Thai psychologist recalls his experiences of "cruel war" in Vietnam days

[webfact]

Thai psychologist recalls his experiences of "cruel war" in Vietnam days

 

Image: Sanook

 

A Thai psychologist has recounted his experiences of the Vietnam war after being asked about controversial training methods being employed by the Thai army in several recent cases.

 

He has said that the Thais need not follow what the Americans do to train soldiers - there can be some adjustment.

 

Dr. Wallop Piyamanotham of Sri Nakharin Wirot University was interviewed by Sanook who were told about a few days in the doctor's life that he remembers like yesterday, they were so intense.

 

Dr Wallop thought he would be making money running missions delivering provisions in Vietnam but it all turned out very differently.

 

He was on a helicopter with a foreign pilot of unspecified nationality. The helicopter came under heavy fire after straying into enemy territory in the north.

 

The helicopter crash landed but Wallop and the pilot survived.

 

"The pilot yelled that we had been tricked into flying into the north. He just said run, run run.

 

"He said...'we have to run south, that is the only way we can survive'".

 

Dr Wallop said he ran passed dozens of corpses of Vietnamese and US soldiers. The Vietnamese were riddled with bullets while the US servicemen had had their throats cut.

 

There were also civilians - women and children dead by the road that Wallop will never forget.

 

Fortunately they managed to make it to the relative safety of a US camp where Wallop witnessed the "cruel training" of the US Army.

 

"You have to understand it was wartime," said Wallop, "but it was unbelievably cruel".

 

He witnessed continued beatings and foul mouthed haranguing of soldiers for infractions like stopping running or doing sit-ups wrong.

 

Holding rifles incorrectly was dealt with severely as it could result in deaths from friendly fire.

 

Dr Wallop said that those days taught him a lot but it was wartime.

 

The training of soldiers in peacetime did not need to be like that. And adjustments should be made to the way that Thai soldiers are trained. It did not need to be the same as those employed by other country's forces.

 

For example cadets who were unable to take the severe training might be counseled by psychologists to help them in their training.

 

Wallop managed to get back to Thailand after his wartime experiences in Vietnam.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-12-05

[JAG]

I think he is making it up.

If the "camp" he made it to was in such a busy battle area, then the troops would have been far too busy to care about people not doing sit ups properly!

 

What outfit was flying the helicopter? Walter Mitty Airways?

 

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

[JAG]

Duplicate post deleted.

 

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

[robblok]

15 minutes ago, JAG said:

I think he is making it up.

If the "camp" he made it to was in such a busy battle area, then the troops would have been far too busy to care about people not doing sit ups properly!

 

What outfit was flying the helicopter? Walter Mitty Airways?

 

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

Good reasoning, I would assume the soldiers were trained already and during wartime there would not be much training going on (maybe more away from the front)

[jaywalker]

This guy is full of BS with a cherry on top.

 

Peer pressure (don't let your buddies down) is what keeps a soldier in line once he's been through Basic and AIT.

 

Raising hell with him in a war zone like this clown describes is a good way to get shot.

[Jeremy50]

Sounds like he is making it all up. Running through the jungle towards the south from a helicopter crash with a pilot he couldn't remember, dead bodies of GI's just left by the roadside, I think he must have watched the extended version of Apocalypse Now. Someone should do a check on him. I've met a few war fantasists here over the years, you know - 'I was in Nam' barstool buffoons; when you correlate their age you find out that they were all of 7 years old when they did basic training in Fort Bragg, and 10 when they claim to have been chasing Charlie through the Chu Chi tunnels. Shut up, you gibbering idiot.

Edited December 5, 2017 by Jeremy50
Spelling

[DipStick]

7 minutes ago, Jeremy50 said:

Sounds like he is making it all up. Running through the jungle towards the south from a helicopter crash with a pilot he couldn't remember, dead bodies of GI's just left by the roadside, I think he must have watched the extended version of Apocalypse Now. Someone should do a check on him. I've met a few war fantasists here over the years, you know - 'I was in Nam' barstool buffoons; when you correlate their age you find out that they were all of 7 years old when they did basic training in Fort Bragg, and 10 when they claim to have been chasing Charlie through the Chu Chi tunnels. Shut up, you gibbering idiot.

". I've met a few war fantasists here over the years, you know - 'I was in Nam' barstool buffoons"

Taking into account the outcome of the Vietnam War, I fail to see why anyone would want to admit being there and part of it

[DoctorG]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Wallop thought he would be making money running missions delivering provisions in Vietnam but it all turned out very differently.

What the H does this mean?

I also call BS on the whole story.

(VietnamVet67/68)

[hansnl]

38 minutes ago, DipStick said:

". I've met a few war fantasists here over the years, you know - 'I was in Nam' barstool buffoons"

Taking into account the outcome of the Vietnam War, I fail to see why anyone would want to admit being there and part of it

Deny it!

Then it did not happen!

[SiSePuede419]

Maybe the officer in charge was just jealous of the captured VCs amazing 6-pack abs????

 

"Hit the deck and give me 100 you #*&$MoFo's!!!1!1!"

 

 

 

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Wallop thought he would be making money running missions delivering provisions in Vietnam but it all turned out very differently.

 

He was on a helicopter with a foreign pilot of unspecified nationality. The helicopter came under heavy fire after straying into enemy territory in the north.

 

The helicopter crash landed but Wallop and the pilot survived.

 

"The pilot yelled that we had been tricked into flying into the north. He just said run, run run.

Yeah, right...

[GLewis]

He would have to be in his 70s now. The guy is full of BS. Ran from the North to the South passing dead bodies, and then witnesses the US army intentionally harming soldiers while they are in the midst of battle. He needs to be called out on this.

[Kasset Tak]

I have met two 2 Thai veterans from the American war, one fought for the communists and the other was with the Americans. After the war, the communist became as a teacher, to spread his knowledge to the next generation to nod do the same mistakes and the one fighting on the American side has been a monk, to get absolution for all the sins he committed during the war since he came back!

[Thaidream]

Absolute nonsense- as a Vietnam veteran- I doubt any of his story-  training and advanced training takes place prior to going into a war zone.  That is what basic training and AIT are for and happens in the US at training camps.  Once on an overseas assignment to a war zone- one is expected to perform the duties one is already trained for. It is possible at some overseas places- daily calisthenics are done but hardly during a mission to a 'hot' zone or in a zone where combat is imminent.

[Juan B Tong]

Absolute bollocs!  Just a wannabe.

 

We would have fragged anybody who even thought about any crap like that.

 

MEMO to Thai Shrink Wannabe

 

Your meds need adjusting!

 

Nam 70-71

 

 

Edited December 5, 2017 by Juan B Tong

[Dave67]

Went to the Memorial War Museum in Saigon. Truly cruel and horrific war, 5 or 6 Farangs there everyone was in kind of shock of the horrors pictured in face. That was me end others just looking at pictures for about an hour, So be actually there at the time would have some kind of psychological impact

 

Tamer Picture not for the squeamish 

[Briggsy]

This guy loves getting himself in the media.

 

Here he is on tv 4 years ago, always described as an expert on psychology.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0BEmzGvlIY

[pattayadon]

My goodness... I was going to say what bs but certainly I'm not the first.  When he says,

  

"infractions like stopping running or doing sit-ups wrong. Holding rifles incorrectly was dealt with severely as it could result in deaths from friendly fire." 

 

Whose military is he talking about? I think the writer here absolutely needs to clarify!!  Seriously though, no need, complete hogwash of a story!

[pattayadon]

Come to think of it... This fool needs to show some proof he was even in Viet Nam at that time.  I don't believe one bit of  his rhetoric. Many like him have been proven frauds. He is a fraud. Yes, I said it!!!!!!!!

[bill1369]

Utter BS. He was so near a US base he walked to it - after walking through a field of dead Americans with cut throats. If the US did one thing correctly, it was rescue their wounded and recovering all KIAs. "Cadets" trained in the field - not at boot camp in the States. Just a little research would have improved this fool's BS.

 

BTW: I was a Marine infantry squad leader operating in and around the DMZ in Leatherneck Square in 1967. This guy wouldn't want to spout off his nonsense around me.......

[Morch]

Last time one of his insights featured on TVF was funnier:

 

Quote

Dr Wanlop Piyamanotham, Psychologist and Adviser for the Human Development Project at Srinakharinwirot University recently told reporters that Thai marital problems are often related to penis size.

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/723486-thai-men-biggest-cheaters-small-penis-size-blamed/

[micmichd]

7 hours ago, DipStick said:

". I've met a few war fantasists here over the years, you know - 'I was in Nam' barstool buffoons"

Taking into account the outcome of the Vietnam War, I fail to see why anyone would want to admit being there and part of it

Many veterans changed their minds in SEA and became pacifists. So their biography might be true. 

[Rhys]

....another :Lavar

[observer90210]

Between the progaganda, the bar stool stories, the "vet-wanna be's"  and the others who and what to believe as I was not there ?? ...

 

What is sure however is that the Vietnam war, as any other war in general, left a heavy human heritage of PTSD issues that were diagnosed only years later when the American Psychiatry Association finally assessed and officially recognized the issue.

 

With full respect to the vets of this war, as one could assume that they did not want to go to war or harm anybody, but plainly did their duty.

 

As for those who rant against "nam", no need to look that far back....just look deeper into some stories of the UN peacekeepers or KFOR in various sensitive zones of the planet....you will find your share of horrific actions that are much more recent.

Edited December 5, 2017 by observer90210

[BigBadGeordie]

Per Mare Per Teram.

 

Esprit de Corps.

 

Eff you Aho

[BigBadGeordie]

4 hours ago, bill1369 said:

Utter BS. He was so near a US base he walked to it - after walking through a field of dead Americans with cut throats. If the US did one thing correctly, it was rescue their wounded and recovering all KIAs. "Cadets" trained in the field - not at boot camp in the States. Just a little research would have improved this fool's BS.

 

BTW: I was a Marine infantry squad leader operating in and around the DMZ in Leatherneck Square in 1967. This guy wouldn't want to spout off his nonsense around me.......

Semper Fi

[lamyai3]

13 hours ago, DipStick said:

Taking into account the outcome of the Vietnam War, I fail to see why anyone would want to admit being there and part of it

On the contrary, the average Joe who got conscripted for this is generally viewed with respect and admiration, and this view is widely reinforced in countless Hollywood depictions - good guys enlisted in an insane war. Condemnation is almost always reserved for the bad decisions made by the US governments of the time, the Nixon administration especially.