Quote Originally Posted by Meh View Post
3 March - Class 13: The Hardest of All Victories
A look at why the British succeeded at the tactical level in Malaya while the United States - contrary to common wisdom of “won the battles but lost the war: - failed to win battles in Vietnam.
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An intro to the tactical level of rural insurgencies. We will discuss the perpetual fear and uncertainty racing through the minds of soldiers in Malaya and Vietnam. We will also discuss challenges the insurgent faces and early, brute force attempts to subdue these insurgencies...
Obviously your syllabus is abbreviated and does not state in detail what will be covered in the class. Equally obviously, it is your class and your sources so by all means do whatever you think correct but I believe you have two very incorrect postulations here:

The statement that the US failed to win battles in Viet Nam is quite incorrect and I'd also suggest that the premise of 'won the battles but lost the war' is at best misleading.

I spent two tours in Viet Nam as an Infantry NonCommissionedOfficer and I saw absolutely no evidence of of "perpetual fear and uncertainty," indeed of much fear or any uncertainty, in the vast majority of those with whom I came in contact.

In short but based solely on what you have presented here, to include books, authors, editors and experts, I question the validity of your sources.