PEACE WITH HONOR

The sad war, last night on NPR I heard a tape of LBJ discussing his reasoning regarding the war in Viet Nam, it was dreadful to hear his words. He never ever thought we would prevail. Why did I continue?

During the campaign of '64 Goldwater and LBJ spoke in private. "You know, Lyndon, we are going to lose 40,000 men over there." "I know; but I have an election to win." As you remember, LBJ ran as the peace candidate. Remember the slogan: "Goldwater in '64, hot water in '65, coldwater in '66, no water in '67"? And the little girl in the anti Goldwater commercial, holding a flower, just before the nuclear mushroom.

Yes very clearly and my hopes were pinned to an LBJ win then I realized it did not matter. However, after visitng the LBJ library and the ranch I realize he paid dearly for hsi error.

LBJ was a proud vainglorious man. It broke his spirit so, I have always been of the opinion it was the major reason he did not live long thereafter.

I agree he finally saw the truth of what happened and it broke his heart. He had done so much for this country we, the citizens of the US have much better lives because of LBJ, but he was lost and afraid as President. If only he had stayed where he was most effective, Congress.

I learned an almost affection for him, once he quit the bombing and agreed to not seek re-election.

The night he announced he would not run again was almost as shocking as the death of JFK. I will never forget the look in his eyes, agony. It took a brave man to give up the Presidency, more likely than not he would have been re-elected as war time presidents usually are. Hmm, wonder what would have happened without Nixon.

I believe LBJ assumed the war would shortly come to an end once he stopped the bombing. I know I did. Nixon was a nefarious character who decided he could bomb them into submission, which widened the war and caused so many more needless deaths. And for what? So the cameras could catch the last helicopter out of Saigon for the evening news.

When the Vietnamese arrived at Camp Pendleton I was their working for SSA at the time. It was so awful those first to escape where without hope and afraid. Even though it was May they were freezing and the Marines provided them with the smallest fatigues they could find but these small people were still swiming in the clothes. It was a depressing experience all and all.

But worst were the soldars coming home in 72' on the C-130s with no one to greet them and not a word of praise. It was not even covered that much on TV.

As much as I hated that war, my ire was always aimed at the perpetrators (the politicians) never at the people who served from a sense of duty. In fact, before I learned what it was about I was about to re-enlist to serve there also.