I am well aware of the controversial aspects of our entrance into the affairs of the Vietnamese people. However, I enlisted in 1968 , after the start of the 1st Tet Offensive. As a young, naive man, my reason for enlisting was more of a patriotic response to the call for men to assist those under fire in that offensive, than for political reasons. It was only after getting to Vietnam and experiencing the ridiculous rules of engagement we operated under, that I started to question what we were doing there. I came home and marched in the streets to end the senseless death and destruction.
That is why, when the call went out to engage in the war in Iraq, I did not blindly believe what my govt was saying. I guess you could say I had learned my lesson. As it was apparent that we were at it again, and I once more took to the streets to point out that it was another mistake.