07-30-2009, 07:10 AM
Quote:This I think is a big deal. This is part of why Vietnam was harder on soldiers than Desert Storm was.
Isn't this because Desert storm was from US side a rather easy war. Not many casualties while the Vietnam war was much more disastrous? I think a much higher chance of being killed and a higher sense of feeling vulnerable is what makes it harder on soldiers.
Quote:Currently folks coming home aren't seeing the protest type stuff that they saw with Vietnam, but towns aren't throwing parades for Guard and Reserve units like they did after Desert Storm either. The welcomes are warm now, people have learned that blaming the soldier for following orders is a bad thing, but in many cases they are closer to indifferent. That has an effect too. Some of that is also because this war has been long. That dulls folks at home enthusiasm.
Succesful wars are always easier to cheer for. It is a good thing however that soldiers are not blamed personally for following orders.
And as a small side track (I believed this has been discussed here some time ago); it shows the importance of the army dealing with misbehaviour (we see so much more because of youtube etc) of individual soldiers in a correct way. Whereas armies often defend their soldiers too much (so even for things like Abu Ghraib and other crimes against the locals) it actually hurts the major part (who are just doing a good job) when coming home. I think this also played a role in the vietnam war where several horrible incidents where soldiers had been killing civilians take over and reflect on all of the soldiers coming home (of whom 99% just did a good job). So in (my) conclusion; the army should deal very strict with war crimes in order to keep a good image, which then makes it easier for the soldiers when they are back home again.
Quote: As a citizen one of the best things you can do is so appreciation for the individual soldier. You can protest the leadership all you want though.
I agree 100% with this.