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re: What was the feeling of helping Vietnam at the time at the start of the war?

Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:09 pm to
Posted by Sofaking2
Member since Apr 2023
22023 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:09 pm to
Our politicians lied to get us involved in that war then never let our troops win the war. We made our troops bleed and die with one hand behind their backs. It was a mistake to get involved in a war we had no plans to win.
Posted by upgrade
Member since Jul 2011
15123 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:11 pm to
quote:

Doesn't seem like people in Britain, France, Germany, or any other country cared.


We first got involved in Vietnam because France was losing their colony and cried to us that if we didn’t help them there, they would have to pull out of West Germany. We didn’t want to lose any ground to the Soviets in Germany and also didn’t want anymore Asian countries to fall to communism. AKA The Domino Effect.
Posted by TigerHornII
Member since Feb 2021
1199 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:11 pm to
Look at a nighttime satellite photo of S vs N Korea today. N Korea was originally the more industrialized portion of the country.

Scoreboard.
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
72651 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:11 pm to
Or played by rediculous stupid ROE.

"We" (the us government) did not REALLY want to win in nam. It would have meant direct conflict with China, and we weren't willing to do that. There was no clear objective or finish line to be crossed, so we were doomed to fail from the start.

And, here we are.

If you go to war, go to war to win. See: nam, iraq, afghanistan
Posted by Sofaking2
Member since Apr 2023
22023 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:12 pm to
quote:

I honestly don't think you can claim a war that paused in a stalemate state as a win.

It was a huge win to not give the entire Korean Peninsula to a ruthless family of dictators. I’m sure South Koreans call it a win considering they are one of the world’s most prosperous countries. They went from a poor agricultural economy to a booming technological powerhouse.
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
72651 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:18 pm to
The two wars are not comparable. We won in Korea. We kicked that can many decades into the future which is as good as you can do.

The news and politics are what "lost" Vietnam for us. The american war machine could have "won" Korea-style if we had truly wanted to, without nukes.
Posted by Auburn1968
NYC
Member since Mar 2019
27385 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:19 pm to
It is tragic that we inherited the French position left over from their colonial rule. The country was 80% Buddhist and 20% French Catholic.

Posted by LemmyLives
Texas
Member since Mar 2019
17412 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:21 pm to
quote:

Or played by rediculous stupid ROE.

Having POTUS approve individual bombing runs was deplorable.

Only losers fight "fair", winners fight to win.
Posted by Civildawg
Member since May 2012
10551 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:22 pm to
I agree with that from what I've been researching. Also was surprised at what seems to be how bad our guns were compared to the VC. How did with we make the POS that was the M-16?
Posted by Everyday Is Saturday
Member since Dec 2025
2585 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:24 pm to
quote:

Incredibly propaganda-driven take. Out of touch with reality of the time. McNamara and LBJ's blind faith in him was one of the most singular reasons that the war was "unwinable".


Tell me more about Nixon’s actions re impeding peace talks (twice) for his own personal gain, prolonging war that we were not winning.

How many unfortunate sons did Nixon / Kissinger create?

If you were the point man in the jungle during these prolonged seasons of the war, what is / would be your view of Nixon / Kissinger?
This post was edited on 8/3/26 at 9:42 pm
Posted by jeffsdad
Member since Mar 2007
25270 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:28 pm to
We cared. We cared a lot. We believed in the domino theory of non-communist nations falling, one after another to communism.
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
72651 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:29 pm to
quote:

how bad our guns were compared to the VC. How did with we make the POS that was the M-16?


A vastly overblown issue. The vc were sending men in unarmed to be supplied via battlefield pickup. The M16 even at its worst was a far better rifle than the vc had, and they didnt even all have rifles. Much less air support, artillery, naval power etc.

The vc had hard men, cover, and time. Thats what they "beat" the USA with.

The ROE and the media "lost" that war.
Posted by Jim Rockford
Member since May 2011
105908 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:30 pm to
Ho Chi Minh worked with the OSS during WWII against the Japanese and expected postwar help in achieving independence. He was a communist but Vietnam could have potentially been a nonaligned state like Yugoslavia. The US deemed propping up France more important and that meant supporting France's effort to hang on to its colonies. Maybe it was the right call in the big picture, but it was a fearful cost.
Posted by bdavids09
Member since Jun 2017
1558 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:35 pm to
Domino theory. The west used containment to prevent growing Soviet influence.
Posted by SuperSaint
Sorting Out OT BS Since '2007'
Member since Sep 2007
151385 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:36 pm to
quote:

I guess I don't get why we were so worried that a small country in Asia was about to be over run by communists when the area over there was surrounded by communists. Just such an unnecessary amount of money and American lives from my Monday morning qb view
because the French didn’t want to lose their cash cow
Posted by LemmyLives
Texas
Member since Mar 2019
17412 posts
Posted on 8/3/26 at 9:47 pm to
quote:

The M16 even at its worst was a far better rifle than the vc had

The M14 was a great rifle, but would have sucked in Vietnam. The pig sucks to carry anywhere.

quote:

The ROE and the media "lost" that war

Just like how ISIS is JV.
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