The truth in Vietnam

[havasu]

This is a great learning lesson. Could someone advise how accurate it is?

http://www.prageruniversity.com/Hist...etnam-War.html

[samfloor]

As someone who was involved, we lost the war. The government lied to the American people daily. It has come out since the war that we over inflated the number of enemy losses to make the public think we were doing better so they would support it.
We could probably have won the war if they government had not limited the military on what we could do and if they would have forced equipment manufacturers to produce quality arms. The M 16 rifle was not suited for jungle warfare. Luckily, I was able to get an older M 14. Later in the war they were not available.
In the long run, it would not have mattered anyway. Study "sphere of influence".

[havasu]

Thanks for your reply Rusty. My draft number was 181 and all under 180 were shipped to Viet Nam, so it was really close for me.

[oldognewtrick]

I missed the draft in 68 and 69 by a couple numbers, that was one senior class trip I'm glad I didn't get to take. I thank all who served for their service to our country.

[havasu]

Yep, our servicemen are heroes in my eyes.

[oldognewtrick]

Originally Posted by havasu

Yep, our servicemen are heroes in my eyes.

I agree, they don't get near the respect and support they deserve.

[samfloor]

The guys in Afghanistan are the ones who have it tough. I think most are smart enough to know that they are dying for nothing.

[oldognewtrick]

My whole frustration with the folks in Washington is, if we are at a point where we put our servicemen in harms way, take off the cuffs and let them do their job as quickly as possible. It never seems to work that way.

[lvcabbie]

As one who was there. Our military won every single engagement they had. The over-hyped Tet Offensive was a massive loss for the VC and Northern Regulars.

The vast majority of South Vietnamese wanted us there and did not want the communist north to take over.

It was the media who hyped the anti-war movement and politicians in Washington who screwed up everything and lost the peace.

However, what is interesting - and doesn't get reported - is the resurgence of the free market, not only in the south, but all over the country. They welcome foreign investment and are actively touting tourism.