[Alberta's Child]

I wasn't even born when the Vietnam War started. I wasn't even out of kindergarten when it ended.

My interest in a military career began and ended in high school after the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. I decided that it would be the height of idiocy for anyone to put his life in the hands of a military command who would have men standing guard outside a military barracks -- in a war zone, mind you -- with specific orders to have no magazines in their guns.

I thank you for your service, but to be honest with you I've never understood this idea that it is somehow noble, or a "duty," or even a basic principle of liberty, for someone to put his life at risk in some Third World sh!t-hole just because some @ssholes in Washington think it's a good idea.

[Chainmail]

The magazines were kept out of the weapons because of orders originating in the White House and the Marines were kept in that barracks because our political leaders felt that it would be less threatening to our supposed "neutrality". Even the sainted Ronald Reagan could make stupid decisions.

Duty really does exist and we fight our enemies in those Sh!tholes because if we don't, we fight them here.

Anyway, I'll quit blaming you for the loss in Vietnam, "kid"! It wasn't your war.