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- US General uses “V” word in Afghan War - Only 4 US Combat Deaths since Jan 1. (US General uses "V" word in Afghan War - Only 4 US Combat Deaths since Jan 1. - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board)
#013 NotfooledbyW 03-10-2013 01:46 PM
- US General uses “V” word in Afghan War - Only 4 US Combat Deaths since Jan 1. (US General uses "V" word in Afghan War - Only 4 US Combat Deaths since Jan 1. - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board)
You’re shitting me, right? US combat casualties in Vietnam were reaching all time lows in 1972 because we were leaving and had ceased conducting aggressive combat operations and were handing the war over to the ARVN. Do I need to remind you what happened to the Republic of Vietnam over the next three years? Or what happened to the Soviet backed Afghan government after they left? - #002 Today, 11:04 AM reply to#001 -Originally Posted by Dissonance (Post 16083249)
First let me ask, because of your tone, If you are willing to participate in a reasonable discussion on the topic of the War in Afghanistan on its own merits and characteristics many of which that are not at all similar to the US Experience in Vietnam and the Soviet Experience in the 1980s.
If you are willing to discuss the war in Afghanistan based upon the nature and specific challenges of geography, and the reasons we went there after the attacks on 9/11, and the multitude of differences between the war fighting technology available in 1970 and 2000; and the huge differences in the geopolitical make up of outside support nations for the opposing sides; and the sociological make-up of Vietnam versus the nature of the fight in Afghanistan and the effect of COIN on combating an insurgency; and many other conditions I would be willing to present, then could you let me know if you are interested in that, or is this a “MY WAY or the HI-WAY” kind of debate wherein it is not centered on a serious examination of the facts, it is just a constant refrain of “you are shitting me right?”
For anyone else, interested in the “STRAIGHTDOPE Philosophy” I will offer this:
In AfPAK we are not fighting on one side of a divided nation as we did in NAM.
In NAM we faced not only a non-uniformed guerilla insurgency, but we opposed a Regular Army (ARVN )
****** I corrected my error from (ARVN) to NVA as was pointed out at the time. **
that maintained its supplies and and direction and authority from the North Vietnamese Government.
At the end of Vietnam, It was Richard Nixon, who negotiated “PEACE WITH HONOR” with the CHINESE and North Vietnamese Government.
Drones/balloons for surveillance were not as technologically advanced in 1970 as they are today. For instance the US/ISAF has tethered balloons with cameras that view what is going on long stretches of major highways and these high range cameras can be daisy-changed for miles so our side can see any type of insurgent activity with regard to planting IED or massing for an attack on any critical institution.
AfPAK is not being waged a jungle.
I’ll have more, but I hope you get the picture.
If you just wish to scream that you are right and anybody else is wrong because everybody knows that Afghanistan is Vietnam redux, then let me know up front, so I won’t be accused of "one trick ponyism’ because I am quite informed and deeply interested in the subject.