Apocrypha.

This is coolbert:

  Apocrypha from the Vietnam War.

Apocrypha: Something of questionable authenticity.

All throughout the height of American involvement in the Vietnam War, it was reputed that circulating among Vietnamese prostitutes was an exceptionally virulent strain of syphilis.

[GI's were of the opinion that this strain of VD was artificially manufactured in Red China and sent to Vietnam with the goal of creating a monumental health problem among U.S. troops.]

The GI's labeled this form of VD as either "The Red Rose" or "The Black Lace".

So virulent was this VD said to be, that conventional treatments and anti-biotics were said to be useless in treating the affliction.

If a GI, after having "known" a Vietnamese prostitute infected with the disease, was found to have himself become infected, there was no remedy.

These strains of syphilis were more or less impervious to all known conventional treatments. The rumor was that American military doctors in Vietnam had such a great fear of these forms of VD that special procedures were supposedly adopted to handle GI"s found to be have either form of the disease.

GI's having finished their one year tour in Vietnam WERE subject to a physical exam prior to departing "The Nam". Presumably, during this routine physical, either form of VD would be detected. These GI's, infected, would NOT be allowed to return to the U.S. The thought was that these disease carrying soldiers, upon returning to the U.S., would introduce this anti-biotic untreatable disease into the general U.S. population, with disastrous consequences.

[At the time of the late 1960’s, the outrageously promiscuous sexual behavior of American youth probably made this thought of American military doctors in Vietnam very plausible.]

And what about those GI's that were found to be infected and NOT allowed to return to the states? What was their supposed fate?? These troops were supposedly banished to an island off the coast of Vietnam. Their fate was to wait until a treatment or anti-biotic could be found that would be effective against "Red Rose" and the "Black Lace".

Was any of this true??

There is an island off the coast of Vietnam that WAS used as a penal colony for captured Viet Cong operatives during the war. Viet Cong operatives that had been caught in civilian dress. Did not merit the normal treatment of a prisoner of war.

It could be very well possible that U.S. VD infected troops were quarantined there also!! But did it happen?? I am not sure. My guess is, NO!!

[This penal colony was the subject of a photo-expose in Life magazine during the war. A photo-expose that seemed to show that incarcerated VC prisoners were being subjected to cruel and barbaric treatment. This WAS NOT true!! The actual prison building did not have a roof. Photos taken for the expose were made by a Life photographer while he was standing ON TOP of the outer walls of the prison looking downward. It appeared that the incarcerated VC prisoners were being kept in holes in the ground. Again, not true!! Also reported is that the VC prisoners were kept chained to their beds at night. This was true. However, it was NOT noted at the time that the cells these prisoners were kept in did NOT have locks on them. Some way had to be found to restrain the prisoners during the night time. The alleged barbaric and cruel treatment of these VC prisoners was just over-rated.]

coolbert.