What we remember on Memorial Day
President Obama’s visit to Vietnam earlier this week featured the U.S. lifting a two-decade-old embargo on sales of lethal weapons to a former foe. It was another a solemn reminder of a difficult chapter in American history.
As we remember those who served our country in past wars and conflicts this Memorial Day weekend, it’s appropriate to reflect on the thousands of U.S. lives lost, and hundreds of thousands others that were altered by injuries, during the American war in Vietnam, which followed an unsuccessful French colonial war there.
And for what? Were goals set out for our foreign military efforts met? Were they worth the sacrifice of lives? Have we done all we can for those who came back from their service maimed?
The same questions apply more recently to Afghanistan and Iraq.
In the strange way that history can shift dramatically, we’re reminded that many conflicts between peoples and nations are transitory in nature.
Healed relations between the U.S. and Germany, Japan and other foes in World War II have turned once bitter enemies into some of our closest allies.
Now it’s Vietnam, though human rights abuses remain a concern 40 years after communist forces overran the small Asian nation, causing many Vietnamese to flee and find refuge abroad, many in Washington state.
Human Rights Watch made compelling arguments recently against lifting the embargo at least until Vietnam released political prisoners and improved its rights record.
But Vietnam is a growing economy and budding U.S. trading partner. As a small player in checking the territorial ambitions of China, Vietnam will be free to buy military gear from our country.
We have no question that our nation has a role to play in keeping and promoting peace internationally; normalizing relations with estranged nations is part of that.
That doesn’t make it comfortable.
This story was originally published May 29, 2016 at 5:30 AM with the headline "What we remember on Memorial Day."