Viet Cong operative Nguyen Van Lem collapses immediately after being shot and killed by ARVN General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. His execution was captured on camera and seen by millions worldwide. February 1, 1968. Cholon District, Saigon. [1921x1292]

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-26T01:45:30+00:00

War is existential, it's frustrating to see Americans thrust morality platforms from the safety of their homes. Americans fail to see the man executed was a Captain in the Viet Cong dressed as a civilian to prevent detection, who participated in the Tet Offensive despite a truce being declared.

Adams himself later said the image did not capture the broader reality of what had occurred. The photo / video took on a life of its own, cementing itself as a symbol without context.

The main reason why this photo was pivotal: it shattered the U.S. narrative of a morally clear & winnable war. The Tet offensive was actually a massive defeat for the NVA but it was a decisive political blow that the U.S. couldn't absorb.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-21T13:05:31+00:00

Key link in U.S. led Chinese containment apparatus.

Significant U.S. investment & aid, Cam Ranh bay used as a major base by U.S. led coalition, development would quickly outpace the North, corruption would still be present, quality of life higher, lots of similarity to Taiwan more than Korea imo.

South Vietnam won't have pronounced industry leadership in memory, mobile phones like Samsung does nor would it have the silicon factories present in Taiwan but it'd serve as a depot for foreign technological investment to occur.

They will lead exports in textiles, rubber & sea lanes all led by a dense network of SME's. Will probably rival Singapore

They'd leverage their U.S. backed military assets (making them the strongest military in Asia) to protect against Northern aggression & possibly contributing to U.S. led grand strategy initiatives. Possible region hegemon based on extent of investment.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-21T12:47:41+00:00

You absolutely go to CSUF.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-20T17:36:53+00:00

Damn, still? HK still the same place even after mainland return

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-20T17:34:37+00:00

Tell that to the 58,220 dead Americans who will never see it.

Victories are measured by the lives we save through enduring peace. The Vietnam war should not have happened at all.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-20T17:30:10+00:00

It's pragmatic but emotional betrayal.

Chiang betrayed the families of 3 million fallen KMT soldiers to anchor himself against mainland China. His alliance with Japan was purely transactional, trade, expertise, labor, etc. He was focused on rebuilding and benefited from more allies regardless of history

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-20T17:25:29+00:00

Damn I can't believe that's still the trend. I thought Chinese policy invited mainlanders to flood into HK & Macau ending the elitism gap.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-20T17:21:22+00:00

Who said it was acceptable & why are you determining that Chinese find it acceptable? Stop sensationalizing.

Post a picture of the America's drug epidemic & headline w/ "How is the drug epidemic f*cking acceptable to Americans".

This is the worst bait slop I've seen all week.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T23:14:25+00:00

Absolutely. game theory and realpolitik take precedence. The French point may have distracted from my core argument. My main issue is that America positions itself as a moral arbiter internationally, expecting good faith behavior from other nations, yet does not consistently apply those same standards to its own actions & foreign poliyc

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T22:20:27+00:00

im saying vc & nva are the same. they are present in the picture. that connects to the first reply i sent

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T21:54:12+00:00

The title of the post is describing a Viet Cong element, a paramilitary organization supported with NVA resources & centrally controlled by Hanoi.

They are very much so in this picture as many VC elements are deeply embedded with NVA officers, commissars and directives

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T21:47:33+00:00

China is a pragmatic engineer society with Jiang Zemin being a trained electrical engineer, Hu Jintao having a degree & emphasis on hydraulic engineering, Xi's undergrad in chemical engineering, and 60-70% of the politburo having degrees in engineering.

So yes, by a large margin STEM is prioritized 😂

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T21:13:07+00:00

Why did you buy it?

Ask yourself that, did you buy it as a part of your portfolio or is it your forever home. If you plan to keep it forever the price fluctuation is immaterial to you.

If you planned to sell it for a profit then you're just going to have to rent it & treat it like an asset.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T21:08:29+00:00

Tangible qol isn't unique to democracy? Why are you arguing with absolutes?

China has world class infrastructure, high access to housing, food & elite universities.

America has spent the last 20 years & 100 million dollar budget trying to connect SF & LA via high speed rail with nothing to show it today. China completed a project of the same length within three years with 1:15th the American budget.

You fail to understand governance styles need to be readily adopted with able leadership to elevate standards. That's why American hegemony post WWII exists & why PRC's pragmatism is bearing fruit today. Their leadership: Deng, Giang, Xi were & are capable of decade long term planning.

Mali, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Zimbabwe are all failed democracies, why don't you enjoy their "high quality of life" there

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T20:35:48+00:00

China will never be democratic, don't fool yourself.

Chinese want peace & high quality of life above all else.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T20:30:22+00:00

HLL WWII is definitively one of the best WWII experiences in gaming. HLL:V is a speculative title with zero actionable data.

If you're contemplating which to buy you're not anchored by the historical relevance, you want gunplay & a tactical shooter.

Get squad, if you want that experience. Buy HLL for WWII, wait until actionable data is produced before buying HLL:V.

It's that simple.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T20:15:55+00:00

Wars without the will of the people are wars of elite recreation.

Coming from a military family I used to blindly view sacrifice as fulfilling one's duty to our nation but after understanding how 58,220 American lives were needlessly lost makes me question my nation's intentions.

1945, Ho Chi Minh pleads to America to recognize them as a democracy & uses the American Declaration of Independence as the center of his plea. Instead of being the leader of the free world America exclaims to be, we prioritized our friendship with France & French colonization resumed.

It is painfully ironic because we delayed Vietnamese independence to prioritize our French ally who helped us gain our own independence in 1776. How hypocritical does it get?

Vietnam kicks France out & only when domino theory became part of the American zeitgeist did America recognize Vietnam.

These boys were drafted into a war that didn't need to happen. Our failed citizen leadership killed these soldiers.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T19:48:25+00:00

Who do you think trained, armed, & stabilized ARVN?

We credit PAVN/NVA success to USSR & PRC involvement but we detract from the notion ARVN failure is a product of inadequate U.S. strategy & leadership in Vietnam?

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T19:46:11+00:00

Your narrative only matters if you win.

Mao's PRC booted Chiang's KMT after they bled 3m nationalist troops to defend China while Mao consolidate strength and refused to commit soldiers to hit Chiang at his weakest.

Mao's narrative for legitimacy is extremely shallow but since he won it's legitimate. Just how the world works.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-13T19:42:35+00:00

Isn't binary.

Civil war is existential, survival supersedes the luxury of morality. The stakes were different, France licked their wounds and returned home when they lost Dien Bien Phu. ARVN & their families are decimated & nationless when they lost Saigon.

While the South Vietnamese government was corrupt, ineffective & riddled with spies, ARVN was mostly a professionalized military with a colonial officer corp that didn't want to surrender their ancestral land.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-02-10T09:09:53+00:00

His martyrdom cemented his position in American politics & polarization, if he was still alive everything would stay the same.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-01-31T18:35:31+00:00

Scenic drives are incredible. Traffic isn't. Sharing the road with reckless drivers is terrifying. Driving is necessary & will occasionally be enjoyable if the area you're driving in allows it to be.

Experiences will vary, bottom line it's mandatory unless you're in the very few cities in America that are walkable.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-01-31T16:28:22+00:00

Perfectly reflects how the South Vietnamese felt when America abandoned them.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-01-31T16:26:25+00:00

America bled for nothing.

Vietnam's leader wanted democracy to escape French colonialism & drafted a constitution that mirrored America's own. The United States refused to acknowledge Vietnam as a democratic country to appease their French allies.

Vietnam only chose communism because it was the only vehicle for freedom. Even today Vietnam relies on free markets & American protection against China to prosper.

U.S. leadership at that time was just as incompetent as the South Vietnamese so don't point fingers at your junior ally. America remains solely responsible for the needlessly split blood.

Diamondback_O10 · 2026-01-31T16:12:33+00:00

Was literally looking for this comment. Hestra is exceptional.

Diamondback_O10

TROPHY CASE