This past Thursday (April 30, 2015) marked the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, which ended the Vietnam War. Two years earlier, the United States pulled its troops out of the war. Since then, the Vietnam War has become a subject of controversy, mainly because it was plagued by myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes, while the fact hardly got out. I will now present the facts.
1. Although America pulled its troops out of Vietnam in 1973, it did not lose the war. On the battlefield, Americans were winning the fight, and probably would have achieved total victory by going into North Vietnam. Nixon’s bombing campaigns brought the North Vietnamese to the peace talks, which in turn enabled an American withdrawal. Total victory would have also been achieved had it not been for the anti-war movement. Thus, America won the war on the battlefield, but lost the war at home. And had it not been for liberals in Congress, South Vietnam would have won.
2. The My Lai massacre was a horrific atrocity committed by a handful of American soldiers. But atrocities committed by Americans were quite rare, contrary to popular belief, and paled in comparison to atrocities committed by the enemy. In fact, the numerous atrocities were a series of lies cooked up by John Kerry and his fellow anti-war crowd. It should be noted that much of John Kerry’s wartime stories were also fabrications, intended to make him look good while denigrating those who served in Vietnam.
3. Pacifists were only a portion of the anti-war movement. Many individuals within the anti-war movement were Communists and other leftists. These leftists not only opposed American involvement in Vietnam, but they wanted America to lose the war. As for college campuses where many anti-war protests broke out, they too had their share of pacifists and leftists. But many students protested the war because they wanted it to end before they graduated, otherwise their draft deferments would be over and thus they would be eligible for the draft.
4. Serving in Vietnam was not a death sentence. While popular culture invoked the image that anyone who was sent to Vietnam would not come back alive, the truth of the matter is that only around 3% (over 58,000 out of over two million) of those stationed in Vietnam were killed. Meanwhile, enemy body counts (1.1 million) were being under-reported by the liberal media.
5. Vietnam Veterans. Contrary to popular belief, many of them managed to live successful lives after the war. They did not morph into a bunch of drunken, homeless, drug addicts suffering from Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Only a fraction of Vietnam Veterans fit in any of these categories. It should also be noted that an overwhelming majority of Vietnam Veterans were proud to have served their country, even if they were spat on or ridiculed by degenerates upon returning home.
For more information on the Vietnam War, one should read the following books: The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Vietnam War by Phillip Jennings and Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History by B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley.
Image: http://danielmancuso.blogspot.com/2011/05/they-play-war-and-ping-pong.html
