1968

[greybeard]

If I had it to do over, I'd do it exactly the same. Had already made up my mind when I was 16 that I was going and told my mother that while watching the news one night in '66. "You'll do no such thing!!"

 

[Son of Butch]

Vietnam, all for what? That's the question I cannot find an answer for.
I can see the need to sacrifice US lives in the middle east for our life, liberty and freedom.
The muslims declared war on us a long time ago, and they have black gold.

To stop the dreaded spread of communism there that is your answer so quite looking.

That is the simple answer most choose to give and believe. But it's a very complex topic rooted in French colonialism.

From 1887 -1941 France ruled Indochina (which was divided into 4 areas) for France's economic benefit.
May 1941 during WWII Japan gained military control over French Indochina.

Franklin Roosevelt with General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell made it clear that after WWII France was to have no part
in Indochina. In part due to Vietnam's revolt seeking freedom in 1930 which France had crushed militarily and partly
because France had done such a p/ss poor job ruling over Indochina in the 20th century.
Roosevelt and Stilwell believed that after the war the 4 countries of French Indochina should be free and Chiang Kai-
shek would probably be best to oversee the transition. The deaths of Roosevelt in 1945 and Stilwell's in October 1946 opened the door for France to come back in, militarily taking it back Dec. 19, 1946

France being a supposed ally and with the USA otherwise preoccupied Truman turned a blind eye.
Then a series of bad choices and poor judgement drug USA in shortly before France turned tail and ran in 1954.
Communism never would have been as strongly rooted if France had minded it's own business and stayed the H/ll out
in 1946.

IMO the world would've been better off if we would have just let Germany have France after WWI.
Hitler would never have come to power and Germany would have dealt with the Russian commies on their own.
:tiphat:

 

[greybeard]

IMO, we'd also been better off just letting Russia have both Germany and Italy after WW2, and probably Fraaawnce as well. Joseph Stalin would have known what to do with all 3 of them.

 

[Son of Butch]

The harsh reparations and humiliation imposed on Germany at the insistence of France after WWI has been cited by
many economists for the collapse of the German economy in 1931 which in turn created the opportunity for Hitler to
come to power.

With a united Europe, Stalin could have done nothing outside of Russia and hence no WWII.
Europe was fractured mostly because of France's desire for power and their driving a wedge between Germany and
the rest of Europe to achieve their goals. From Napoleon on, France has been untrustworthy and an instigating
troublemaker, even through to today.

 

[Son of Butch]

Communism has always been doomed to fail, because it is founded on the belief there is no God.
Vietnam and Korea may have sped up the process by a few decades, but communism is unsustainable.

IMO The price we paid in Vietnam (and Korea) to weaken communism was too dxnm high for something that was
going to happen anyway.

 

[wbvs58]

Communism has always been doomed to fail, because it is founded on the belief there is no God.
Vietnam and Korea may have sped up the process by a few decades, but communism is unsustainable.

IMO The price we paid in Vietnam (and Korea) to weaken communism was too dxnm high for something that was
going to happen anyway.

Yes Butch, I understand what you were saying earlier when you posted the Australian casualties in Vietnam and that you were appreciative of having us there but it just astounded me to read the numbers of the US losses.

Wars were starting to look like a generational thing. Our grandfathers fought in WW1, our fathers in WW2 and many of our generation fought in Vietnam. Our National Service was a ballot thing, you registered on your 18th birthday and then periodically birth dates were drawn out of a hat and everyone with that date got called up for 2 years. I got called up but being halfway through University I was able to defer it and then towards the end a change of government abolished National Service.

Ken

 

[Bright Raven]

IMO The price we paid in Vietnam (and Korea) to weaken communism was too dxnm high for something that was
going to happen anyway.

The juice was not worth the squeeze. bball