Vietnam Syndrome
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As a Vietnam veteran, I resent the national war-mania that claims to vindicate our illegal involvement in that war. I don’t pretend to speak for all Vietnam vets, but I can’t help but believe that the only ones who feel vindicated are the war-crazed yahoos who will support any war any time, anywhere, for any trumped-up reason as quickly and enthusiastically as they would a Raiders football game.
It isn’t the Vietnam veteran who needs vindication. The Gulf War was nothing like Vietnam. We had an adversary who fought furiously. We bled and died in the thousands and came home to an uncaring public; uncaring because they weren’t on the winning team.
We have become a nation of yes-people to administrations who seem to feel the only way to validate their leadership is to wage a “winning” war against an easy foe, preferably one that doesn’t fight back.
LENNY WINANS, Long Beach
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