While the MSM is doing it's best to dissolve any sense of solidarity or national purpose in the US, our politicians, fearing vilification, restrict our soldiers to fighting a kinder, gentler war against an enemy who engages in guerrilla tactics and actually benefits from negative publicity.
Things haven’t changed much in forty some years. In Viet Nam the enemy would set in sanctuaries in North Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia and fire artillery and rockets into American positions. When the President allowed a limited bombing campaign against their supply lines they would go to cover – and be back to running convoys at the next bombing halt. Operation Phoenix was a resounding success in disrupting the Communist infrastructure – but because of a few misuses our “esteemed” media and the anti-war crowd (who caused the war to drag on for years) caused it to be shut down. When the NVA/VC units in the South were destroyed in the ’68 Tet Offensive, our “esteemed” media declared it a Communist victory.
I think we’d learn - but no such luck.
"When the NVA/VC units in the South were destroyed in the ’68 Tet Offensive, our “esteemed” media declared it a Communist victory." It seems that a handful of liberal reporters were able to do what a million VC couldn't. In a way, I'm thankful that I was young enough not to have understood the Vietnam War while it was happening. From the lack of political will to properly engage the enemy (flatten Hanoi) to the horrible treatment of returning vets, the whole affair was a mess.
I guess that at this point, we should be grateful that they don't have our boys out there armed with rubber bullets and tasers. You know, so that we can fight without killing anyone. / sarcasm