What was the Vietnam war really like?

PV2 J M I joined because aiding South Vietnam was a just cause. War is hell and it will change you forever. You are closer to your fellow brothers than actual kin, but there is a sadness beyond words when you lose friends. I came home to a country that I did not recognize. We lost many brave Americans in that war and families were torn apart. Our government discontinued the war allowing the Communists to send hundreds of thousands of ARVN and civilians to be sent to re-education camps where many were killed.

In regard to your question there are many good books on this subject both on line and in print as a matter of fact I am now reading” Our Vietnam Wars “by William F Brown that covers the war from our early involvement to the tragic end,my experiences in Vietnam were of course different for others due to time periods served ,areas of operation,branches of service ,we all have our stories indelibly printed and remembered to this day.

Unsettling at times horrific. Unlike what some are told, some days were just beautiful, panoramic and serene, other days frightening and chaotic. You may walk down a path that many have walked before you, and Bam! All hell breaks loose. Caught in a firefight which last only for a minute or two unless you were out on a mission which required full contact and when that contact is made, it’s all out kill or be killed, especially if you were up against the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The Viet Cong (VC) made up of disgruntled farmers or citizens who fell under the oppression of the ruling regime, acted more like the American minuteman, as a guerrilla, harassing group. Although since 1968 they had been involved in major skirmishes through South Vietnam. We had a VC sniper who was either blind or to old to shoot, take a shot at us every day before noon never hitting anyone just to remind us death could take you any time. When working with the CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense Group) we had problems of VC infiltrating the group. You never knew it until one was caught in their action of planting demolition charges throughout the camp or in the process of collecting intelligence. I worked with indigenous mountain people commonly referred to as Montagnard’s. These groups were comprised of several aboriginal tribes such as the Hoa, Khmer, Bru and H’mong. Each colorful with many rights and superstitions yet loyal in the fight against North Vietnam. Their primitive life style is incomparable to todays living standards and yet they were proven time and time again as a valuable asset in the Vietnam war. So, The Vietnam war was like being in a dream at times living a peaceful life until nightmarish images begin to invade your dreams only to discover its reality.

Started as police and advisory action in 60s, turned into full fledged war for America in late 60s until 75 when Nixon pulled out military. As war progressed, it became more and more political with having to contact MACV to get permission to return fire received in aviation, must have been hell for all units on ground.

That's a really good question. Sadly, there's a lot of misinformation available. The journalists of that era were well on their way to becoming propagandists and much of the record, even that found in textbooks, is heavily influenced by their opinions rather than factual accounts. I wrote my own journal to provide a counterpoint. Although I had been trained as an infantry officer, because of my age and education, I was kept at the 9th Infantry Division headquarters to serve in the Adjutant Generals office where I had a high level view of the war. I originally sold my journal for a few dollars per copy but decided to make it available free-of-charge so that students of history would have ready access to it. You can find it at the link below. You can also read it on my weblog at jackdurish.com together with comments provided by other veterans as well as a few old antiwar protesters. I hope it helps...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/248158