Goodnight, Vietnam: Tuesday Night Will Finally Put to Rest the Ghost of a War that Ended 35 Years Ago

I was born in November 1974. The Paris Peace Accords had been signed by Richard Nixon in January of the previous year. The war, for all intents and purposes was well over by the time I came around. Except it never ended. The shadow of Vietnam fell over American culture like a heavy, dank blanket--smothering anything else that may have emerged for the last three and a half decades.

For my entire life, I have lived under the specter of a war that ended before I was born. It started at childhood--from a mother who kept me from playing with GI Joes because of her peacenik past, to the schoolyard games of Rambo and the A-Team (we were always deep in Vietcong territory and framed for a crime we didn't commit or rescuing lost buddies). That was the start. It only got worse from there--for me, for others in my generation, and for the country.

Granada, then Panama, and, ultimately, the first Iraq war were meant to cure the country of "Vietnam syndrome," a term coined by Reagan to criticize the Carter administration, well over a decade before tanks hit the sand of Kuwait. We could win wars again, and win them decisively, the lopsided ejection of Iraq from Kuwait implied for many Americans. But while the syndrome may have been cured, the thick blanket of Vietnam still covered our national psyche.

The election that followed the first Iraq War was the 1992 matchup between Bill Clinton and George HW Bush. It was the first election that I and many in my generation could vote in. And how was it framed? By Vietnam: Clinton was a draft dodging pot-smoker (even if he never inhaled), Bush a proud WWII vet. Sure, the draft-dodger won, but the way he viewed the world was one of a young man changed by his opposition to the war. The politics of the 1960s colored his every move, thirty years later.

1996 offered a sequel, this time starring Clinton and Bob Dole. It was the hippie versus the war hero redux, a pattern that would continue to play out again and again and again. For many, it felt like we would never see the end of Vietnam.

2000? The Vietnam game was played by both the left and the right. Gore framed himself as a man who proudly volunteered for the army, "because I knew if I didn't go, someone else in the small town of Carthage, Tennessee would have to go in my place." Predictably, his service was questioned by the right. But two could play at that game, and so it was that the left grabbed onto the spectre of Vietnam as well, this time questioning Bush's (admittably questionable) time in the Texas Air National Guard.

The left thought it finally had the Vietnam upper hand with Kerry in 2004 (31 years after Nixon's signature in Paris). Here was a bonafide war hero, complete with purple heart. With the nation at war (we'd finally gotten over that Vietnam syndrome and were quite good at starting wars again--though not so good at ending them), the decision was made to foreground Kerry's service. And so it was that the ghost of Vietnam played out in star-spangled hi-def, from Kerry's choreographed boatride into the 2004 Democratic National Convention where he "reported for duty," to the brutal swiftboating that followed soon after. We all know how that ended.

And this year seemed, at first, like we'd be repeating the same never-ending passion play: war hero vs. anti-war; POW vs. liberal elitest; sacrifice vs. silver spoon (even though there was no spoon). When the eerie voiceover at the Republican National Convention implored "when you've lived in a box, you dedicate your whole life to making sure others don't have to live in that box," it was clear that the Reublicans were going to haunt us with the ghost of Vietnam once again. McCain's constant reminders about his five years as a POW, Palin's repulsive attack about Barack Obama's "pal," Vietnam-era "terrorist" Bill Ayers--they're all there to keep Vietnam front and center.

And they're not working.

Finally.

With Obama, it's not possible to fight the Vietnam war all over again. It's simply not his war. He was, after all, a child when the war ended. And so it is that the references don't stick: his anti-war stance was against Iraq, not Vietnam; his political awakening happened among the poverty of Chicago's South Side, not at a peace march on the National Mall. Even his association with ex-Weatherman Ayers was from a different era: they met at a foundation for education reform. Trying to play Vietnam against Obama was like trying to give a lecture to an audience of zebras: it's not only a different language, but a different species.

And so it is that we're one day away from finally escaping from the ghost of Vietnam, 35 years late. There are entire generations that have been desperate to emerge from under the stifling weight of its history--generations that are soon to be free at last. Watch us.

So goodnight Vietnam, may you never wake again.

Comments

[Sixties Hipster]

We should never forget any of our wars. The Vietnam "conflict" shoud have given us pause re: invading Iraq, fighting an indigenous people who are our friends by day and enemies after dark. There will be no victory in Iraq, they lack the political courage to stand up. Can you spell Iranq? Never forget Vietnam, the PTSD ghosts are everywhere.

[KansasWrangler]

Mr. Sinker, I was born in 1950 and for the first 18 years of my life (until I went to Vietnam, and was ignored upon my return) I and my generation had to live with the spectre of WWII and then the duck and cover 50's and 60's in which fear, promulgated by the right, controlled our lives. I can see how you think the way you do, but we "baby boomers" had to endure a lot too. I was certain in my early life that I would never see my 30's because of the fear mongering that passed as patriotism, the same sort of patriotism that the GOP has been trying to pass off for the last 20 years. I have had enough. Right or wrong, Obama is giving us hope - optimism. I want peace and satisfaction in the last 20 or 30 years of my life that I have been denied for 58 years, that my life has not been lived in vain.

[Tiberon]

For three decades the Right in this country longed to go back and symbolically win the war in Vietnam. That obsession is what fueled the Neocon world view. The idiotic invasion of Iraq is what that obsession got us, and it could not have been clearer to many old enough to remember Vietnam that the Iraq adventure was doomed and tragic right from the start.

If Obama can get us once and for all out of what is basically Cold War mentality that should have died decades ago, it will be a good thing. But don't expect the Right to give up easily. They were willing to kill and main thousands and bankrupt the country for their little "this time we'll win" fantasy in the Mid-East.

I

[NationalTreasure]

Vietnam may seem like a long ago war that can now be put to rest unfortunately America has not done right by the multitude for Vietnam ware veterans and is repeating the same mistreatment of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Republicans rant about their support of the troops but fail to provide the resources for their support and are callous about engaging in senseless wars so it is the responsibility of Democratic and Independents to keep the republicans and their neo-con faction honest. Therefore, we must never hold the notion that "there are entire generations that have been desperate to emerge from under the stifling weight of its history--generations that are soon to be free at last.".

[darthdarcy]

You really think so?

I just had a friend a real "Vietnam war hero" with a presidential citation and commendation and group citation and commendation kill himself on pills and booze and freezing to death right here in Ulster County NY...

He was also in the first rescue helicopter to respond to the burning and exploding USS Forrestal but had already earned those presidential commendations for other acts of bravery...

Froze to death in America, froze to death...after passing out..

[Imago]

Oh, god, I'm so sorry.

And we have created a new generation of former soldiers who are utterly traumatized by their time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Right now, as I write this, there is a gunman in fatigues who's closed down the highway in Santa Barbara, CA -- unconfirmed reports from witnesses say he's shouting anti-Obama slogans and is an Iraqi war veteran.

[mredder4]

Excellent points. I share your enthusiasm for seeing this fade as a national topic.

But it's unfortunate that it can only be replaced by 9/11, or Iraq War the Sequel, or our repeat of the Soviet Blunder into Afghanistan.

I guess this means we should enjoy the freedom from the one "smothering blanket" until such time as we let the next one get draped over us.

[dfranz]

As a Viet Nam combat veteran I hope this is true. I too am tired of hearing about John McCain"s sacrifice and his scars to prove it. He is not alone. The Viet Nam war was a political war designed by the military industrial complex just as Ike predicted. When I hear people saying that we lost the war because of lack of will of the people of the United States I want to puke. We lost the war because we were wrong and we did not have the hearts of the Vietnamese behind us. The Republicans, in my opinion, have been trying to relive that experience ever since. That is why they trump their phony "support the troops" slogan and why they accuse anyone who does not support the Iraq fiasco as unpatriotic. If you wanted to support the troops you wouldn't make them return to Iraq over and over harming their families and careers. If John McCain wanted to show his support of the troops he would have supported the GI bill when it came up this year. I pray that we will be ruled by wise leaders who realize that war is the last resort and exacts a tremendous cost from those who fight it.

[SCLib]

Well and truly spoken, sir! (and thank you for serving, too)

[blaqntelligence]

Excellent response and thank you for your service.

[KarenGeorgetown]

So well said and I iterate my thanks for your service.

Specifically, I am tired of hearing about McCain's record because if you stand back and look at it, it"s quite horrendous. With the temperament of a badger and graduating fifth from the bottom of his class of 900 at Annapolis, he was given carte blanche to crash four (or five?) taxpayers' planes. These "accomplishments" and his tragic stay in the Hanoi Hilton make him a military and foreign affairs specialist? I don"t think so. I, too, am tired of this as the yardstick! The fact that a man chooses to serve in the military does not intrinsically confer the status of a "good" and effective soldier or sailor. Like Bush, McCain's Freudian need to keep up with Daddy brought hardship and heartbreak to the rest of America.

This excellent article puts me in mind of JFK"s inaugural quote: "The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans...."

[jqcitizen]

dfranz-
I share your hope that Nam can be forgotten. Not in the way that Korea has been called "The Forgotten War". I know what you mean.
I am thankful for younger people, such as the author of this essay, Dan Sinker, who seems to understand that knowledge of history is important.
These 'so-called' experts on war and peace, that demand positions of power to make the same mistakes are DANGEROUS. -Foolish war would never have to be 'forgotten' if they had never started in the first place.

[apoyo]

Unfortunately, the specter of Vietnam has been revived by Iraq. Same mistake, different place, different time. My teenage friends had to go to Vietnam. You can never really forget. You may be able to move on but on the other hand we are still studying the civil war.

[kgb999]

You really think Iraq and Vietnam are the same? Maybe more time studying and a bit less time projecting past emotions on today's conflicts might be in order.

Iraq can (and does) both completely suck and ALSO be completely different from Vietnam.

[Bitsko]

We should never forget the millions of Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians this country killed and dispossessed in an insane war.

[DumbDad]

Magnificent point. Never reported, either, by anybody talking about either that war or this one. It's never about the real cost of war--the weak and defenseless who pay and pay and pay.

We were however closer to the truth of American foreign policy's built-in idiocies in the Vietnam anti-war movement than we have been ever since. Our mistake was not to do Nuremberg trials in l976. That left the ill-educated military retirees to stew their resentments unchallenged until l990, when we had a war that was so much fun. Since then we've been back in the dark about war.

[HonorJusticeTruth]

We should also remember that there are thousands of Vietnamese American veterans living in this country. Those people fought a war for their own country and, for whatever reason, had to leave in order to stay alive. When we celebrate Veteran's Day, and have organizations honoring veterans, we should remember the sacrifice these people also made.

[CharleyCat]

Interesting, too, that every candidate you cite with bona fide war hero credentials lost in his respective election (except HWBush defeating Dukakis the first time around) to someone who didn't actually fight in a war. The whole "war hero" image actually seems to backfire (no pun intended) every single time.

So what conclusions can we draw from that? Perhaps, since Poppy Bush, the importance of having a military veteran in the White House has significantly diminished. One might optimistically infer that the American voter is less warlike generally, despite the agenda of the empire-seeking neocons out there.

[melmoid]

The Vietnam War scarred my generation like the Great Depression did my parents generation. Hopefully McCain will be the last reminder of this horrible War to fade from the national scene. McCain likes to say he knows how to win wars, but the one he served in, we lost. We lost because it was a war based on the myth of the Domino Theory. But there was never any place for the dominoes to fall since N Vietnam had no deep water navy or long range air force. The Gulf of Tonkin incident like so many justifications we use for war was a fake and a lie. Vietnam was a civil war we got into the middle of because our leaders did not spend 10 minutes studying a map or learning the history of the "enemy"--just like Iraq.

[DumbDad]

AND because they knew what the Republicans would do to them in dirty campaigning if they let the country go. You can lay Vietnam at the feet of LBJ's enemies. Yep, same guys.

[LHoney]

I don't think it had anything to do with the "domino theory". That was what they used to sell it, like WMD's. The vietnam war was fought for profit, like every war since WW2...

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

Interesting, isn't it, that the baby boomers will only have had 2 of its members win the Presidency before it is passed on to the next generation?

[Bitsko]

Considering how selfish and conformist that generation generally is, it might be a good thing. Though I would say that Clint0n and Bush are not exactly without ego.

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

I'll try not to take that too personally!

[7crows]

Gee, thanks so much for labeling millions of people (generally) based on their age. How very thoughtful of you. For some silly reason I thought this country was, at last, moving toward the unity and inclusiveness that so many of us selfish conformist fought for decades ago. But, wait, that was before our progressive leaders were either assassinated or overwhelmingly denigrated by the WWII generation. Makes one wonder what happened to that earlier generation and what could conceivably happen to this new generation (who just now invented selflessness and nonconformity) that might make them less than perfect in the eyes of their children. Only time will tell.
PS McCain is too old to be a "boomer" by a decade, just in case that is not clear.

[boophus]

I find that so offensive it almost makes me wish that your generation would be left alone to succeed on your own with everyone else in opposition. Generalizations like you just made are not only uncalled for they are counterproductive since there are many of the baby boomers working for & voting liberal and progressive agendas. As for the baby boomers having won the presidency only 2 times, it will be interesting to see if your generation does any better.
Reminds me of the phrase " the young think they invented sex" and now they think apparently that they invented progressive ideas. So much for the feminist movement, environmental movement, civil rights movement and anti war movement.

[Quipman]

Amen!

[sharri]

Thank you for what is probably the best article I have read this campaign season. The hope of our candidates no longer being defined by the Vietnam war is an ideal I have longed for. Too bad it will be followed by another misconceived war that the only winners will be the men and women who fought the battles. We are once again left with our countries reputation destroyed as well as that of our leaders who made the decisions. Ten years from now we have a new crop of young politicians whose military service will again challenge the patriotism of their opponent's. The die has been cast.

[LHoney]

When wars are fought for ideas (WW2), then winning is possible. When wars are faught for money, no one ever wins...

[Marlyn]

... endless war.