Our government knew conclusively in 1965 after the battle of Ia Drang Valley that we were not only fighting Viet Cong, but North Vietnamese regulars. There was nothing covert at that point, we had proof of overt military support by the North. At that point, we should have invaded the north. The war would have been over in short order if we had.
Operation Linebacker II crippled North Vietnam and brought them back to the negotiation table to negotiate the Paris Peace accords in 1973. That was a bombing campaign of less than a month in December 1972. Just think if we would have actually wanted to win the war what could have happened.
I blame this cold war strategy on ill learned lessons from the Korean War. General Ridgeway’s strategy of bloody stalemate inflicted on North Korea was applied to the Vietnam situation. It didn’t work for German General Falkenheim at Verdun and it didn’t work when we tried it twice (Korea and Vietnam). We’re still dealing with Korea today 67 years later.
Yes, we had a less than credible partner in the South Vietnamese government, but back in 1964 as outlined in McMaster’s book, Johnson should have taken the advice of many on the JCS at that time. Go all out to win or negotiate and get out. Troops don’t necessarily want thanks for their service, they are honored to do it for the country they love. What they want is the tools and go ahead to win when the country they love send them into harm’s way.
I was a rifleman in the 173rd Abn Bdg. I watched the entire show, throughout the entire series, not one word of ‘FREEDOM’.
JFK “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”