The Lessons Learned from Vietnam Essay - 802 Words

The Lessons Learned from Vietnam Lorenzo M. Crowell discusses the lessons that Americans have learned from the Vietnam conflict in his article The Lessons and Ghosts of Vietnam. Crowell analyzes the lessons learned from Vietnam and applies them to the military strategies of today. Crowell does overlook some problems involving the power of Saddam Hussein after Desert Storm and the comparison of two dissimilar wars. Crowell is effective in his arguments with the use of first-hand viewpoints, current newsprint, and political figureheads. Although the article The Lessons and Ghosts of Vietnam had some weak points, overall the article is effective and informative. Crowells main idea in his paper is how Americans have†¦show more content†¦One problem that arises in the article is Crowell trying to compare two dissimilar conflicts. Vietnam was a conflict that did not directly involve the United States. Desert Storm did involve the United States by jeopardizing our oil supply from the Middle East. The military was also prepared and ready to fight during Desert Storm where as in Vietnam the draft was introduced due to the lack of volunteer soldiers. The military strategies used in each conflict were different. In Vietnam man-to-man combat was employed over a slow period of time and Desert Storm utilized a more rapid attack using ballistic missiles. Crowell says, #8230;military force should be applied without restrictions, reflects an assumption that the unsatisfactory Vietnam experience might have been satisfactory without gradualism#8230; the war could have been ended quicker, perhaps even with victory (234). These two wars were s o different that Crowell should not have compared them and is ineffective in proving his points regarding the two conflicts. Another main issue that Crowell overlooks in the article is the problems in Desert Storm. The article mentions only the positive results in Iraq and ignores the mistakes made by the military. The main problem is that Saddam Hussein is still alive and dangerous. The threat of biological and chemical weapons that Iraq posses still lurks above our heads. Also the medical issues with exposures to the chemicals that SaddamShow MoreRelatedLessons Learned from the American Experience in Vietnam Essay994 Words   |  4 PagesLessons Learned from the American Experience in Vietnam DeVry University HUMN415: Vietnam and the 20th Century Experience Spring A 2010 Lessons Learned from the American Experience in Vietnam The Vietnam War was a war that seems to have thought the American Military and Government officials a lot about diplomatic negotiations, presidential leadership, and cultural/social contexts. 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