Vietnam War Memorial
The US participation in the Vietnam War and the protest that ensued, divided our nation.
As we compare then and now in the lives of the boomer generation, the US involvement in the Vietnam was significant.
Vietnam war polarized our citizens. Men questioned their allegiance to the country, many chose conscious objection status and some moved to Canada. Little data exists about female veterans. An estimated 11,000 women were stationed in Nam, nearly all volunteers and 90% served as nurses the balance is variety of positions.
Vietnam war battle over the spread of communism lasted 20 years, about 1955 – 1975. An estimated 1,353,000 deaths occurred.
Did you know 2,700,000 Americans served in Nam, about 58,000 died? When the war was finally over, there is irrefutable evidence of the disrespect veterans experienced upon their return home, lasting psychological trauma, and health effects from Agent Orange.
I can’t adequately describe the many hardships, problems, the climate, difficult terrain and wildlife the heroic men endured while that fighting this war for their country.
This is my hardest blog to write so far. As I research my facts for posts, one question leads to the next. For example – discovering how many participated in Nam got me thinking about all conflicts since recorded time.
While the war protests are part of our generation, there still exists a much bigger issue – WHY are we still using war as the way to solve conflict. During the past 3,400 years, in only 268 of them has the world been entirely at peace, 8 % of recorded history.
An estimated 341.7 million people have been killed in these wars. To what end – has there ever been a successful war? (Most facts come from history.com)
Considering these 8 causes for war, it is hard to envision a world of peace:
-1- economic gain
-2- territorial gain
-3- religion
-4- nationalism
-5- revenge
-6- civil unrest
-7- révolution
-8- defensive / preemptive war
When will war end? Is there something we can do as a single person, as a group, as a nation to prevent war and adopt non-violent solutions to solve the above causes for war?
