General Discussion

Jilly_in_VA

(14,721 posts)

69. That' was definitely the time

Fri Feb 27, 2026, 01:44 PM

Feb 2026

many average Americans "Got the word", so to speak. If "Uncle Walter" said it was wrong, then it was WRONG and there were no two ways about it.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

1 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Ping Tung

105 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Anybody here old enough to remeber the beginnigs of US involvement in Viet Nam? [View all] 3_Limes Feb 2026 OP

The trick is to wage war without declaring war dalton99a Feb 2026 #1

Resulting in 58,000 US soldiers killed, 300,000 wounded. surfered Feb 2026 #12

+1. Saigon is now a huge modern metropolis dalton99a Feb 2026 #18

That picture is beautiful MarineCombatEngineer Feb 2026 #53

Wow! SWBTATTReg Feb 2026 #73

Ho Chi Minh City surfered Feb 2026 #105

My mind is old popsdenver Feb 2026 #25

Even the Korean War was described as a police action dalton99a Feb 2026 #30

My father served in Vietnam in 1966-67. He never forgave Johnson and McNamara. mommymarine2003 Feb 2026 #34

In December, just before the Tet occurred popsdenver Feb 2026 #40

If only your father could have known about... Chemical Bill Feb 2026 #104

Yeah, at the time, it wasn't a declared war, it was a so called police action, MarineCombatEngineer Feb 2026 #56

It was a slow process. GCG Feb 2026 #2

I saw this unfold as a young mother. My son was 3 years old. I feared the war would drag on until he was 18 and he would CTyankee Feb 2026 #10

The first US soldier killed in Vietnam Emile Feb 2026 #15

Johnson lied America into war via Gulf of Tonkin. Kid Berwyn Feb 2026 #3

Because he was lied TO by the generals Jilly_in_VA Feb 2026 #67

And the admirals, and the NSA, but most of all the CIA. Kid Berwyn Feb 2026 #75

Good old Allen Dulles Jilly_in_VA Feb 2026 #76

Maximum temperatures, please. And for John McCloy... Kid Berwyn Feb 2026 #88

You don't even have to go back that far. Ritabert Feb 2026 #4

+1 dalton99a Feb 2026 #6

Balloon the debt, it did popsdenver Feb 2026 #29

Ah yes, you're bringing back memories PatSeg Feb 2026 #36

I bring up current things popsdenver Feb 2026 #43

Not everyone is paying close attention PatSeg Feb 2026 #58

I've been paying attention since 1969. Reagan really made me pay attention. Ritabert Feb 2026 #63

I remember we paid a lot of attention PatSeg Feb 2026 #83

I didn't realize what Reagan and his minions were up to until later... Ritabert Feb 2026 #97

It is often different when you right in the middle of it PatSeg Feb 2026 #101

You are so right. Ritabert Feb 2026 #60

Liars all. Ritabert Feb 2026 #59

you took the words off my keyboard WhiteTara Feb 2026 #39

The reason we are in the economic mess we're in. Ritabert Feb 2026 #62

+1 leftstreet Feb 2026 #52

After Vietnam divided in half in the '50s the US provided financial support to the south, Ocelot II Feb 2026 #5

I thought Eisenhower had *advisors* in Vietnam during his administration at the request of the French Deuxcents Feb 2026 #78

He did. Kennedy started the escalation. Ocelot II Feb 2026 #82

Truman started that in 1950. Celerity Feb 2026 #87

November 1, 1955 "the official beginning of American involvement in the war" muriel_volestrangler Feb 2026 #96

Guess I didn't really ask the right question. 3_Limes Feb 2026 #7

Maybe on February 27, 1968: Ocelot II Feb 2026 #17

It was probably around that time, PatSeg Feb 2026 #38

That' was definitely the time Jilly_in_VA Feb 2026 #69

I was in college 1967-1971. There were anti war and civil rights protests all the time. I remember things gaining steam KitFox Feb 2026 #37

I started college in 1965 and I had a roommate who was already into the antiwar movement. Ocelot II Feb 2026 #41

I cannot speak for the average American but... 303squadron Feb 2026 #66

Don't have to look that far back. haele Feb 2026 #8

True! Iraq is probably a much better example 3_Limes Feb 2026 #11

I remember discussing in in my "Problems of Democracy" class in High Schol Mossfern Feb 2026 #9

LOL Moss popsdenver Feb 2026 #47

If there's one thing we've learned, we cannot trust anything JD Vance says. surfered Feb 2026 #13

Yes, I remember, MarineCombatEngineer Feb 2026 #14

Piece of Cake! BidenRocks Feb 2026 #61

Excellent!!! MarineCombatEngineer Feb 2026 #64

I hate to even think this MCE popsdenver Feb 2026 #92

When they asked me to reenlist or extend my enlistment I was told that they wouldn't send me to Vietnam. Ping Tung Feb 2026 #16

From one Marine to another... MarineCombatEngineer Feb 2026 #46

There was a general I admired. Remember him? Ping Tung Feb 2026 #85

Gen. David M. Shoup, there's a name I haven't heard in ages, MarineCombatEngineer Feb 2026 #86

His name just came to my brain while going through this thread. I vaguely recall his name because Ping Tung Feb 2026 #91

family legend- mopinko Feb 2026 #19

why does they agresser side always say ," it will be over in a few weeKs" but in reality war would last 3/4 years or AllaN01Bear Feb 2026 #20

The reason is oil or some other resource. multigraincracker Feb 2026 #22

It was quagmire before the US became involved. Layzeebeaver Feb 2026 #21

+1 dalton99a Feb 2026 #24

The movie We Were Soldiers opening depicts the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu. MarineCombatEngineer Feb 2026 #50

We had military advisors in VietNam since the eaerly 50's. patphil Feb 2026 #23

I have a number of monographs on the subject. NNadir Feb 2026 #26

Errol Morris' documentary "The Fog of War" covers this really well. Ocelot II Feb 2026 #28

Not really an answer to your question but... llmart Feb 2026 #27

And we'll be greeted as liberators and heroes, right? Xavier Breath Feb 2026 #31

Unlike 1965, a large percentage of people know the real reason for this current BS war. Crowman2009 Feb 2026 #32

I remember JFK snowybirdie Feb 2026 #33

The US had advisors there from the early 50's, including when the French niyad Feb 2026 #54

Ah yes Jilly_in_VA Feb 2026 #70

I just posted before I saw yours..Eisenhower had advisors in Vietnam at the request of the French Deuxcents Feb 2026 #79

Added to that, the most recent protracted wars are still fresh in people's memories. Crowman2009 Feb 2026 #35

VOTE. IMPEACH. CHARGE. PROSECUTE. CONVICT. EVERY DAMN ONE OF THESE BUMS! Joinfortmill Feb 2026 #42

63-67 so four years. By 67 it was Quagmire. Captain Zero Feb 2026 #44

WW II in Europe For The US Was 1 Year: D-Day Was 1944. ColoringFool Feb 2026 #49

The American Army's air wing was fighting in Europe long before 1944, nonaa Feb 2026 #95

In 1948, Ho Chi Minh came to this country, asking for $3 million and niyad Feb 2026 #45

Ho Chi Minh warned America The Wizard Feb 2026 #55

And, in the end, we betrayed our allies. The images of April 1975 niyad Feb 2026 #65

Yes, Back When It Was Indo-China And France Was The Invader. ColoringFool Feb 2026 #48

In the 1950s The Wizard Feb 2026 #51

I'm not old enough to remember the beginnings, but I remember the 60's and 70's. mommymarine2003 Feb 2026 #57

Same with Afghanistan and Iraq. But we were involved in Vietnam from WWII until the disastrous withdrawal in 1975. ChicagoTeamster Feb 2026 #68

Born April 1955 BidenRocks Feb 2026 #71

A lot of it started (shit had been going with Vietnam, France, China, and others for 100s of years) with WW II Botany Feb 2026 #72

Yes, indeed. MineralMan Feb 2026 #74

Truman was already making moves in 1950, well before Eisenhower was even elected. Celerity Feb 2026 #89

Thanks. A little before my time, I guess. MineralMan Feb 2026 #90

Old enough to proofread as well. rzemanfl Feb 2026 #77

Kind of, but Vietnam actually started for the French before the Korean War ended for us. maxrandb Feb 2026 #80

Just go back to the Iraq war -- tells you what you need to know mainer Feb 2026 #81

I would mark the beginning as 1945 when we supported France's return to their former colony. flashman13 Feb 2026 #84

"Trump will put the Navy in harms way in a completely untenable situation in the narrow seas in and around... LudwigPastorius Feb 2026 #93

They said Admiral Kacher was not a good fit. I agree with you. He was fired because he told them, "don't attack Iran". flashman13 Feb 2026 #103

😮‍💨im old enough, service brat. I remember it like it was yesterday, msfiddlestix Feb 2026 #94

Great Book - Fire In The Lake OutNow Feb 2026 #98

In 1967 Codifer Feb 2026 #99

Old enough but smoked too much pot and drank too much beer. kerry-is-my-prez Feb 2026 #100

I'm not quite that old, snot Feb 2026 #102