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You’ve heard the phrase referring to “Learning the lessons of Vietnam,” haven’t you?Whatever do these words mean?Exactly which mistake are they speaking of when referring to that protracted debacle?Was it the mistake to enter the war, one that had already begun under French colonial occupation?Was it the intellectual error of bundling all “Communisms” together?Was it the mistake of escalating?Was it the mistake of not recognizing our mounting losses earlier, and figuring out an exit strategy that could have saved lives?Was it the mistake of believing that our military credibility around the world, especially in enemy camps, would be eroded by suffering “a loss?” in that engagement?Was it the mistake of believing that gunboat diplomacy can remake civilizations, especially into our own likeness?I ask these questions because I truly believe there is no consensus about the errors we made, strategically, tactically, and politically.Now that Democrats have won control of Congress, and even the President believes the election was a referendum on the war, what are we going to do with Iraq, and more important, how are we going to EXPLAIN to ourselves and the world our rationale for doing it?Remember “Vietnamization?” That was the drawn out process of helping the South Vietnamese to “fight their own war.” But our training and materiel and money couldn’t stop Saigon from falling into the hands of Ho Chi Minh.We’re hearing about “Iraqization” now, only under less of a polemical name.The problem is we don’t learn from the past, and as the wise man once said, we’re doomed to repeat it.Pity we can’t open a genuine discussion about these wars and finally LEARN something from them.
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Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 950 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard"--the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.
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