I'm sorry if some veterans' groups will be bent out of shape by these comments, but I saw first-hand many situations that could only be characterized by these title words. Not all Americans were heroes and worthy of praise by their comrades in arms or citizens back home. The "Ugly Americans" lived.
Let's start with corruption, and here I refer to corrupt behavior of some Americans and not the Vietnamese. The Tan Son Nhut air base, just outside Saigon was both a military airfield and a civilian one. Stationed there were a mixed bag of Army, Air Force and civilian teams from the U.S. and our allies. So too were many Vietnamese who lived on and operated from that huge complex. There was even a small Vietnamese community within the base perimeter.
Many military portions of the base were divided into separate compounds, fenced off and guarded by military police or other military forces. Our own Air Force barracks area was just one of those with its own internal barbed wire perimeter fences and armed guards controlling access. It was just under a mile to the flight operations area where our reconnaissance jet fighters were parked.
Each morning a number of Vietnamese women, of all ages and abilities, came through the guard gate to commence their daily work tasks. Those women were hired to do general cleanup, shine shoes, make beds and even clean latrines. Some did laundry. Few spoke English. They were paid a meager amount, but most were glad for any employment opportunities. In a country ravaged by war for more than two decades before we got there, any work for wages was welcome.
I returned to my barracks late one afternoon. About twenty of the women were headed out toward the fence gate, heading home after a day's work for the Americans. As I climbed the stairs to my second-floor room I encountered two of the women in the hallway. One was crying and could not be consoled by her companion. I paused to ask what was wrong, and by chance the other woman spoke some English and could explain the problem. The more she told me the angrier I became.
It seems that the crying woman was the victim of extortion by the armed U.S. military guard at the access gate. She was required by the guard to turn over a portion of her daily earnings to him to gain passage through the gate. No payment meant not being allowed to go in or out of the gate. And her inability to pay anything that afternoon resulted in her being wholly distraught. I am sure she felt it humiliating to have to pay anything at all, but to be stranded within the compound and unable to go home to her family that evening proved to be more than she could stand. She sobbed uncontrollably.
I hastened to report her situation to my headquarters and things were quickly corrected. The guards, and it turned out to be more than just the one then on duty, were disciplined and replaced. But the damage had already been done to the American image. That example of gross corruption gave new meaning to the term "ugly Americans".
An example of crass behavior by Americans was embarrassingly exhibited in the checkout line at the base exchange store. A young, attractive Vietnamese woman stood at the cash register performing her duties as a line of American G.I.'s purchased their items. About two people ahead of me in line stood a tall, very large U.S. Army two-striper. His combat fatigues were dirty and grimy, indicating that he might have just in from the field. He held a couple of cigarette cartons and other items in his hands as he approach the cashier.
When the young woman politely asked, "What can I do for you, G.I.?", in a courteous and friendly manner, the soldier responded in the most crass way imaginable. "You can pull up that skirt and put it here," he said pointing to his crotch and gesturing obscenely. The woman was shocked and totally embarrassed, especially so when the soldier's buddies began laughing and relishing the humiliation they'd created for her. She was still quite flustered when it came my turn to purchase my merchandise. I felt compelled to apologize to her as explain that not all Americans behave so badly, but I don't think it helped much. I'd be surprised if to this day she has little respect or a very high opinion of "ugly Americans". Can you blame her?
The chaos I remember well was the day some Vietnamese students rioted in Saigon. The American press was on had to witness the event. Many hastened to report to the editors half way around the world, taking advantage of short-wave radio-telephone links to the U.S. west coast.
I happened to overhear several of the newsmen filing their reports, for I frequently listened to my portable short-wave receiver in the early evening.
I was amazed and dismayed to hear the accounts of the riots. The only similarity I could discern between the actual event and what those reporters were saying was the day of the week. Some told their editors that many were killed by police. Others said that it was a small encounter quickly dispersed by some tear gas, a minor and not infrequent clash between students and the authorities.
But some went on and on about the supposed meaning of the event and describing casualties lying in the streets. It seemed pretty obvious to me that some of the reporters were people who hadn't even witnessed the riot. They were probably reporting what they had been told second or third hand. I detected a bit of chaos in the fourth estate.
But the most ridiculous news stories that I heard over my little short-wave radio were the ones filed during the Nixon-Humphrey Presidential elections. Breathless and excited reporters took turns on the radio channel back to the U.S. to file stories about the reaction of the Saigon government because Humphrey won the election (which he never did, of course). And then after pausing to catch their breath they'd file a separate story about the reaction of the Saigon government to Nixon winning the election. They'd end their reports by adding, "Use whichever story you need, depending upon how the election turns out." So much for press credibility, I felt as I turned off my radio that night.