Thread by @pptsapper

Have been thinking a lot recently about the US Army after Vietnam, as we look to see what the Army after Afghanistan looks like. There's some disturbing trends and parallels, obviously not all the same because of time, situations, cultural shifts, etc but...it bears thinking of

The Army emerged from Vietnam utterly broken. The service was a disaster. Drug use was rampant. As Atkinson writes about in "Long Gray Line," it got so bad in US Army Europe that officers and NCOs didn't visit enlisted barracks for fear of violence. Racial violence was common

One battalion commander was literally shot at by one of his soldiers as he walked by the barracks. The moral and physical losses from Vietnam, the effect of the draft, and a shifting cultural tide led to an Army that was in a shambles. It took decades to rebuild it.

As for the higher echelons, Americans emerged from the war with little to no trust in generals. They had promised so much, and delivered very little of what they had said. The civil-military divide was wide, deep, and dangerous.

Army leaders were very conscious of all this and across the DOD there were reforms. The creation of the all volunteer force, repackaging the Army in recruiting as a profession where anyone could achieve their dreams, forcing out toxic leaders, discharging bad troops

It took, as I said, a long time. The Army had to rebuild itself, and rebuild its trust with the people it served. Public trust in the military was hard-earned. Desert Storm helped, for sure.

Today, we have an Army trying to figure out what just happened.

Following every conflict, the Army changes. Hell, the nation changes. War and society are inexorably linked together. We are living in an era of change. The Army is showing stress: sexual assaults, increased suicides, and internal political divisions

Former generals being openly politically partisan doesn't help - former generals spouting conspiracy theories is downright dangerous. All of this can derail public trust and confidence in its Army.

Now, I am not saying we're back in '75. What I am saying is that we need to acknowledge that after every one of our conflicts, there has been friction in the Army. Leaders need to take note of the factors and can look to the past to try to stop dangerous trends before they worsen

As a result of the friction post Vietnam, the Army was forced to face many of its ingrained cultural failings regarding race and gender. It was forced to work towards bettering the welfare of its soldiers and increase benefits for families. It had to change.

I hope that if we can acknowledge the cracks and fissures within the organization, we can lean towards making more positive changes for the soldiers of a 21st century Army. In doing so, it only makes the Army stronger.