| Case in point on objectivity: The US claimed it shot down over 800 MiG-15s, with only about 900 in theater at the outside. The VVS and Chinese claim they shot down over 800 F-86 Sabres, which is 100 more than were in theater for the entire course of the war. Who's right and who's wrong? If your type of reporters looked at this, they would immediately assume that the Soviets were right and the USAF "as usual" was lying about its losses. On the other hand, pro-USAF flacks assume that the Commies are lying and really got pasted but won't admit it. The truth -- objective truth -- is somewhere in the middle. Same goes for No Gun Ri. Did civilians get killed? No doubt. But was it a deliberate US plot and coverup? Given the morality of the times and US officers in general, not bloody likely. Once again, objective truth is probably somewhere in the middle. But you jump right up and take one of the most extremely subjective points of view as fact without the slightest hesitation, based on your own subjective views of the US and the war. There are always going to be problems. Song My ("My Lai" proved that in 1968. But then again, objective facts after the war show that Tet 1968 in Vietnam was one of the greatest victories in American military history, as it literally obliterated the VC as a force in South Vietnam and forced the VPAF to take over the prosecution of the war from that point on. However, subjective reporting by even people thought to be objective like Walter Cronkite painted it as a disaster. It was a leadership failure, not a failure of the American fighting man. Cookie Sewell AMPS |