I was in Vietnam...Man

Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, just revealed today that even though he professed to have served in Vietnam, he actually did not.  He claims that he said "during" but he actually said "in" Vietnam.  Whatever, Richard.  My question is, why do Boomers consistently exaggerate their service in the only war totally lost by the United States?

Richard Blumenthal is not the first American politician to exaggerate his service in Vietnam.  When Al Gore ran for President, he used pictures of himself in Vietnam to demonstrate his strong war record.  What Gore didn't show was the entourage surrounding him to make sure he did not receive any harm.

Another politician running for President used Vietnam as backdrop and that was John Kerry.  Kerry served in combat but there was a discrepancy regarding the validity of his Purple Heart.  Whether we believe Kerry or his politically charged comrades from Vietnam, again, why would anybody want to remind the voters that they were part of the worst fighting force in the history of the United States?

One of the great excuses provided by the Vietnam soldiers to explain their defeat was the lack of commitment of the people and the government.  It may be true that after three years, the public started to question the war, but the government support lasted almost ten years.  In "To America, Personal Reflections of an Historian", Stephen Ambrose states that during the Vietnam War, more bombs were dropped than all  wars put together.  In World War II, the troops had much less aerial support than did the troops in the Vietnam War, yet, those troops were able to defeat two immense worldwide empires.

The reality of the Vietnam War is that Baby Boomers make lousy soldiers.  Soldiers need to be group oriented, selfless and civic minded.  Most Baby Boomers are individualistic, self absorbed and rebellious.  These are not traits one calls upon when they put together a winning army.

So, it is about time for Boomers to stop claiming that they served in Vietnam.  It is really nothing to be proud of and nothing worth remembering.