Where there any positive outcomes in Vietnam?

Korea was a conflict, Vietnam was a police action neither one was declared a war by CONGRESS so they were not wars. If congress had declared them wars then I think the outcome would have been very different.

Begin Quote: "I wont send American Boys 8 or 10 thousand miles to do a job Asian boys outta be doing themselvs" End Quote Lyndon B. Johnson

LMAO......do you know what a euphemism is?

eu·phe·mism
n.
The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive: “Euphemisms such as ‘slumber room’... abound in the funeral business” (Jessica Mitford).

Our government has always been great at using euphemisms. Confilct, police action, etc....all euphemisms for a freaking WAR! Get a clue....It would have been different if we declared war? LMAO.....IT WAS A WAR! Tell someone that fought in Vietnam it wasn't a war and they'll probably punch your lights out!!

Euphemisms are used by our government to make the people think things aren't as bad as they really are. DAH!!

Without a doubt things would have been different had congress declared war. It's just semantics to called things conflicts, police actions, wars, etc... but a declaration of war is an act passed by the Congress.

Just take a look at how the media was able to put the blame on the soldiers fighting the war in Vietnam - it was because they were the executors of the policy and that made them a target. There wasn't nearly as much ire towards the legislators because the soldiers are made to be seen as the bad guys. Ask most soldiers or marines that fought in either Vietnam or Iraq and they'll tell you there have been times when they've been treated like crap just for defending the rights of the jerks that treated them so. Voting for a declaration of war in the Congress is not the same as voting for supplemental monies to support the troops already there.

shouldnt the whole war/police action arguement b for a diff post?

How?

All of a sudden we would have had a plan to win it? Without a declaration, we decided not to bother winning? With a declaration we would not have underestimated the enemy? Without a declaration we decided not to bother studying the enemy?

Maybe we should call the WAR in Iraq a freaking PILLOW FIGHT! Would that euphemism make you all feel better? on the news we'd hear things like:

"Today in Iraq, the Pillow Fight escalated as several of our troops had to be rushed to area hospitals due to feather allergies. The Iraqi's seemed to ignore the Geneva Convention where it clearly states that feather pillows are not allowed in Pillow Fight engagements. The American soldiers are recovering nicely and resting their heads on fine synthetic pillows provided by Monsanto."

This is a PTS discussion. MOving to PTS US Politics.

Hey man... You might find some interesting points of view at ice.he.net...

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[edit on 4-12-2005 by LostSailor]

Everything in Vietnam was about politics, making money hand over fist for those said politicians, & the CIA growing & re-distributing drugs, marijuana & opium.

The politicians had to put "Military Observers" over there to help the South Vietnamese keep their country from Russia's control. For those of you who do not know, the reason they were "Military Observers" & not Regular Army or Marines over there, is because it was politics as usal. This is because we weren't supposed to be there in the first place. Why you ask...? Because America isn't supposed to be involved anywhere where we haven't declared war, no troops allowed unless war is declared. Once too many "Military Observers" got shot, they military finagled it so we could get involved more.

To the person writing about the Vietnam War, you need to go out & get some books from the library, or just sit down in Barnes & Noble & read as much as you can on it. This is not the place to find your facts, most of the people here, like Myself, will give you their opinion, mixed in with some facts, & some political reasonings of their own.

I type all of this, while watching "Full Metal Jacket", which shows a silly bit of irony that I found this post to comment on, lol.

Heres a postive from a US point of view.
On the political front the US witnessed two important allies Aust and NZ support the cause. Vietnam was the first time Aust and NZ went to war without the mother countrie.

Since Vietnam NZ has taken part in every conflict expect gulf war 2.
Aust is the same expect for the fact the Aussies took part in GW2.
How many Americans knew that the NZ SAS was operating in Afghanistan?
A decison on there redeployment is expected after xmas.

1jaguar, I do hope that is some sort of sick joke.

Do you think it is good, that the Government does not acknowledge them as wars, even after they sent thousands of American men and women to die?

Is that something you should be proud of?

Vietnam was a war; Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (H.J. RES 1145).
Korea was a war; It was conduted through the United Nation's voted to help South Korea on June the 27th. [Even though it didn't have Congress' Support.]

And what was Korea about? Politics, making money, and drugs?