Winning the ColdWars

drieux H. (drieux@wetware.com)
Mon, 29 Apr 1996 19:47:34 -0400

] Not only did we win the Cold War--according to luminaries at the Lubbock
] conference on Reassessing the Vietnam War last weekend--we also won the
] Vietnam War.
]
] William Colby, Admiral Zumwalt, General Palmer, Lou Sorley, General
] Metaxis--all were there to exult in our victory. Either we won it in 72 when
] the ARVN fended off the Easter Offensive; or we won it by giving the Asian
] tigers time to develop their "democracies" (read economies--what
] "democracies" could they be referring to? Korea? Taiwan? Singapore?); or we
] won it because DRV is so destitute.
]
] None of this was new news but it was good to hear it from the horses' mouths
] since I had missed it when it was broadcast back in the 70s.
]
] It did result in a new coinage, however. '75 was apparently a "Pyrrhic
] Defeat."
]
] Randy

Obviously they did Not go into 'specific detail' as to How we
won these, or in what manner we did. If you can dig up the gory
details it would be 'useful' for us all.

While a member of the HM RAF Sgt Mess, as an American Naval Petty Officer,
we would, for want of anything else to go with Beer and Tea, debate the
Glorious of How My Dead Ancestors Kicked the Snot out of their Dead
Ancestors over the minor details of 1776. Granted, technically the best
that the american rebel forces had really been able to pull off were grand
ellegant 'ties' rather than any specifically Great Military Coups, even
the matter of Yorktown was such that had the British Navy really been
intent upon taking appropriate Actions, and the Whitehall Crowd not
been subverted by RedKommunistWrongHeadedness, Cornwalis would have been
able to hold out against the Americans and their French Naval Comrades.

Behaps what Colby and Company are trying to remind americans is that
inspite of the end conclusion of the Politicians, the Military did NOT
lose a single Major Battle during the War in Vietnam, and like the long
thin red line before them retired the field with their honor in tact.

Oh yes, and while we are this way wandering, I am still awaiting the
return of the 'boot necks' and the restoration of my seat in the House
of Lords, the Folly of My Forefather's not withstanding, I consider the
minor Triffle of Chaos that has ensued, to be no decent reason to
deprive me of my Rightful Legacy, merely as Some wish to recognize the
Armed Leftist Extremist Regime in D.C.

The improtant point, now that we are further on from the war in vietnam,
than the Vietnam Era Politicians were from WWII is what were the real
lessons worth learning from the matter. Was 'quick and resolute' response
the Real Lesson of WWII to be effectively applied to Vietnam, and the
rest of the Cold War Wars?

I also like to put forward the 'Kampuchea Kanundrum' and have people
ponder why it took some ten years for PAVN to finally retire the field
to 'UN Peace Keepers' after a Decent Interval for a Peace with Honor?

Or conversely what our time in South Vietnam taught us that Might have
helped PAVN win in Kampuchea sooner.

ciao
drieux

ps: we all DOOOO agree that PAVN won total victory in Kampuchea.