South Vietnam needed ammunition, gasoline, and spare parts.
The 1975 Watergate Congress left them hanging.
We had trained them to fight like we do, with mechanized heavy firepower. They weren’t trained to use unconventional warfare to defeat a vast armored invasion and it probably wasn’t possible.
There was one highway headed south and it was jammed with North Vietnamese armor and trucks. It was one giant traffic jam. The American Navy was begging to be let off the leash, one carrier could have turned it into the Mother of All Highways of Death and it would have bought RSVN several more years of existence.
“South Vietnam needed ammunition, gasoline, and spare parts.
The 1975 Watergate Congress left them hanging....”
You’re all right and you’re all wrong.
I served in VN from 10/68 - 1/70 although my permanent station was in the RPI and my time in VN was TDY’s (TADs? I forget). I’ve watched VN change. I went there and worked in the mid 90’s when it was still mostly like Russia; since then a surge of free market thinking has taken hold and it’s now a mix of free market/Marxism, more Marxist as you go North, more free market as you go south.
Everyone over the age of 50 know the U.S. could have cleaned VN’s clock btwn ‘67 and ‘72 but everyone probably also knows the bleeding heart Democrats never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity especially if they can blame the whole broken omelet on Republicans. They succeeded again.
For everyone who served, thanks for your service. For everyone who dodged the draft, I’d like to be there when you’re buried and have a six pack handy.
You are so right!
American politicians again f*cked the Troops!