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Picture of the day - May 29, 2006

The Vietnam War Memorial - Abingdon, Virginia

The Vietnam War Memorial in Abingdon, Virginia.

The United States of America struggled through some of her darkest days during the Vietnam War. Not since the Civil War had so many Americans been so bitterly opposed to the opinions, ideas and goals of so many of their fellow citizens. Every decision was controversial and every action was criticized by somebody. Vietnam placed a stain on the fabric of our nation that will likely never be erased.

As in any war, many mistakes and poor decisions were made in Vietnam, but far more were made right here in our homeland. Most of the major strategic and tactical planning was conducted by politicians back in Washington instead of the commanders on the battlefield, and that planning was influenced more by political correctness than a desire to win the war in the most efficient way with as little loss of human life as possible. For the first time in our nation's history of waging war, a decisive military victory and the complete vanquishment of the enemy weren't foremost in the minds of those in charge.

Adding fuel to the fire were the nightly dinner-time news reports showing gruesome battle footage filmed earlier in the day. The horrors of war were being brought right into virtually every living room in America just as most people were sitting down to eat dinner, and the reporters appeared to go out of their way to make our American soldiers look as inept and cruel as possible. Stories of atrocities - which unfortunately take place in every war - took center stage during Vietnam, while stories of compassion and heroism were tucked away out of sight because they didn't help further the liberal agenda.

Yes, the Vietnam era was a very dark time for the nation's soul, but the fault didn't lie with our brave men and women in uniform who were tasked with fighting battle after battle with their hands tied behind their backs while many of their countrymen back home called them baby killers and spat on the ones who were lucky enough to return home alive. Our brave American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, most of whom were drafted to fight an extremely unpopular war, did their very best in a cause that was doomed to failure by the actions of a handful of power-hungry civilians back in Washington, DC.

The first rule of waging war should always be to fight to win - as quickly and decisively as possible - and at the lowest cost in financial capital and human life. That rule was broken during Vietnam and our nation paid a heavy price because of it. And unfortunately, those fighting in the jungles and rice paddies of southeast Asia paid far more than their fair share.

On this beautiful Memorial Day in 2006, I salute the men and women who fought, bled and died in Vietnam over a quarter of a century ago. More than 58,000 of them came home in body bags, and countless others live with physical and mental scars that will never go away. They and their families deserve our sincere gratitude, respect, support, and in many cases an apology.

 
To everyone who served in southeast Asia and their families,


Thank You!


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