No Vietnam Era Veterans As President

[mso489]

Though John Kerry and John McCain, both Vietnam combat veterans, ran for the Presidency, neither won. Harry Truman was a World War I artillery officer. Korean War era veteran Jimmy Carter served as President, and Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Gerald Ford, Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were all World War II Veterans. It is almost certainty that no Vietnam era veteran will ever serve as President. We will see how the electorate treats veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe our first woman president will be a veteran of one of those wars.

 

[WVOldFart]

Though John Kerry and John McCain, both Vietnam combat veterans, ran for the Presidency, neither won. Harry Truman was a World War I artillery officer. Korean War era veteran Jimmy Carter served as President, and Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Gerald Ford, Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were all World War II Veterans. It is almost certainty that no Vietnam era veteran will ever serve as President. We will see how the electorate treats veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe our first woman president will be a veteran of one of those wars.

As a man who worked for veterans for almost 30 years, I believe that it would be good to have a veteran in the White House. Perhaps if they witnessed and experienced the sacrifices and hardships that is dealt with being in the military and witnessed the killing first hand perhaps they would be less likely to throw us into another war.

 

[condorlover1]

Sadly the likes of U.S Grant, Truman, Reagan are long gone. Maybe mandatory service should be required before you become Commander in Chief of the U.S. Who knows the answer but it would be nice if the next POTUS was a pipe smoker! No politics please gentlemen!

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Though John Kerry and John McCain, both Vietnam combat veterans, ran for the Presidency, neither won. Harry Truman was a World War I artillery officer. Korean War era veteran Jimmy Carter served as President, and Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Gerald Ford, Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were all World War II Veterans. It is almost certainty that no Vietnam era veteran will ever serve as President. We will see how the electorate treats veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe our first woman president will be a veteran of one of those wars.

I’m not a vet and had a draft number in ‘73. Most didn’t want to go back then.

Later I heard about “chicken hawks” aka people who were too chicken to go or send their children but would send your children. All of their children are alive and well.

 

[warren]

Perhaps if they witnessed and experienced the sacrifices and hardships that is dealt with being in the military and witnessed the killing first hand perhaps they would be less likely to throw us into another war.

Unfortunately, history doesn't seem to support your hope. Also, our decisions to become involved in various conflicts often have nothing to do with the president's line experiences. We have again become dependent of others for oil and so .... well, enough said.

 

[Casual]

This thread topic is incitement to politics.

I’ll say that a veteran who was against foreign entanglements in the last Democrat party presidential primary was treated very poorly by the establishment. That’s a bad sign.

 

[mso489]

Agreed we don't want a political discussion. My focus is on the cultural place of war veterans in national leadership, not which party or political stance they espouse. There is some kind of "tell" in that Vietnam is the first modern war which produced no President. And though Jimmy Carter was a Korean War era veteran, he was making a career of the U.S. Navy, as an Annapolis grad, and did not redirect his career from civilian life, as did most veteran presidents.

 

[weezell]

We have again become dependent of others for oil and so .... well, enough said.

Yea, I could puke. Nuff said or I'll get bounced...

 

[WVOldFart]

mso489 your question is a good one and one I hadn't thought about. Keeping politics out of a discussion seems to be impossible anymore. It didn't use to be that way. People use to discuss issues without someone getting felt tread upon. Your observation is quite interesting and should be looked at as a thought provoking topic.

 

[verporchting]

Make Perique Not War.

 

[Chasing Embers]

No chance of this one ending well.

 

[captainsousie]

Agreed we don't want a political discussion. My focus is on the cultural place of war veterans in national leadership...[snip]

Sadly, that falls squarely into politics.

Since this thread is doomed, I may as well weigh in. I personally think that a variety of experiences can be a good thing in any leadership position. Having a dearth of Vietnam vets available to be president speaks to many facets of the societal and psychological reactions to that development of war. The mention of how many ww2 vets leaves out the role of the ww1 vets and the negative effects of trench warfare on the psychological readiness of that generation of leadership.

While the experience of combat will affect the decisions of the combatant in future jobs/roles, it isn't always positive. I would like to know that anyone requiring someone to enter combat has him/herself has some experience in war. However, it doesn't automatically grant wisdom of when or where to enter said combat.

 

[mso489]

Eisenhower, of course, served stateside during World War I, in Texas training tank crews. Since the U.S. involvement in WWI was short, many people in the military never made it overseas, and neither did many enlisted and conscripted troops. But Ike, a Westpoint grad, was in the military and on active duty during the World War I.

I'm not sure if there were fewer Vietnam vets in politics and therefore unlikely to run for high office, but two of them ran and lost, one from each party, which is telling, and politically neutralizes the discussion. Their military experience -- some would say heroism in both cases -- did not carry the day against non-vets.

George W. Bush is ambiguous. He was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, but as a reservist, he was almost guaranteed not to see duty in Vietnam, unlike in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars when many reservists served in combat zones. It's a nuance of history that many non-vets would miss. The role of reserve and some national guard troops accelerated during the recent wars.

 

[captainsousie]

Eisenhower, of course, served stateside during World War I, in Texas training tank crews. Since the U.S. involvement in WWI was short, many people in the military never made it overseas, and neither did many enlisted and conscripted troops. But Ike, a Westpoint grad, was in the military and on active duty during the World War I.

I'm not sure if there were fewer Vietnam vets in politics and therefore unlikely to run for high office, but two of them ran and lost, one from each party, which is telling, and politically neutralizes the discussion. Their military experience -- some would say heroism in both cases -- did not carry the day against non-vets.

George W. Bush is ambiguous. He was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, but as a reservist, he was almost guaranteed not to see duty in Vietnam, unlike in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars when many reservists served in combat zones. It's a nuance of history that many non-vets would miss. The role of reserve and some national guard troops accelerated during the recent wars.

Which seems interesting. The distinction between one who served stateside during a major conflict or one who was a reservist during major conflict. I took the original intention as being a combat veteran. Maybe this was not the idea of the original post?

EDIT: Never mind, we're seeming to be working to say the same thing.

 

[mso489]

For the purposes of this discussion relating to later electoral office in civilian life, I'd accept any active duty military service where you are subject to duty in the combat zone whether you are assigned to it or not. John Kerry and John McCain were both engaged in combat, and McCain spent years as a prisoner of war after being shot down over Vietnam. Those men are indisputable combat veterans. Anyone in the combat zone is taking their chances, and anyone not in the combat zone is just one set of orders away. This isn't a call for war heroes, just active duty military during wartime. The bar is low, but there are no Vietnam veterans who were elected President, and there won't be, which is worth noting.

 

[captainsousie]

For the purposes of this discussion relating to later electoral office in civilian life, I'd accept any active duty military service where you are subject to duty in the combat zone whether you are assigned to it or not. John Kerry and John McCain were both engaged in combat, and McCain spent years as a prisoner of war after being shot down over Vietnam. Those men are indisputable combat veterans. Anyone in the combat zone is taking their chances, and anyone not in the combat zone is just one set of orders away. This isn't a call for war heroes, just active duty military during wartime. The bar is low, but there are no Vietnam veterans who were elected President, and there won't be, which is worth noting.

Understood. I'm just looking for historical perspective and some possible reasons behind it. For example the Desert Storm vets vs the later Afghan conflict and the differences made by IEDs and drones. How that might have had an effect on the vets and their desire
for political office.

 

[warren]

No "Indian Wars" vet made it to the White House that I'm aware of. Lincoln fought in the "Black Hawk War."

If one or the other of the political parties sees a "war hero" as necessary for a win they'll find one. Ike was the choice of both parties. The Republicans met his demands first and he ran as one. Just as easily could have run as a Dem. Nixon's time in a combat zone wasn't particularly stressed during his campaigns. JFK was his father's second choice. Truman was a "party hack" until he became President and that's when he became unmanageable for the Party with his "All bets are off" philosophy.

 

[Casual]

This isn't a call for war heroes, just active duty military during wartime.

Heinlein famously explored a world where only veterans are allowed the franchise in his novel Starship Troopers. In his view, increased skin in the game lead to a more pro-social polity.

The sentiment was similar to MacArthur’s quote below, but went further, encompassing not only the preference for peace, but for a more responsible use of state power all around.

 

[bayareabriar]

G W? Not a combat veteran, but technically a veteran entering service during wartime during the Vietnam era.

 

[warren]

Gen. Milley appears to be positioning himself for a run at the nomination.