Salute!
Thank you both - SAS and Easy. I think my wife , who was with me for all my tours, and knew many of my friends that never came back will also thank you for your viewpoint.
The point about losing more friendlies by trying not to cause collateral damage is a good one. It allowed the enemy SAS and I faced at about the same time to rove freely and melt back into forbidden territory we could not strike. That stoopid war cost me and my family and friends 10 years of our lives, and it also cost us losing 40 or 50 that never returned.
During the 68 Tet I bombed some village that the local province chief claimed was housing bad guys. It later turned out it was a family feud thing and the goal was to hit his brother-in-law, or equivalent. The 72-73 return of airpower to the North was much less restrictive. We got outta there by the end of the year. Let's face it, all we wanted by then was to get the POW's out (I guarantee I know more then anyone here), and quit the whole damned fiasco.
Once you release the dogs of war, then you must weigh the losses of good folks that carry guns as well as those simply going about their business. There is no simple answer or magic formula. War is a terrible thing. But only the dead will know the end of war.
Gotta go before bringing too many bad vibes to this old brain.
Gums sends...