st government in South Vietnam was a vital strategic imperative for the United States. (p.33)When asked the reasons for Americas loss in Vietnam, many people reply that the military was never given a chance to truly win the war. Their hands were tied behind their backs. The leaders in Washington never gave the armed forces a green light to win. This argument has been made for over thirty years. It follows closely the assumption that America firepower would be too strong for anyone, let alone a poor third world country. But was this, or could it ever have been, the case in Vietnam. The military of the United States during the Cold War was structured so that that it could take on the forces of the Warsaw Pact on the plans of Central Europe. The army was primarily geared to fighting a highly sophisticated, mechanichized war in Europe. (p. 229) The terrain of Vietnam precluded this type of clash. Densely forested and mountainous, Vietnam was the last place a division of heavy tanks could enjoy success. It was a light infantry war of several units, mostly rifle platoons and companies, rarely of formations larger than a battalion. (p. 224) Thus, the army had to change tactics even while preparing for its main objective, defending Western Europe from Soviet aggression. The Air Force was also utilized heavily. From the enormous B-52 strategic bomber to the new FB-111 fighter-bomber and carrier-based fighters, the military utilized the latest that technology could offer. These included laser-guided smart bombs, chemical defoliants (Agent Orange and Napoleon) and cluster bombs. More bombs were dropped in Southeast Asia than in all of World War II. Combat aircraft pilots and crews preformed exceptionally well under very tough conditionsenemy air defenses were the heaviest and most formidable ever encountered by our air and naval forces in history. (p. 227) While the United States lost more than 55,000 people in the war, estima...
