AGE FOUR
Student
Editor’s Note: The Phoenix, newspaper of New York
City's Queens College , has sent two students to Viet
nam to report on the war
The Daily Collegian, in cooperation loith the
Phoenix, will carry columns written by the two
reporters.
One student, Ralph Paladino, supports the presence
of the United States in Vietnam. The other, Lee Dem
bart. holds the opposite view. 1 ,
Today’s column, .by Dembart, is the first report of
the series. .
SAIGON, Feb. 4 We had thought that we would
see some action during our three months in Vietnam.
We didn’t expect we would see it so quickly.
The'Viet Cong gave us a noisy if not altogether
receptive welcome less than 15 hours after our arrival
here, as they began an all-out offensive in Saigon that
included an attack on the Presidential Palace 100 yards
from our hotel window.
The sun was hot and the air was dry as we stepped
out of the plane at Tan Son Nhul International Airport.
Less than 24 hours later, the field would be under con
stant mortar, artillery, and small arms fire, and hundreds
of soldiers would lose their lives in the battle for the
airbase. But all was quiet as we walked to the terminal
and stood in line to clear immigration and customs.
It was Tet, the Oriental New Year, and flags, signs
and banners welcomed it. Firecrackers, sounding unner
vingly like rifles, exploded around us as we walked
through the downtown area to the U.S. and Vietnamese
press offices.
Full-scale battles had erupted throughout the coun
try except in ihe capital. Every major city from north to
south was under attack. Signs in military installations
warned that Charley was infiltrating Saigon, and that
all personnel should take extreme caution. But on the
streets it was Tct, and no one seemed concerned about
the imminent onslaught.
At precisely three o’clock in the morning the cele
bration of Tet ended in Saigon. There were still fire
works, but now they were coming from grena'des, rock
ets, bazookas, automatic weapons, and high-powered
rifles. A tremendous explosion rocked the courtyard out
side the hotel. Two more blasts and accompanying flash
es brought us quickly from sleep to full consciousness.
The sharp cracks of rifles were answered by ma
chine guns. Another explosion, closer to the hotel, and
then quiet. But only long enough for us to think the
worst. They were surely coming into the hotel, coming
to blast down the doors, coming to machinegun us a 11..,
And then more shooting outside. Mortar explosions.
More automatic fire. Another brief pause.
I tried sleeping. The firing continued outside. So
did tiie explosions: v
Daylight always has the advantage of making things
seem more manageable. With the sun up, we had almost
convinced ourselves that all the noise the night before
had been nothing more than big firecrackers. We were
still unaware of the extent of the fighting going on"
throughout the city. BuJ; the desk clerk warned "Us. “Be
careful, sir,” -he said as we walked out. “There’s shooting
outside.”
Only later in the day did we discover that the Viet
Cong had attacked eight major areas in the city, includ
ing the American Embassy, and had taken over the
Cholon section to the south. They were still firmly en
trenched in the partially completed apartment building
next to the hotel, having sought cover there when their
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By LEE DEMBART
attempt to storm the Palace met resistance during the ,
night.
Four Viet Cong bodies lay in the street and were to
remain there 3S hours until they began to rot in the heat.
The apartment building was surrounded by Korean and
ARVN troops who periodically exchanged machine gun
tire with the Viet Cong fortress.
Reporters and amateur photographers swarmed over
the area, taking cover behind walls and parked cars
whenever the shooting Less courageous spec
tators took up positions on the roof and balconies of the
hotel, occasionally peering over the barriers to see what
was going one. Everyone, took a periodic time-outs to sit
in the hotel bar, eat lunch, sip a beer, and discuss the
progress outside.
At nightfall, fighting continued heavy throughout
the city, and martial law and a 24-hour curfew had been
imposed. The streets were completely deserted. The Viet
Cong still held the building, though the mortar and ba
zooka pounding it had sustained throughout the day.
Returning to our room with a view, we drew the
curtains and prepared for a long night; Fortunately the
heavy activity did not begin in earnest until six o’clock
the following morning when the shelling and mortar
attacks resumed. One fellow occupant of the hotel re
ported two bullets ricocheted into his room, but we
escaped with two shattered windows.
Reports from around the country said that ihe Viet
Cong attack was being beaten back in all but a few
northern cities. Enemy casualties were first held at
5,000 killed, later updated to 7.000, and finally put at
near 13.000. "subject to adjustment when administra
tive reports are received,"
By afternoon the last of the Viet Cong holding the
neighboring apartment building had been killed, and
civilians strolled casually through the area, taking Dic
tates of the mangled corpses, inspecting the destroyed
vehicles, and commenting among themselves about the
daring or stupidity of soldiers willing to go into the
place and try to hold it, knowing that they could not
possibly get out.
Occasionally conversation focused on the Embassy
attack. The Viet Cong had held the building for six hours
before being killed, but had caused little significant
damage. How important was it that tljey got in? Why
weren’t there more guards? Who was responsible? Are
more troops needed? In the absence of facts, the answers
were almost invariably based on what one already be
lieved. If the attack on Saigon had any purpose
other than propaganda, it failed. If the Viet Cong hoped
or expected a massive civilian uprising on their behalf,
thej' were sorely disappointed. The fact that they flag
rantly violated their own declared Tet cease fire to
launch the campaign has hardened sentiment against
them. Several acts of sheer terrorism were reported in
the city.
If these last few days were in fact the Big Effort by
the Viet Cong, where they were willing to gamble every
thing in the hopes of another Dien Bien Phu, and there
has been some talk that this was the case, then they have
been defeated.
Military people here are predicting that the biggest
blow is yet to come, and that it will come in the DMZ
area in the near future.
The U.S. command says it was taken by surprise' by
the intensity of this Viet Cong effort. But it responded
quickly to the attack, and has been able thus far to push
back the offensive. Militarily, the U.S. is not about to
lose the war. From the looks of things, though; it seems
that they’re not about to win it either.
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DAY MIXER
TIM Council
An equal opportunity employer.
TEACHING MACHINES , supplement regular classroom
instruction for students in hotel administration. The
machines are used to point out non-academic, but ex
tremely important employee functions that are vital in
the hospitality industry. Utilizing a teaching machine is
Belmont K. Bittle, right. (Sth-housing and food service-
Northbrook) and James Keiser, associate professor of
hotel and institution management.
Frosh Choose Advisor
James Keiser, assistant pro
fessor of hotel and institutional
administration in the College
of Human Development, has
been selected as' adviser for
the Class of 1971.
Keiser, a graduate of Wil
liam Penn Charter School. at
Philadelphia, earned his un
dergraduate degree at the Uni
versity of California and at
Cornell University. He received
his masters degree in business
administration from the Whar
ton School at the University
of Pennsylvania.
An honorary member of Sig
ma Pi Eta, the hotel admin
stration professional fraternity,
Keiser is the faculty represen
tative for the College of Hu
man Development Student
Council and a member of the
Student-Faculty Council of the
College of Human Develop
ment. He is also an advisor to
the “Greeters” and to Zeta Psi
fraternity.
Scott Miller, freshman class
TIM MIXER
McELWAIN HALL
Tonight 6:30-8;00
president who also graduated
from William Penn Charter
School, said, “I am confident
that Mr, Keiser can bring to
our fine class the unity and
coherance which he has
brought to the College of Hu
man Development.”
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Hotel Students Use
Teaching Machine
Hotel admiirstration students
have discovered that meat
grinders, steam pressure cook
ers and posting' machines are
not the only imporfant ma
chines in their profession.
A new machine -the visual
teaching machine—has become
a significant device to 75 as
sociate degree students who
are pursuing a two-yeaj hotel
and food service course in the
College of Human Develop
ment.
The teaching machines,
which are supplements to reg
ular classroom instruction, are
used to point out a number of
non-academic, but extremely
important employe functions
that are vital in the hospitality
industry.
In one course, the students
were exposed to a series of
lessons detailing the duties and
responsibilities of a waiter. In
another, studv. ts were taught,
through the use of the teaching
machines, how to train a maid
in housekeeping chores.
James Keiser, associate pro
fessor of ..hotel and institution
administration, used the ma
chines in his food service
course and found them val
uable in familiarizing students
with material not included in
the regular classroom pro
gram. His students used, the
waiter’s training tape which is
You Just Got To Come.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1968
designed to provide 'nformation
on proper dining room service.
“The machines were an' ef
ftctive supplerrent,” Keiser
said, “as well as being useful
for the students v'ho will later
be required to provide on-the
job training for thei-. future em
ployers.”
The machines were supplied
to the Department of Hotel and
Institution Administration by
the Visual Programming Com
pany of New York, N.Y. Plans
are being made to continue and
expand their use in other hotel
administration courses.
Students using tile machine,
which asks a question and of
fers several incorrect and one
correct answer, must select the
correct answer. If the student
answers correctly a loud buz
zer will sound and he is per
mitted to move on to the next
question. Should an in orrect
answer be selected the machine
gives no response, indicating
that the question should be re
read and attempted again.
Keiser said the machines
have been used in the hospital
ity industry as pa, l of on-the
job training programs for em
p.oyes. Such machines are
needed, he said, because the
“education and the training of
employes in the industry has
been neglected . . . employers
or supervisors don’t have the
time to inst”uct new workers."
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