The Viet Cong Underestimated the Strength of American Air Power (ep. 10)

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Philip Caputo's time in Vietnam was deeply intertwined with his evolving perception of who he was fighting for. Initially, Caputo, like many of his fellow Marines, believed he was fighting for a noble cause-to curb the spread of communism and protect the freedoms of South Vietnam as part of America's larger strategic interests. This sense of duty and idealism drove him as he landed in Da Nang and faced the daunting challenges of jungle warfare. However, as the war dragged on and the realities of combat became clearer, Caputo's understanding of his purpose grew more complex and conflicted. The ambiguous nature of the enemy, the moral quandaries of distinguishing between civilians and combatants, and the devastating impact on both American and Vietnamese lives led him to question the justifications for the war. He began to see himself fighting not for grand ideological reasons, but for the survival of himself and his comrades, and out of a sense of obligation to the soldiers beside him. This shift in perspective was a central theme in his memoir, "A Rumor of War," where he reflects on the transformation from idealistic patriotism to a more nuanced and somber understanding of the true cost of war.
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4 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 9

@stephensmith9368 3 месяца назад

What we never understood was no amount of bombs was going to overcome the will of the North Vietnamese to win the war

@larryyoung5757 3 месяца назад

It wasn’t a matter of bombs, but will. The US never declared war on North Vietnam. So we would never invade North Vietnam and take Hanoi, its capital which is the ultimate objective of any war. Had we done so, we would have strangled the PLF in the south. Had that been our strategy from the start We would’ve actually lost fewer men in the fighting in South Vietnam. MACV was constrained like no other military force in history. Other than exercising air superiority over North Vietnam we had no strategy to kill the head of the snake in Hanoi. We had no strategic plans to win a war because it wasn’t a war. Nearly all major battles were fought at the place and time of the North’s determination. The United States’ boots on the ground were always outnumbered in the bush. The NVA never bothered with air conditioning and ice cream in their rear. They lived in holes in the ground. Marines that were grunts also lived in fighting holes and leant tos. Our conditions were only slightly better. The VA tunnels were pretty secure but wet and skanky. The biggest fear was from the B-52s. They could cause catastrophic damage just from the shaking of the ground. I interviewed the enemy soldiers we captured in the spring and summer offenses we mounted in 1969. Their soldiers were emaciated and frightened from the American onslaught, especially the jets dropping napalm. The reason was because they couldn’t hear the Jets coming.

@packrat76 3 месяца назад

You obviously haven't studied the war objectively. You realize after TET, the Vietcong were wiped out, demoralized and the North Vietnamese Army to a degree as well? They did little TET assaults in the proceeding years but they were more harassment and weren't effective or large scale compared to the 68 assault.

@tommyjenkins7453 3 месяца назад

That was could have been won in a year if we were allowed to commit war and our state department was giving out targeting information to Sweden who passed it along,,,Deen Rusk sec of state look it up