Don't believe the crap about "The Greatest Generation". One of the more illuminating experiences I ever had was when I was going to a community college down in North Carolina circa 1982. A World War II Vet came to speak at the school. He was asked a question that went something like, "Do you think it was the difference in average ages of combat soldiers between WW II and Viet Nam that caused all those atrocities to be commited in Viet Nam that weren't in WW II?"

He replied with a story. He said he had been fighting in France when they came to this village. There was a pretty 16 year old girl there that one of our soldiers saw and wanted to rub naughty bits with. He grabbed her by the arm and started to lead her to one of the buildings. But she refused, tore away from his grasp and tried to run away. The soldier cut her in half with bullets. The guy swore this was true (he seemed a very credible character) and that he had personally witnessed it. Further, he claimed that it was not an isolated incident. "Those things happen in war," I remember him saying.

Having never been in combat, I am loathe to condemn anyone who has for their actions in what must be hell on earth. But it is fantasy to believe that Viet Nam differed much from any other war wrt the atrocities commited by all sides. The only thing different about Viet Nam was that it was the first time we could see it on teevee.