Many times, my late mother cautioned me not to carry a grudge. She wisely said the weight of that grudge gets heavier over time.
I've just finished watching the epic new documentary by Ken Burns on "The Vietnam War" and thought of her advice frequently. That film is a seminal and definitive work on a long-running national agony and is highly recommended. During the closing credits, Paul McCartney's iconic song "Let It Be" played mournfully, and I wished that was possible. I want to let it be and realized then that the grudge may have become heavy.
I'm not mad at John Kennedy for sending the first Special Forces units there. "SF troopers" expect to be the tip of spear, to be the "eyes & ears." But, their assessment was confused and tragically wrong. However, I am mad as hell at Lyndon Johnson for escalating the war. and I'm mad as hell at Richard Nixon for uncorking a torrent of lies and deceit, as he plunged us deeper and deeper into an unwinnable war. But, I am not mad at Gerald Ford who accepted our obvious defeat and withdrew our remaining forces, preventing the waste of more American boys, although he had to abandon almost a million of our allies.
There will be many who say this documentary ignores the nobility of trying to save a remote country from the clutches of Communism. Likewise, there will be many who say this documentary ignores the permanent breach of trust caused by this war between the government and the governed in America. I'm mad as hell at both sides. Surely, we are now post-spin and willing to accept that both sides have valid points.
I'm mad as hell as those who labelled returning veterans as baby-killers and worse. I'm not mad at today's young people, whose lives are too full of exciting things to remember Vietnam -- which is just another war in a long line of wars, like Afghanistan.
And, I'm mad as hell at people of good intentions and pretty words, who believe you can successfully fight a guerrilla force with conventional forces. Not learning that lesson has already cost the lives of many Americans in Afghanistan.
The documentary left me with one strong impression. Other veterans have figured out a way to "let it be" and have moved past the experience. The Vietnam Memorial has been sitting there for 35 years, and I've been too cowardly to visit. Maybe, it is finally time to visit . . . and to find a place to bury this grudge.
I've just finished watching the epic new documentary by Ken Burns on "The Vietnam War" and thought of her advice frequently. That film is a seminal and definitive work on a long-running national agony and is highly recommended. During the closing credits, Paul McCartney's iconic song "Let It Be" played mournfully, and I wished that was possible. I want to let it be and realized then that the grudge may have become heavy.
I'm not mad at John Kennedy for sending the first Special Forces units there. "SF troopers" expect to be the tip of spear, to be the "eyes & ears." But, their assessment was confused and tragically wrong. However, I am mad as hell at Lyndon Johnson for escalating the war. and I'm mad as hell at Richard Nixon for uncorking a torrent of lies and deceit, as he plunged us deeper and deeper into an unwinnable war. But, I am not mad at Gerald Ford who accepted our obvious defeat and withdrew our remaining forces, preventing the waste of more American boys, although he had to abandon almost a million of our allies.
There will be many who say this documentary ignores the nobility of trying to save a remote country from the clutches of Communism. Likewise, there will be many who say this documentary ignores the permanent breach of trust caused by this war between the government and the governed in America. I'm mad as hell at both sides. Surely, we are now post-spin and willing to accept that both sides have valid points.
I'm mad as hell as those who labelled returning veterans as baby-killers and worse. I'm not mad at today's young people, whose lives are too full of exciting things to remember Vietnam -- which is just another war in a long line of wars, like Afghanistan.
And, I'm mad as hell at people of good intentions and pretty words, who believe you can successfully fight a guerrilla force with conventional forces. Not learning that lesson has already cost the lives of many Americans in Afghanistan.
The documentary left me with one strong impression. Other veterans have figured out a way to "let it be" and have moved past the experience. The Vietnam Memorial has been sitting there for 35 years, and I've been too cowardly to visit. Maybe, it is finally time to visit . . . and to find a place to bury this grudge.
