Iraq and Vietnam - Twin Wars?

The 1960's had an influential aura that affected people, countries and politics. It was the beginning of the Vietnam War, a time where United States politics were at an all time low. Could it be possible that the same strategy is being used presently in Iraq? Iraq is America's new battlefront and has often been dubbed "George Bush's Vietnam". The similarities are shocking and an explanation is crucial. The war in Iraq has a revealing correspondence to Vietnam in three distinct ways; reasons for entry, the fighting conditions, and the long term affects on veterans that both wars share. With a good understanding of each war, several similarities may show more clearly.

The reasons for the United States entering these wars are somewhat similar. Vietnam was part of a plan to stop the "Domino Effect" and halt the spread of communism in the East before it eventually spread elsewhere. The Golf of Tonkin incident was an "acceptable" reason for the Green Berets of the U.S. to enter North Vietnam. An American battleship was supposedly "attacked" by ground forces, but later on, was found out that this claim, brought by the United States Army, was false. The situation in Iraq began with American intelligence allegedly discovering weapons of mass destruction. This could easily be connected with the incident at the Golf of Tonkin, because it was used as a valid reason for military action in the region. As it turns out, there weren't nuclear arms in Iraq which is also like the claim that the attack on a U.S. battleship was a fake. Referring back to the prevention of communism, the United States also entered Iraq to diffuse terroristic activities. The connection between the two conflicts is along the lines of interfering with an undesired government that would jeopardize the security of the Allied countries. These two wars both have dramatic beginnings in order to incite a military reaction.

The geography of Vietnam and Iraq differed greatly, from hilly jungles, to urban cities. Soldiers in Vietnam were to be watchful of enemy ambushes and booby traps under the hot and humid environment. In Iraq, weather isn't a major factor, but soldiers needed to be attentive for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and frequent suicide attacks. Much like in Vietnam, soldiers in Iraq take full advantage of the use of the helicopter, although in Iraq, the helicopter is used frequently for air-to-ground fighting rather than dropping off personnel. The local environment was almost completely different, but there were similar incidents with civilians. In Vietnam, there were many scattered villages dotting the jungle. The problem began when a platoon had just lost one of its members and went to the village of My Lai to let their anger out. The soldiers beat and killed innocent villagers and destroyed all the livestock, leaving the village devastated. A similar situation occurred in Iraq where a group of soldiers mistook civilians for the enemy, and went around killing people. The conditions that were faced by American soldiers in both countries were similar in intensity.

The terrors of war never leave any veteran, but after the Vietnam War ended, many veterans became mentally sick, because of their experiences. To date, Vietnam is a very sensitive subject to most veterans and people of that era. Since the Iraq war isn't over, but five years in the running, information about veterans is currently available. Veterans from Iraq don't seem to be as mentally traumatized as those from Vietnam. The death toll for Vietnam was 58,209 while the war in Iraq was 4,000. With this information, the assumption can be made that the Vietnam War was more horrific than the Iraq War.

Any war is a tragedy for the countries that lose civilians and soldiers. The Vietnam War is an excellent example of this, and the casualties in Iraq are beginning to add up. A connection is clearly visible that Iraq is similar to Vietnam in the following ways; the entrance into the wars, the fighting experience, and the after affects on veterans. In these two bloody wars, similarities between the two are unmistakable.