being destroyed there and we are forced to get out of Southeast Asia."
May he rest in peace.
***
Lt. Col. Dewey did what any veteran has done. He showed up and did his best for our country. I'm grateful to Lt. Col. Dewey and to his family. I'm grateful to every American who has served our country, and their family.
As a non-veteran living under a flag that veterans have laid down their lives for, I'm grateful for any opportunity to listen and learn.
I attended my first Vets Town Hall earlier this year. From the organization's website:
At a Vets Town Hall, veterans of any era who served in any capacity are invited to stand before their community and speak for up to ten minutes about what it was like to serve their country. Non-veterans are encouraged to attend and listen. These events are non-political, and all perspectives are valued. There will be no debate on American foreign policy. We will simply listen and learn about what it was like to serve in the wars that this nation has chosen to fight.
Veterans Day is coming up November 11th. Now's a great time to check out the upcoming schedule of Vermont Vets Town Halls, and put one on your calendar.