Three million dead Vietnamese. How many dead Cambodians? Laotians? And 55,000 dead American boys. All for a war game dreamt up by politicians and generals.

I can see why people who suffered or had people close to them who suffered want to feel that their suffering was somehow worthwhile, and that the suffering they collectively inflicted on the people in Indo-China was justified. I imagine there are people in France still who feel the same way about the earlier war in the same part oif the world. And people in Japan about the one before that, when was their turn to fight the Vietnamese - and the Americans.

There's only one thing worse than losing an unjust war. It's winning it - and at least America was spared that.