It Was Often Impossible for the Americans to Tell Between Civilian and Viet Cong (ep. 4)

Philip Caputo's time in Vietnam was marked by the intense and often bewildering challenge of distinguishing between enemies and civilians. As a young lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, he quickly realized that the war he had envisioned was starkly different from the reality on the ground. The Viet Cong fighters were adept at guerrilla warfare, seamlessly blending into the civilian population. They wore no uniforms and used the terrain and local villages to their advantage, making it nearly impossible to identify them until they attacked. This ambiguity created a constant state of tension and mistrust among Caputo and his men, who had to be perpetually vigilant and ready for combat in any situation.
This blurring of lines between combatants and non-combatants led to numerous ethical and moral dilemmas. Caputo's unit often conducted search-and-destroy missions in villages suspected of harboring Viet Cong insurgents. The Marines faced the harrowing task of navigating the thin line between necessary military action and the risk of harming innocent civilians. Incidents of mistaken identity and collateral damage were tragically common, fueling a cycle of resentment and hostility among the local population. These experiences profoundly impacted Caputo, leaving him with a deep sense of disillusionment and a keen awareness of the complexities and moral ambiguities inherent in such a conflict. The struggle to distinguish friend from foe, and the resulting psychological toll, became central themes in his memoir "A Rumor of War," where he vividly recounts the chaos and moral confusion that defined much of his time in Vietnam.
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[@thepalebluedot4171]

I am from India, 46 years old.. This is the first book that I have read about the Vietnam war when I was about 15 years old when I was in my class 9th standard. I already knew about the Vietnam war much earlier, I happened to pick up this book at a relatives place, this book blew my mind away and Mr. Caputo's narration of the details of the war and his personal existential thoughts were splendid.
Initially as an Indian, I was not aware about so many deep details related to the American and Vietnamese militaries though I was well aware of the historical event that happened in Vietnam. Never knew Australians participated in this war, also learnt about SVA v/s NVA & Viet Congs (VCs called by the slang kooks) Never had heard about USMC before, I thought there was only US Army, Airforce and Navy. Hence this book taught me a lot of things at a very early age about the horrors of Vietnam war.

[@markrix]

What did america learn? Nothing. We keep doing this, as he said every generation seems to have to fight its own war.

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

Supporting French Imperial Ambitions.

[@larryyoung5757]

We learned to throw frags at night. 😮

[@Yourdoomawaitsyou]

Who had the illest farts ? The VC or NVA ?