Month: September 2021

AMERICAS MISTAKES WE HAVE NOT LEARNED

by Lauren Zanolli

What happened when Democrats in Congress cut off funding for the Vietnam War?

Historians have directly attributed the fall of Saigon in 1975 to the cessation of American aid. Without the necessary funds, South Vietnam found it logistically and financially impossible to defeat the North Vietnamese army. Moreover, the withdrawal of aid encouraged North Vietnam to begin an effective military offensive against South Vietnam. Given the monetary and military investment in Vietnam, former Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage compared the American withdrawal to “a pregnant lady, abandoned by her lover to face her fate.” Historian Lewis Fanning went so far as to say that “it was not the Hanoi communists who won the war, but rather the American Congress that lost it.”

In January of 1973, President Richard Nixon approved the Paris Peace Accords negotiated by Henry Kissinger, which implemented an immediate cease-fire in Vietnam and called for the complete withdrawal of American troops within sixty days. Two months later, Nixon met with South Vietnamese President Thieu and secretly promised him a “severe retaliation” against North Vietnam should they break the cease-fire. Around the same time, Congress began to express outrage at the secret illegal bombings of Cambodia carried out at Nixon’s behest. Accordingly, on June 19, 1973 Congress passed the Case-Church Amendment, which called for a halt to all military activities in Southeast Asia by August 15, thereby ending twelve years of direct U.S. military involvement in the region.

In the fall of 1974, Nixon resigned under the pressure of the Watergate scandal and was succeeded by Gerald Ford. Congress cut funding to South Vietnam for the upcoming fiscal year from a proposed 1.26 billion to 700 million dollars. These two events prompted Hanoi to make an all-out effort to conquer the South. As the North Vietnamese Communist Party Secretary Le Duan observed in December 1974: “The Americans have withdrawn…this is what marks the opportune moment.”

The NVA drew up a two-year plan for the “liberation” of South Vietnam. Owing to South Vietnam’s weakened state, this would only take fifty-five days. The drastic reduction of American aid to South Vietnam caused a sharp decline in morale, as well as an increase in governmental corruption and a crackdown on domestic political dissent. The South Vietnamese army was severely under-funded, greatly outnumbered, and lacked the support of the American allies with whom they were accustomed to fighting.

The NVA began its final assault in March of 1975 in the Central Highlands. Ban Me Thout, a strategically important hamlet, quickly fell to North Vietnam. On March 13, a panicked Thieu called for the retreat of his troops, surrendering Pleiku and Kontum to the NVA. Thieu angrily blamed the US for his decision, saying, “If [the U.S.] grant full aid we will hold the whole country, but if they only give half of it, we will only hold half of the country.” His decision to retreat increased internal opposition toward him and spurred a chaotic mass exodus of civilians and soldiers that clogged the dilapidated roads to the coast. So many refugees died along the way that the migration along Highway 7B was alternatively described by journalists as the “convoy of tears” and the “convoy of death.” On April 21, President Thieu resigned in a bitter televised speech in which he strongly denounced the United States. Sensing that South Vietnam was on the verge of collapse, the NVA accelerated its attack and reached Saigon on April 23. On the same day, President Ford announced to cheerful students at Tulane University that as far as America was concerned, “the war was over.” The war officially concluded on April 30, as Saigon fell to North Vietnam and the last American personnel were evacuated.

ONE FOR HISTORY BUFFS THAT I BET YOU DID NOT KNOW

In 1975, President Ford was left to manage the difficult ending of the Vietnam War. President Ford went to Congress for a relief package to allow American personnel and our allies to evacuate. However, there was ONE US SENATOR who opposed any such support. The result was the embarrassing and hurried evacuation from the roof of the American embassy in Saigon 

This senator reveled in the embarrassment and did everything he could to leverage it politically against Ford. Despite the efforts of this U.S. Senator–President Ford managed to rescue 1,500 South Vietnamese allies prior to the country’s fall. Had President Ford not acted quickly, these people would have been targeted and slaughtered for their support for America. When they arrived in America, President Ford asked Congress for a package to assist these refugees to integrate into American society. 

That SAME troublesome SENATOR TORPEDOED ANY SUPPORT for these shell shocked, anti-communist, Americans and our helpers, the refugees. 

Instead, President Ford had to recruit Christian organizations to offer assistance on a voluntary basis. As he did so, the Senator belittled those efforts. What kind of person would oppose President Ford’s tireless work to do the right and humanitarian thing? Who would want to play politics with the well-being of innocent people who stood by America in the tragic Vietnam War? 

THAT SENATOR WAS JOE BIDEN

From the book- “When the Center Held.” by Donald Rumsfeld in 2018. (biography)

So, we have left Afghanistan with 100% of the military evacuated.

WHY!  Because we the American people demanded it?  Sorry, bad excuse.  The majority of Americans have no clue regarding Afghanistan let alone the middle east.

This will be a costly mistake in the not to near future.  With the Taliban, al-Qaeda, ISIS now in charge of Afghanistan they can plan and execute their terrorists’ actions.   They can further implement their gruesome, archaic, ideology towards it people.

Why so intent on leaving 100%?  Should have left a contingent of 2,500 personal with close air support aircraft and ground intelligence to keep the Bahrain AF Base secure and the enemy at bay with such a close threat. Close the embassy and level it.    Any attempt by the terrorist would be dealt with harshly by our military.  Drones, air strikes, etc. This was the Trump plan.   No ground operations, other than inteligence, as the afghans needed to step up to this.  With the US in still support the afghans would not have departed.  Our presents will deter the terrorists and keep them in Pakistan and around that border.  Any attempt to take over the country will be dealt with harshly.  Collateral damage would be a hazard that the afghans would need to take responsibility for.

Keeping 2,500 troops and personnel to keep the peace is not asking too much to keep another 9/11 from happening.  This doesn’t seem to be an out of order request.  As well as all the refugees we would not need to accommodate, who are unvetted.  They would rather be in their own secure country anyway.  Without the loss of an American service man for over a year, the area has been stable due to our present and conditions we set forth.  If getting out 100% is so important, why do we have these troops deployed in South Korea (26,000), Germany (35,000), Italy (12,000) and Japan (53,000).  If getting out of Afghanistan was so important don’t our troops in the other areas of operations deserve the same.  Granted they are there to keep the piece from Russia and North Korea since 1945, but can’t they handle it now after 60+ years of occupation.   I know Germany can and South Korea as well.  Our military is so mobile now that we can strike within hours of an incident.