Let's talk about American exceptionalism. So, before Vietnam, America saw itself as the best country that was a "global force for good" and supported democracy. However, during Vietnam, this all changed because American civilians and military personnel realized America was not a force for good, and instead did what ever they pleased, such as supporting multiple corrupt government, basically founding the "state" of South Vietnam, and multiple CIA led assassinations or overthrowing foreign governments that were elected. Now, after Vietnam, Republicans began to attempt to save face and portray America as the victim of foreign aggressors without looking deeper into the reasons why they were targeted. Why didn't they ask why they were attacked? Because they knew America would actually be at fault and the attack was a consequence of American aggression. To make matters worse, presidents Nixon and Reagan made it so being anti-war was seen as also being anti-vet or anti-soldier which it is most definitely not. This line of thinking has continued into the 21st century, where we as American citizens barely question the motives of our military and government due to the fear of being called "anti-soldier" or "anti-vet". Unfortunately, it seems many Americans still view this country as a global force for good, but if you look deeper into the actions taken throughout the 20th century, you'll realize it is not. Hell, even the US Navy changed their slogan. Now, though, many Americans also see themselves as the victim of an unwarranted attack so that we can justify the actions taken by our government and military. [spoiler]For more reading see; [i]American Reckoning, Kill Anything that Moves, Patriots: Vietnam War Remembered from all Sides[/i][/spoiler]