Jim Tuttle (Vietnam Veteran)
Were any distrust of government among soldiers in Vietnam? If so,why?
We were all young. I had not encountered any suspicion among my buddies and speaking for myself, I had no distrust of the government until after I returned from Vietnam in 1969. It took awhile for the government to earn my distrust and disrespect. After I returned I could not find a job. It seemed that after I answered the question of my military service, my reputation as a "baby killer and drug addict" was sealed. That resulted from the incredibly negative press that seemed to blame the troops for the incompetence of the administration of LBJ. As 1969 progressed, I learned that President Johnson, who had no inkling of military strategy, was micro-managing the war. Any President who has no military experience should just tell the Pentagon of the goals of the country and let them win it. We could have wiped out North Vietnam aggression in two years and created a whole and safe democratic republic without the administration's interference. The best know and trusted news anchor at the time was Walter Cronkite and after the Tet Offensive of 1968, he declared the war lost. In fact, North Vietnam had gambled everything on the offensive while expecting South Vietnam to rise up and join them. We destroyed the offensive and their ability to wage war again for a year or more. Then we were ordered to back off and continue the "war of attrition".
Did the assassination of JFK lead to distrust of the Government? If so, how?
No. Sadness yes. The entire nation mourned his death. Everyone had lots of hope with this young WWII hero. During 1968 we also mourned the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.
How did the Gulf of Tonkin incident lead to distrust of Government?
At the time no one knew the incident may have been fabricated to give our govt a reason to become involved in that war. After we found out, many years later, it was just another government scandal.
How did the Pentagon Papers cause distrust of Government?
That leak by Daniel Ellsberg( I think) opened up the can, nay the barrel, of worms. We learned in one large thrust the magnitude people in power in our republic would go to gain and maintain power. Here was proof that people of both parties in power would do anything to keep it.
( I would be watching Hillary and the Clinton's Foundation. That scandal will probably be swept under the rug as so many have.)
How did the Water Scandal and President Nixon resignation lead to distrust of government?
More proof of how government works, or doesn't work. There have always been scandals and mistrust of our government since the time after President Washington. It seems that those who seek office have to be narcissistic to want to do so.
We were all young. I had not encountered any suspicion among my buddies and speaking for myself, I had no distrust of the government until after I returned from Vietnam in 1969. It took awhile for the government to earn my distrust and disrespect. After I returned I could not find a job. It seemed that after I answered the question of my military service, my reputation as a "baby killer and drug addict" was sealed. That resulted from the incredibly negative press that seemed to blame the troops for the incompetence of the administration of LBJ. As 1969 progressed, I learned that President Johnson, who had no inkling of military strategy, was micro-managing the war. Any President who has no military experience should just tell the Pentagon of the goals of the country and let them win it. We could have wiped out North Vietnam aggression in two years and created a whole and safe democratic republic without the administration's interference. The best know and trusted news anchor at the time was Walter Cronkite and after the Tet Offensive of 1968, he declared the war lost. In fact, North Vietnam had gambled everything on the offensive while expecting South Vietnam to rise up and join them. We destroyed the offensive and their ability to wage war again for a year or more. Then we were ordered to back off and continue the "war of attrition".
Did the assassination of JFK lead to distrust of the Government? If so, how?
No. Sadness yes. The entire nation mourned his death. Everyone had lots of hope with this young WWII hero. During 1968 we also mourned the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.
How did the Gulf of Tonkin incident lead to distrust of Government?
At the time no one knew the incident may have been fabricated to give our govt a reason to become involved in that war. After we found out, many years later, it was just another government scandal.
How did the Pentagon Papers cause distrust of Government?
That leak by Daniel Ellsberg( I think) opened up the can, nay the barrel, of worms. We learned in one large thrust the magnitude people in power in our republic would go to gain and maintain power. Here was proof that people of both parties in power would do anything to keep it.
( I would be watching Hillary and the Clinton's Foundation. That scandal will probably be swept under the rug as so many have.)
How did the Water Scandal and President Nixon resignation lead to distrust of government?
More proof of how government works, or doesn't work. There have always been scandals and mistrust of our government since the time after President Washington. It seems that those who seek office have to be narcissistic to want to do so.
Rick Owen (Vietnam Veteran- US Air Force)
My name is Rick Owen, I live in Louisville, KY, and I served in the US Air Force from April, 1968, to March, 1972. I had 2 tours to Vietnam, from May, 1969, to October, 1970, and from May, 1971, to March, 1972.
1. Many of the troops I knew didn't trust the government because of the lies we were told before getting into Vietnam. It was a civil war, and the fact that the "bad guys" were commies drove some people nuts. It was much like the baloney we were told before getting into Iraq.
2. I was only 14 when JFK was assassinated, and didn't pay much attention to the government back then, so it's hard for me to say how much distrust it caused. I do know that many people didn't believe the "one gunman" theory, and that the government was involved in some sort of cover up. Many theories abounded, and there is still no answer, over 50 years later.
3. The Gulf of Tonkin incident actually turned out to be similar to the "weapons of mass destruction" that W used to start the war in Iraq. Both were mostly fiction. The Gulf incident was used as justification to start going on the offensive in Vietnam. It took a few years for the truth to come out, but that incident is now generally regarded as being "embellished".
4. The publication of the Pentagon Papers showed how much the government had lied about the war and its conduct. Once this was known, distrust of the government only deepened. Many people didn't like Nixon, anyway, and this was just more fuel for the fire.
5. This fits with the previous question. Nixon was a megalomaniac who thought he was above the law. The Watergate scandal brought down his presidency, and showed how much he had lied to the American public. I was happy when he resigned. Other than his foreign policy, he was a terrible president, who waged vengeance on anyone who resisted his efforts to do whatever he wanted. Not a good way to inspire trust.
1. Many of the troops I knew didn't trust the government because of the lies we were told before getting into Vietnam. It was a civil war, and the fact that the "bad guys" were commies drove some people nuts. It was much like the baloney we were told before getting into Iraq.
2. I was only 14 when JFK was assassinated, and didn't pay much attention to the government back then, so it's hard for me to say how much distrust it caused. I do know that many people didn't believe the "one gunman" theory, and that the government was involved in some sort of cover up. Many theories abounded, and there is still no answer, over 50 years later.
3. The Gulf of Tonkin incident actually turned out to be similar to the "weapons of mass destruction" that W used to start the war in Iraq. Both were mostly fiction. The Gulf incident was used as justification to start going on the offensive in Vietnam. It took a few years for the truth to come out, but that incident is now generally regarded as being "embellished".
4. The publication of the Pentagon Papers showed how much the government had lied about the war and its conduct. Once this was known, distrust of the government only deepened. Many people didn't like Nixon, anyway, and this was just more fuel for the fire.
5. This fits with the previous question. Nixon was a megalomaniac who thought he was above the law. The Watergate scandal brought down his presidency, and showed how much he had lied to the American public. I was happy when he resigned. Other than his foreign policy, he was a terrible president, who waged vengeance on anyone who resisted his efforts to do whatever he wanted. Not a good way to inspire trust.