Book Review – Altamont Augie

Richard Barager's novel of the 1960's has the decade precisely on target in more ways than one. 

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Why this Vietnam POW is Endorsing JD Hayworth Over John McCain

Hi, I am Larry Chesley but friends call me "Lucky." I was a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for 2,494 days, not quite 7 years. John McCain was a Prisoner of War for 1,966 days. We both served honorably as prisoners. That is where any similarity between John and I ends. Our politics could not [...]

Vietnam: A War Not Lost But Forsaken

A belated review of historian Mark Moyar's remarkable book, "Forsaken Triumph," retelling how a flawed war strategy coupled with anti-war news media sunk the sovereign Republic of Vietnam. 

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A few words about Nathan Alexander

One minute we might be discussing Viet Nam, the next minute it might Jesuit priests in South America, the next it might be 17th century interpretations of the occult. And then he would smile-always smile-and offer that there was so much he wanted to write about and talk about and think about. Nathan was a [...]

The Legend of Ho Chi Minh

The possibility that the post World War II Ho Chi Minh was a Chinese impostor may have significant implications for Vietnam. 

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Nathan’s Hope

A tribute to IC's brother Nathan Alexander who passed away from leukemia on May 24, 2009. Emily Ham was one of his favorite students and most talented writers. A memorial service is being held at Troy University at 5pm on August 24, 2009.

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Walter Cronkite’s Great Betrayal

Walter Cronkite's greatest betrayal came after the Tet Offensive, when he stopped reporting the news and offered his own, "subjective" analysis.

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The Day the World Ended

This has been taken down due to complaints about the portion referring to the mother of Nathan's child and the possibility she might see it.

Sometimes, the good die young

A tribute to IC's brother Nathan Alexander.

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R.I.P. – William Nathan Alexander

Nathan's obituary

Video of prelude to Nathan's Memorial Service

Video of main part of service with family and friends speaking

Video of end of service with dad speaking and bagpipes

Eulogy from mom and dad

Pics from Memorial Service at Troy U. on Aug. 24, 2009 (not complete yet)

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Crossing Swords: Noam Chomsky and the New Left

In Noam Chomsky's world, there is a pro-American capitalist exploiter behind every tree. He is the ultimate ideologue, devoted to explaining history, or at least American history and foreign policy, through a single prism. For Chomsky, to even engage in a discussion about Vietnam was to lose one’s humanity. But that didn't prevent him from going on William [...]

The Night Democrats Booed McCain in Houston

Anti-war Democrats smell blood in the water, and their target on February 17 was war hero and former POW John McCain.

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Straight Talk About the Straight-Talker: John McCain Lacks Integrity

While McCain's lack of integrity in the MIA investigation is so dramatic because of his own military and POW background, there are other examples which are equally important and disturbing.

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Democrats Greedily Blocking Healthcare for our Returning Veterans

Whether one agrees with the war or not, individual patriotic Americans who signed up to serve our country, putting their lives in danger, should not be blamed.

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Veterans Disarmament Act to Bar Vets from Owning Guns

The "NICS Improvement Amendments Act" imperils the gun rights of thousands of Vietnam War vets who have been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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War By the Rules of Rational Choice Theory

Thomas Schelling brought his game theory to the Johnson administration and gave a bad President a “strategy cover” for not destroying the enemy’s center of gravity in the Vietnam War, thus formally incorporating appeasement as an integral element of American war strategy. 

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Counterinsurgency Does Not Have To Be Vietnam Redux

Clear and hold is absolutely essential in counterinsurgency because providing security for the indigenous population must be the first order of business in order to separate the insurgents from the people.

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Counterinsurgency and the US Military

Just as President Johnson “successfully” evaded confronting the external source of the Vietnam War — North Vietnam — so President Bush is also “successfully” evading confrontation with the sources of the continuing jihadist violence in Iraq.

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Our Intentions Were Noble in Vietnam

By our experience there, we have learned that when we use force, the goal must be clear, militarily attainable, and supported by Congress and the American people.

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War and the Ivory Tower: Algeria and Vietnam

In his recent book, David L. Schalk proposes to examine the role French and American intellectuals played during the Algerian and Vietnam wars, paying scant attention to the details of their engagement or the consequences of their writing.

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The Soviet Union and the Vietnam War

In his new book, Ilya Gaiduk reveals that the Soviet Union put little pressure on North Vietnam to negotiate; in short, America’s diplomatic efforts to involve the USSR in finding a solution to the Vietnam war were a waste of time.  A review of The Soviet Union and the Vietnam War.

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Review of Whitewash/Blackwash: Myths of the Vietnam War

Most scholarship on Vietnam has focused on American hubris and defeat, ignoring the role of the South Vietnamese armed services while overemphasizing the role of the North Vietnamese desire to unify their country. Recently, Vietnam Veterans are beginning to challenge this narrow view with their own written accounts of the Vietnam war.

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In Some Ways It is Vietnam Again (The Liberals Still Have Not Learned)

The calls for an early departure from Iraq echo similar statements from the media during the Vietnam War.

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The Left’s Vietnam Syndrome

Many of today’s journalists are victims of what’s been labeled the “Vietnam Syndrome.”

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The Myth of Inevitable U.S. Defeat in Vietnam

The Myth of U.S. Defeat in Vietnam's significance lies in re-exposing academia's unwillingness to even entertain the possibility of U.S. victory in South Vietnam. The questions Walton poses aren't original — not because they have been resolved, but because they have been “silenced” by being ignored.

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