Comparing US Combat Troops Sent to Vietnam and to Afghanistan

How are the two events described in the headlines above different from one another?

The United States already had some involvement in the war in Vietnam before the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. That involvement stepped up to full-scale commitment of many combat troops afterwards and in the years that followed. The US was not at war in Afghanistan until after the 9-11 attacks occurred. The Gulf of Tonkin incident involved some alleging of attacks which, history has shown, did not occur in the way the US claimed they had at the time. The 9-11 attacks were exceedingly real and visceral. The initial attack and alleged second attack in the Gulf of Tonkin concerned torpedoes fired at US battleships -- so they were military targets. The 9-11 attacks were perpetrated against civilian targets such as the World Trade Center in New York City. So some big differences had to do with the nature of events that preceded the sending of US troops.

When comparing the events of US combat troops being sent to Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin incident and to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it is evident that these two incidents have some significant differences.

In the case of Vietnam, the United States was already involved in the conflict before the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The resolution then led to a full-scale commitment of many combat troops, escalating the US military involvement in the Vietnam War. On the other hand, the US was not at war in Afghanistan until after the devastating 9-11 attacks occurred.

The Gulf of Tonkin incident involved allegations of attacks that were later proven to not have occurred as claimed by the US government at the time. In contrast, the 9-11 attacks were tragically real and had a profound impact on the American people and the world as a whole.

Furthermore, the nature of the attacks in each case differed significantly. The Gulf of Tonkin incident involved military targets, with torpedoes being fired at US battleships. Conversely, the 9-11 attacks targeted civilian locations, such as the World Trade Center in New York City, leading to the loss of many innocent lives.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the events leading to the deployment of US combat troops to Vietnam and Afghanistan were vastly different in terms of historical context, nature of the attacks, and the subsequent military response.

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