How come Iraq will end up like Vietnam?

Question

The U.S. military says another 3,700 American troops have arrived in the Iraqi capital to support the security crackdown launched in Baghdad in mid-February.

A statement Wednesday says the new brigade will help Iraqi security forces clear, control and retain key areas of Baghdad in order to reduce violence.



This is the fourth additional combat unit deployed in Baghdad as part of plans to add some 28,000 troops there. Note: Doesn't this sound like the years 1965 to 1972? Remember? Build up the troop level in Vietnam and then win. Here we go again. Stay tuned and watch the defeat that is sure to arrive. Just like Vietnam.

And I will be the first to say "I told you so".

Answer 1

I am currently serving in Iraq and I absolutely have my own opinions on it. I can see why people see it as "another Vietnam" but it won't get that far out of hand. It just won't. We fought the Vietnam war in a totally different style than we are fighting this war. We are actually using lesons learned from the past to try to bring this to a peaceful resolution. The biggest mistake we made in Vietnam was to try to fight an insurgency as a full on war. It was not WWII and it was not Korea. If you are TRULY interested in learning the differences, I would urge you to read a book by John A. Nagl called "Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife." However, if you just asked this question to try to get applause from your fellow Bush / Republican haters or what have you, then the opinions of the people who took the time to answer your question are worthless to you.

Is it possible to "win" this war? I don't know. Sometimes it seems so and other times I just want to leave this place and forget it. You will never know the frustration that comes with fighting for a country who refuses to fight for itself (unless of course you have been here). But we cannot just abandon these people. Things are the way they are because we came here. That's the truth like it or not. Blame Bush, blame bad intell, blame whatever you want, but the time for finger pointing is over. In fact, there is rarely a good time to point fingers at all. Now, many of us who serve feel it is our responsibility to help clean up the mess we made.

Is it like Vietnam? No. Will we be reading about 52,000 Soldiers killed in Iraq? No. Does our country SPIT on her veterans when we come home? No. They support us. Does this war seem hopeless? At times, yes. But it is important to at least attempt to maintain a positive attitude and maintain the hope that these Iraqi people will have the courage to stand up for themselves and fight these militias that are owning them today. You have every right to your opinion. That is what America is about. But to compare this war to Vietnam is a huge cliche. If you are a veteran, I personally thank you for you service. But if you are not, please try to see all sides of this issue before making big statements. Don't just use CNN as your single source. Ask a Soldier. Feel free to email me. I am ALWAYS up for an intellegent conversation and debate. I respect all people's opinions but I like it if they can tell me WHY they feel that way.

Again, if you are interested in broadening your knowledge base and seeing how we are fighting this war differently, PLEASE read the book I suggested. If you can get through the "brain flexing and thought stealing" in the beginning, it's actually an interesting read. Take care.

Answer 2

"from the jaws of victory we snatched defeat" is the best quote regarding Vietnam. This will become another Vietnam simply because we are winning, but the truth is not being told about our success. Political agendas in the media have corrupted the news.

When media endorses politicians, beware the media. The USA never lost one military battle, ever. What we did loose was the ability to counter the influence of the Soviets, using the NVA and allied Cong, on isolated communities. THe cities remained largely safe, yet the countryside was not. With attrition in holding a nation without infrastructure, we lost many lives.

However, if you look at the total loss of life in vietnam versus now, there is no relation in terms of carnage. How this is like Vietnam is American hating peaceniks proscribe virtue to our enemies and vice to our soldiers and leaders.

Answer 3

It will turn into Vietnam if we pull out early, eliminate funding for the troops, and run the war from Congress. What Congress fails to realize is that they only fund the war, the President makes the decisions as Commander-in-Chief. They don't like that.

The Democrats want to pull out and tell the terrorists when we'll do it. I guess they've never been in the military or they would understand why that is completely insane/stupid/moronic that really is.

Life is getting better in Iraq. I know because I've been there. The people there like us being there, but they do want it to be temporary. Many people are now able to get hooked up to UTILITIES, something we take for granted. That was something Saddam only allowed his people to use.

You can NOT address the so-called "causes" of terrorism because the terrorist respects NO life and NO authority except what he perceives in his/her mind.

Answer 4

One of the mistakes we should have learned from Vietnam is bureaucracy and blue states. Both kept our soldiers in a hopeless situation until there was enough dissent to bring them back. Not to mentioned it involved demonizing the troops, who came back and were hated by protesting America.

Yes, Iraq will end up like Vietnam. Here is my suggestion for the next war. The U.S. needs to form a Confederacy, in which states are given control of their military. When there is a call to war, the states that participate will get federal funding and increased benefits (i.e spoils of war). States that want to sit out like California can, they just shouldn't receive federal aid from the government in times of war. That solves the dissent problem.

Answer 5

Iraq will never be like Vietnam because we (iraqis coz i am an Iraqi)are working together with the Troops against the terrorists, and we are waiting the day that Muktadda come from Iran to kill him and his fellowers (the Saderists). and we made a great progress more than the terrorists made.

Answer 6

what's powerful isn't constantly familiar; and what's familiar isn't constantly suited. basically because of the fact particularly some uninformed people who're fairly fooled via what they see on television (on newsbreaks between American Idle and usa's next Flop style), who can't even p.c.. out the place France or India are placed on a map say they are against the conflict, does not make it the final answer. the final answer is to look on the long-term impacts of any movements we would take; we are there now, like it or no longer. Are you so silly as to have confidence that by some ability each and every thing that's been happening there the final 4 years (fairly, the previous few thousand years) will suddenly give up while individuals suddenly bypass away? Al Qaeda will bypass away, Iran will supply up making a worldwide pariah of itself, Sunnis and Shia will suddenly get alongside after greater suitable than one thousand years' historic previous of killing one yet another... yeah. suited. bypass back to watching your ideas-rotting rubbish on television in case you quite and fairly are thick sufficient to have confidence that, and bypass away the working of certainty and the shaping of historic previous to those who're certainly in touch with certainty and recommended of historic previous. So-referred to as popularity isn't a good sufficient reason to condemn thousands and thousands of persons to dying; neither is the uncomplicated will of the yank human beings to place a untimely end to this conflict so as that they are able to bypass back to putting their heads interior the sand questioning each and every thing interior the worldwide is peachy, until the subsequent 9-11 comes alongside.

Answer 7

Sorry, Iraq will not become like Vietnam. For one, ten times the number of troops were killed per day in Vietnam. And the Soviet Union was behind N. Viet. but the terrorist have more limited resources. They do have the Democratic party but your people cannot give funds to the terrorists like the Soviets could. You give them encouragement that helps like Kerry did to the N. Vietnamese, but your terrorist partners just don't have the resources to fight like the N. Vietnamese so your claim to victory over the US is much more fragile than Vietnam.

Answer 8

Lots of posturing but little substance except from the Man in Place- You guys are doing very well!

The diferrence betwen Vietnam and Iraq is one of stakes. Vietnam fell to the Commies and 1.5 million people died and no one in the whole world gave a shi...

If Iraq falls it will fall to Iran and the worls will substantiall change. I would not want to be in Europe for that!
Figure 100 years of war and 2 billion dead to disease ,famine, and war.

No I do not believe they are alike at all

Ret USAF SNCO

Answer 9

Iraq will unfortunately most likely not end up like vietnam. Instead of a unified state, it will be splintered into at least 2 sections. The kurds in the north and the bloody civil war in the rest. if we end up abandoning iraq, hopefully we don't abandon the kurds.

Answer 10

The President also said that by telling the enemy when you are leaving will allow the insurgents to build an arsenal to prepare for that time. Does he not understand that such an arsenal already is bound to exist somewhere and it doesn't matter whether we leave today or in 15 years, that is what will happen regardless.

The only difference being the more time you give them, the bigger the arsenal becomes.

Both wars are David and Goliath stories. Even if little David takes a beating, he's still a hero amongst the enemy. Heads they win, tails we lose.