Comments on: Long Binh Jail Riot During the Vietnam War http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:45:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: robert rice http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-788036 robert rice Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:34:06 +0000 #comment-788036 I did four tours in LBJ, the first time was before the compound move to long binh. the jail at that time was out side a saigon us air force base. I spent three years in vietnam trying to complete one year of service. for my story go to robert lee rice story and log on. I did four tours in LBJ, the first time was before the compound move to long binh. the jail at that time was out side a saigon us air force base. I spent three years in vietnam trying to complete one year of service. for my story go to robert lee rice story and log on.

]]> By: Bob http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-787339 Bob Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:04:59 +0000 #comment-787339 JJonyes, I was on one of those outside details you watched; thankfully I got out 2 weeks before the riot. I'm white and I minded my own business and made friends with blacks and whites; I was advised by a black friend that prisoner Planter was the leader of the black militants and I would be best if I befriended him; he was in my hootchI did and I was respected. I even got the brothers to give me a hit or two of their ganja; the blacks were the only prisoners with ganja, and yes, many black prisoners preferred life behind the wall than outside, and there was a real strongly knit young black men's culture. Not all the brothers were violent or wanted to riot. But once it started many joined out of fear of reprisal. The book Long Binh Jail by Cecil Currey tells almost all of it, except about all the non-violent offenders who were there for refusing to pick up a gun and fight. Most prisoners, black and white were not common criminal types, but had broken the UCMJ, possession of pot, sleeping on guard duty, refusing direct order, etc. Must have been something to have watched it dude. As a Vietnam vet, how are you doing these days? They found that us Vietnam vets are aging prematurely and dieing young; there're only about 250,000 of us left out of 3.14 who served in the Nam. Thank for your input. bbbbbboB JJonyes, I was on one of those outside details you watched; thankfully I got out 2 weeks before the riot. I'm white and I minded my own business and made friends with blacks and whites; I was advised by a black friend that prisoner Planter was the leader of the black militants and I would be best if I befriended him; he was in my hootchI did and I was respected. I even got the brothers to give me a hit or two of their ganja; the blacks were the only prisoners with ganja, and yes, many black prisoners preferred life behind the wall than outside, and there was a real strongly knit young black men's culture. Not all the brothers were violent or wanted to riot. But once it started many joined out of fear of reprisal. The book Long Binh Jail by Cecil Currey tells almost all of it, except about all the non-violent offenders who were there for refusing to pick up a gun and fight. Most prisoners, black and white were not common criminal types, but had broken the UCMJ, possession of pot, sleeping on guard duty, refusing direct order, etc. Must have been something to have watched it dude. As a Vietnam vet, how are you doing these days? They found that us Vietnam vets are aging prematurely and dieing young; there're only about 250,000 of us left out of 3.14 who served in the Nam. Thank for your input. bbbbbboB

]]> By: J Jones http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-787321 J Jones Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:53:54 +0000 #comment-787321 I was stationed just accross the street 52 nd Inf. Several of us were sitting on sand bags drinking beer when the riot started. I knew many of the inmates because we signed them out on work details around our compound. Many of these guys were being held for refusing to get a hair cut. Now that was not the charge but it is how it started by refusing an order giving by an officer. Many of the blacks stated that they would rather be in lock up than out fighting killing people that had done nothing to them. I was a young black SGT E-5 at the time. I did my time to include time in the Big Red One. It was a very difficutly time in our history. I remember coming home from first tour in 1966 and was told in Memphis, TN that I could not ride in a Limmo from the airport to the bus station with whites college students that had befriend me on the plane from Calif. Students got out also and we took a bus to the down town bus station. I was stationed just accross the street 52 nd Inf. Several of us were sitting on sand bags drinking beer when the riot started. I knew many of the inmates because we signed them out on work details around our compound. Many of these guys were being held for refusing to get a hair cut. Now that was not the charge but it is how it started by refusing an order giving by an officer. Many of the blacks stated that they would rather be in lock up than out fighting killing people that had done nothing to them. I was a young black SGT E-5 at the time. I did my time to include time in the Big Red One. It was a very difficutly time in our history. I remember coming home from first tour in 1966 and was told in Memphis, TN that I could not ride in a Limmo from the airport to the bus station with whites college students that had befriend me on the plane from Calif. Students got out also and we took a bus to the down town bus station.

]]> By: traveler http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-785401 traveler Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:20:50 +0000 #comment-785401 Hey Bob you forgot.The midnight MP's took the inmates out of silver city and gave them showers once a week, beatings were also included.I did witness it.I was a guard in the max security, a group known as the midnight raiders bear knuckled the inmates in the showers. I'm still up north give me a week to get home and we'll talk more. I feel that I know you. Mike Hey Bob you forgot.The midnight MP's took the inmates out of silver city and gave them showers once a week, beatings were also included.I did witness it.I was a guard in the max security, a group known as the midnight raiders bear knuckled the inmates in the showers. I'm still up north give me a week to get home and we'll talk more. I feel that I know you.
Mike

]]> By: Bob Hedstrom http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-785271 Bob Hedstrom Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:22:51 +0000 #comment-785271 Ken, I was a prisoner at LBJ just up to the riot and both blacks and whites shared the work equally, but FYI in the prison we only had to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week; the MP guards however worked 12 hour days, 7 days a week, and when it rained we didn't have to work but the guards still did. And you make a good point when making an analogy between the black riots back home and the black riot at LBJ. On our off time the blacks were the only ones it seemed who had drugs, as they'd be smoking joints just among them- selves, while they instigated their very anti-white riot. Not all the black prisoners participated but some did by coercion and threats. The small crowd that instigated it, turned it into a mass frenzy. bob Ken, I was a prisoner at LBJ just up to the riot and both blacks and whites shared the work equally, but FYI in the prison we only had to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week; the MP guards however worked 12 hour days, 7 days a week, and when it rained we didn't have to work but the guards still did. And you make a good point when making an analogy between the black riots back home and the black riot at LBJ. On our off time the blacks were the only ones it seemed who had drugs, as they'd be smoking joints just among them- selves, while they instigated their very anti-white riot. Not all the black prisoners participated but some did by coercion and threats. The small crowd that instigated it, turned it into a mass frenzy. bob

]]> By: steve dennis http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-785270 steve dennis Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:58:11 +0000 #comment-785270 Col. Irwin was insane.He came in about two weeks after the riot and started having everything painted silver,Also had rebar welded up with spikes or spear type points on the perimeter fence around the stockade. Then he put conex boxes out in the sun and cut out little windows in the door that resembled prison bars.The inmates did not get showers and some only had towels wrapped around the,no fatigues,and the silver paint rubbed off the boxes and stuck to their skin. And there are many more stories that go on and on,but,it never happened according to the military. Col. Irwin was insane.He came in about two weeks after the riot and started having everything painted silver,Also had rebar welded up with spikes or spear type points on the perimeter fence around the stockade. Then he put conex boxes out in the sun and cut out little windows in the door that resembled prison bars.The inmates did not get showers and some only had towels wrapped around the,no fatigues,and the silver paint rubbed off the boxes and stuck to their skin. And there are many more stories that go on and on,but,it never happened according to the military.

]]> By: traveler http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-785265 traveler Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:53:17 +0000 #comment-785265 Hi Prim If there is anything you want to know about the beatings, sgt Davis or col Ivring the terrible I can hook you up. I witnessed the beatings and the army, of course, denys they ever happened. Like I said they did happen they did. traveler Hi Prim
If there is anything you want to know about the beatings, sgt Davis or col Ivring the terrible I can hook you up. I witnessed the beatings and the army, of course, denys they ever happened.
Like I said they did happen they did.
traveler

]]> By: Gordon Reynaud http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-785038 Gordon Reynaud Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:30:09 +0000 #comment-785038 Hello BBBBBBob; Thanks for your very welcome comments. I am not in the entertainment business any more (currently 73 yrs old and retired), but treasure the time I had in Vietnam. Both Marilyn and Tony are deceased, but John Lavoie is living in Vancouver, Canada. I never hear from Dernise. I always hope the video will bring memories and maybe see yourself or somebody you knew in the pictures. God Bless and thanks again. Gord. Hello BBBBBBob;

Thanks for your very welcome comments. I am not in the entertainment business any more (currently 73 yrs old and retired), but treasure the time I had in Vietnam. Both Marilyn and Tony are deceased, but John Lavoie is living in Vancouver, Canada. I never hear from Dernise. I always hope the video will bring memories and maybe see yourself or somebody you knew in the pictures.
God Bless and thanks again.
Gord.

]]> By: Michael "Big O" O'Brian http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-785031 Michael "Big O" O'Brian Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:36:26 +0000 #comment-785031 Steve, Some of what you say here does sound familiar, but all of that whole mess is so foggy, at least in my recollection. I can tell you that the "one of thos cot ends" to which you refer were called "Bunk Adapters" by those of us who slept in them. They were placed between ends of our cots to make them taut, so they would hold us. They were vey hard - not sure of the type of wood - and would deliver quite a blow. In fact, it was one of these very adapters that the killer I refered to in my orignal message above, used on the white kid in the yard to beat the life out of him, for being white, I suppose There was, as you know and allude to above, quite a bit of racial hatred in that Prison! Anyway, feel free to drop me an E-Mail if you feel so moved. I am a retired Corrections Officer - Michigan - and available to chat if you wish. Steve,

Some of what you say here does sound familiar, but all of that whole mess is so foggy, at least in my recollection. I can tell you that the "one of thos cot ends" to which you refer were called "Bunk Adapters" by those of us who slept in them. They were placed between ends of our cots to make them taut, so they would hold us. They were vey hard – not sure of the type of wood – and would deliver quite a blow. In fact, it was one of these very adapters that the killer I refered to in my orignal message above, used on the white kid in the yard to beat the life out of him, for being white, I suppose There was, as you know and allude to above, quite a bit of racial hatred in that Prison!

Anyway, feel free to drop me an E-Mail if you feel so moved. I am a retired Corrections Officer – Michigan – and available to chat if you wish.

]]> By: Robert Hedstrom http://www.historynet.com/long-binh-jail-riot-during-the-vietnam-war.htm#comment-785030 Robert Hedstrom Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:33:28 +0000 #comment-785030 I was off on my accuracy of the Billy Dean Smith case; he was not held incommunicado at LBJ in the Box as I originally thought. He was transferred from LBJ to the states where he was tried and acquitted for a fragging murder. He was held in solitary confinement for 22 months at LBJ and stateside. His case occurred in '71 long after the infamous uprising/riot of '68. Billy is mentioned often: in the DVD, 'Sir, No Sir," and in the book Long Binh Jail by Cecil Currey. Supposedly Billy is in and out of state prison and psychiatric care units, like many others who went through the military's meat-grinder judicial system and incarceration. I correct myself. bbbbbbboB I was off on my accuracy of the Billy Dean Smith case; he was not held incommunicado at LBJ in the Box as I originally thought. He was transferred from LBJ to the states where he was tried and acquitted for a fragging murder. He was held in solitary confinement for 22 months at LBJ and stateside. His case occurred in '71 long after the infamous uprising/riot of '68. Billy is mentioned often: in the DVD, 'Sir, No Sir," and in the book Long Binh Jail by Cecil Currey. Supposedly Billy is in and out of state prison and psychiatric care units, like many others who went through the military's meat-grinder judicial system and incarceration. I correct myself. bbbbbbboB

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