Full Version: The Anniversary of the Vietnam War
Thirty years ago today, American troops withdrew from Vietnam.
Military bands and troops marched down the main boulevard in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, on Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/nati...sary050430.html
They won, yet the article goes on to say that hundreds of thousands have died or suffered injuries or illness due to unexploded ordinance and Agent Orange.
One estimate claims:
And then there is My Lai:
WARNING-EXTREMELY GRAPHIC PHOTOS IN THIS LINK:
http://www.rotten.com/library/history/war-...y-lai-massacre/
Despite protestations from Congress, the Army investigated, but no one was appropriately held accountable:
My Lai was not an isolated incident. In fact, it may be linked to Operation Phoenix:
Tiger Force carried out similar atrocities:
While Jane Fonda is spit upon, Calley goes unmolested:
Questions for Debate:
Why did we invade Vietnam?
Should we have invaded Vietnam?
Does America's military and the CIA still carry out "Operation Phoenix" tactics against civilians?
Calley claimed he was following orders. Many veterans also protested Calley's original life sentence (he served six months house arrest and was pardoned). They claimed Calley was a scapegoat who was following orders. Was he?
Do tactics such as those used during Operation Phoenix work?
If so, should we use them, even though innocent civilians are tortured and killed in the process?
Edited to narrow debate questions, with permission of ralou
QUOTE
Military bands and troops marched down the main boulevard in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, on Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/nati...sary050430.html
They won, yet the article goes on to say that hundreds of thousands have died or suffered injuries or illness due to unexploded ordinance and Agent Orange.
One estimate claims:
QUOTE
Given a Vietnamese population of approximately 38 million during the period 1954-1975, Vietnamese casualties represent a good 12-13% of the entire population. To put this in perspective, consider that the population of the US was 220 million during the Vietnam War. Had The US sustained casualties of 13% of its population, there would have been 28 million US dead.
http://www.rjsmith.com/kia_tbl.html
http://www.rjsmith.com/kia_tbl.html
And then there is My Lai:
WARNING-EXTREMELY GRAPHIC PHOTOS IN THIS LINK:
http://www.rotten.com/library/history/war-...y-lai-massacre/
Despite protestations from Congress, the Army investigated, but no one was appropriately held accountable:
QUOTE
Gen. Peers went to Vietnam to finish his probe. In March, 1970 he presented a devastating set of results. He found that the My Lai massacre resulted from faulty leadership, that there was a massive cover-up, and that most American soldiers were poorly-trained about the rules of war. Peers' report also found that at least 30 people, including Lt. Calley, either knew about or participated in the My Lai massacre. Charges against most of them were dismissed due to lack of evidence. Lt. Calley, however, was charged with being responsible for the murder of more than 100 Vietnamese civilians.
http://www.courttv.com/archive/greatesttri...background.html
http://www.courttv.com/archive/greatesttri...background.html
My Lai was not an isolated incident. In fact, it may be linked to Operation Phoenix:
QUOTE
But perhaps the worst publicity to arise in connection with Operation Phoenix involves the March 1968 massacre of 504 South Vietnamese civilians—almost all of them women, children and elderly men at a tiny hamlet in Quang Ngai province known as My Lai. The CIA’s exact role in that atrocity has never been proven, but as Valentine reports, members of one of the Vietnamese groups assisting the agency with Operation Phoenix—the VNQDD—visited My Lai the day before the massacre took place.
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/19/news-schou.php
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/19/news-schou.php
Tiger Force carried out similar atrocities:
QUOTE
Women and children were intentionally blown up in underground bunkers. Elderly farmers were shot as they toiled in the fields. Prisoners were tortured and executed - their ears and scalps severed for souvenirs. One soldier kicked out the teeth of executed civilians for their gold fillings.
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...FORCE/110190169
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...FORCE/110190169
While Jane Fonda is spit upon, Calley goes unmolested:
QUOTE
Today, Calley runs a jewelry store just outside the gates of Ft. Benning, Ga., where he was tried almost three decades ago. He refuses to discuss My Lai or its aftermath.
http://www.courttv.com/archive/greatesttri.../aftermath.html
http://www.courttv.com/archive/greatesttri.../aftermath.html
Questions for Debate:
Why did we invade Vietnam?
Should we have invaded Vietnam?
Does America's military and the CIA still carry out "Operation Phoenix" tactics against civilians?
Calley claimed he was following orders. Many veterans also protested Calley's original life sentence (he served six months house arrest and was pardoned). They claimed Calley was a scapegoat who was following orders. Was he?
Do tactics such as those used during Operation Phoenix work?
If so, should we use them, even though innocent civilians are tortured and killed in the process?
Edited to narrow debate questions, with permission of ralou
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Note: This is an automated response.
REOPENED.
Please debate the following:
Why did we invade Vietnam?
Should we have invaded Vietnam?
Does America's military and the CIA still carry out "Operation Phoenix" tactics against civilians?
Calley claimed he was following orders. Many veterans also protested Calley's original life sentence (he served six months house arrest and was pardoned). They claimed Calley was a scapegoat who was following orders. Was he?
Do tactics such as those used during Operation Phoenix work?
If so, should we use them, even though innocent civilians are tortured and killed in the process?
Remember to be civil and support your responses with outside sources.
Please debate the following:
Why did we invade Vietnam?
Should we have invaded Vietnam?
Does America's military and the CIA still carry out "Operation Phoenix" tactics against civilians?
Calley claimed he was following orders. Many veterans also protested Calley's original life sentence (he served six months house arrest and was pardoned). They claimed Calley was a scapegoat who was following orders. Was he?
Do tactics such as those used during Operation Phoenix work?
If so, should we use them, even though innocent civilians are tortured and killed in the process?
Remember to be civil and support your responses with outside sources.
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