Cam Ranh Bay

I must comment on your Feb. 7 editorial regarding national security adviser Frank Carlucci and the contras. As the French might say, plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. The liberal mind certainly never changes about the good of our nation versus the Soviet Union and its programs. When the Soviets needed a warm-water port, the anti-Vietnam War group arranged for them to have Cam Ranh Bay at no cost - a complete freebie. Ditto for Cuba, and now to further Red encirclement, Nicaragua.

CAM RANH BAY, Vietnam - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta used a visit Sunday to Vietnam to make clear Washington's intent to aid allies in the Asia-Pacific region develop and enforce maritime rights in the South China Sea, which Beijing largely claims. On a historic stop in Cam Ranh Bay, the strategic deep water port that was a U.S. base during the Vietnam War, Panetta could gaze out from the flight deck of the USNS Richard E. Byrd toward the sea and reflect on the significance of the harbor, which represents both a painful past for the American military and a challenging but hopeful future.

Clifton Almo "Al" Williams, 64, of Williamstown, a self-employed electrician and Vietnam War veteran, died Monday at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital after a year-long battle with cancer. Mr. Williams, who was one of five children, was born in Littleton, N.C. He moved to Philadelphia and graduated from West Philadelphia High School. He enlisted in the Air Force and served as an electrician in various parts of the world, including Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. Following his discharge with the rank of sergeant, Mr. Williams worked for Bell Telephone, first in California and then in Philadelphia.

That was quite a deal Donald and Ivana Trump almost pulled off a few days ago. The Fun Couple of the Year agreed to let each other "date" for a 60-day period without those "dates" being used in a divorce action. Apparently worried about the PR fallout from this "safe sex" treaty, Ivana canceled the arrangement. Too bad. Apart from helping the sale of newspapers - always a worthy cause - Donald and Ivana may have provided the breakthrough needed to revolutionize American politics.

We live in an age in which it is increasingly difficult to distinguish appearance from reality. Soviet leaders have taken full advantage of this situation. They say one thing, and do another. Most people believe noble intentions. An influential essay by a State Department official, Francis Fukuyama, assures us that the liberal cause has triumphed globally and that the "end of history" is at hand. Desperately needing foreign aid to shore up a collapsing economy, the Soviet Union has projected the image of a country that requires peace and defense-budget cutbacks.

The first full day I spent in country was on the beach at Cam Ranh Bay. I remember the brilliant sun and the clean sand, rimmed by lush green trees that followed the shoreline out into the warm, clear waters of the South China Sea. Just above the treetops to the distant left and right were gunships, hunting. But violence felt very far away and Vietnam still seemed to me a place of untouchable beauty. The second day I went to Long Binh. Red dust covered every jeep, every boot, every inch of exposed flesh.

Whenever I see the now familiar face of Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, I am reminded of the time I first encountered him - before he was a household name and a pivotal figure in the dizzying construct of the Iran arms sales and diversion of profits to the Contras. I had made arrangements to spend a few days first with the Contras, at one of their camps along the Honduras-Nicaragua border, and then with the Sandinistas inside Nicaragua. I mentioned these plans to Robert C. McFarlane, President Reagan's national security adviser, and he invited me to a briefing on the Administration's assessment of Soviet influence in Nicaragua.

Having spent a year in Vietnam, I might seem like the last person to need the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial to remind me of those who gave their lives, a reminder for future generations. I am embarrassed to say I do. On the flight I took from Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, to Fort Lewis, Wash., I did not know one person, nor did I speak to anyone. I was happy to be going home, but the main thing on my mind was putting the past year behind me, as far out of my mind as possible.

Inside a special ward at Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Janet Gardner met children born with grossly enlarged heads, bulging eyes, and missing limbs. One was an armless 12-year-old girl who had learned to write with her feet. Some kids moved in wheelchairs. Others moved hardly at all. The possible cause of the children's condition was the reason for Gardner's visit - and the force that propels her new documentary, The Last Ghost of War. Thirty years after the end of the Vietnam War, the legacy of Agent Orange still tortures the Southeast Asian land.

The United States is threatening to abandon its two giant military bases in the Philippines because Philippine officials want more money to keep them open - at least $1.2 billion a year - than Washington is willing to pay. White House, State Department and Pentagon officials said yesterday that both Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Secretary of Defense Frank C. Carlucci told Philippine officials this week that the United States was...

CAM RANH BAY, Vietnam - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta used a visit Sunday to Vietnam to make clear Washington's intent to aid allies in the Asia-Pacific region develop and enforce maritime rights in the South China Sea, which Beijing largely claims. On a historic stop in Cam Ranh Bay, the strategic deep water port that was a U.S. base during the Vietnam War, Panetta could gaze out from the flight deck of the USNS Richard E. Byrd toward the sea and reflect on the significance of the harbor, which represents both a painful past for the American military and a challenging but hopeful future.

Clifton Almo "Al" Williams, 64, of Williamstown, a self-employed electrician and Vietnam War veteran, died Monday at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital after a year-long battle with cancer. Mr. Williams, who was one of five children, was born in Littleton, N.C. He moved to Philadelphia and graduated from West Philadelphia High School. He enlisted in the Air Force and served as an electrician in various parts of the world, including Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. Following his discharge with the rank of sergeant, Mr. Williams worked for Bell Telephone, first in California and then in Philadelphia.

Inside a special ward at Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Janet Gardner met children born with grossly enlarged heads, bulging eyes, and missing limbs. One was an armless 12-year-old girl who had learned to write with her feet. Some kids moved in wheelchairs. Others moved hardly at all. The possible cause of the children's condition was the reason for Gardner's visit - and the force that propels her new documentary, The Last Ghost of War. Thirty years after the end of the Vietnam War, the legacy of Agent Orange still tortures the Southeast Asian land.

That was quite a deal Donald and Ivana Trump almost pulled off a few days ago. The Fun Couple of the Year agreed to let each other "date" for a 60-day period without those "dates" being used in a divorce action. Apparently worried about the PR fallout from this "safe sex" treaty, Ivana canceled the arrangement. Too bad. Apart from helping the sale of newspapers - always a worthy cause - Donald and Ivana may have provided the breakthrough needed to revolutionize American politics.

We live in an age in which it is increasingly difficult to distinguish appearance from reality. Soviet leaders have taken full advantage of this situation. They say one thing, and do another. Most people believe noble intentions. An influential essay by a State Department official, Francis Fukuyama, assures us that the liberal cause has triumphed globally and that the "end of history" is at hand. Desperately needing foreign aid to shore up a collapsing economy, the Soviet Union has projected the image of a country that requires peace and defense-budget cutbacks.

The United States is threatening to abandon its two giant military bases in the Philippines because Philippine officials want more money to keep them open - at least $1.2 billion a year - than Washington is willing to pay. White House, State Department and Pentagon officials said yesterday that both Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Secretary of Defense Frank C. Carlucci told Philippine officials this week that the United States was...

Having spent a year in Vietnam, I might seem like the last person to need the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial to remind me of those who gave their lives, a reminder for future generations. I am embarrassed to say I do. On the flight I took from Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, to Fort Lewis, Wash., I did not know one person, nor did I speak to anyone. I was happy to be going home, but the main thing on my mind was putting the past year behind me, as far out of my mind as possible.

The first full day I spent in country was on the beach at Cam Ranh Bay. I remember the brilliant sun and the clean sand, rimmed by lush green trees that followed the shoreline out into the warm, clear waters of the South China Sea. Just above the treetops to the distant left and right were gunships, hunting. But violence felt very far away and Vietnam still seemed to me a place of untouchable beauty. The second day I went to Long Binh. Red dust covered every jeep, every boot, every inch of exposed flesh.

Whenever I see the now familiar face of Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, I am reminded of the time I first encountered him - before he was a household name and a pivotal figure in the dizzying construct of the Iran arms sales and diversion of profits to the Contras. I had made arrangements to spend a few days first with the Contras, at one of their camps along the Honduras-Nicaragua border, and then with the Sandinistas inside Nicaragua. I mentioned these plans to Robert C. McFarlane, President Reagan's national security adviser, and he invited me to a briefing on the Administration's assessment of Soviet influence in Nicaragua.

I must comment on your Feb. 7 editorial regarding national security adviser Frank Carlucci and the contras. As the French might say, plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. The liberal mind certainly never changes about the good of our nation versus the Soviet Union and its programs. When the Soviets needed a warm-water port, the anti-Vietnam War group arranged for them to have Cam Ranh Bay at no cost - a complete freebie. Ditto for Cuba, and now to further Red encirclement, Nicaragua.