The misbegotten belief in this myth embedded deeply in American historical memory or psyche. It has also been propagated by many B-grade action hero films over the past 4 decades. Politicians, especially the most radical and abrasive right, have pushed the same post-Vietnam era propaganda.
The pervasiveness of this "stab-in-the-back" or "our-hands-were-tied-behind-our-backs" victim-hood belief enabled the Bush-Cheney administration to use the morally reprehensible so-called "Shock and Awe" war and to-hell-with-just-war theory in creating propaganda to sell American's on a quick and lasting victory in Iraq in 2002-2003.
SHOCK AND AWE
"Shock and Awe" actually sounds innocuous, doesn't it?
It sounds like exactly what Americans do on the Forth of July when beautiful fireworks are sent into the skies above our cities and village. Observing Americas say to themselves as the fireworks go off, "Oooohhh. Awwe! Ahhhhh!"
However, to any good student of the Vietnam War era, "shock and awe" is just a revamped version of "bomb 'em back to the Stone-Age" approach that the leaders of the U.S. Air Force, like Gen. Curtis Le May, in Vietnam advocated as a solution to persuading the North Vietnamese to surrender.
This practice of lobbing almost unlimited amounts of weaponry on the enemy peoples-even indiscriminately-was tried on-and-off by the USA presidents in Vietnam. Some of the worst bombing levels actually took place during the last three years of U.S. involvement in the war, i.e. it was a bit spitefully done as one might observe a spoiled brat doing (knocking things over) after he has lost a game.
"Bombing the enemy into submission" was unsuccessful even though the U.S. used much more bombing tonnage in Vietnam and neighboring states, like Laos and Cambodia, than had been used in any prior war in the 20th century. (Only the tonnage used in the Iraq and Kuwait in the period starting in 1991 Gulf War through the current 2003-2007 Iraq War exceeds what the U.S. used in Vietnam.
In short, failure to have learned from Vietnam War history that wars are fought and won against people either through hand-to-hand fighting or ended by finding mutual agreement in hearts and minds was not being taught to Americans as whole between April 30, 1975 and the 21st Century.
America and Americans were being short changed and being set up for another Vietnam-like endless war as the new Millennium was dawning.
NORTH VIETNAM TODAY
Over 33,000 Americans visit Vietnam annually. Compared to two decades ago when American films, like FULL METAL JACKET and PLATOON were being filmed, this is positive increase.
However, I personally find this number of U.S. citizens visiting Vietnam to be astoundingly small as hundreds of thousands more Americans visit China each year.
Likewise, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong combine to send nearly 100,000 visitors to Vietnam each year. (Recall that China and the Vietnamese have fought wars for millennia. The most recent war was in 1979, i.e. after America pulled out of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City.)
As I first arrived in Hanoi on a Vietnam Airlines flight, several elder Americans (war veterans), their spouses and families were on board.
Some--like me--were a little nervous about what to suspect.
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