A thought on the parallel between Vietnam and Afghanistan. In both cases since they fought alongside us they had to be as reliable as possible to us so we trained them to fight like us, and while we were there they got the required massive logistical support. In both cases, when we left, they lost that vital element in doing what they we…
A thought on the parallel between Vietnam and Afghanistan. In both cases since they fought alongside us they had to be as reliable as possible to us so we trained them to fight like us, and while we were there they got the required massive logistical support. In both cases, when we left, they lost that vital element in doing what they were trained to do. In both cases the populations level of fear justifiably rose, eroding that support.
I worked with a Vietnamese man who was too young for military service during the war. After the fall his father wanted to get the family out but his mother didn't want to go. They took his father for a week or two of "reeducation" that lasted three months and left him missing an arm and an eyeball. In Afghanistan it's been reported that they beheaded a female athlete who didn't get out. Quoting W, fear, terror.
America is too fickle to be relied upon. After we left Vietnam the Thai government had us vacate our airbases. They fought the Vietnamese inside their northeastern border for ten years after that. Not in our news. I learned of it on a family visit where I was taken to see their wall of war dead names and a museum near by. They gave the veterans some land to populate the area with Thai people. My father in-law was one of them. They could fight on their own terms and had a supporting population free of fear.
"In Afghanistan it's been reported that they beheaded a female athlete who didn't get out"
Yeah, there's some terrible stuff happening in Afghanistan right now. I hadn't heard about the athlete, but it's not a good place to be if you're a woman. That's for sure. Thanks for the added contrast with Vietnam, I didn't know about that either. Definitely food for thought.
A thought on the parallel between Vietnam and Afghanistan. In both cases since they fought alongside us they had to be as reliable as possible to us so we trained them to fight like us, and while we were there they got the required massive logistical support. In both cases, when we left, they lost that vital element in doing what they were trained to do. In both cases the populations level of fear justifiably rose, eroding that support.
I worked with a Vietnamese man who was too young for military service during the war. After the fall his father wanted to get the family out but his mother didn't want to go. They took his father for a week or two of "reeducation" that lasted three months and left him missing an arm and an eyeball. In Afghanistan it's been reported that they beheaded a female athlete who didn't get out. Quoting W, fear, terror.
America is too fickle to be relied upon. After we left Vietnam the Thai government had us vacate our airbases. They fought the Vietnamese inside their northeastern border for ten years after that. Not in our news. I learned of it on a family visit where I was taken to see their wall of war dead names and a museum near by. They gave the veterans some land to populate the area with Thai people. My father in-law was one of them. They could fight on their own terms and had a supporting population free of fear.
"In Afghanistan it's been reported that they beheaded a female athlete who didn't get out"
Yeah, there's some terrible stuff happening in Afghanistan right now. I hadn't heard about the athlete, but it's not a good place to be if you're a woman. That's for sure. Thanks for the added contrast with Vietnam, I didn't know about that either. Definitely food for thought.