Vietnam War Impacts Archives - R. Lawson Author

The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XX – “Vietnamization”

R Lawson — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 21:37:01 +0000

“Vietnamization” – That was the title of Nixon’s nationally televised address delivered in hopes of settling the crescendo of public discord over Vietnam; a war dividing the country angrily into “Hawks” and “Doves.” That speech required maneuvering through a political minefield, a history of failed negotiations, pervading media hostility and anti-war bias, plus fake news. […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XVIII – More of the Same?

R Lawson — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 18:00:00 +0000

They don’t play beanball in Washington, D.C. Politics is a blood sport. LBJ was a political animal who recognized reality- Vietnam was a dead end for him, the war dividing the Nation, losing popular support, and threatening the demise of the Democratic party. Losing a reelection in November 1968 would be the ultimate humiliation. So, […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XII – Why Revisit?

R Lawson — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 17:00:47 +0000

A close friend, a Vietnam combat veteran, asked me why I was taking the time to “revisit” such a controversial war, one that divided our nation politically? Why spend time writing blogs about it? Why not just move on? Get it behind us? That reminded me of Richard M. Nixon’s famous quote. One thing he […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part VIII – Backing a Losing Horse?

R Lawson — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 22:09:54 +0000

In my last blog I discussed JFK’s decision to become involved militarily in South Vietnam in 1961. With attribution to noted historian, Barbara Tuchman and my historical narrative, RECALL, I pointed out the two traps his administration fell into- Quests to defeat the Soviet proclamation and support for “wars of liberation” in Algeria, Cuba, and […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited- Part VII – A War of Attrition

R Lawson — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 22:16:58 +0000

If you read my prior blogs addressing this subject you will understand where I’m going with my discussion of Barbara Tuchman’s analysis of the Vietnam War. My last blog in the series outlined the background leading up to the Vietnam War. This blog picks up as Kennedy takes office. Kennedy’s mindset was moving closer to […]

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Other Vietnam Veterans’ Viewpoints – Terry Garlock

R Lawson — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 00:59:29 +0000

I get Vietnam War articles emailed to me from veteran pals from time to time. For a long while we rarely discussed that contentious war outside of family, friends, and fellow vets. Many vets of that era over fifty years ago still harbor resentment for the disrespect they received upon returning home. And many know […]

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The Vietnam War Revisited

R Lawson — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 01:44:38 +0000

– Revisiting the Vietnam War – During 2018, I posted thirty-five blogs addressing the history, the controversies and the myths surrounding one of the most misunderstood wars in our history. Vietnam was a war that divided the nation and influenced our national psyche and mindsets that persist into the present wars in the Middle East. […]

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Political Interference in the Vietnam War

R Lawson — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:45:40 +0000

Vietnam War -Political Interference My recently published fictional historical novel, RECALL, documents countless episodes of political interference in military affairs. To name a couple, DC civilian micromanagement imposing limiting rules of engagement and the pursuit of ill-advised strategies evolving from political considerations, not military deliberations in many cases. The conduct of the war was often […]

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Vietnam: The Cultural Journey that Followed

R Lawson — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 15:01:07 +0000

The Cultural Journey Post-Vietnam “War is a weapon, use it wisely,” historian Bernard Lewis cautioned a decade ago in reference to the Middle East conflicts. “In 1940 we knew who we were, we knew who the enemy was, we knew the dangers and the issues… It is different today.We don’t know who we are, we […]

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