Deny it all you want, but I believe this is a solid enticement. ;)

Oh, and thank you very much!

I have sent Mark an email. I received mail from him earlier this evening, but he is probably sleeping now, like a human. I, on the other hand, stayed up all night waiting for my missing cat to come home.

I hope that Mark will join us here on this thread soon.

s.
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Ooooh, Catwoman is going to LOVE this one!

Likewise-that would be fantastic. Looking forward to it.

Karl

Actually, more like 40 years ago.

I believe that all are dead now, either from injury, disease, age, or just the fact that at some point, they became of no remaining value to the NV. They are a liability now, and likely became that after we refused to negotiate for their release.

Ah, the master of realpolitik! Not an idiot, just not a man to be counted on.

Different times, different circumstances.

Because as a nation, we lacked the balls to do the right thing when it mattered.

First, from the Japanese and French experiences in IndoChina, we should have expected that they would retain additional numbers of POW as bargaining chips.

Then should have required their release as a condition of our exit and bombed Hanoi and the NV infrastructure mercilessly till they complied with full accountability.

Finally, we should have supported the South in 1975 with air strikes and material aid.

Instead, when the going got tough, we cut and ran, abandoning our soldiers and our allies, allowing them to be shamefully crushed, and laying the groundwork for our global actions for the next 30 years plus.:mad:

Sound familiar?

What do you think our premature exit from Iraq will cost us (our children, actually) in the long run?:rolleyes:

TR

More than either Chief or myself are prepared to pay. Hard as deployments might seem right now they beat the alternative hands down.

If we are going to compare Iraq and Vietnam, let me ask this question: why aren't we bombing the living shit out of (or otherwise engaging) the countries assisting our enemies? Like Iran, Syria, etc.?

I do not have a full picture, but I do see some indication that we are making the same mistakes again. Had we taken on North Vietnam much earlier and more directly and stuck with it, I think the result may well have been different.

I am prepared to be corrected, of course. :munchin

RL, we did not Bomb The Shit out of China OR The Soviet Union!!!

Or North Vietnam, on a regular and militarily effective basis.:rolleyes:

TR

That is precisely my point. I certainly defer to the expertise of others, but I believe that had we done so the outcome of the war may well have been different.

I finished the book last night. Unbelieveable.

The book and this thread now have me googling. Interesting material, particularly for those without relevant experience, here:

http://www.aiipowmia.com/sea/aimsmith.html

http://www.aiipowmia.com/legis/smithvreagan.html

I'm just finishing the chapter re the Paris accords. I'm sure I will continue to get more and more angry as I read further... COL, thank you again for telling us about this book.

I have not received a reply from Mark. I will hopefully see him in a couple of days.

s.
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If you can't get him on here, I would be very interested in any status report that can be shared (assuming he is still pursuing the objectives discussed in the links above). I would also like to know how I can support his efforts financially or otherwise.