Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for March 31, 2014

Have to admire how he keeps his cool.-Here is the reason BD volunteered for Vietnam:-http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1972/01/31-Here are the reasons he gave Mike for going to Vietnam:-http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1972/02/01-Even if you disagree with BD’s politics, you still have to love the guy.

AHHH, THE GOOD LIFE

I remember that era and, in spite of the current travel articles, could not take a trip there.

I spent the war as Air Force enlisted swine—and never left the USA. Go figure.

@Arye UygurI had always wanted to return since the summer of ‘68. What’s kept me from doing so is my memory of the oppressive physical climate of high heat and high humidity plus the looooong flights there and back. Luckily for me, the internet has helped me experience a “return.” I have the highest regard for those people, their ways and their country. I spent about 8 months of my 12.5 month tour working with the militia near a resettlement village.

I remember my oldest brother being in Vietnam around 1970. I was around 7. i drew and sent him pictures of St louis cardinal heroes, Lou Brock and Bob Gibson. I told him about stories we were reading at school. I remember hoping maybe he could just have a broken leg, as I had seen people in casts, and he could just come home with his broken leg and get better and be home.

My bro didn’t tell me anything about the action in the war. When he responded, he just reacted to everything I told him about, so I guess it was great that I had lots to say about things from back home. He has been a lifelong St Louis cardinal fan, and the cards were definitely hot back in that era.

My bro was NOT a volunteer. He got into some tough circumstances after he met someone in college, and boom, he was a father and in Vietnam at age 19. Tough times.

I’m glad GT was able to poke some fun at the era. For many folks lived through it, it wasn’t a lot of fun.

Here comes Phred…lol

They offered some of us a chance to go to Vietnamese interpreter school. I looked at the other guys and saw the blood drain out of their faces. I thought anything that gave me some control over my fate was better than blind chance. So I signed up. I got put in a totally different MOS and sent to Turkey. Did not lose a wink of sleep over it.

The people who went through Vietnam will never forget it. I guess some thought it was a positive experience. I never met any of those. My bro lost his best friend over there, the year he was there. They had been best friends since grade school. He knows many who have their names on the wall in DC. I know that my brother was very affected by the war. I think it would be obscene if we ever forgot that war. We lost 50,000 people in Vietnam.

The second time around, BD wasn’t so lucky.

And 50,000 only refers to our side of the war.

It’ll be good to see Phred again – how many viet cong could truly appreciate Cole Porter, after all ….

We are moving quickly through the archives.

By the time this strip came around, it was the early 70’s, not 1968. LBJ had gone back to his ranch. Nixon had been elected with his “secret plan” a couple years into his prez. Personally, I don’t remember LBJ at all. Unfortunately, Nixon is the first prez I can remember.

My mother told me her biggest fear when I went to Vietnam was that I would marry a Vietnamese girl.

Wasn’t the war won by the dates these comics were printed?

Turned 18 in boot camp, 19 in Vietnam. Got back to the states and still couldn’t vote or drink. Yeah, the good times.

Mitt Romney is another one who supported the war in Vietnam, but chose not to go. He went to France to convert folks to Mormonism instead.

Nowadays, at age 18, you can vote and serve in the military, but still not drink. Certainly 18 year olds should have the right to vote if they are going to be expected to serve in the military.

@montessoriteacherThere were some positive notes to the Vietnam war: It was a simple life; it allowed some to reevaluate their values; it enabled many to experience a commercial-free existence; it led some to believe they were doing something uselful – a feeling some would never again experience.

There are many outlets to do something useful. I would think Habitat for Humanity would provide a great outlet for that sort of thing, for example.

And I’m sure they’re lined up behind the Iraqis and Afghans to thank us for "liberating’ them…

argy, You – - as usual – - are correct.

Night-G, You are also correct that was rough on the people of the south being killed, tortured, enslaved by invaders sponsored and egged on by the USSR and then slaughtered after their successful invation if they either cooperated with or opposed the South Vietnamese gvt and USA.

invasion

I always get a laugh out of the term “secret” war in Laos. The Thais knew about it, the Laotians, the Vietnamese, the Cambodians and the Chinese knew about it, The only people who didn’t were Americans. In 1966 I was involved in it on a daily basis.

While it is true that many went to Vietnam did not get killed, surely no one would think that this diminishes their service in any way.

To all those thanking me for posting links:It was my pleasure. Glad to see that you enjoyed them as much as I did.

Night-G, Yep, the USA is to blame everytime anyone anywhere kills, rapes, enslaves, tortures anyone else due to the things we did or did not do. Did I get that right? I wonder how we live with ourselves.

“so do play the child’s game here. You will look foolish.”.If you say so, I shall play the child’s game. Which game is that?And foolish is not uncommon when people are acting like there is no justification to anything we do and that those others who invade other countries are perfectly justified — unless we wanted them to, of course.-People shoot little girls and it is our fault for opposing them when they support those who kill Americans..People ship munitions through other countries and folks not being shot at maintain we are wrong to stop the shipments..President Johnson didn’t want to get involved in Vietnam, but was talked into it by McNamara as a means of opposing the USSR’s expressed intention of taking over the world and knowing how many millions they killed when unopposed..We don’t live in a vacuum with no other considerations.Further, there are seldom just good actions and bad actions; there are better and worse actions and inactions..At some point we need to grow up and face reality.

“If only the USA had recognized Vietnam as an independent nation back in 1918,”.Note here you want the USA to get involved in Vietnam back in 1918.That is GWB thinking that we can cure the world and that they will quickly see things our way if we just step in and impose democracy.

Not a fan of this ‘leap forward through time’… just pick a starting time and run with it.The lead-in to BD being in Vietnam is fun.

So you believe North Vietnam should have recognized South Vietnam’s existence and right to continue to exist?Or do you believe they were perfectly justified in invading, forcing reunification and killing any who disagreed with their conquest?And while we’re at it, we need to consider whether we’re justified in complaining about Syria’spoison gas usage,Hitler’s genocides, Pol Pot’s population renormalizing, Ethiopia’s “starve the rebels and anybody else around policy”, Idi Amin’s “kill everybody not my race and religion” policy, Rwanda’ “rape and/or kill everybody from a different tribe” policy.Our State Department has its work cut out for it as long as we feel we need to step in or to NOT step in.