Does the Iraq War seem like another Vietnam?

Question

I was wondering if the Gulf war seems more and more like the Vietnam War? Some say this, (the Gulf War) is the Veitnam War for (our) generation. Any answers to this question would be great. EXP the ones who are Veitnam Vets.

May God be with our men and Women over seas................

Answer 1

This is alot different than Vietnam. First off we were trying to keep a nation free from a communist nation. We failed in that war because the military's hands were tied. At points in the war we weren't allowed to attack North Vietnam, only defend the South. Funding was cut, and we had no options to make headway in the war. In this war we completed our objective, and now we have to deal with insurgents.

We also have lost only 5% of what we lost in Veitnam, a big difference. During the height of Vietman we were losing over 10,000 soldiers, which is many more than the 800 we are losing a year now.

I wasn't in Vietnam, but my father was, was there from Dec of 1968 to Nov of 1969. He was a recipient of 3 purple hearts, 2 bronze stars and a silver star. He disagreed with the war, but felt betrayed by the war protesters, and felt betrayed by the government when we pulled out. He said all of the friends he lost in the war were basically for nothing when we pulled out. What did we lost 63,000 lives for? Nothing, and I am afraid the same thing will happen to the soldiers in Iraq if we pull out.

Answer 2

The only comparison to the two wars, is the slimy left trying to embarrass the American people with their ill prepared arguments for ending this war.

Granted, Vietnam was a place and war the US should never have gotten involved with; yet, four American presidents were involved with it's cycle of madness. Eisenhower was first to draw attention to it's potential problems. Kennedy was the decider in sending in advisers to help the S.Vietnamese combat the Viet Cong. Johnson was the president who decided to escalate the war. Nixon campaigned with the promise to end the war, which he did. Actually, Gerald Ford may have been involved with the last minute details after Nixon resigned from office.

Vietnam was at war for it's independence from the French. Why the US felt it should get involved, other than the fact that Ho Che Mien was a communist is a mystery to all. It was an ill advised decision and one that will go down in history as being a tragedy for the US and Vietnam.

The decision to go after Saddam was not well thought out either, however the war has taken on a different tone. Iraq has become a magnet for the Islamic jihad . This is a place for these people to come and get a piece of America, in the form of fighting our soldiers and Marines. This is where the Iranians see an opportunity to continue to stir the pot by sending in arms, explosives, money, and orders for Sunni insurgents to kill Sunni and Shiite citizens and American troops, too.

Iran is the real adversary in this war, Iran and Syria! We could pull out our troops now, before Iran is neutralized, or we can wait until Iran and Syria have been neutered, and can no longer threaten their enemy. For my part, I would choose the latter, because if we pull out now, we will need to go back and finish the job, or, we can simply capitulate and turn over the region to Iran. This would be a disaster to the whole middle east.

Answer 3

What makes it similar to Viet Nam is that it is being fought on an ever more politically correct scale and the main battleground has moved from the theatre of operations where American servicemen and women and civilians are losing their lives on a daily basis while politicians play with those lives to jockey for power in the next election. We didn't get into trouble in Viet Nam until we starting making more rules for our military while the opposing forces followed fewer rules. The same thing appears to be happening here.

Answer 4

The war, no. The politics of them both, yes. The Dems in both wars have continued their practice of trying to win votes by politicizing the issues. What is so appalling is their efforts to play General. Even the dopes without any training or military experience. They are such jokes and look so stupid trying to tell the military what should or should not be done. And the liberal news media! It seems when some of those clowns graduate with a degree in journalism they know more about the conduct of warfare than all Westpoint graduates in the United States.

Answer 5

Vietnam was a different time, but very similar to the battles we are fighting now. It doesnt necessarily mean the two wars are comparable, but if you took the main attributes and put them side by side, there would a potentially eerie similarity. In Vietnam, we were there to stop the spread of the communist sphere of influence. Today, in similar fashion, we are there in the middle east to fight terrorism on its own soil, or, if you sit and think about it, we are moving terrorism away from the United States and letting them attempt to fight our modern military on their own soil, which in essence, is a good idea. The terrorists/insurgents are massing themselves in such places as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq waiting in line to fight the Americans, with no real modern military, and no real backing from any one country (besides Iran which is arming militants but not large scale, yet), the insurgents/terrorists are slaughtering themselves, they kill 2 Americans, they lose 40, those odds dont last forever.

In Vietnam, we were there as advisors originally, and then we escalated the war after we knew there wouldnt be much of a chance to settle both North and South Vietnam peacefully. Vietnam was a little different because, well, in Europe at that time, the western allies were highly confident that if they built up troops on the european continent, the potential for a Russian land invasion into western Europe would be minimal. Therein lies the problem with committing our full military to Vietnam. If we had, the outcome would have differed considerably. Remember, in Vietnam, we never lost a battle, we just lost the war, and sadly, the decision for those losses was produced by politicians here in America, not by those brave souls giving up their lives in the middle of a jungle in South East Asia.

Vietnam was slightly different due to the fact that the South Vietnamese land-based military (which is split into the ARVN and the Vietnamese Marines) was actually from time to time, a very effective fighting force. The Vietnamese Marines were a very brave and intelligent fighting force that inflicted ten times the casualties on the VC and NVA than they suffered themselves. In Iraq, we are training a military of men who are soldiers during the day, and at night could be the same militants who are killing Americans, no faith and no trust, the same goes for the Police force we have put into place.

There is also one other major point to be made. Sunni's and Shiite's have never gotten along. They are the two major sects of Islam that can be found in the middle east. This in itself is a major part of the problem right now. With these two religious sects not getting along, it has fueled the entry of Iran into the Iraqi people's struggle. Iran is arming Shiite militants to fight both the Sunni's and the Americans. These Iranians are a fanatic group that make up part of the Iranian revolutionary guard, a definite government connection. With these kind of odds stacked against us, its hard to win a lasting peace for Iraq. The same can be said for the Vietnam war, however, it wasnt a difference in religion, it was just a location difference. South Vietnam suffered more battles and more bombing than North Vietnam, you cant expect the people of South Vietnam to support the American & South Vietnamese cause. The whole idea of Hearts and Minds never worked, and such programs as the defoliation of the forest/jungle life in Vietnam, and even the Phoenix program showed minimal to no results and turned many South Vietnamese against us.

The Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts we fight in today are similar to Vietnam in the way that its a battle that at the end of the day can never be won 100%. There will always be people who through politics wont allow this to happen. There will also always be people who will play both sides potentially for profit, or perhaps for religious zealotry. I think the main focus for the American people and its military fighting overseas is that we are killing insurgents, militants and terrorists, people who are best killed on their own soil, we can withdraw, but we're there now and there is a small part of our presence which is helping to keep stability, if only we could get Sunni's and Shiites to get along.

Answer 6

there replace into no intelligence in contact in going into Iraq. it rather is being fought in lots the comparable way as Viet Nam and with the comparable effects.Its already lasted longer than i think of.Bush theory it might. sure regrettably it has replace into very resembling Viet Nam,an unwinnable ,unpopular conflict and an go out strategies-set must be formulated and not in elementary terms Bush's go out in 2008. My husband replace right into a POW in Cambodia throughout the time of the conflict in Viet Nam for 15 lengthy months do no longer you dare say it replace into "torn" down with the help of hippies and liberals,you do not have any theory what genuine conflict is,in the experience that your so damn gungho them get you azz to Iraq they desire you.you are the single which may no longer helping your u . s . and you are the single which could desire to be charged with treason.you're ignorant and be attentive to no longer something approximately conflict.

Answer 7

If by another Vietnam you are referring to the fact that the military is not allowed to do their job because of all the BS from the politicians and lack of support from the liberals in society, than yes, I think this is our generations version of Vietnam.

Answer 8

Only in the fact that the democrats are trying to defund the war effort even though it means America officially losing a war and retreating.

Answer 9

No its not.

I'm not a Vietnam vet but I was in Iraq

The guy 2 above me is out of his mind, there are 58000+ KIA's from Vietnam from 1965 to 1975 do you think 55000 were just in the last 5 years?

Answer 10

I will agree that it has some similarities. If we pull out before it is finished like we did in Nam and allow more deaths like in Cambodia then I think we have repeated history. Why not learn from the past and get the job done.