|
People tend to forget that the US Military was at its height of strength when we went into Vietnam. The US Military did an excellent job up to and through the Tet Offensive in 1968. Furthermore the Majority of Americans not only supported the troops, but the war till the middle of 1968. By 1968 it was clear we were NOT seeing much progress in the War and the American people turned against it, but support for the Vietnam War exceeded the Support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan till the day we pulled out of Vietnam.
Thus why did the US Army deteriorate so rapidly after 1968? By 1970 the North Vietnamese were telling their Soldiers NOT to engage US Troops unless the US troops engaged them first. Some units, mostly Special Forces, retained a high desire to engage the enemy, but most troops by 1970 were more then content to go into the bush form a parameter and do nothing. This had become so bad that Nixon was forced to accept terms from the North Vietnamese that the US had been refusing to accept since 1968 (and this was AFTER the massive bombing of North Vietnam). The ground forces had deteriorated that badly.
Why the deterioration? Input from the Draft were against the War and this affected whole units. No one wanted to die for a failed war, so you either did as little as possible or did what was ordered but that is all. This worked it way up the chain of Command to Platoon leaders and Sergeants and even to Company Captains and First Sergeants. Vietnam was a Platoon level war, company and higher units rarely together, except to coordinate Platoon movements and support for those platoons.
Now, some units went rogue, i.e. killing anyone they run across. These were rare, but not unheard of. It was the ugly side of the decline of the US military in Vietnam, leaving people decline to their worse and leave them do as they want.
Now, the rapid decline from the height of military strength to the bottom was quick, the Troops were still on top in the beginning of 1968, defeated the Tet Offensive and then saw it meant nothing. The morale of the troops went down hill from that point and with more and more draftees coming in anti-war, the decline was quick.
It was so bad that Nixon by 1972 ordered no one was to go to Vietnam unless he volunteer to do so, it stopped some of the declined, but the Army had to build back up form the bottom it hit in 1972.
Now we went into Afghanistan in early 2002 (Some troops in Afghanistan in late 2001). We have been fighting for Eight years. The American people NEVER supported the war in Iraq, and the lack of support for the War in Iraq quickly lead to the decline in support for the war in Afghanistan. In 1973 the Draft was ended, thus today we are NOT sending it troops who oppose the war, but people who enlisted to fight it. Thus the main source of the decline of the Vietnam era army is no longer with us. On the other hand, the fact that the American People do NOT support this war is still with us. IT has lead to a much slower decline in the troops, but the decline has been steady. The troops can NOT take much more of this.
When we had the Draft, the generals could blame the draftees for the decline (and did so, and continue to do so for decades afterwards). Today, there is no draft to blame the decline on, but we still have a decline. With a draft you would have a larger group of soldiers that oppose this war AND undermined the war effort in the field (i.e. units going out and then setting up a parameter and ignoring the Viet Cong all around them). They would tell new troops of these stunts and tell them to the people at home (And the stories would get back to the Pentagon). Today, the troops do not know if someone will replace them. The troops do to the nature of who is enlisting, hear very few anti-war messages AND no group inside the enlistee ranks are trying to figure out ways to undermine the "mission" (i.e. going out and doing nothing).
Furthermore, since most Enlistees are coming from Rural areas, there are no center of gravity for them to go to. During Vietnam, draftees were going to collages after their service, such collages quickly became rallying points for such ex-soldiers. Inner City groups also acted as center of Gravity for Vietnam Era troops, African Americans were drafted in high numbers, and worked with whites, and lived in the Inner City. Providing a center for other ex-troops to come together in.
With the vast majority of African-Americans NOT enlisting since 9/11 the US Military have become more and more dependent on Rural White soldiers. One of the problems with Rural groups is it is hard to get them together, since they live so far apart. One of the reasons peasant revolts failed throughout history is that people who did control the cities, controlled the communication system and thus could defeat many rural revolts one at a time for they was no way for such rural peasants to talk to each other. This same affect is affecting US vets today, it is getting hard for them to talk to each other. Yes, they can get on line and talk to people, but there is something about talking face to face that is more effective in communicating each others problems. Thus the rural recruitment slows down the anti-war movement among the troops.
If we had the draft, this decline would have been quicker and easier to see. Suburbs and inner City would be getting the same hits as rural America. The decline would be on the scale of Vietnam and by now we would have been long out of both wars.
This problem will fester till we get out of both wars, but it will fester for no one in Government wants us out.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
