Lens of History
The Lens of History
By Daniel G. Jennings
The Lens of History is easily distorted by victory and defeat in war.
Victory acts as a set of rose colored glasses that makes us forget all the horrors and crimes of a conflict and remember only the glory. Hence, World War II is remembered as America's "good war" even though the US government and military engaged in numerous actions during that war which were morally questionable and even criminal. Japanese Americans were illegally and unconstitutionally interned in what both President Franklin Roosevelt and the Supreme Court described as concentration camps. The US Air Force mercilessly bombed German and Japanese cities killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. American troops often shot unarmed Japanese and German prisoners on the battlefield and America allied itself with one of the greatest tyrants in human history Joseph Stalin.
Yet all that is forgotten and World War II is remembered as the "good war."
Defeat, on the other hand acts as a magnifying glass that blows any crime or atrocity real or imagined far out of proportion. There is no evidence that the behavior of American troops in Vietnam was any worse than that of their fathers in World War II, yet Vietnam is remembered as the war in which American GIs behaved like criminals. In fact, history indicates that American behavior was better in Vietnam than World War II.
American military personnel who engaged in the indiscriminate killing of unarmed enemies were often awarded medals in World War II, including submariners who machine gunned life rafts full of Japanese shipwreck survivors. In Vietnam, GIs who machine gunned unarmed villagers were tried, convicted and imprisoned. The media savagely criticized both the military and America's allies for their tactics. During World War II, the media deliberately covered up both the horrendous nature of America's Soviet ally and morally questionable behavior of US military forces.
The difference between the wars is that America "won" in World War II and "lost" in Vietnam (to be accurate our ally South Vietnam lost in Vietnam after we pulled out but most people see Vietnam as an American defeat). Defeat enables us to look carefully and accurately at our past behaviors. Victory enables us to ignore our shortcomings and troubles.
Of course this means that if history's outcome had been different the way we view it would be different too. Had the United States invaded North Vietnam and dismantled the Communist dictatorship there in 1968. We'd probably remember Vietnam as a great American victory.
The Lens of History is a poor instrument subject to our prejudices and emotions rather than an accurate barometer of historical fact.