[ThanhPhero]

Our error in fighting the war in Việt Nam iwas in standing down when we had won the war thus giving the Communists room and time to regroup and haul in more equipment and. technicians and pilots from the USSR. Twice. 1968 after the VC and a large piece of the NVA immolated themselves in a futile sacrifice and the air assault devastated the North's manufactury and military base. Both times the Northerners were ready to sue for terms and were getting ready to endure an occupation. But we stood down. In 68 the bureaucrats and the the President got cold feet. In 72 the Congress followed up a massive victory with a capitulation.

[kearnyirish2]

I was very young when the war ended, and while I think it was a worthy cause I don’t see any permanent solution open to us at the time. South Vietnam had to defend itself, and simply wasn’t able to do so; Tet was won by US troops, and US airpower beat back the Easter Offensive in ‘72. There was no way the US, which couldn’t successfully control South Vietnam, was ever going to occupy the North (and endure the losses that would entail). While there have been countless comparisons to Korea, the South Koreans were much more determined to keep their freedom from the North - and many people fled south when the chance presented itself (both before and during the war) because of the brutality of the North’s government.