Mark Moyar

But as I said, I do think actually a pretty strong case to be made of why this war was important.

But unfortunately, Lyndon Johnson doesn't really make that case.

Yes.

The black population is interesting because in the early years of the war, it's not a big issue for the most part.

You do have Martin Luther King coming out.

But, you know, the the American forces in Vietnam are seen as sort of a model of racial integration because you don't have much in the terms of racial friction from 65 to 68.

Now, after 68, you increasingly see the influence of the black power movement.

And that causes.

a lot of problems in Vietnam, as well as in the US.

And increasingly, you have this notion that this is a white man's war.

And you also have some prominent media actresses, Jane Fonda being the most well-known example, who come out basically in support of the enemy.

And so that is also very distressing for American troops.

A lot of them still will never forgive

Jane Fonda, I mean, she goes to North Vietnam and poses with the North Vietnamese anti-aircraft weapons.

Basically looks like she's helping the guys we're trying to shoot at our pilots.

So you really have a sense of betrayal that you don't see really in earlier conflicts.

Well, there will be allegations made like that in around 1967.

And at that point, I mean, it's interesting, too, because

Previously, until the Korean War, blacks were generally kept out of the combat units.

And so at least the combat units that were doing in the most difficult parts of the fighting.