It is probably dangerous for self-preservation to philosophize too much while in a war, but every once-in-a-while, through the fog of my fatigue the question arose: What are we doing here?
Reflections on a Poisoned Jungle
In my view, the war was unwinnable. The Vietnamese had been there before with foreign invaders. That’s what we were to many Vietnamese. To this day I hear talk of tactics among the revisionists. If only the war had been fought better strategically, we could have won. In reality, we made many of the same mistakes as the French. We failed to learn from their miscues or our own. The Vietnamese were steadfast and patient in their resistance.
What is Agent Orange?
Picture a foreign presence destroying corn crops in Iowa, wheat in Kansas, or apples in Washington state. Americans would be outraged. Think of some of the sprays fouling waterways and leaving permanent damage to the landscape. I always experienced this “disconnect” between the stated policies and the way the war was conducted. Imagine soldiers showing up unannounced on your street to search your home.