Did this book change your views on the Vietnam war?

Use this forum to discuss the November 2019 Book of the month, "Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath", by Randy Miller.
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KitabuKizuri
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Re: Did this book change your views on the Vietnam war?

Post by KitabuKizuri »

I've heard a lot about 'Naam but this book is insightful on the aftermath of the chemical side of strategy and the 'cong's' indifference towards human life, even of those they were allied to.
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Post by Kanda_theGreat »

At the end of a war, save for material maigns, there's basically nothing else that a country can benefit from winning a war. The Vietnam war was basically an unnecessary "Who is Superior" display of military power. From personal experience, war never ends it all. There's post-trauma to deal with, wounded soldiers, destroyed land that needs to be rebuilt... It is always the same old song, "What next?"
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Post by Chipochashe »

Wars never produce good results. There is no perfect human government. This book only goes to show that The government that is most hailed as a role model also has deep flaws in failing to take care of its own people.
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Post by timur777 »

Hello. This book just approved further the attitude I have already had towards this war and in overall, towards all wars. However the TV usually highlighted the terrors the Vietnamese went through, rather than Americans. These books also shows that American soldiers have suffered as well. In overall, war is not good, and should be avoided at any costs, especially when the cause of war is not righteous.
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Post by LinaMueller »

Most of the time, I regard almost all American wars as purposeless and motivated by powerful and greedy lobby groups. I am not sure, but my analysis is probably biased because I have observed numerous conflicts in the Middle East that do not benefit the American population at all.
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Brendan Donaghy
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Post by Brendan Donaghy »

I'm not sure that there's much left to say about the Vietnam War. Over the there have been countless books, films, and documentaries covering the subject from every conceivable angle. I think it must be hard for an author trying to find something new to say about it.
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Post by ReneeBrown »

I have studied the Vietnam war often over many years. For some reason, this war has always greatly interested me. I love the perspective this book brought to the reader. I thought it was very well-written.
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Post by ReneeBrown »

Chipochashe wrote: 21 Dec 2019, 23:34 Wars never produce good results. There is no perfect human government. This book only goes to show that The government that is most hailed as a role model also has deep flaws in failing to take care of its own people.
I would agree with you to some extent. I think the Vietnam war shows clearly what happens when government uses wars to try and regulate and control the way of life for other people and countries.
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Post by ReneeBrown »

Kanda_theGreat wrote: 21 Dec 2019, 21:43 At the end of a war, save for material maigns, there's basically nothing else that a country can benefit from winning a war. The Vietnam war was basically an unnecessary "Who is Superior" display of military power. From personal experience, war never ends it all. There's post-trauma to deal with, wounded soldiers, destroyed land that needs to be rebuilt... It is always the same old song, "What next?"
I agree! It is devastating how unnecessary and heartbreaking the Vietnam war turned out to be. Hopefully, we can learn from history and avoid repeating this mistake in the future.
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Post by randy6175 »

Brendan Donaghy wrote: 23 Dec 2019, 08:18 I'm not sure that there's much left to say about the Vietnam War. Over the there have been countless books, films, and documentaries covering the subject from every conceivable angle. I think it must be hard for an author trying to find something new to say about it.
[/quote
In my case it was not that difficult since the very few books written about the Navy in Vietnam always told the story from the high command's point of view. My four tours were as a deck ape and quartermaster. I very much doubt you will find a book before or after Deadly Waters that details the life of a lowly deck ape on a destroyer involved in combat, and of course the story is much more than that and continues for years after Zack's discharge.
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Post by Nikolas Farmakis »

This book gave me more insight into the struggles that sailors went through in the Vietnam War. Now, I know that it was not only the Army that fought bravely, but it was also the Navy that made many sacrifices when fighting in the war.
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Jorge Leon Salazar
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Post by Jorge Leon Salazar »

I know little about the details of the Vietnam War and this book is a door to keep learning but I think wars are bad for everyone, humanity loses.
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Post by Kristin Ransome »

I have very little knowledge of the Vietnam War, but I appreciated how the author illustrated both sides, not just the views learned about in school.
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Post by Julie Petitbon »

It did not change my views on the Vietnam War. I don't think the "why" will ever be answered fully, and no one ever really wins in war.
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Post by roymutuma »

Absolutely! I have to admit I had a preconceived notion of soldiers at war, which now I find rather erroneous. I imagined them as some sought of extensions of the weaponry. However, now I consider them to be remarkable heroes. The treacherous terrain described in the book is incredibly difficult to manoeuvre. The enemy is not only the adversaries but also the weather. The horrors of the VA system stuck with me. Now I feel more enlightened about the Veteran issues, especially the Vietnam war veterans. This goes a long way to show how skilled and passionate the writer is especially putting this in the context of his military background.
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