[ansel12]

It was escalated by JFK but what does Vietnam have to do with anything?

[GingisK]

It was started by JFK, escalated by Lyndon Johnson.

what does Vietnam have to do with anything?

It was a time when many eager and wonderful young men discovered that their own government would lie to them and place them in harm's way to serve election-time goals or to increase the profits of companies that supplied arms. When we look back, we surely do feel used.

[GingisK]

Please don’t get me wrong. Our guys/gals in the military are heroes to us. You are in the finest military in the world; and, one that makes a big deal out of accomplishing goals with minimum loss of life or collateral damage. We just want to warn you that your government rarely deploys you for reasons that make our Nation secure. Deployments are usually for politics or profit. Nations have been crushed and innocents killed over perceived advantages to corporate entities in the US.

[GingisK]

Besides the Vietnam debacle, consider this: We went to war in Iraq so that Saudi Arabia wouldn't have to do that themselves. They didn't want a Muslim/Muslim war to taint their image in that region. We had previously agreed to defend Saudi Arabia in exchange for favorable prices and volumes of their oil. Fast forward now to when the government is pushing so hard to eliminate the use of oil, and push us into EVs. Does that respect the purpose of our troop losses in that war? Is it reasonable to expend the blood of our good people just so that another nation could maintain a self-righteous image?

I'm all for a strong military that acts in our actual defense. I am most certainly not in favor of our prime youth being expended for the good of the ruling class and their corporate buddies.