Prerogative?

This is coolbert:

During the Vietnam War, this incident occurred. President Johnson had made a decision to review troops embarking on a training exercise. A normal prerogative of the President as Commander-In-Chief.

This exercise would consist of an entire brigade [about 5000 men] of the 82nd Airborne Division loading onto transport aircraft at Polk AFB, adjacent to Ft. Bragg, and flying off to some destination. As IF on a real mission.

For some reason, the President got the idea in his head that this was NOT a training exercise. It WAS FOR REAL. THE PRESIDENT BELIEVED AT THAT EXACT MOMENT THAT THESE TROOPS WERE ON THE WAY TO VIETNAM. How this confusion occurred is unclear. But nothing was done to tell the President otherwise. President Johnson shook the hand of each man as that troop embarked onto their aircraft, wishing them well in the days ahead. These troops, to a man, were dumbfounded. They had been told that WAS JUST a training exercise. And now, out of the blue, it dawned upon them that this SEEMED to be MORE than a training exercise. THEY WERE GOING TO VIETNAM, AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING!! I can imagine there was a lot of consternation among those paratroopers as they flew away from Polk AFB. A whole bunch now thought they WERE on their way to Vietnam!!

This did not happen. The planes flew off, loaded with paratroopers, on what WAS only a training mission. The aircraft flew around for several hours, until the President left Polk AFB in Air Force One. At that point, the planes returned with gratified and relieved paratroopers on board.

It is said that at no point was Johnson ever told that what he saw was other than a real mission. NO ONE had the guts or heart to tell him. Well, I guess it did not matter.

For those paratroopers on those airplanes however, for a matter of some hours, well, it sure did matter!!

coolbert.