I visited Vietnam about 20 years ago. The story our guide told us was they asked the USA for help which was refused so they turned to the Chinese. I met a few of the men who were soldiers during that time and they were young boys when they had to go to war. Our guide never recovered from his father death who was working with the USA had …
I visited Vietnam about 20 years ago. The story our guide told us was they asked the USA for help which was refused so they turned to the Chinese. I met a few of the men who were soldiers during that time and they were young boys when they had to go to war. Our guide never recovered from his father death who was working with the USA had to be "reeducated" and died during that time. One x air force man with our group heard these stories and said we were fighting on the wrong side. Alot of good American lives lost during that time because of politics.
A lot of lives lost, period. And Vietnam really escalated America's drug problem. Returning vets told stories about the permissiveness of their leaders w/re to drugs. Likely it was about the only way some soldiers could mentally survive.
That was my experience and view too. Many of the vets came home with drug addiction and introduced it to my hometown. There were others that suffered with alcohol dependence. Some to drown out the rejection they received coming home, others to quiet the fears that fucked with their heads.
Yes, agree with you. Lost a high school friend to Vietnam. We went to the wall and it was very touching to see his name but also hurt that such a vibrant person had to be remembered that way.
Penny, interesting comment. Thanks. We endured bad judgment of our presidents. The CIA may have been involved too. Read the Devil's Chess Board by David Talbot about the CIA during the 1950s. We continue to allow a minority of voters of each political party to select our presidential candidates. We need open primaries for our Presidential candidates.
Open or closed primaries, not enough of our citizens vote at all. Compared to other democracies our voter turnout is pitifully low. There's lots of blame to go around. I would like civics taught from early elementary school on up, stressing the importance of a participatory democracy. I know that very few people ever email or call their Reps. Any of us who understand the stakes must try to get out the vote and for Dems, who are our only hope.
I visited Vietnam about 20 years ago. The story our guide told us was they asked the USA for help which was refused so they turned to the Chinese. I met a few of the men who were soldiers during that time and they were young boys when they had to go to war. Our guide never recovered from his father death who was working with the USA had to be "reeducated" and died during that time. One x air force man with our group heard these stories and said we were fighting on the wrong side. Alot of good American lives lost during that time because of politics.
A lot of lives lost, period. And Vietnam really escalated America's drug problem. Returning vets told stories about the permissiveness of their leaders w/re to drugs. Likely it was about the only way some soldiers could mentally survive.
That was my experience and view too. Many of the vets came home with drug addiction and introduced it to my hometown. There were others that suffered with alcohol dependence. Some to drown out the rejection they received coming home, others to quiet the fears that fucked with their heads.
I'm glad you mentioned the "coming home" part, because that certainly added to the trauma that drugs and alcohol concealed. Thank you.
And fear of Communism. They wanted to repeat what the US had accomplished on the Korean peninsula.
Yes, agree with you. Lost a high school friend to Vietnam. We went to the wall and it was very touching to see his name but also hurt that such a vibrant person had to be remembered that way.
Penny, interesting comment. Thanks. We endured bad judgment of our presidents. The CIA may have been involved too. Read the Devil's Chess Board by David Talbot about the CIA during the 1950s. We continue to allow a minority of voters of each political party to select our presidential candidates. We need open primaries for our Presidential candidates.
Open or closed primaries, not enough of our citizens vote at all. Compared to other democracies our voter turnout is pitifully low. There's lots of blame to go around. I would like civics taught from early elementary school on up, stressing the importance of a participatory democracy. I know that very few people ever email or call their Reps. Any of us who understand the stakes must try to get out the vote and for Dems, who are our only hope.