The Green Berets, Robin Moore, Crown Publishers, 1965, 430 pp
The #5 bestseller in 1965 was a tough read for me. In 1965, I graduated from high school. By 1967, I was a full-blown protester against the Vietnam War. When I started My Big Fat Reading Project, reading books from the 1940s, I found many antiwar sentiments alongside books about, and even glorifying, war.
For decades I embraced pacifism. Now in my 70s, I realize that pacifism is a fine ideal but does not work out in real life. All the way from what would you do if someone was trying to destroy a loved one to what if some country is trying to destroy your own. I have also espoused non-violence but observed that eventually most oppressed humans resort to violence.
Robin Moore was a journalist who got permission to train as a Green Beret and then imbed himself with these Special Forces units in Vietnam to get first hand information on how and why they practiced guerilla warfare. He turned those experiences into fictional stories about some of the operations. According to him, JFK wholeheartedly backed the endeavor, including CIA involvement in some of the operations. The idea grew out of the realization that for Western nations to fight communism in the far east, it appeared impossible to win by conventional military manuevers.
Having read the book, mainly loathing it the whole way, I understand those pressures better. I also learned how the US Military was at war with itself over these new approaches and how some of the top generals actually sabotaged the Special Forces. I felt fortunate to have read The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, in which I got the story of the conflicts within the Vietnamese governments.
Fast forward to the present when the art of war has become even more complex. I don't need to explain. Just read the news.
I still believe that war is not the answer to human problems though it sure seems that to many it is just accepted as the way things are. I don't mean to discount the bravery, patriotism and commitment of soldiers but I do condemn the huge loss of human lives as the price we pay.
I really do wonder, if any entity could do a correct poll or survey, what the majority of human beings think about the necessity or inevitability of war. What do you think?
Now we are fighting another war against little invisible things called viruses. War news has suddenly become almost absent but it is for sure war and human beings are not united in this war either. Of course there are plenty of courageous and dedicated individuals doing all they can to save lives, to do the right things concerning the spread of the virus; there are officials taking appropriate steps to protect lives. We will get through it somehow but again the result is huge losses.
I am sorry if this post brings you down. I pondered whether or not I should enter this review into the conversation today. Still, this could be a time for us to dedicate ourselves to becoming more educated and responsible for our fellow man, to consider alternatives to the past and what we as individuals, families, groups, can do for each other and our planet. Out of suffering and mistakes and destruction can come new understandings and intelligence and bright ideas.
Keep the wisdom!
Judy, with your history that was a brave read - so bravo for both starting, but especially for finishing, it! That must have been quite a difficult journey at times.
ReplyDeleteI've been interested in war since my very callow (and shallow) youth. It's clear from any reading of history that wars never solve anything - most especially if you start one. Why States go to war and why people often choose to fight in them is a complex and fascinating question. I have a few books on the subject - yet to be read - including on simply called 'War' by Sebastian Junger as well as 'Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging' where he tries to get to the bottom of what it is about combat that motivates soldiers to go back into a war zone after they've managed to escape in one way or another. I'm guessing that both will be difficult reads but might go part way to answering some of your questions. Neither are on my 'read soon' list but I will get around to them at some point.
Thanks for the review. Keep safe!
I was looking forward to your comment CK, because I knew it would be intelligent and informative. Thanks for the bravo. Could it be I am getting more brave in my old age? Thanks also for the recs.
DeleteSounds totally interesting. Same as you, I've been a life-long pacifist. I still would always try to solve any problem without violence. During the Vietnam war, I saw many refugees coming to Germany, most of them children, most of them severely injured. Maybe that led me to be against war. Or the stories my parents told how they survived WWII as children.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I totally agree with you, especially the last paragraph. Maybe this pandemy brings us all closer together, makes us all think about our "neighbours" better.
And I'd love to keep the wisdom, especially in this kind of subject.
I knew we were in this together. Thank you, Marianne.
DeleteOf course, I don't keep my sentiments back about any of this, so I'm not surprised you know my point of view.
DeleteInteresting, because I just finished reading and reviewing The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien a couple of days ago. This book is written in the form of essays about the Vietnam War. It's a work of fiction but reads like a memoir. As I wrote in my review, I never thought I would enjoy reading a book about the Vietnam war as much as a I did. I usually tend to stay away from books about the harrowing effects of war.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I'd written in my review that many young men of my parents generation were drafted into the Vietnam war. My parents married in 1968 right out of high school and I was born 11 months later. Marriage and a baby were my father's way out from having to serve during Vietnam. Others were not so lucky. One of my father's close high school friends was drafted into the Vietnam war and as expected, he came back drastically changed from the experience. I can't imagine having to fight in a war, especially one that seemed as unpopular as the Vietnam war was.
It's also very sad to think that at 18 years of age the US Government drafted young men to fight and possibly die in combat, but these same young men were not old enough to vote until the age of 21. How was it possible that these young men were thought responsible (dispensable?) enough to fight for our country in combat, yet not allowed to vote for government officials and laws that effect the society they lived in? It wasn't until March 23, 1971, that the 26th Amendment was passed lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
I will go and read your review. Thanks for telling your story. I was so lucky that my sons were born when they were and did not grow up to have to serve. My husband was exempted (and that is a whole story in itself!) One of my nephews was called up from the reserves for the war in Iraq. He made it home safe and thankfully sane. I completely agree about the voting age and am glad it was changed.
Deleteit doesn't bring me down (your post, i mean)... i think it's thoughtful and pointed. i took my physical in Ft. Bliss when i was working in Mexico and i would have gone except they classified everyone in my group 4f except one guy who really wanted to go... i've always been anti-war, pro-intelligence but at my advanced age (77, now) i realize that humanity as a group is crazy and the world shows it... maybe 5% of the world population has the mental ability to understand the need for change and caretaking of the planet, but the rest are just bonkers with no interest or ability to do anything except raise havoc...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mudpuddle. I fear you are right. I see this truth when I read history. Intelligence is in short supply, though there have usually been that 5% crying in the wilderness. I include you among them.
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DeleteGreat post. You ask a really big question here. I could devote many pages to answer. In short, liberal societies sometimes have to fight wars. When illiberal societies triumph, untold horrors are unleashed. World War II being the most clear cut example. However, these wars caused illiberal things themselves. These include civilian deaths and horrible maiming, all sorts of atrocities, support for dictatorships that are the lessor evil to name a few of the horrors unleashed by war. It is always a tradeoff and an agonizing decision when a free society chooses war. Communism was an evil that would have unleashed great horror on the world had it triumphed. Would the Vietnam War been worth it had America triumphed. This is an enormous and complex question to ponder.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that by every measure the frequency and severity of war if diminishing.
Thanks, Brian. I appreciate your analysis. What are your references for concluding that the frequency and severity of war is diminishing? What about Syria?
DeleteWars like those in Syria are terrible tragedies and we should never minimize the death and the human suffering involved. But the scale and frequency of these events is diminishing. In the 1990s there were several wars of that size going on. In the 1970s over a dozen. In the first half of the twentieth century war deaths exceeded the tens of millions. Before that human history shows an overall decrease in all kinds of violence over thousands of years, interspaced with horrible upticks that were temporary. There are some good charts here:
Deletehttps://slides.ourworldindata.org/war-and-violence/#/title-slide
But I think the best source for all this is Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature. In terms of understanding human history, I think that book is one of the best sources out there.
Thank you for answering my question, Brian. You are a good source of encouragement when my cynicism threatens to take over!
DeleteI've never read the book or seen the movie, but I remember that both made quite a splash back in the day. I did not know my husband-to-be in 1968. I was in Atlanta and he was in Texas, but at the time, he felt a strong draft at his back and made the decision that (knowing him now) I would have expected. He didn't go to Canada; he volunteered for the Army. As a volunteer, he had at least some choice in his assignments, and, as the oldest of three brothers, I think he felt he was in some way protecting his younger siblings. As I said, it is what I would expect of him. He did not expect to be sent to Vietnam, but, as it happened, the Army needed some of the skills that he had in their operations there. He was a photographer and a newspaper reporter and he spent his year in the war, flying around the country in helicopters (he was attached to the 101st Airborne) taking pictures and writing reports on what he saw. In his spare time, he took hundreds of pictures of the countryside and the people of Vietnam. The pictures show what a beautiful country it was. He learned to love it and to admire the people. Back in Atlanta, I was much opposed to the war, as almost everyone I knew was and I was consumed by the civil rights movement in this country. I wonder if I had been subject to the draft, what choice would I have made?
ReplyDeleteToday, I am proud of my husband's choice to serve. After his year in Vietnam, he was sent to Fort Carson, Colorado to work with an Army Intelligence unit for the remainder of his tour of duty. He never really talks about any of this, except when our younger daughter, who is fascinated by that period of our history, asks him about it.
So, there you have it. That's my "war story." Like any sane person, I would prefer that there were no wars, but I can agree with Brian that it is often a complex issue and the choices are not necessarily black and white.
I thank you for your "war story." I truly enjoyed reading it.
DeleteI share so much of your sentiments on so many topics, it is kind of like we are platonic soul mates! I recognize that pacifism is the ideal, that our world would be free of war and everyone could go to bed each night knowing they were safe (to be honest, there were a couple mornings I have woken up surprised that we were not engaged in a nuclear war with North Korea, because trump is a moron). I also agree that there will come a point when people reach their breaking, and revolt.
ReplyDeleteYes, I wish we could hang out in person, sometimes. I do always love your comments.
DeleteYes!! I think we would have so much to talk about! I enjoy yours as well, and am so glad we found each other!
DeleteThe book looks like it would be a tough read for us non-military personnel. I guess I think war should be very rare but is sometimes necessary like in WWII, that being said it is used way too often and too easily before other options are fleshed out ... and often the case for war is built on Lies. We should know that by now but somehow repeat mistakes of the past time & again. I was a bit too young during the Vietnam War to understand it, but my dad was an Army medic in Honolulu for three years around 1967-8, for the injured coming back from there. He did not go to Vietnam but saw those coming back from it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your views and your story. I am glad your dad did not have to go.
DeleteMy father in law fought in the Vietnam war... I can’t even imagine how hard it was for him. But he says he was treated worse when he got home when it was over. All the people that would spit on him and call him a baby killer... all over something he had no choice in doing. I tend to stay away from military or wars books because of all his stories... it’s just so heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam War was one of the most unpopular wars ever. I find it unconscionable that our government wasted so many people over a conflict they knew they could never win.
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