Posted By: Jimmy Buffer
Iraq vs. Vietnam - 09/22/05 02:58 AM
This is mainly for those alive during the Vietnam War. Are these two wars really as similiar as they are commonly made out to be. I would agree with those on the left that our current war is looking more and more like it was the wrong war. Despite that, I really get sick of those on the left comparing it to Vietnam. Now I wasn't alive then and am not much of a Vietnam War history buff, so if I provide any inaccuracies in my argument I apologize in advance.
Didn't the Vietnam War involve a draft? I think there is a huge difference between sending kids against their will to die in a foreign country compared to kids volunarily signing up to join the armed forces and going to another country to fight a war. The troops in Iraq right now are performing the greatest service I can imagine, but it is something they wanted to do. I can remember back 6-8 years ago when I was in high school and the recruiters would come visit and give his little one weekend a month, 2 weeks a year speech and everyone just kinda smiled and said thanks, but no thanks. That $40,000 is a hell of a bargain during peacetime, but in a time of war, it doesn't look so nice in your bank account when you're overseas getting shot at. Despite my attitude toward joining the military there are many young men and women my age who absolutely were ecstatic to join the armed forces, which is a wonderful career, just not one that would ever interest me personally. The reason I bring this up is because these people signed up to join the service because it was the life they wanted to lead. So I don't think it's fair for some punk rocker to say they're being sent to their deaths against their wishes. I think by saying things like this, it is really an insult to the troops by completely ignoring the personal commitment they made just so the group can sell records or make some sort of political statement. This isn't Vietnam where young people were plucked from college or their careers to fight whether they wanted to or not. If it were, they wouldn't be sitting in their garage writing songs about the war, they would be over in Iraq themselves fighting. Fighting is the career these brave men and women have chosen. The only person I know who is overseas is my cousin and this is the attitude he conveys to my family. He wishes he wasn't there, but he certainly doesn't feel abused by his government because he made a commitment and he has every intention of fulfilling it.
Didn't the Vietnam War involve a draft? I think there is a huge difference between sending kids against their will to die in a foreign country compared to kids volunarily signing up to join the armed forces and going to another country to fight a war. The troops in Iraq right now are performing the greatest service I can imagine, but it is something they wanted to do. I can remember back 6-8 years ago when I was in high school and the recruiters would come visit and give his little one weekend a month, 2 weeks a year speech and everyone just kinda smiled and said thanks, but no thanks. That $40,000 is a hell of a bargain during peacetime, but in a time of war, it doesn't look so nice in your bank account when you're overseas getting shot at. Despite my attitude toward joining the military there are many young men and women my age who absolutely were ecstatic to join the armed forces, which is a wonderful career, just not one that would ever interest me personally. The reason I bring this up is because these people signed up to join the service because it was the life they wanted to lead. So I don't think it's fair for some punk rocker to say they're being sent to their deaths against their wishes. I think by saying things like this, it is really an insult to the troops by completely ignoring the personal commitment they made just so the group can sell records or make some sort of political statement. This isn't Vietnam where young people were plucked from college or their careers to fight whether they wanted to or not. If it were, they wouldn't be sitting in their garage writing songs about the war, they would be over in Iraq themselves fighting. Fighting is the career these brave men and women have chosen. The only person I know who is overseas is my cousin and this is the attitude he conveys to my family. He wishes he wasn't there, but he certainly doesn't feel abused by his government because he made a commitment and he has every intention of fulfilling it.