Anyone who fought in vietnam...?

Question

Can you please give me your opinion on Robert McNamara? (What you think of him, and what he did to make you think that)

-Extra Credit in history... Thanks so much!

Answer 1

robert MCnamara is a secretary of defense during VIETNAM WAR,he is a good man and does his job though.But the most disgrace man of all during VIETNAM WAR is henry kissinger,that man sold out vietnam and allied,he went to shake hand and go back door with china and abandon VIETNAM.VIETNAMESE people will never forget and forgive that traitor!!!!!!!!!!!!VIVA REPUBLIC OF VIETNAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Answer 2

I was born close to the beginning of the Vietnam War, and therefore didn't serve. My Dad served in 1964-1965, and I have several uncles who fought on both sides of the War. One uncle died in combat. A few escaped to the U.S. Three were detained in re-educations camps and beaten to near death for many years. One uncle had all of his arms and legs broken and his left eye ripped out of his skull while being "re-educated." Other uncles fought in the NVA with one who had lived in caves for four years while the war was progressing. All of this and more inspired me to study Vietnam and the Vietnam War when I was in junior high and I haven't stopped studying.

I have rather unique access to different opinions of the Vietnam War, and I try to keep my opinions neutral to better understand all sides of the conflict. I also don't feel that I have the right to draw an opinion to those who served in Vietnam. However, it is very difficult to remain neutral when it comes to McNamara and Johnson. There is really no one person to blame for the escalation of the Vietnam War, but it would be a toss up between McNamara and Johnson if one could.

McNamara tried to convince Kennedy that taking over military operations from ARVN (South Vietnamese Army) was the only option to keep South Vietnam from falling to communism due to South Vietnamese President Diem's administration being more corrupt day by day. I believe Kennedy seen the bigger picture better than McNamara, and may have eventually brokered peace between the Soviet Union and the U.S. if he had not been assassinated.

Johnson agreed with McNamara's opinions of Vietnam, and the two of them put into action to escalate U.S. interests in Vietnam from an advisory role into a full fledge war. My Dad was in Vietnam to install communications equipment in preparation for the war, and was there when U.S. operations changed from advisory command to combat command. My Dad could see that U.S. interest was never to win the war even at the early stage when he was there, because Washington D.C. was micromanaging the war instead of letting the theater commanders take charge. This was due to McNamara and Johnson's desire to have complete control over everything to keep from bringing the Soviet Union and China into combat. Their shortsightedness cost tens of thousands of American lives and millions of Vietnamese lives over the next ten years.

McNamara's video documentary, called "The Fog of War," gave me a new perspective of him and the detailed issues of the Vietnam War. He gave a rather comprehensive explanation of critical issues left to question for decades. He even explained who was to blame for the Vietnam War, which was naturally Johnson. Then again, it's easy to put the blame on someone who is dead.

My opinion as a non-Vietnam Veteran, although well studied in the history of the Vietnam War is I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. I wouldn't know how I could live with myself knowing that I was at least partly responsible for killing and permanently injuring so many Americans and Vietnamese due to being shortsighted. At least he was man enough to create his documentary before he died, so others may find a means to have closure with the Vietnam War.