| Original Message |
Brandon (no login)
Posted Jul 1, 2009 10:41 PM
I just don't see how the conflict in Iraq can be compared to Vietnam.
As you mentioned, we lost more men in Vietnam. 58, 159 compared to 4,318 in Iraq. Over 300,000 of our men were injured in Vietnam compared to 31,000 in Iraq. Those are significant differences.
The U.S. forces in Iraq consisted of volunteers. The average age of a soldier in Iraq is 30. In Vietnam, our forces were composed of men who were drafted and the average age of an American soldier serving in Vietnam was 19.
The Vietnam War tore the country apart in many ways with riots and protests. Many college campuses were in turmoil during the late 1960s especially in the Northeast and West Coast, but even in places like Ohio (Kent State).
You may be right about the long term foreign policy implications of Iraq, but I think the facts clearly show that the average American was impacted far more by the war in Vietnam than by the war in Iraq. |
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