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I'm a bit sick of the constant narrative that the US lost in Vietnam.
We'd fought them to a standstill and Linebacker II had them at the table giving favorable terms.
In short, we'd won. In 1973.
We did not win in such a way that North Vietnam would never try again, and they did so about two years later. The South was woefully unequipped to deal with it, and never really had the will to resist successfully.
We weren't there any more.
Had we been, the North would have lost spectacularly.
They knew that, that's why they gave us terms, waited for us to leave and invaded at the height of FUCK FORD AND ANYTHING HE MIGHT SUPPORT!!!
But internet historians don't bother actually reading history, they just regurgitate the BS.
Hey Angus,'
ReplyDeleteFord burned what little political capital he had pardoning Nixon. The antiwar Donks who ruled Congress torpedoed any aid programs for South Vietnam that the GOP tried to push through. There were a crop of new congresscritters that had just cut their teeth on the protest movement and were now in congress and they made their presence felt. So the South was on their own, factor the Arab oil embargo's and the South was pretty much done.
I would like to recommend two books (the first two books of a planned trilogy): "Triumph Forsaken" and "Triumph Regained" by Mark Moyar. These two books will change the way people think about our supposed loss in Vietnam. BTW, I am a US Navy Vietnam Vet, two back-to-back tours, 1967-68 (served aboard the USS Annapolis (AGMR-1); 1968-1969 (US Naval Communication Station, Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam).
ReplyDeleteWe had them after Tet. Utterly destroyed most Viet Cong in South Vietnam, pretty much stopped and crushed any aid from the North. Until the eneMedia called Tet a complete failure. Thanks, Walter!
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree with you.
ReplyDeleteThere is the fact many define victory as who controls the battlefield at the end. The Vietnamese would always outlast us, same with the Afghans and Iraqis. It was their country, there was no leaving for them. They could lose every battle and still claim victory in the end because we were going home sooner or later.
The concept of limited scope of force doomed the effort, not the efforts of soldier, sailors, airman and marines that fought there.
I've read Jerry Pournelle's take on the war several places. From Jerry's writings: We left Vietnam in 73, well setup to defend their country using American methods and materials. Some months later, the Chinese -supplied communists rolled 10 divisions across the 38 parallel, and got their ass handed to them by a well trained, well equipped army. Something like 50% of the invaders made it back across the 38th. Later that year, the Democrat owned House of Representatives voted to stop most funding to Vietnam, followed shortly by the senate passing it as well. In 75, the commies rolled another ten divisions across the 38th, and this time the South Vietnamese forces had no where near enough bullets & bombs to defend themselves, and so Vietnam fell. The direct result of the feckless, scumbag democrat leadership we are still infected with today.
ReplyDeleteThe house & senate had been firmly D for the previous 2 decades. The house had severely limited where & how South Vietnam could use the funding years earlier. Thanks Navy Vet, for the book reccs!