? The Lessons And Ghosts Of Vietnam? Essay, Research Paper

Peggy Thomas

Czyzniejewski

English 112H

9/16/99

The Lessons Learned from Vietnam

Lorenzo M. Crowell discusses the lessons that Americans have learned from the Vietnam struggle in his article & # 8220 ; The Lessons and Ghosts of Vietnam. & # 8221 ; Crowell analyzes the lessons learned from Vietnam and applies them to the military schemes of today. Crowell does overlook some jobs affecting the power of Saddam Hussein after Desert Storm and the comparing of two dissimilar wars. Crowell is effectual in his statements with the usage of first-hand point of views, current newspaper, and political front mans. Although the article & # 8220 ; The Lessons and Ghosts of Vietnam & # 8221 ; had some weak points, overall the article is effectual and enlightening.

Crowell & # 8217 ; s chief thought in his paper is how Americans have learned from Vietnam. He draws analogues between the Vietnam struggle and Desert Storm. The article discusses the political and military mistakes made in Vietnam and the solutions to those issues. Military leaders of today have learned from the Vietnam struggle and have changed their schemes on future wars, like Operation Desert Storm. The chief error that Americans made in the Vietnam struggle was the gradual application of military force on the Vietnamese ( 230-231 ) . It caused more Americans to be killed and internal political struggles in the authorities. The armed forces has learned from errors in Vietnam and applied a speedy and powerful scheme in Operation Desert Storm without any limitations. Another lesson that Americans learned from the Vietnam struggle was the negative impact of domestic dissent ( 236-238 ) . It caused governmental vacillation in Congress and anti-war protests, led by the media on the populace. This resulted in the under minding of the military personnels which led to the loss of the Vietnam struggle. The usage and maltreatment of these lessons learned in Vietnam will go on to be the bequest of Vietnam.

One job that arises in the article is Crowell seeking to compare two dissimilar struggles. Vietnam was a struggle that did non straight affect the United States. Desert Storm did affect the United States by endangering our oil supply from the Middle East. The armed forces was besides prepared and ready to contend during Desert Storm where as in Vietnam the bill of exchange was introduced due to the deficiency of voluntary soldiers. The military schemes used in each struggle were different. In Vietnam man-to-man combat was employed over a slow period of clip and Desert Storm utilized a more rapid onslaught utilizing ballistic missiles. Crowell says, & # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; military force should be applied without limitations, reflects an premise that the unsatisfactory Vietnam experience might hold been satisfactory without gradualism & # 8230 ; the war could hold been ended quicker, possibly even with triumph & # 8221 ; ( 234 ) . These two wars were so different that Crowell should non hold compared them and is uneffective in turn outing his points sing the two struggles.

Another chief issue that Crowell overlooks in the article is the jobs in Desert Storm. The article mentions merely the positive consequences in Iraq an

vitamin D ignores the errors made by the armed forces. The chief job is that Saddam Hussein is still alive and unsafe. The menace of biological and chemical arms that Iraq posses still lurks above our caputs. Besides the medical issues with exposures to the chemicals that Saddam Hussein used during the war will come up subsequently as the soldiers’ age. Crowell was uneffective when showing both sides of the issue of the result of Desert Storm.

Crowell, nevertheless, nicely explains how the military had learned from the Vietnam struggle and applied a new attack for usage in Desert Storm. During the Vietnam struggle the military scheme was gradual escalation, which caused many Americans to lose their lives. The military leaders of Operation Just Cause province, & # 8220 ; gradualism and escalation as advocated by sophisticated analysts & # 8230 ; merely does non work. It gets more of our people killed & # 8221 ; ( qtd. in Crowell 231 ) . The military leaders learned the lesson of gradual escalation and applied it to Desert Storm. General Colin Powell said of Desert Storm, & # 8220 ; When we launch it, we will do it decisive so we can acquire it over every bit rapidly as possible and there is no inquiry who won & # 8221 ; ( qtd. in Crowell 233 ) . The armed forces besides learned that contending Desert Storm would necessitate more engineering and atomic power than was used in Vietnam. The United States has learned several military lessons from Vietnam.

The article overall was powerful and edifying. Crowell nicely supported his points with first-hand histories from the media, military, and the populace. Crowell used newspaper cuttings from the Boston Globe, Oakland Tribune, Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times to stress his statements with written cogent evidence. The citations from General Colin Powell ( Army ) , General Robin Olds ( Air Force ) , and Jim Waide ( Marines ) showed the technological progresss, and military schemes of the Vietnam struggle and Desert Storm. Crowell quoted some common people who lived through the war to demo the populaces sentiment on the state of affairs. The interpolation of these citations in the article makes it more motivative and enlightening.

Crowell & # 8217 ; s article overall is enlightening and effectual. Crowell researched good, and it shows in his article via the quotation marks, descriptions, and chief points made. His passages between the Vietnam Conflict and Desert Storm are smooth and efficient. His chief point that the United States has learned from past military error was good made and proven.

In his article, & # 8220 ; The Lessons and Ghosts of Vietnam & # 8221 ; Lorenzo M. Crowell deems that the lessons the United States has learned in Vietnam are of import to use to future struggles. Even though Crowell has some doubtful issues that he omits in the article about what truly happened in Desert Storm, his overall article is adept. He clearly gets his point across that events of Vietnam should ne’er be repeated and that the United States has learned its lesson.

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Crowell, Lorenzo M. & # 8220 ; The Lessons and Ghosts of Vietnam. & # 8221 ; Looking Back

on the Vietnam War, a 1990 & # 8217 ; s Perspective on the Decisions, Combat, and Legacies. Ed. William Head and Lawrence E. Grinter. Westport, Connecticut, 1993. 229-240.