anything positive about the vietnam war? my father served.?

Answer 1

As someone who was present during that era, lost far too many friends to the war, the ONLY positive (for those who choose to count it as positive) aspect would be the fact that the war boosted the economy.
Actually, war is usually this country's answer to a sagging economy, sadly.
Thousands and thousands of jobs were opened up when our young men were called (forced) into the draft. This meant that more out of work people were able to be employed.
Then, someone had to manufacture all those uniforms, weapons, dried foods, boots, backpacks, and sadly, caskets.
The post office surely saw an increase in postage and stamps, requiring the opening of more jobs.
The GI bill, which paid for college and opened up housing loans for those who returned from the war, opened up the market for teachers, as well as realtors.
Of course, the cemetaries did a "booming" business.
The institution that probably made the most money off of this war was the Bank of America, who bankrolled the whole ugly thing.
Thousands and thousands of babies never knew their fathers. The family structure totally changed forever during the war, as families no longer had fathers. Single parent households became, and stayed, the norm.
Too many of the men who came home, including my now ex-husband, came home forever changed. Mentally damaged, with holes in their hearts and souls.
As you may be able to discern, I believe this war changed the face and structure of America forever. We have never been the same since. This war took what once was a Norman Rockwell, Donna Reed, Leave it to Beaver type of "family oriented" country, to a have and have not, weapon owning, drug addicted, country that seemed unable to figure out what happened.
While this question truly brought back things I would prefer not to remember, it is, as well, an excellent question.
I wish you well.

Answer 2

I have read several books on the Vietnamese Wars. The people of Vietnam fought against the Chinese, the Japanese, the French, then lastly the Americans - before their country was unified. Do you not think for the people of Vietnam this was a positive thing? Is it not better than the two Koreas?
I have respect for the soldiers, and their FAMILIES, both Vietnamese and American. If there is one positive thing about the war in Vietnam - it is the lessons that can be learned from it.

Answer 3

Yes.
I went to Vietnam in '67, and again in '70. I did not like the idea then, but am glad I did not run to Canada like Bill Clinton. I can proudly say I have done more for your freedom than Clinton.

Vietnam served as a warning to the United States that we had many people in this country that were not Americans at heart. There are people who will jump in line and suck off the system, but will not raise a finger to help anyone. Had the people who have led this country since heeded this warning, and done something about the ultra leftwing anti-American bigotry being taught at our colleges, then we would already be out of Afghanistan and Iraq by now, or we may not have ever needed to go. The United States is the greatest free country in the history of this planet. But it will not remain free, or great, if we don't all do our part. "Our part" for some is being a soldier, for others it may be teaching, or a policeman, or truck driver, or store clerk-and thats half the job. The other half is being "American", whether you are born here or if you immigrate. This entire country owes every Vietnam vet and their families an apology for the way they were treated when they came home. We should praise our vets, not spit on them.
You should be proud of your dad-

Answer 4

No. Nothing. It was totally useless, totally futile. A waste of human life, theirs and ours. A vast waste of money. It was a mistake. I finally heard a sensible sounding explanation of why it happened--Vietnam had been a French colony before WW2, the Japanese kicked them out and occupied it, but after Japan lost the war the French wanted to come back in and re establish their colonial control there. The US backed their claim because the US feared France would go Communist if we didn't. It seems absurd now, but evidently that was why the US backed the French and then took up their cause when they left in 1954 after getting their butts whipped at Dien Bien Phu. Mistakes happen. It is always better to recognize a mistake early and abandon a mistaken course as early as possible.

Sadly, American politics made leaving Vietnam in a timely, rational, humane fashion impossible--to do so would have made whoever was in charge look "soft on Communism". So the war needlessly destroyed 58,000 young Americans, you can see their names on The Wall commemorating the war. It also killed an estimated 1,000,000 Vietnamese and led to the deaths of about 3,000,000 Cambodians when the US "incursion" there toppled the government there and led to the Khmer Rouge tyranny. Quite a lot of death and misery. All needless. A tragic mistake. Obviously we learned absolutely nothing from it.

Answer 5

I served proudly. Contrary to the popular picture painted about those who served, the men who served with me were for the most part, decent people who wanted to get it over and go home. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese were ruthless. It was not uncommon for village elders, who only wanted to be left alone, to be murdered in front of their families by VC tax collection squads. The criminal and unfortunate action by US forces led by William Calley was an incident..widely reported worldwide...but there were communities where every official, every policeman, every school teacher, and every mayor were butchered by the Vietcong because they wanted an alternative to Communism. The US attempted to help those people form an alternative form of government and we were defeated by the ultra left, a clever propaganda campaign by the North Vietnamese, and a media that took it all in. Now some of those same people have displayed their colors again....apparently red....certainly anti US...so....we will walk away from our frieinds once again...it is dangerous to be an enemy of the US but lethal to be a friend.

The next fight will be here in the US

Answer 6

When I, and a great many others, heard the phrase, "If we pull out of Iraq now, all who have died will have done so in vain," my thoughts immediately went back to the Vietnam era. I remember that same argument used to justify increasing troop commitment in 1966, 1967, 1968, ......... and so on until we finally came to our senses and stopped the madness.

I believe that memory, and the sour taste it left in the mouths of everyone who lost loved ones there, was instrumental in removing the Republican party from power in Congress. We were going down the same wrong road for the same insane reason and we are finally saying "NO".

It is the memory of mistakes made in Vietnam that is working to help us today. Those who's names are on The Wall in Washington DC did not die in vain as long as we who remember act to prevent it from happening again.

Answer 7

My father served there as well. He died there. I don't think he supported the war but was only doing what he thought was his duty. He had been drafted and had no other choice. As I understand it now the positive outcomes of the war were that the US showed Russia that we were willing to waste over 50000 of our boys on a mission that we knew would fail but it showed them that we were ruthless. It might have helped contribute to their downfall. I don't have too much positive to say about that.

Answer 8

a million. Did your father sign in for SBP whilst he retired? this is the survivor reward plan, that facilitates your mom to acquire portion of your fathers retirement pay if he dies first. If he did, she would be able to be eligible for fifty 5% of his protection rigidity retirement pay. If he did no longer sign in for SBP, then she would be able to no longer acquire any pension reward. 2. If he died of a provider related incapacity and the dying certificates validates that he did. Then your mom can stick to for DIC, Dependency and Iindemnity repayment you may no longer deliver mutually the two DIC and SBP on the comparable time, ( congress is working on that ) The DIC funds are deducted from the SBP funds. yet DIC is tax unfastened and approx $a million,090 a month And in case you're eligible for the two, then you definately take the DIC and that they'll refund all unused SBP funds made. For my mom, that became into around $26,000 refunded. it would be much less on your case, simply by fact my father became into seventy two, so that they have been making SBP funds longer. 3. Your 26 365 days previous sister, isn't eligible for any reward. 4. whilst your mom information for SS, she would be able to entice reward from the two her and your fathers SS, IE: would be extra suitable than hers, yet under your fathers. 5. you additionally can stick to for burial and funerial expenses, it relatively is in keeping with income and sources, it won't hide the cost, yet you may recieve between $3 hundred and $2,000 from it. 6. Your mom will stay enrolled in TriCare, she might could bypass to the closest Base to alter her Tricare over to her. 7. so some distance as i be attentive to, those are the only reward she would be able to be eligible for. 8. you may desire to time table an appointment with the VA representative. you additionally can prefer to call the community DAV ( disabled american vetewrans ) representative. Thats what we did, we signed a potential of lawyer for DAV to technique all the paperwork for SBP, DIC and funeral expenses and communicate with the VA.

Answer 9

true all war is a needless waste of human life but take great pride in knowing your dad is a hero.we did save lots of innocent lives by being there to protect those in need .i know not of that conflict but have great respect for our men and women in the forces alas i choose now to be a dove and pray for world peace

Answer 10

a lot of good Americans died in Vietnam, the reason for being there was started by the French. they lost and then the US took over, President Kennedy saw it as a way to fight communism, and the idea was good, but then Johnson tried to micromanage the war, and then when Nixon tried to win the war, the Democratic Senate stood in his way. This was the birth of the liberal blame America first movement. The liberals took example from France on how to be cowards. Vietnam should have been one of America's success stories but the liberals made sure that they killed that notion. They have been killing Americans in every war since.