Lessons from Vietnam

The lessons of the United States’ involvement in Vietnam are numerous. I propose to sketch a few of the areas in which my thought as a Christian citizen has matured over the past few years. The things I have learned about my faith and about contemporary discipleship are not necessarily what others of my generation may have learned, because many did not enter the era of the Vietnam War with as much ignorance and naivete as I possessed. On the other hand, I probably speak for many fellow Christians, young and old, who have undergone a great awakening. The end of the war will not signal for us a return to normalcy. Vietnam has been the catalyst for great change that will shape our lives and thoughts long after the United States’ military role in Southeast Asia is ended.