REFLECTIONS FROM VIETNAM: LESSONS RELEVANT TODAY

With the world’s political stage in disarray and belligerent leaders in power, it is wise to focus on history to calm our anxiety and shed perspective on current politics. People who know me understand I always write about the Vietnam War. Government actions during that period cost the lives of over 58,000 American young men under the age of twenty-three, wounded more than 150,000, caused the suicides of twenty-two-thousand veterans, and took twenty-five years to acknowledge PTSD and the three-hundred thousand veterans suffering from the cancerous effects of Agent Orange.

The war served as a sobering reminder of the complexities and risks of military intervention in foreign affairs without first understanding the political, cultural, and historical context before engaging in conflicts. The decisions leading to the miserable outcome of the Vietnam War became duplicated in later conflicts in the Middle East.

Our government deliberately lied and misled the population about the premise and progress of the Vietnam War to gain public support. The arrogance of our politicians and the broken promises in negotiating a full and fair peace accord with those fighting for their freedom from foreign domination will forever remain a black spot in the annals of American diplomacy.