Americans felt turning points on Vietnam, Iraq wars in ‘70, ‘07

By Steve Hammons

July 11, 2007

As many people have pointed out, there seem to be important similarities as well as significant differences when comparing the Vietnam War and the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

That said, one of the similarities may turn out to be points in time when American public opinion gradually shifted from mostly optimism and support of these actions to serious doubts about them.

As we note current public opinion polls and listen to military experts, elected officials and others in 2007, it seems that we are now in a phase of serious doubt about the wisdom of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Back in 1970, it seemed like a similar turning point had gradually been reached after the bloody years of the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1969.

American troops were being killed and wounded at high rates. Innocent Vietnamese civilians (including children) were also being killed and injured. There was no end in sight.

DRAFT CARD IN 1970

I turned 18 in the spring of 1970, my senior year of high school, and the Selective Service System sent me a “draft card.”

Draftees went into the Army, unless they chose to volunteer for one of the other services or were disqualified for various reasons.

Shortly after I received my draft card, the second annual national “draft lottery” was conducted.

Just like today’s lottos, ping pong balls in a large bin were tossed and selected. The ping pong balls were labeled for the day and month of the 365 days of birth of the year 1952, when those 18-year-olds were born.

One by one they were drawn.

If your birthday was drawn first, second, third and so on, you had a good chance of being drafted. If your birthday was drawn 365th, you probably would not be drafted.

Looking back now, with more understanding than I had when I was 18, I realize that the tide had turned by then on the Vietnam War. It was generally realized that sending in more and more American troops probably would not improve the situation, only add more U.S. deaths and injuries.

It had become a bloodbath.

The U.S. secretary of defense at the time and his associates had been judged by many to be arrogant micromanagers who had shown significant incompetence in the conduct of the war.

Public opinion had gradually turned against the Vietnam War and people were talking about how we would get out.

At the time, I didn’t realize this.

When I went to college at a nearby state university the in the fall of ‘70 (and received the automatic draft deferment for students), I joined Army ROTC and participated in the “Counter-Insurgency Group,” modeled after Army Special Forces. Our advisor, a Special Forces captain, had recently been in Vietnam.

There were still Americans out there, such as naive 18-year-old Army ROTC officer trainees, who thought the Vietnam War was a good fight to get into and we, of course, would “win.”

But, that year, I started to learn some things and realize some difficult truths about the Vietnam War. Before 1970 was over, I had begun to see the situation in a different light. That was a painful and depressing time for me and many others.

GOING IN CIRCLES 2007

It seems that in 2007 we are facing another painful and depressing period. Many people are realizing that the invasion and occupation of Iraq may have involved deception, dishonesty, manipulation, greed, power, war profiteering … like the Vietnam War.

People lost faith in the recent secretary of defense and his associates, and there have been many comparisons to their counterparts during the Vietnam War.

The deaths of and injuries to our troops are also similar, though we have not neared the figure of the more than 58,000 American military personnel killed in the Vietnam War.

Still, each American killed or severely wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan has loved ones who experience traumatic and gut-wrenching grief over these losses. Decent and honorable Americans also grieve over these deaths and injuries.

Deaths of and injuries to innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, including many children, seem to be increasing.

We now realize that the intense desire of some in power to invade Iraq apparently compromised the initial dramatic successes in Afghanistan. Valuable resources that could have been used in Afghanistan were transferred to the invasion of Iraq.

Americans have lost optimism about not only these military actions but also about the leadership in Washington, D.C.

And there are now indications that a new generation of American 18-year-olds may be getting draft notices from the Selective Service System.

LESSONS LEARNED

While not ignoring the differences between the Vietnam War of the 1960s and ‘70s and current efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, there do seem to be lessons to be learned.

It is clear that we have repeated some of the very same mistakes and we have been deceived in some of the very same ways. Our awareness of these problems is growing in 2007, just as it was in 1970.

For those of us who were around in ‘70, it might be useful to revisit our memories about those days. In fact, it is becoming difficult to avoid thinking about that very similar era. It is a disturbing experience of déjà vu.

For people who came along later, it might be very helpful to learn more about those times, and try to apply lessons learned to our current challenges and dilemmas.

It is going to be a painful and depressing time.

But, we must resolve things as well as we can, move forward and bring forth as much honor, strength and intelligence as possible.

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