Warning: the sound quality is poor.
On this date on April 30, 1975 Saigon the capital of South Vietnam, fell to North Vietnamese communist forces, a little more then two years following the pull out of the bulk of U.S forces from South Vietnam.
At least 58,000 Americans died in that land of jungle and steam and so did millions of Vietnamese citizens. A tragic and in my opinion unjust war that never should have been waged. Many at the time stated that if South Vietnam(an artificial nation. After all South Vietnam was crated in the early 1950s as a temporary partition by the United nations and international community) fell, that nations all around would capitulate to communist influence and thus place America in the losing column of the Cold war. That scenario first put forth by U.S president Dwight Eisenhower was known as the ‘Domino theroy’.
It was a war that we lost, not because of the media and protesters, but because we lacked solid knowledge of their history and culture, placed too much emphasis on a small country in civil war fighting for its freedom, when in reality it was much more nationalist, more complicated, and not a seminal battle field in the cold war. We lost the war not because America is unable to win or fight in wars (leading up to nearly every war we have fought from World War II on, each effort has had a majority in support of the effort). Nor was it because of the alleged “toughness” of the U.S media ( Walter Cronkite 1968 was the exception and not the rule by and large at least in the beginning, i.e Time publisher Henry Luce). It wasn’t until about 1968 that Journalists really started being critical. Nor was it because of protesters (after all we live in a free nation and that means freedom to dissent).
It was because of a lack of understanding, bureaucratic infighting, political posturing, leaders not being honest with the citizenry they served, and a litany of other things. The lesson was supposed to be from that tragic endeavor is that not all problems have an American solution. That a western superpower occupying a small eastern nation determined to be free will meet resistance. That war is an enterprise so destructive that to enter it in haste will culminate in disaster, no matter how powerful that invading country is. That the price of deceiving and attempting to keep American in the dark about the policies executed in their name is devastating and a disgrace to the people. You think we would have learned that by now, but sadly if history isn’t exactly repeating itself, its harsh deafening echo can be heard round the world.
Boxothoughts 
April 30,1975- The Fall of Saigon
Published Aprpm08 9, 2008 Cold War , Commentary , U.S History , Video , Vietnam War Leave a CommentWarning: the sound quality is poor.
On this date on April 30, 1975 Saigon the capital of South Vietnam, fell to North Vietnamese communist forces, a little more then two years following the pull out of the bulk of U.S forces from South Vietnam.
At least 58,000 Americans died in that land of jungle and steam and so did millions of Vietnamese citizens. A tragic and in my opinion unjust war that never should have been waged. Many at the time stated that if South Vietnam(an artificial nation. After all South Vietnam was crated in the early 1950s as a temporary partition by the United nations and international community) fell, that nations all around would capitulate to communist influence and thus place America in the losing column of the Cold war. That scenario first put forth by U.S president Dwight Eisenhower was known as the ‘Domino theroy’.
It was a war that we lost, not because of the media and protesters, but because we lacked solid knowledge of their history and culture, placed too much emphasis on a small country in civil war fighting for its freedom, when in reality it was much more nationalist, more complicated, and not a seminal battle field in the cold war. We lost the war not because America is unable to win or fight in wars (leading up to nearly every war we have fought from World War II on, each effort has had a majority in support of the effort). Nor was it because of the alleged “toughness” of the U.S media ( Walter Cronkite 1968 was the exception and not the rule by and large at least in the beginning, i.e Time publisher Henry Luce). It wasn’t until about 1968 that Journalists really started being critical. Nor was it because of protesters (after all we live in a free nation and that means freedom to dissent).
It was because of a lack of understanding, bureaucratic infighting, political posturing, leaders not being honest with the citizenry they served, and a litany of other things. The lesson was supposed to be from that tragic endeavor is that not all problems have an American solution. That a western superpower occupying a small eastern nation determined to be free will meet resistance. That war is an enterprise so destructive that to enter it in haste will culminate in disaster, no matter how powerful that invading country is. That the price of deceiving and attempting to keep American in the dark about the policies executed in their name is devastating and a disgrace to the people. You think we would have learned that by now, but sadly if history isn’t exactly repeating itself, its harsh deafening echo can be heard round the world.