Letters, May 15, 1995

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VIETNAM 20 YEARS LATER

"The heroes in this war were those not in a position to object, and those who recognized the wrong and bravely did their part to bring its end."

Richard A. Brand Iowa City, Iowa Vietnam resounds as a defining and pivotal period in U.S. history [COVER, April 24]. Americans shouldn't believe for a moment that we and the world haven't learned from this episode. Mankind's evolution owes much to the images of past wars and devastation, and we have become sophisticated enough to use those images as reference points in determining our future behavior.

David Airth Toronto

My brother was one of thousands who volunteered to go to war because of his belief in what the U.S. stands for. He willingly sacrificed his life, and I am proud of him. For anyone to say now that this war was wrong and could have been prevented is insulting to his memory and disrespectful to the thousands of Americans who unselfishly gave their lives to protect others' right to free speech. It is disgraceful to slander their memory in this way.

Amanda Kelly San Antonio, Texas Via America Online

As a surgeon in Vietnam in 1969-70, I participated in the military effort and by my mere presence supported a war widely recognized by the troops as unwinnable, if not patently wrong. I performed no "service to my country." Rather, I performed a disservice by my passive support. Like others there, and like the Americans who supported the effort, I must accept responsibility and blame for the 58,000 Americans who died, for the many more who will bear scars as long as they live, and for the millions of Vietnamese who suffered and died. I feel an awesome grief and responsibility when I read the names of those few I knew-and the many more I did not know-on that black wall in Washington. Pride for having served my country is not among my feelings. The war belongs to all those who failed to stop it. The heroes in this war were those not in a position to object, and those who recognized the wrong and bravely did their part to bring its end.

Richard A. Brand Iowa City, Iowa aol: AndChenier

It is not the abandonment of a war that should shake the nation's psyche but the abandonment of the young people who fought it. While at home in the U.S. politicians decided policy and some people prayed for low draft numbers, others in Vietnam were praying just to stay alive. Whether the war was right or wrong meant nothing if you were in the middle of a firefight. Trapped in war's reality, young men lost more than arms and legs; they lost pieces of their soul. We all realized at some point that we would never fully return home again.

Paul S. Tedeschi Norwell, Massachusetts aol: Writor

In its way, Vietnam was a greater victory for the U.S. than World War II because what we accomplished there was more far-reaching. Troops did not die in vain. Everything has a price. Considering the size of the conflict, this showdown between socialism and capitalism was decided upon a relatively blood-free field. We should pause a moment and look at the conflicts now confronting us and see how the lessons of Vietnam will be reflected in the history of the first half of the 21st century.

Stan Kerns Greeley, Colorado