More than anything else, I think what put an end to the Vietnam War were those pictures and stories intrepid photojournalists filed during their stints in the field with the troops. When the folks back home got birdseye views of their bloody young soldier sons being evacuated by helicopter to Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH units), fighting and dying for ephemeral causes like 'democracy in foreign lands' didn't seem quite as noble or popular.

Which is why journalists don't accompany troops to the field any more....

A friend's nephew returned recently from a tour in Iraq. He was trained as a cook in the US Army, but when he got to Iraq, his company commander said, "Guess what? You're not a cook any more," and handed him a machine gun. He spent his tour carrying out "reconnaissance missions," which consisted of breaking down the doors of unsuspecting villagers in the middle of the night, looking for terrorists. He would've much preferred peeling potatoes.

He said the worst part was the children. He said there were thousands of orphans living in the streets. He and his buddies took to surrendering their MRE's (Meals Ready To Eat, the modern day 'C-ration') to these starving kids, but received orders to stop after several tragic incidents. Children who rushed a tank in hopes of getting something to eat were being run over by drivers who couldn't see them.