Political Quotes

“it has been more than 30 years since the first American soldier arrived in Vietnam, and almost two decades since the last American soldier came home. Over 43 million Americans, and over half the population of Vietnam, were not yet born when the war ended. The Vietnam war was a monumental tragedy for both our countries. More bombs were dropped on Vietnam than in World War II and the Korean war combined. Over 58,000 American soldiers, and over 2 million Vietnamese, so many of them civilians, died. For Vietnam, the American war was only the last chapter in a long history of violent conflict, beginning with the Chinese, the Japanese, and the French. Today, Vietnam remains among the poorest countries in the world, with an average per capita income of a few hundred dollars a year. We went to Vietnam believing we were invincible, only to see our country torn apart over the war. We came home stunned that our enormous firepower could not defeat such a tiny foe. Yet, despite that experience, we are today the world's only superpower. In the 18 years since the Vietnam war, each of us who was alive then has dealt with the legacy of Vietnam in our own way. When I came to the Senate in 1974, I promised myself that I would do everything possible to prevent our country from making such a terrible mistake again. I became the only Vermonter serving in the Congress to vote to end the war.”