To all Iraq War vets from this Vietnam War vet, welcome to the club.
Those serving in both wars have watched the political class walk away from our commitments, squander our meager gains and abandon those who stood beside us to a terrible fate and the harsh reality that the United States is not to be relied upon or feared.
It is impossible to ignore the comparison of Saigon on the eve of the North Vietnam occupation on April 30, 1975 and Baghdad on June 12, 2014. Some of us will always remember the photos of the scramble to board helicopters atop the roof as the last of the U.S presence was withdrawn. I am confident Iraq vets will be haunted by their own symbols if things turn out, as it appears today they will, in Baghdad.
In the case of Vietnam the U.S. failed to enforce the Paris Peace Treaty when December 13, 1974 North Vietnam invaded the south at Phuoc Long, predictable after the passage of the Case-Church Amendment the previous year. As for Iraq, failure of the U.S. to reach a new status of forces agreement with the Iraq government left no means to influence events on the ground leading to the current insurgent offensive.
Both demonstrate the absence of political will. No matter the arguments regarding the justification or methods of conduct of these wars the result for those South Vietnamese and Iraqis who tied their futures to the U.S. proves devastating.
In Southeast Asia friends of the U.S. suffered relocation, reeducation camps and deaths numbering hundreds of thousands; in Iraq they may very likely lose their head.
Agree 100%.
Well Stated!
I have a bet with a friend and hope that I lose it.
My money is we get hit on USA soil before 12/31/14, midnight.
Like I said I hope I lose the bet.
If I were a retreating Iraqi soldier, knowing that if I surrendered I'd be executed, I think I'd fight a bit harder rather than surrendering.
If my choice to die was with a gun in my hand killing my enemies, or bound and kneeling in the street waiting for someone with a dull knife or sword to hack my head off, I'd prefer the former...