[only1percent]

We did defeat the sandal-wearing Viet Cong (NLF). By 1970 they were a largely neutralized force.

We were "beaten" by the boot-wearing conventional NVA infantry, field artillery, armor and air defense artillery - not that they beat us in battle, but that we weren't willing to spend the lives and treasure required to keep them at bay indefinitely. Quite similar to Biden's "loss" to the Taliban in Afghanistan - never beaten in a stand-up fight, but just worn out.

[Seruzawa]

Ho Chi Minh said that they could lose 10 of them to one of us and they would still win. He was right.

The big mistake for the VC was the Tet Offensive. It wiped them out. The traitor Walter Cronkite depicted it as a loss for the US though. I read from General Giap’s excerpted memoirs that he and Ho were trying to figure out how to get peace terms after the Tet disaster. Then they saw Walter on TV and knew they would win. Don’t know if it’s really true.

Either way I hope Cronkite is having a hot time right now.