Would John Kennedy have kept us out of war in Viet Nam?
Any reply is conjecture. However, he had actually been to war. That is a far different perspective from the one we find in the long string of draft dodgers and never-serveds we’ve had in recent years.
My friends who’ve seen war are far less eager to commit American troops than my other friends who view combat from an armchair perspective. There was a time when the sons of presidents and men of great wealth and power, such as a vastly wealthy former American ambassador to England, fought and died in defense of this country.
Kennedy was of that time. He had experienced combat and nearly died as a result of it. His older brother had been killed in combat.
He knew the price.
How those life experiences would have influenced his decisions concerning Viet Nam, no one can say. But they would have been an enormous factor. Of that much, I am sure.
I lost people I care about in Viet Nam. I think their lives were wasted by incompetent military commanders and bad presidents of both political parties.
Here is a long speech from President Kennedy, talking about peace. I wish we had presidents today who felt the same regard for peace as this man.
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