When I was in an artillery unit in Vietnam, we were told that each shell we fired cost the taxpayers several thousand dollars to manufacture, disregarding the cost to develop the weapon itself or the cost of training the manpower to shoot it. We speculated that, considering the great number of rounds we fired, the United States could easily have instead built each Vietnamese a beautiful suburban house complete with swimming pool instead of spending the money trying to kill them. In that way we could have not only won the war but also the hearts and minds of the enemy. So I put it to you: if the cost in dollars of the Vietnam war were divided by the number of Vietnamese, how much could each have been paid to lay down their arms and live peacefully ever after? –Stephen Wilhelm, New York
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But let’s put this in perspective. Per capita annual income in South Vietnam in 1965 by one estimate was $113. At $3,600 per, we could have kept those guys in rice and fish sauce for pretty much the rest of their lives, with color TV and a Barca Lounger thrown in. As an added bonus, the country would not have suffered incalculable war damage and 1.8 million more Vietnamese would not be dead (or at least they would not have died from being shot, blown up, etc). I know, I know: millions for defense but not one cent for bribes. But considering how things actually turned out, maybe we should have given it a try.
Pleased to be of service, keep up the good work. –G. Hall, Alameda, California
