The Vietnam War is over. I know that it was a terrible defeat, and that terrible things happened to our soldiers and the Vietnamese civilians.
However, it was thirty years ago, a full generation. It is time to move on and realize that it was a mere blip on America's otherwise glorious military history.
Unfortunately, a significant portion of the population is stuck in the late 1960s, believing that our soldiers are baby killers and that America is a loser nation. I don't question their right to believe it, but it's moronic thinking.
Look at what we've accomplished in the past century as a whole. We won two European wars, bringing an end to Holocaust in the process. We single-handedly prevented communism from spreading throughout the globe, save for the lone example of defeat: Vietnam.
We've become the most powerful nation in the history of mankind, and we've done it all while remaining largely humble. Yes, you could argue against us being humble, but that's not the point I want to argue.
My point is that when we fight, we win. All of the talk before the war about millions of Iraqis dying and months or years of fighting was just plain stupid. This military is different than the military of the 60s because of two key lessons.
First, politicians cannot micromanage a war and expect to have success. That is why central command for this war was located in Qatar, not Washington D.C.
Second, most conflicts between nations are largely between the leaders, not the civilians who mostly just want peace. Why else would we spend billions of dollars on developing precision ammunition? Carpet bombing with nukes is far easier and cheaper.
These two lessons from Vietnam have made us a more powerful but gentler nation. After all the talk about how we were doomed to fail in Iraq, how we were going to cause millions of casualties, and how the people didn't really want us there, here are the facts.
One, the war took less time than the first Gulf War, four weeks versus six.
Two, there was no humanitarian crisis because we began shipping food and water into areas immediately after securing them.
Three, we fought the entire war inflicting fewer casualties on the Iraqi civilians than what we experienced on Sept. 11. As of May 11, iraqbodycount.net, a Web site not exactly pro-American military, reports about 2,500 Iraqi civilian casualties versus 3,000 civilians on Sept. 11.
Four, our special forces secured the oil fields quickly enough to prevent the massive oil fires that were seen in the first Gulf War, thus averting any environmental disaster.
Five, there was cheering in the streets upon our arrival.
That is what you call victory, thanks to a confident, competent, and compassionate military force.
This is not the same military that fought Vietnam. Our military now is stronger than it ever has been. We will win each and every time we fight, but in the same breath we will feed, clothe, and nourish those caught in the middle, each and every time.
We should never forget the lessons learned during that decade, but to all those who cite Vietnam as a reason to doubt American success, just shut up. Your America is not my America. My America is a winner.
Write to Gordon at gpheck@bsu.edu
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
