Anyone have "Vietnam: An American History"?

[charles64]

That whole generation was heroic in their duty.My Father In-Law was on the original crew of USS Fletcher(DD-445)the first ship of that class of fast destroyer.He was a Bofors 40mm A.A.Gunner providing a screen for the fleet.That ship earned 15 battle stars in actions from Guadalcanal in '42 all through the Pacific Theater to Luzon in '45.These were mostly 19 year old kids who Sailed into Harms Way and did their duty under very trying circumstances.

[SoCal Sam]

Most of the old series "Battlefield Vietnam" is on Youtube. Very brutal. America is not cast as enlightened in this series, which would understandably rankle veterans. All due respect to the participants, I hope we never get into something like that again.

Some thoughts on the A-Bomb: U.S. forces got a taste of what invading the Japanese homeland would have been like. Consider the fanatical Japanese resistance against all odds and the American losses at Iwo Jima. U.S. casualties were estimated at 1,000,000 for invading Japan. I do think a demonstration drop on a symbolic site like Mt. Fuji or Tokyo Bay could have demonstrated our power just as effectively as a drop on a city.

It is interesting to note, the Japanese waited 2 weeks after the a-bombs to surrender. The Soviets had begun a full scale attack in Manchuria just prior to the surrender. It has been suggested they feared the Soviets more than America.