If we hadn't ignored the Vietnamese request to leave them independent when the Japanese were removed in WWII, instead of supporting France re-colonizing them, there wouldn't have been any VC or NVA or 'killing of hundreds of thousands of civilians'. We didn't do that, we created a split in the country, put a puppet in charge, and had war we chose.
The VC and NVA had problems - but there wasn't any 'great solution'. And stop lying about my position. Are you a scumbag supporting slaughter there?
If you recall, the Chinese had already colonized North Vietnam by using their armed might to set up and supply a puppet government, later supplanted by Ho Chi Min's Communist government with the aid of the ChiComs and the Soviets. I know YOU don't have any problem with Communism (other than not being able to enact it here) but many of the Vietnamese did, so there was going to be war either way. Remember that when we got involved, South Vietnam was not a French colony, but a free country; the French re-conquest, which by the way the US OPPOSED, had failed. America's choice was then to try to protect this free country from being forcibly taken over by Communists, or to allow it, but either way there was going to be war and slaughter.
Personally I certainly support trying to keep a free people from the soul-crushing evil of communism, even though I don't support the aid we gave the French in the latter part of their war. (Colonialism is in its way as evil as communism. And I certainly don't support the deference we paid to French interests in prosecuting our own war; if they want their damned rubber plantations kept out of bounds, let them send soldiers to deny them to the enemy.)
1. I agree with the after WWII thing. Poor decision by Ike.
2. Why yes I am. I am called a Marine and I was there doing my best to kill as many NVA as possible.
Thank you for your service. Too bad we fought it the way we did. Had we followed the preferences of the Marines and officers like Hackworth rather than politicians like McNamara, Vietnam today might be a unified FREE country with the prosperity of South Korea or Japan.