Rochester Today – Similarities of Vietnam War and War on Terror

Tom Ostrom Recently taught a Learning is ForEver course on the Vietnam War and the history behind the conflict in Southeast Asia that led to an interesting discussion on the Rochester Today show Tuesday morning on KROC-AM. Thanks to some astute listeners, the discussion identified interesting parallels between America's military actions in the Middle East since the 9/11 attacks and what happened decades ago in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

In both cases, statements from U.S. presidents expressing optimism about the outcomes of the conflicts were soon followed by surprising and strong gains by the enemy. In the Vietnam War it was the Tet Offensive, while President Obama's 2012 campaign message about the war on terror entering a new phase rings hollow today amid the continued reports of the increased activity and influence of Islamic extremists in the Middle East.

Training and equipping native military forces had disappointing results in America's disengagement from the Southeast Asian war and the conflicts in Southwest Asia. The South Vietnamese military could not stop the Vietcong and North Vietnam Army, and it appears the Iraqi and Afghan military's have yet to rise to the level needed to consistently turn back Al Qaeda, ISIS, and fighters aligned with other Islamic militant organizations.

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