Vietnam's General Vo Nguyen Giap dies
 

Wasn't aware he was still alive!! :o

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24402278

Arguably one of the greatest generals every if you ask me.

He is often incorrectly credited with the Tet Offensive that was not his idea and he personally disliked it and felt that it would not achieve its military goal which it did not.Though it did prove that American strategy up to that point had not worked.

Very wise in small unit tactics, but struggled with large unit ones, however you certainly can't deny that he had a major impact on the battlefield of Vietnam, and he knew his stuff. :yep:

Wow 102! Certainly a very good innings. Giap was a major influence on both Vietnamese wars of independence. I believe his positioning and and use of his artillery at Ðiện Biên Phủ was a masterpiece and cemented the fate of the French occupation.

He was also a journalist and became a politician after the the 2nd war. RIP to a great soldier.

even rats can win sometimes if they just keep knawing and knawing away.

I think I'll go have a beer and remember how bad President Johnson and President Nixon were as leaders, but as for this guy good riddance :down:

Was it his fault that the US government got involved in Vietnam without understanding that it was a civil war?Was it his fault that the US government and military forced the troops to fight in a highly ineffective manner?Was it is his fault that the US government backed a highly corrupt and inept government?No.

To me this guy is an pretty clear patriot he fought for his country for a very long time I can admire that.There is nothing wrong with having a respect for a former enemy.

My father directly fought Giap or at least forces that where under his command following his leadership. He has a respect for the Vietnamese even though he was trying to kill them and they him at one point.


Just out of curiosity where you even in the US military or Vietnam?

Sore laser syndrome? America, Australia and the French before them had ample opportunity to avoid both wars at the end of WWII. Had England and France not demanded their former colonial estate be reestablished and an independent Vietnam set up the whole sorry situation could have been avoided.

The French and US generals were culpable in their failure to understand the situation and their enemies. Giap and the other Vietnamese generals studied their enemies and their behaviour and using low cost tactics made a mockery of the modern armies they faced. They also understood that if they kept going they would eventually force their opponents to leave the field. If you can't accept the fact that your army navy airforce and marines eere beaten through better tactics and sheer persistence then there's not much hope for you. My father and an uncle were also involved in the conflict and they both accepted the fact we were outsmarted by the Vietnamese.

Brilliant Tactician. One of the best. Respected on both sides.
North Korean troops were hard as nails.

An agreement on each :yep:

Oh boo hoo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io30s7-5VaQ

HunterICX

To be fair, if I was hit by a laser, especially a high powered one, I'd be pretty sore too... :hmmm:

LAL :D I sometimes hate my phones keypad.

Why are you sad? Can I help. Maybe together we can fill in the Giaps. :O:

Oh you... :O:

Can I have a hug? :oops:

I'm guessing you meant North Vietnamese troops?

and more recently, President Carter, President Clinton, and President Obama... The Bushes only look good because the bar is set so low. :nope:

No wonder the country is in trouble.

Good point, I remember studying in college about the decisions that Presidents Carter, Clinton, and Obama made during the Vietnam War.:shifty:

You forgot Mr. Lincoln. After all it was a north/south disagreement. :O:

All true, but lets not forget the fact that Washington D.C established the ROE (rules of engagement), effectively castrating our commanders in the field. If our military had been given the same ability to "take what you need and do what you need to do" backing that they had in other wars the outcome may have been different.

I said "may" because deep down I agree with your post here, but it would have been interesting to see how it would have played out if we had not fought that war in such a limited manner.

I think we could easily have "won" the war, if there were no restrictions, and done it in a few months' time. That is, after all, exactly what we did in Iraq, except there it only took a few weeks.

I also believe that we would have had exactly the same result - a populace who would have to be perpetually controlled, and who would have come to hate us no matter what their original feelings were. This was the same problem faced by the British in America in 1814, and we should have learned the same lesson we taught them.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
-George Santayana