The Golden Rule

In 1961, President John F Kennedy sent troops to the democratic country of South Vietnam to protect its sovereignty and border which were under attack by Communist North Vietnam. That action lured us into a protracted 12-year war which cost the lives of over 58,000 United States soldiers and tore our country apart. And in the end, the North Vietnam won. The United States withdrew, and the North Vietnamese took control of South Vietnam destroying its border and sovereignty. It is hard to find anyone who believes that our entering the Vietnam war was the right decision, and good for our country. It was an unwinnable war, and we spent 12 years serving up our soldiers to the Viet Cong. In many respects, our country still has not recovered from our participation in that war.

Does anyone want to repeat the mistakes we made in Vietnam? The Russians have invaded Ukraine, just like North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. The question is, are we willing to offer up the lives of tens of thousands of United States soldiers to protect Ukrainian sovereignty when it was an absolute deadly disaster to do the same for South Vietnam?

It’s easy to sit behind a cable news desk and call for the deploying of US troops to Ukraine to fight the Russians. Those people will never see the atrocity of war up close. They will never get the blood on their hands, and the deaths on their souls. Have you ever spent time with a wounded warrior from Iraq or Afghanistan, some of the bravest people on the planet, who have missing limbs or mangled bodies? It’s easy to send others off to fight when it’s not your life or your body that is going to be in harm’s way. Like the political leaders in the 60’s who sent other people’s sons off to fight in Southeast Asia while their sons received exemptions.