I'm 78. I did not want my last years to be like this.

[Toorich]

80. Please don't forget that American military "Advisors"....

.... were sent to Vietnam by Truman when the French needed help to prevent their rubber producing colony
from becoming communist. By the end of his term the US was paying 1/3 of France's war expenses. Our military presence was increased when Eisenhower thought it necessary to try to save Vietnam
from a "Domino theory" fall to communism. Under Ike, we up'd the game to 1000 Advisors and about
two billion dollars to the corrupt Diem government.
The shame is that the Vietnamese loved us at the end of WWII because we drove out the Japanese.

Kennedy thought it folly to be involved in Vietnam, but when he ran for president, he could not look
soft on communism. So, advisors went from 1000 up to 16,000. And tons of planes, boats, guns, armored
vehicles etc were given to Diem. We were in it up to our eyeballs when LBJ was sworn in. By that time it was
obvious our national "pride and prestige" were on the line. And, nobody wanted to appear soft on commies.

Lying rat-bastard Nixon campaigned on ending the war, but he and Kissinger sabotaged the Paris peace talks
to help with his reelection effort. As a result 1000's more were needlessly wounded or killed.

Let's not forget a 70-year ceasefire in Korea or the 20-year(and counting) War on Terror.