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6: regiment doc lap’s first battle turns into disaster (1946) we began our military training after the political indoctrination ended, but even simulated combat exercises included political factors. The role of the political commissar was accentuated during this period, and instructors never allowed us to forget the importance of maintaining good relations with the civilian populace. For example, we were reminded that whenever a unit moved from one location to another, we must clean the area where we had lived, inside and out, and thank all members of the house and village that had extended us their hospitality. The political commissar was charged with seeing that we attended to these duties, as well as to paying for all expenses and for any damage that had been done. Meanwhile, a team would be making arrangements for us in the area where we were to relocate. The team would find us housing with local inhabitants, see to our food supply and hygienic needs, and even arrange for entertainment and the inevitable training and critique sessions. Our instructors were a mixed bag of Japanese, Austrians, Germans, and Vietnamese . Many Japanese deserted and joined the Viet Minh after Japan surrendered. Most notable of these was Ho Chi Tam; legend had it that his Vietnamese name had been given to him by Ho Chi Minh, who regarded him as an adopted son. Tam reportedly had been a colonel with an important position on the general staff of the Japanese Imperial Army. He later married a Vietnamese woman, with Ho’s blessing. The Austrians and Germans were said to be former German Army officers who escaped capture and joined the French Foreign Legion. They had been sent to Vietnam with the first Leclerc contingent. When they realized the nature of the war, they deserted and joined Ho Chi Minh. One German also enjoyed the same “adopted son” status with our leader as Ho Chi Tam; he was given the Vietnamese name of Ho Chi Long. My brother, Tran Ngoc Hien, was in charge of “turning” enemy soldiers (encouraging them to desert the French and join us) as part of his counterintelligence work. He was now a high-ranking cadre, deputy head of the Intelligence Department. Hien had surprisingly good success. I had heard that more and more deserters were coming over to our side, including Tunisians, Moroccans, Algerians, and Senegalese, who made up the bulk of the French Expeditionary Forces in Vietnam. Many were eager to fight against the French, who had also established colonial rule in their countries. Some of these men from French colonies had joined the military because there were no other jobs for them in their own countries. 58 vietnam labyrinth Despite concern voiced for “the people,” Viet Minh leaders did not treat one particular segment of the populace kindly. These were the so-called antirevolutionary suspects imprisoned in a large building near our company barracks. None of us was much concerned at the time, because we felt our leaders knew best and that the people detained there were collaborators or others who were against the War of Independence. We paid little attention to the truck that came every night and stopped in front of the detention barracks for a short time with its motor running. We heard doors opening and people shouting and protesting, then the truck drove off. I’m not sure whether I consciously connected those nightly happenings with the sounds of shots that followed about an hour later from several miles in the distance. If I did, I was like the other cadres and trainees, too wrapped up in our own work and plans to be concerned. Some years later I realized that many of the antirevolutionaries executed during that period, and others, were also nationalists, just as much as I was. Their “crimes” were being from different groups, organizations that represented potential future threats to the political ambitions of Ho Chi Minh and the very few Communists in the Viet Minh at that time.1 During that period, however, our attention was focused on our demanding training schedule, to the exclusion of virtually everything else. I seldom had time even to think of Huong Giang, except at night when she sometimes crept into my dreams and fantasies. Our critiquing sessions during the indoctrination portion of our training included review and analysis of battle reports sent in by commanders of units in the field since the War of Independence began. These reviews gave us valuable insights into...

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