Sean wrote:

This "MichaelNJ" clown is just another Crybaby Vet. When Clark
Clifford became Defense Secretary in 1968 he quickly discovered
that the U.S. military had no plan. It was an arrogant Klusterfuck from the beginning.

Here are the pertinent FAQs:

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2.9 Did the U.S. military get defeated?
Yes. The U.S. had military personnel in Vietnam from 1950 to 1975.
At the height of U.S. involvement (1969) the U.S. had half a million
soldiers in Vietnam, the generals were asking for more soldiers and
equipment, and there was no end in sight. The expensively equipped
U.S. soldiers could not subdue a poverty-stricken nation. In time,
the extraordinary resolve of the ordinary Vietnamese people wore down
the U.S. military.
Some proponents of the war, in hindsight, claim that the U.S.
could have easily won by nuking or invading "North" Vietnam. What
they fail to mention is that there was a very real threat that either
the U.S.S.R or China would retaliate with nukes or ground forces.
Many people think the U.S. military was in a no-win situation
from the very beginning.
"Yes, we defeated the Americans" - Pham Van Dong, Prime Minister

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2.10 What advantages did the U.S. military have?
The rich U.S. outspent the Vietnamese victors by 90:1 (FAQ 2.23)
U.S. civilians were safely 10,000 miles away.
The U.S. had:
B-52 bombers
Aircraft carriers
Battleships
Destroyers
Guided Missile Frigates
Jet fighters
Laser Guided Bombs
Cruise Missiles
Helicopters
Cargo planes
Gunships
Expensively outfitted soldiers
Flak jackets
Boots
Satellites
Tanks
A nuclear arsenal
The U.S. military had sanctuaries in Thailand, the Philippines,
Japan, Turkey, and many other countries around the world.
The U.S. dropped more bombs on Vietnam, before Tet in '68, than was
dropped on all of Europe during WWII.
The U.S. dropped more bombs on Vietnam, by the end of the war, than
were dropped to defeat both the Germans AND the Japanese in WWII.
The U.S. dropped more bombs and artillery on Cambodia than was
dropped on all of Europe during WWII.
Each U.S. soldier fired an average of 10,000 bullets for every
Vietnamese soldier killed (includes training and "panic spraying"
method of fighting).

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2.11 What disadvantages did the U.S. military have?
The U.S. was 10,000 miles away.
The ordinary Vietnamese people did not want more foreign domination.
The U.S. military did not understand guerrilla warfare.
The U.S. was on low moral ground (eroded support when exposed).
The U.S. public never supported the war. But the American people
did support an "honorable" disengagement.

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2.12 Was the U.S. military purposefully kept from victory.
No.
See FAQ 2.9.
Many proponents of the war claim that it was the politicians who
lost the war, but it was in fact the military leaders who led the
military.
The U.S. military had a free hand in "South" Vietnam.
The U.S. military could not invade "North" Vietnam, Cambodia, or
Laos, because of fear of involving the U.S.S.R. or China. Also, since
the war did not have the approval of the American people, American
leaders were always afraid to escalate.
The U.S. military had no plan for winning.
The U.S. military grossly under estimated the will of the Vietnamese
people.
By the time of the '68 Tet Offensive, the American people were
constantly being told by the military leaders that the enemy was nearly
crushed. After Tet, they said they had defeated the enemy. Then, the
military asked for 206,000 more soldiers. Public sentiment
dramatically changed.
The U.S. military never did understand that the enemy was
everywhere, including all of "South" Vietnam.
The U.S. military conducted many secret operations...secret from the
American people, not the enemy (who knew what was happening to them).

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