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One author, Lt. Col. Powl Smith, writes in the Weekly Standard that Iraq isn't Vietnam, it's Guadalcanal. He writes...
In one of our first counteroffensives against the Japanese, U.S. troops landed on the island of Guadalcanal in order to capture a key airfield. We surprised the Japanese with our speed and audacity, and with very little fighting seized the airfield. But the Japanese recovered from our initial success, and began a long, brutal campaign to force us off Guadalcanal and recapture it. The Japanese were very clever and absolutely committed to sacrificing everything for their beliefs. (Only three Japanese surrendered after six months of combat--a statistic that should put today's Islamic radicals to shame.) The United States suffered 6,000 casualties during the six-month Guadalcanal campaign; Japan, 24,000. It was a very expensive airfield.
This is an interesting take on the current situation. It does not bode well for U.S. casualties. If a true comparison, one advantage I see is our technology seems to make us better at beating the enemy while minimizing our own casualties. I pray that is true.
Posted by Ted at September 27, 2004 7:39 PM