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Among all the various programs initiated in Vietnam, military, governmental, economic and cultural, none was universally more successful than the U.S. Military Advisors programs. One reason for that, they addressed nearly every aspect of daily life among the Vietnamese population, from the need for security and self-defense, to medical care and the basics of survival in a largely agrarian society. "Trust" was the central virtue, the tie that bound U.S. Military Advisors to the Vietnamese people.
Likewise, much of the success of the so-called "Surge" in Iraq, today, can be attributed directly to the lessons learned by U.S. Military Advisors nearly five decades ago. Once again, "trust" is the key component, whether it's "embedding" Advisor teams in Iraqi terrorist hot spots or training and serving alongside Iraqi security forces on the front-lines of combat. But, mutual respect and trust, essential as they are, must be earned, based on performance. These are just a few examples of how that was accomplished, from the men who "walked the walk."
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