Monkeyleg, it's a long time ago, now...
"Walter Cronkite had already convinced the American people that the war was lost. In hindsight, I now recognize that he was at best misinformed or, at worst, lying."
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Walter didn't hide his politics well.
He evolved into the senile "one-worlder" he is today from humble beginnings.
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Nevertheless, I knew by '67 that the Johnson administration was screwing up the war for politicial reaons that had nothing to do with winning or losing the war, or even just sustaining the troops. From what Vietnam vets here on THR have said, we could have won that war. And how different our country would be if we had.
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Indeed! Just a while back, on another thread, we were exploring the
"what ifs" of the U.S. not having become involved in Vietnam. I think that there would be a vastly different political scene today if either alternative had replaced the historical one.
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A very close cousin of mine went in 1964 and did two tours. When he came back he told me, his brother, and any other guy he knew not to go. He died threee years ago from drinking himself to death. Others I knew at that time said pretty much the same thing.
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My nephew was in Korea at the time and advised me to steer clear of the Army,as did my first cousin, an Army lieutenant who later was on his way stateside when the '68 Tet offensive hit.
One of my good friends went down with the John D. Evans and another lost his legs and suffered the same fate as your cousin. Two of my high school classmates are confined in psychiatric institutions, although their problems may stem more from their post service drug use than directly from their tours in Vietnam.
Not many Vietnam vets came back and advocated for their friends and family to volunteer, at least in my experience.
The notice came for me just after high school graduation:
"Greetings from the President...."
This was the same dufus who would later advocate & sign the GCA '68.
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I never tried to evade the draft, but neither did I volunteer. I just waited for the notice to arrive. Those here on THR who served have the absolute right to slam me for that. I didn't go, but they did.
And there's the rub: I feel guilty pretty much everyday for not going, but feel glad that I didn't have to go to a war that Johnson had destined to failure.
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I'll certainly pass on any slam on you, Monkeyleg.
I believe the Whitehouse, the media, and the anti-war political movement lost the Vietnam War, not the U.S. military.
And I blame my own subsequent attack of 'mush-headed liberal"-itis on the bizarre events of the '60's.
Back on topic:
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"Following WWII, the candidate who served had a leg up on his opponent. I think the last vestige of that mentality was JFK's election in 1960. In the years following, a war record could be as much a liability as an asset.
If Kerry is going to hang his hat on his Vietnam service, he's in for real trouble. He's been on two or even three sides of national defense issues while in the senate."
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I think Kerry is trying a new 'angle' for this election cycle:
"I served, and am a hero for doing so, but I protested the war, and that makes me a hero as well...."
Truly a scenario out of the addled sixties.
John Kerry may be even better at equivocation than Bill Clinton is.
THIS IS WHAT FROSTS MY COOKIES!
Did he move?