Among the new generation of historians of the Vietnam war, important debates and differences still remain—for example, over the efficacy of American tactics of counterinsurgency and pacification. But they overwhelmingly agree on one point: the old account is a myth, and no longer stands up to scrutiny. It is worthwhile reviewing some of the main findings of the new scholarship before returning to the question of their relevance, if any, to our present struggle in Iraq
Poster's comments:
There's a worry among war opponents that victory in Iraq will prove they were wrong about Vietnam as well. It's time to change the false narrative that Vietnam was a mistake where failure was inevitable. It, like Iraq, was a just cause that we were right to pursue. Like Iraq, the main threat was attacks on our will and motivation from ideological opponents at home. Unfortunately in the case of Vietnam, war opponents won and millions of Vietnamese died and further generations lived, and continue to live, under the oppression of socialism because of it.
Vietnam vets have been instrumental, perhaps essential, in our success in Iraq. Iraq vets can repay their aid by reversing the historical revisionists who have tried to paint Vietnam as a mistake.
LCDR_Nichols
12/24/2007 3:08:00 AM