This was actually mentioned on a History Channel program. In WWII, troops could go weeks without seeing action. To get to and from the front lines required walking or using a jeep/truck. Starting with Vietnam, we could helicopter troops into and out of battle in a matter of minutes.
And then there's the changing face of the battlefield. In WWI, the front was almost completely static. In WWII, the Allies had the advantage most of the time (at least after D-Day), but the front lines still moved fairly slowly. In Korea, the front shifted back and forth many times as first the North invaded, then the UN pushed the North back, then the Chinese got involved, then the UN counterattack, etc. In Vietnam, there really wasn't really any defined "front", skirmishes could pop up just about anywhere, even in supposedly allied controlled cities like Saigon.
The same situation is happening in Iraq. There is no "front". We're fighting guerrillas and terrorists who can strike anywhere at any time.
This is even more dangerous than Vietnam, because while the VC were cunning and desperate, they were not generally suicidal. We're fighting people who think they are going to heaven if they blow themselves up and take out a few Foreign Devils. WE CANNOT WIN AGAINST THIS, PERIOD.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2005-06-16 11:18 pm (UTC)And then there's the changing face of the battlefield. In WWI, the front was almost completely static. In WWII, the Allies had the advantage most of the time (at least after D-Day), but the front lines still moved fairly slowly. In Korea, the front shifted back and forth many times as first the North invaded, then the UN pushed the North back, then the Chinese got involved, then the UN counterattack, etc. In Vietnam, there really wasn't really any defined "front", skirmishes could pop up just about anywhere, even in supposedly allied controlled cities like Saigon.
The same situation is happening in Iraq. There is no "front". We're fighting guerrillas and terrorists who can strike anywhere at any time.
This is even more dangerous than Vietnam, because while the VC were cunning and desperate, they were not generally suicidal. We're fighting people who think they are going to heaven if they blow themselves up and take out a few Foreign Devils. WE CANNOT WIN AGAINST THIS, PERIOD.