Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire TRUTH The Vietnam War

I was one of the guys who kept the B-52's, C-130's, F-4's, A-7's, F-105 Wild Weasels, and a whole bunch of other USAF birds in the air, plus doing a little electronic maintenance on the BUF's on the way to the target- - - -AFSC 325X0, on flying status. Many of my friends who survived like I did are now dying of combat related illnesses caused by Agent Orange, Trichlorethyline, Asbestos, and some of the other stuff we were exposed to. It was fought about 50 years ago, but that war is still killing people. Yes, the politicians betrayed us, but, it seems nothing of value was learned from their malfeasance. My Marine vet grandson is still fighting his battles- - - -IED injuries, and PTSD from yet another "war" the politicians were too cowardly to win, fought on behalf or people who don't deserve to have one drop or American blood shed for them. Try negotiating with a nest of hornets sometime, instead of using a weed-burner propane torch on them, and I'll be glad to place a big bet on the outcome! People who ignore history, or worse yet, lie about it and rewrite it, are doomed to repeat the mistakes that were made!
Jerry

Trying to impose a culture or democracy, propping up corrupt government officials as we did in Vietnam is doomed to failure. If we had stayed longer in Vietnam we'd have futilely spent more money and spilled more blood, both American and Vietnamese. What's surprising is that we didn't learn much from our experience. Witness Iraq.

Bullshit. We have met the problem, and it is YOU.

Vietnam today is communist in name only. Look at the wide range of products marked Made in Vietnam and you'll know that it is a thriving and booming capitalist economy.

In short, we won.

No, the problem is invading other countries with no exit strategy, wasting treasure and the blood of our soldiers. The problem is stupidity, refusing to learn from the past. That means guys like you are the problem.

These are your heros






and remember; half this country ain't worth dying for.

I had a good friend, who was in the marines in 69. He went to Basic training. Then to nam, he was shot in the hip two weeks later. He has been crippled ever sense. He didn’t let it bother him, I saw him the other day and he and I said ya know you look around and we don’t have it so bad!

Here is an interesting video shown on 60 Minutes, several years ago. It features Frank Snepp, CIA Vietnam analyst, who spent 1970 to the final pullout in 1975, in Vietnam. He relates just how the CIA and politicians betrayed our Vietnamese friends who had helped us. Snepp got into some serious trouble with the CIA when he wrote and had published without CIA clearance, Decent Interval, his experiences in Vietnam and just how incompetent and devious the CIA was there.

When I lived in Los Angeles, I met Snepp and spoke with him about how the CIA demands any member or former member must get clearance for anything they write about anything the CIA does.

Kinda reminds me of the corruption today in high levels of the CIA as certain high level members have been involved in the coup against President Trump..



L.W.

In many ways I agree with you but I have to wonder that if we’d have left Vietnam to its own devices wouldn’t it likely be “evolving” with the modern world? Did the 59,000+ lives lost precipitate their evolution or is it a compelling evolution based upon geopolitical inevitability?

That war forever changed this country’s attitudes and began our slide down the slippery slope. It was the harbinger of a new era and it illuminated the power and money that the military industrial complex wields as it made a few vultures incredibly wealthy while causing great pain and sadness for millions.

In my opinion the Vietnam War didn’t advance freedom or defeat communism. It was “fought” by politicians using American boys as their pawns. The less educated and those at the bottom of the socioeconomic strata were disproportionately murdered by politicos from DC in their reckless and callous trade of blood for money (and power). I have always had a deep respect for those that fought that war and then came home to find their country in a <seemingly> irreversible decline. That war legitimized immorality, violence and political divisions while fostering hatred and anti-patriotic rhetoric. Individually we have warriors that are still fighting battles that are 50 years distant while collectively we’re seeing even more vitriol and anti-patriotic rhetoric, rhetoric whose foundations were legitimized during the Vietnam war.

The sniveling cowards who refused to serve their country in the 60's and 70's took control of business, politics, education, and entertainment while the rest of us raised our hands, took an oath, and marched off to war. Then they poisoned the well of public opinion when those of us who survived returned, often crippled in body and/or mind. The children and grandchildren of those same worthless wastes of sperm have followed in their ancestors' footsteps to make this nation a sad parody of its former greatness. In the opinion of a lot of us, there are two Americas- - - -one populated by veterans and other patriots who serve our fellow citizens and work for the common good, and a huge number of the same sort of cowardly, self-absorbed scum who have no morals, or love of country. May they rot in Hell- - - - -along with the rest of their own kind!
Jerry

More BULLSHIT.

Whatever was wasted in Vietnam can be laid at the feet of the un-American left who wanted the communists to succeed in taking over southeast Asia and the useful idiots who parroted them. The stupidity is allowing morons like you to have any influence at all. If we learn anything at all from the past, it needs to be to tell you buttboogers to sit down, shutthefuckup, and let the adults make the decisions.

Returning New Zealand troops from VN were spat on and had paint thrown at them. A certain female ex Prime Minister of this country who was a university student at the time, was among those who did this. Disgusting.

Had a few get in my face upon return from my first tour. 3 of the 4 Hairy Krishnas dopes wound up in their butts in the airport terminal. Another was a business operator in Florida that I knew before joining the Army. I hope his hearing has recovered and his customers have found use for their expanded vocabulary.

Semper Fi

Glad I never had to beat up any "Hairy Christians". They were so threatening and aggressive.

I been telling folks for years one doesn't need an exit strategy if nukes are deployed.

Thanks for posting that.

From someone who watched TV reports of the fighting,
And always thought the gorillas they talked about
were apes (Planet of the Apes, I was very young).


Thank you all for your service!

Good, bad or indifferent war. Thats not the point with me, about you.

You answered the call, or volunteered.
Your country needed the best and the brightest,
And many did the right thing.


Pal,
I got excited to read that.
My 10th grade English teacher was Mr. Garlock and a Vietnam Vet.
Straight to the year book pile to check.
Nope. He was Larry, not Terry.
Anyway he was a good man.

Vietnam is the main reason LBJ is the 2nd worst US president ever. He sent our guys to fight and die in Vietnam while preventing them from even attempting to win. He fought the Vietnam war only to make himself look tough.