War is hell, explained Sherman - who knew the meaning of the words he made into a cliche. During the liberation of Europe from Nazi tyranny, the Allies shelled towns in France. When talking about their wartime experiences, veterans seldom dwell on combat. They were soldiers once and young. And they lived through experiences others can only contemplate.
War rains death and destruction.
Those who would exploit tragedy implicitly to delegitimize all wars are as guilty of romanticizing war as those who, from the comfort of their sofas and lounges, would glorify that which reddens even the tides. Vietnam remains the nation's starkest wound, its deepest gash. Face must be saved. Truth must be confronted, too. And truth seldom is as neat as ideologues or naifs would have it be.