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Vets Mark Tet Offensive

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Participants in the 40th anniversary of the Tet Offensive at the Veterans Memorial Museum and Park in Brandon chat before packing up and heading home.

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By NICOLA M. WHITE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2008

Updated: 02/03/2008 11:44 pm

TAMPA - To Vietnam veterans, the 1968 military operation known as the Tet Offensive was as pivotal in the war as D-Day was in World War II.

Although American forces beat the Viet Cong in almost every battle, the bloodshed and the violence turned the tide of public opinion against the war and led to widespread questioning about the United States' mission in Southeast Asia.

This weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the Tet Offensive. Locally, veterans and those who support them didn't want the anniversary to go unnoticed.

"These guys fought just as hard as any other war veterans," said Mike Alvarez, 36, of Tampa, whose father, Anthony, served three tours with the Marines in Vietnam.

So Alvarez, who volunteers at Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park and Museum, joined forces with local veterans and museum officials to put together displays and host war re-enactments at the park on Saturday and Sunday.

Veterans and family members watched weapons demonstrations and saw items from that era - tents set up with sleeping rolls, typewriters, badges, flags from the Viet Cong, even a Playboy magazine from 1968. Some war re-enactors spent Saturday night in the tents at the park.

"It brought back memories and sadness," said Robert Temples, 59, of Plant City, who was 19 when he was drafted. He spent Sunday poking around the exhibits and talking to other veterans.

The Vietnam War feels fresh in his memory. He knows more than a dozen men who died there; some were friends from high school and middle school. He still carries his draft card in his wallet. Although thinking about his friends and his time in Vietnam brings back some hurtful memories, he said he feels compelled to meet with other veterans and to remember what happened.

"I have to go because I feel like I represent the people who didn't make it back," he said.

The Tet Offensive kicked off in the early morning of Jan. 30, 1968, the lunar New Year holiday in Vietnam. The Viet Cong, who pledged not to fight during the holiday, hit five cities, 36 provincial capitals and 23 airfields and bases. The objective was to spur an uprising in South Vietnam against the country's leaders - a mission that failed.

American and South Vietnamese troops quickly recovered. Back home, Americans were stunned by the attacks, and the public perception of the war hit a turning point.

"It was chaotic," said Gerard Abbett, 59, of Brandon, who joined the Army when he was 19, just out of high school in Boston. He served in the Mekong Delta, near Saigon.

His 363 days of infantry service were marked by "rain, bugs, a lot of bad food. It was muddy - and that was a good day."

When he came back from the war, Abbett and some of his friends felt they had to hide the fact they served in the war. They got dirty looks. Some were called "baby killers."

He said he appreciated Sunday's memorial. "All of a sudden, we're finally getting respect," he said. "For them to do this, this is an honor."

Reporter Nicola M. White can be reached at (813) 779-4613 or nwhite1@tampatrib.com.

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