Knew it would happen

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by Stick Viet Nam. Late 1967 I believe. Election day for the Republic of South Vietnam. Just a regular work day for the REMFs at the First Army Postal Unit. We were billeted about two miles away from the post office and I had to drive the unit personnell in a 37 passenger Isuzu bus through the western side of QuiNhon on public road to the unit which was just inside the rear gate of the QuiNhon airfield. It was the first day that I was allowed to go to the armory to get my M-14. Everyone of the troops with the unit was also issued their weapon but none of us were issued ammunition.
Driving down the road we passed several poling places and low and behold there were several people wearing black and carrying AK-47's beating up on the Vietnamese people that wanted to vote. Those Black pajamaed people were also firing those AK's into the air as we drove by. They had ammo. All I could do is drive by.
Hey. It was a supervised election wasn't it?
Who was watching the poles?

The probelem with this election was that it was run under the Auspices of the South Vietnamese government and by us indirectly It certainly is a farce of an election when there is only one candidate to vote for. Why were the people there anyway? there was only one candidate to vote for: the current military dictator Nguyen Van Thieu and SURPRISE! He won in a landslide. He would have even if nobody showed up.
That was the kind of election we brought to them in stead of the internationally supervised elections supervised by Canada, Indi and Poland stipulated in the Genevea Agreements, the ones we stood there beaming when Diem cnceled them.
You think we did better?

PS re: bllack pajamed people firing guns in the air.
If they were your enemies, theyd have fired them at you.