A a shameful part of our history. The South Vietnamese trusted us and we ran off and left them--abandoned them is more like it. Maybe there's something to be said now about Iraq. Let's get a proper exit strategy and then make sure that we've prepared the people to defend themselves and leave the proper "mix" of troops to support in any way we need too. We must learn from past mistakes. Read this thoughtful and poignant article
Vietnam Thirty Years Later.
Related Articles:The Anniversary of the Fall of Siagon
The Vietnamese in America
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MILITARY LOSING CONNECTION TO THE CIVILIAN COMMUNITY.
Wes Clark has been reading the Airborne Press website. He should start a blog. The headline reads, "General Clark critical of base moves." His main reason is the same we have advocated: he says, "closing Bases and Posts (the Navy and Air Force has bases, the Army has posts) will isolate the military from the American people and the rest of the world. He didn't say it, but I must.
Think about this: the architect of this plan to make these giant bases in the U. S. by closing smaller ones is none other than the Secretary of Defense who has given us a grand plan for Iraq.
A plan that everybody with any sense acknowledges is incredibly flawed if not totally an exercise in smoke and mirrors. And, we are going to listen to this guy. What I fear as always is that Congress has no guts. They don't listen to people like Clark, have no real understanding of the military and could care less about the psychological aspects of closing bases and isolating the military from communities.
What this does is make the military even more a subculture than it is. This may work for people when they want their wars fought by other people's children, but it is going to exacerbate the problems in the long run. I like Clark's ideas and this is probably the reason his charge for the presidency didn't make it. He made too much sense. I especially like this statement, "Small communities lose sight of the armed forces. I like the Army and the Armed forces to be representative of those they protect, not an elite organization. It worries me to see the military planning to close National Guard armories.
Closing bases and moving jobs from smaller cities shatters an important connection between the military and civilians." Wonder how the Swift boat Vets would have figured out how to go after Clark. I hope he comes back in 2008.
JHL
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Some Past Related Articles on The Iraq War: |
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Armed Forces Day 05.21.05
Think of the Troops and their service to country.(AP Photo Bassem Tellawi File) In honor of the day, take a look at Wounded Warrior Project |
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