[May 10, 2015] Battles in war teach us many things and being a combat veteran those battles bring particularly hard lessons when I study them. The (in)famous Battle of Hamburger Hill was a part of the Vietnam War’s Operation Apache Snow in which tactical engagements lasting from May 10 to 20 in 1969. What the battle reaffirmed was that the American public shares a particularly close bond with the American military.
In the eyes of the American public, opinion had gradually turned against the war. There are many reasons, complex and ambiguous, for this. The center piece was that the U.S. military was suffering casualties in greater numbers than expected and the media had given intense attention to it.
The main political opposition to the war was Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts). Despite being an unethical and immoral man, he was correct that the military had not used its forces judiciously and U.S. Army leaders had repeatedly wasted opportunities. Army generals had forgotten that war is a political weapon and although the combat on the ground can make perfect sense, sometimes they don’t politically.
Hamburger Hill was the turning point in the war as viewed from America. The frustration of the American people had been building for a long time; finally this battle would force a change in military strategy which to this point had followed classic warfare philosophy of offense being the superior methodology. Vietnamization of the war began in earnest and troop withdrawals were publically announced.
The American public is unenthusiastic about long wars. Not unexpectedly, its military only fights as long as the public approves. This is both a strength and a weakness; its forces fight ferociously when supported and timidly when not. Vietnam’s senior generals and politicians were well aware of this fact and fought with a successful strategy to drive a wedge between the American public and its military.
Today we honor those who sacrificed so much in all wars and specifically during Vietnam.
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