But not everything about the war was negative. As a Marine lieutenant in Vietnam, I saw how it threw together young men from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and forced them to trust one another with their lives. It was a racial crucible that played an enormous, if often unappreciated, role in moving America toward real integration....rings true to me.
The ironic thing is, it doesn't really take a war. Just introduce conscription, compulsory military -- or other nationally-useful -- training for everyone.