In one weekend in 1967, two occurrences at opposite ends of the
world began the process whereby Americans convinced themselves that
the Vietnam War was not worth fighting.
One of these was the ambush of an American battalion by the
Vietcong, resulting in 61 casualties. The other was at the
University of Wisconsin at Madison, where state police ejected
students who were campaigning against the presence presence on
campus of recruiting agents for napalm manufacturers Dow
Chemical.
I just finished watching this BBC documentary. Very intense, almost
emotional documentary.
Survivors of the ambush talked about that day, about how they were
ambushed, about how their Bat. Cmdr tactically screwed up, how he'd
never led a command section on the ground b4 (he previously did it
from a Bell Sioux Helo). Lt Welch CO of Delta company, gives a
particularly insightful and emotional account of the day,
especially when he talks about how he woke up on the operating
table after the battle (having been shot in the chest, right leg
and both arms) and asking the doctor "what happend to his delta"
and being told delta is gone(at this point he breaks down a bit in
the interview)
As for the Wisconsin Uni demonstration, the police waded in and
started beating peaceful students. And that in effect politicized
students who previously had no stand either way about the war in
vietnam. People interviewed included professors and assistant deans
and students who were both involved or uninvolved with the
demonstration, who recall with fury how the police, how the
authorities betrayed the very values of democracy and free speech
by taking action against anyone who opposed their position.
Very profound especially, is the way the war vets talk about how
"nobody gives their lives up for their countries. Their lives get
torn away from them by their countries" and how "it was a high
price to pay for a needless cause".
The documentary also talks about the cover-up or positive spin the
American media put on both events, by claiming there was a planned
battle instead of an ambush, and by claiming the students were
vicious and outnumbered police, forcing police to "fight for their
lives"
I think Singaporeans can learn something about what true democracy
is, what false fallacies democracy can turn into, and the price we
can end up paying for lost causes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/vietnam.shtml
