Re: intimidation
 

Or as the Vietnam era grunts put it: "Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Because I'm the meanest motherfucker in the valley."

Re: intimidation
 

Thank you for kindly remembering our words of wisdom.

Re: intimidation
 

Didn't the Americans lose the Vietnam War? :confused:

Re: intimidation
 

Yep. Vo Nguyen Giap was tougher than they were.

Re: intimidation
 

America as a country lost that war. The soldiers who fought and were able to return to their homes and families did not lose. They survived, and one way they did that was the mindset represented in the quote above.

Winning and losing doesn't really enter in to what was being stated above.

Best,
Ron

Re: Vietnam War
 

I dont think we should get into arguing the Vietnam War. I only brought in the quote because we were talking about intimidation. Saying that the US lost is not an act of disrespect toward the men who fought there. One can lose with honor, just as one can win dishonorably.

best,

R

Re: intimidation
 

I thought that the whole point of a war was to win it. At least that's what I was told when I was in the army.

If all you want to do is 'survive' then don't get involved in the first place; surrender, run away, go to Oxford University for a couple of years, join the Air National Guard as a pilot etc etc etc :confused: (still)

Re: Vietnam War
 

The point of a war varies with the particular war. Did the partisans loose the war in Spain when Franco was in power? What about some of the South Amercan "revolutions"?

As a country, you may well wish to win a war. As a grunt in the trenches, winning may be a goal...survival for sure would be MY primary goal, as much as possible.

My point was that bringing in the idea of winning and losing that war missed the point Lynn and others were trying to make. Personally, I did not have a good response to it. Even though I think that particular war was wastefull in terms of life on both sides. I did not support it then or now, even though I would like to think I did and do support the servicemen and women who were so tragically affected by it.

Best,
Ron

Re: Vietnam War
 

By "tougher," I meant that Giap was willing to accept a loss rate of 10:1 and basically grind down the US military till it became politically impossible to fight any longer. Throwing away their own soldiers lives to wear down an enemy is a very coldblooded calculation that Asian generals have often made. Which leads to the maxim: Don't get involved in a land war in Asia.