Playing politics and war
I was nineteen when I arrived in Vietnam in November of 1967. My body was strong and my mind was sound. I was the product of a good Iowa high school education and rigorous Marine Corps training.
I had political views about the war. I felt those views were based upon my own reasoned evaluation of what the war was about. It does not matter what those opinions were. It only matters that they were mine.
Thinking about politics did not occupy a large amount of my time while I was in Vietnam. The Stars and Stripes and Armed Forces Radio were our main news sources. The United States eventually became an imaginary place compared to daily life in Vietnam.
If I had been told that stifling debate and dissent about the war was necessary to protect my morale, I would have found it personally insulting, condescending, manipulative, laughable, and chicken shit.
Come on. Who’s fooling who?
posted by Lynn @ 10:42 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I think troops in Iraq feel the same way. I think the general public is also being stifled to protect morale, mainly concerning the reality of low morale of the troops. If 'we' knew how 'they' felt about how we felt etc... the mood would be downright mutinous. If it isn't already.
edie,
Some troops are on their third deployment. I cannot imagine what that must feel like.
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