Know why war sucks? We usually kill the wrong people –

The American invasion of South Vietnam officially lasted from July 8, 1959, to May 15, 1975. The end date was a mere two weeks after the fall of Saigon on April 30 when the enemy forces breached the American Embassy. The breach caused a hurried evacuation of American diplomat staffers and fortunate South Vietnamese colleagues. Those left behind begged mercy from their captors.

For the Vietnamese, the American War was just another invasion by foreigners over many thousands of years. The most recent before the Americans was the French-Indochina occupation lead by France. Another moralistic European nation involved in the exploitation of lesser sophisticated peoples.

The armies and population of both North and South Vietnam lost untold numbers of both combatants and non-combatants. Not to mention the annihilation of families, homes, peaceful villages & hamlets, and the religious and social culture because of the American invaders.

Noted authors like Stanley Karnow and mega documentaries movie makers such as Ken Burns would write and film the exploits and actions in this tiny Nation. No words or flashy film can ever replicate the feelings of both sides.

The corrupt American government of Lyndon Baines Johnson amplified massive manipulation of policies and lies to enhance the American participation in Vietnam. Senior U.S. military commanders advised early on that the ‘war’ was unwinnable – yet the Americans continued until the families said, No More.

For the over 3,400,000 American military who served in Southeast Asia during this war, two words accurately describe their experience: It Sucked.

America sacrificed over 58,000 of its national treasure leaving over 1,500 still unaccounted for. Vietnam was the single greatest military, political, and social tragedy of the 20th Century.

(c) Copyright – 2023 – Vic Bandini