Vietnam’s Legacy

Re “Vietnam Still an ‘Invisible Scar’ for Army,” April 10: The legacies and lessons of the Vietnam War are not principally for the U.S. military but for our whole society. The primary lesson and legacy is that the American people resist using military force where the political objective is vague, or apparently for elite interests and not for the American people as a whole.

The obstacles the U.S. faces in projecting military force around the world are more the result of potential civilian backlash than from a fear that the troops will be ineffectual. However, the question of effectiveness should be raised. Protests against military action are, in fact, votes against the long-term effectiveness of military actions.

Today, as in the Cold War era, the underlying questions remain the same. Are the policies that lead to military aid and/or actions in the best U.S. interest? Is violence effective in achieving our objectives, not to mention moral?

Vietnam showed us that the people of all classes have a voice in how international politics are conducted.

KESHAV KAMATH

Los Angeles

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I’m always fascinated by the description of the Vietnam War as the only war we ever lost. I remember my eighth-grade history teacher telling us that we would skip the section on the War of 1812 because it wasn’t important. I learned later that we had invaded Canada and were repelled. In the ‘80s I learned that, starting in 1909, the Marines repeatedly invaded Nicaragua and eventually occupied it until 1933, when they were driven out by the guerrilla army of Cesar Augusto Sandino. On that war, my eighth-grade textbook didn’t even have a section to skip.

Today’s school history books have the scantiest mention of the Vietnam War. Whenever we lose our next war, I have no doubt it will be remembered, but only briefly, as the only war we ever lost.

MIGUEL MUNOZ

Los Angeles