WRMorrison
Member
...or anyone 16+ years old while the war was going on. I wasn't born until '74, so I only know what I'm told. I've watched countless movies & documentaries on the subject over the years, but none of them has made more sense to me than the Ken Burns documentary I'm currently in the middle of watching. Maybe because his style of commentary isn't as dry and I can pay more attention; I don't know. I've had a few relatives that served over there (an uncle in the Army/173rd ABD at Da Nang, a cousin in the Marines at Khe Sanh, and a few others), and I've heard a few of their opinions/stories (typically told to me second-hand).
I want to know your opinion on whether or not the U.S. was right to get involved in the conflict.
No one can see the future or the cost we would ultimately pay. Personally, I can see both sides of the coin, but I guess I'll never know how I would've felt since I wasn't there. On one hand, I can see where it was important to prevent the spread of communism (if too many "dominoes" fall, sooner or later it'll be 50:1 against us). I also see how we might have wanted to support the French; our allies from WWII.
On the other hand, I say it's none of our business what type of government the Vietnamese want, be it communism, democratic republic or otherwise. I can also see how the Vietnamese would see any foreigner in their country as an invader; no matter how righteous they claim to be.
I think both JFK and LBJ had the best of intentions (and I admire the style of both), but LBJ's habit of not telling the whole truth to the public about our level of involvement did much more harm than good. I read somewhere that during JFK's short time in office, was the last time that the American people believed that their government had their best interests at heart and wouldn't lie to them.
So many questions...
No one really knows what they'd do in any situation until they're actually in it, but as a Marine myself, I would have went since that's what my country asked of me. Not sure I would have personally agreed with it, but I would have went nonetheless and did my job to the best of my ability. Hopefully, I'd have been able to make the right decisions along the way.
-WRM
I want to know your opinion on whether or not the U.S. was right to get involved in the conflict.
No one can see the future or the cost we would ultimately pay. Personally, I can see both sides of the coin, but I guess I'll never know how I would've felt since I wasn't there. On one hand, I can see where it was important to prevent the spread of communism (if too many "dominoes" fall, sooner or later it'll be 50:1 against us). I also see how we might have wanted to support the French; our allies from WWII.
On the other hand, I say it's none of our business what type of government the Vietnamese want, be it communism, democratic republic or otherwise. I can also see how the Vietnamese would see any foreigner in their country as an invader; no matter how righteous they claim to be.
I think both JFK and LBJ had the best of intentions (and I admire the style of both), but LBJ's habit of not telling the whole truth to the public about our level of involvement did much more harm than good. I read somewhere that during JFK's short time in office, was the last time that the American people believed that their government had their best interests at heart and wouldn't lie to them.
So many questions...
No one really knows what they'd do in any situation until they're actually in it, but as a Marine myself, I would have went since that's what my country asked of me. Not sure I would have personally agreed with it, but I would have went nonetheless and did my job to the best of my ability. Hopefully, I'd have been able to make the right decisions along the way.
-WRM
