How come we lost Vietnam?

Question

We killed more of the enemy in Vietnam than they killed of us but we still lost Vietnam. Fast forward to Iraq.......We are killing more of the enemy than they are killing of us.....Stay tuned for our defeat..

Answer 1

We didn't loose in Vietnam; we just pulled out. It was a very unpopular war & the American people had enough. In truth, we were winning the war but we tired of the grind & we had seen enough body bags for something we had not wanted in the first place. We have not lost in Iraq but the situation has changed. It is now a civil war & we don't belong in another countries civil war. We really don't ever loose, we just walk away because we can't see where it is of any purpose for our being there. We can't give them a democracy they don't want. So we need to start thinking of how we can leave without dishonoring those who have already given their lives needlessly.

Answer 2

The same way we are going to lose the war in Iraq, when the politicians get involved they screw it up. They should leave it to the military to solve. Most of these politicians couldn't get themselves out of a wet paper bag with the instructions written on the inside with a flashlight. I know that’s an old one but it still stands true, we the people of this great country should see the truth and look past the media coverage to the basic fact that radical Islamic terrorism is a crime against rational civilized thinking people, they don't want to just cause us pain they want to wipe us from the face of the earth, and yes they have openly stated this many times. It is up to us to support the war so that these types of people know once and for all that we will not put up with it, even if it means a longer war. What do we have to lose, if we don't win the war there will be more terrorism in the USA and if we win there won't be as much. We will never be able to stop it all but we can stop the majority of it. Please back the military; they are our only hope to a more peaceful life.

Answer 3

Democratic congress failed to uphold Gerald Ford's goals. Democrats limited war making powers and failed to support Vietnam. The exact same thing Obama is doing: not upholding Republican's promises. Vietnam was technically a victory anyway, it was basically a whole new war since the Paris Accords ended the war in 1973. In 1975, the North Vietnamese reinvaded, so the two phases can technically be considered two separate wars. And I would like to reiterate that you don't know what you're talking about and democrats are responsible for the fall of the Saigon government. Besides, REPUBLICANS already won the war in Iraq. You're welcome.

Answer 4

We lost in Vietnam because we did not have a declared war, we had North Vietnam at the edge of defeat and had no call to conquer them as a nation and get a surrender.

We already beat Iraq in yet another undeclared war but unlike Vietnam we can't seem to find our way out after our victory.
There was only one way to lose in Iraq and that was to stay, and stay we did.

Answer 5

Vietnam and Iraq both show that you can have the best military and defeat the enemy in every military confrontation but still lose the war. This is true when you fail to win the popular support of the people you are trying to protect.

The Islamic fascist will win in the middle east when they conquer the hearts of the people.

We are slow to learn the importance of public image and public relations in wining the hearts of the people.

Answer 6

We lost in Vietnam because our leaders were completely brainwashed as to believing that every countries' internal political struggles were really just a manifestation of pro-Communist Soviet policies v. pro-freedom U.S. policies. We entered claiming we were "defending" South Vietnam (which was an artifical creation of the U.S. and the French and which was controlled by the fiercely undemocratic Diem government) and were seen subsequently as imperialist colonizers. The people of Vietnam were thus willing to fight to the last man to protect their nation from the American invasion and occupation. The U.S. stopped free elections because we knew that Ho Chi Minh's goverment would win even though we were supposedly there to promote democracy. We had no idea who the enemy was and ended up targeting mainly civilians and the people we were claiming to "protect". Our leaders used illegal tactics and undermined Congressional authority pushing the war into Cambodia and Laos, sending those countries into chaos and genocide as well. The American public grew to understand our political and moral failure much faster than our leaders and began to oppose government actions. We lost due to ignorance and arrogance. Iraq is no different.

Answer 7

We lost Vietnam because we did not act in the interest of the average citizen of the country. We supported leaders who were hated by their own people. We took actions that allowed our troops to be painted as occupying forces. Their is indeed a danger that we will do the same thing in Iraq. However, it does not have to happen. If we act in such a way to win the "hearts and minds" of the people we will win. If we don't we will lose. It really kind of comes down to that.

Answer 8

Politicians

Answer 9

We did not lose. Our Military, bowing to POLITICAL pressure and news reports that only wanted sensationalism and has been PROVED to lie to get a better story, was withdrawn because our ELECTED officials felt that their Army was ready to stand on it's own, even though all reports said otherwise. We beat them on all fronts and except for a few minor fights, won all. TET destroyed their insurgents almost outright.
For all those who are old enough to have effected that in that time, how do you feel knowing that your actions left many to die over having our troops withdraw and letting them be executed for fighting for freedom in their country?

Answer 10

"We" didn't lose s*h*i*t. My men & I came home bloody but undefeated. You should try serving in combat before you can judge who "wins" by body counts.