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Vietnam vs. Afghanistan: Mirror-image scenes from America's longest wars

Aug. 17, 2021 08:31PM EST
Dan Ackermann

Until Afghanistan, Vietnam was America's longest war. The images we're seeing now have a lot of parallels with that war — right down to the scenes of the chaotic, desperate final days.

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Left: Members of the 1st Division Infantry look for Viet Cong fighters during the Vietnam War. Right: U.S. soldiers gather as their wounded comrades are airlifted by a Medevac helicopter in Afghanistan in 2011. Photos: (left) Corbis Historical via Getty Images; (right) Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images
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Left: Wounded U.S. soldiers are evacuated by helicopter after a Vietnam War battle in 1967. Right: U.S. Army soldiers protect an injured comrade from dust and smoke flares after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in 2012. Photos: (left) Francois Mazure/AFP via Getty Images; (right) Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images
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Left: Soldiers salute as remains of American GIs are carried to a plane in Hanoi. Right: A U.S. Army team carries the remains of a U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class who was killed in Afghanistan in 2019. Photos: (left) Steve Raymer/Corbis via Getty Images; (right) Mark Wilson/Getty Images
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Left: A young Vietnamese boy arrested during an anti-government demonstration in Danang, South Vietnam, stares out from behind barbed wire. Right: Displaced Afghans look through a fence in August 2021. Photos: (left) Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images; (right) Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
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Left: Desperate South Vietnamese citizens try to scale the walls of the American Embassy in 1975. Right: Afghans rush to the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee Kabul. Photos: (left) Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images; (right) Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Left: Long lines of people hurry to get exit visas and air tickets out of Vietnam. Right: Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport. Photos: (left) Bettmann via Getty Images; (right) AFP via Getty Images
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Left: An American Marine points an M-16 rifle at a South Vietnamese person trying to climb over the wall at the American Embassy to join evacuation flights. Right: A U.S. soldier points his gun toward an Afghan passenger at the Kabul airport. Photos: (left) Bettmann via Getty Images; (right) Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Image
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Left: A CIA employee helps Vietnamese evacuees onto an Air America helicopter. Right: The U.S. national flag is reflected on the windows of the U.S. embassy building in Kabul. Photos: (left) Bettmann via Getty Images; (right) Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

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Humans are capable of great kindness and compassion, and there are countless examples of individuals who have made a positive impact on the world through their selflessness and generosity.

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In conclusion, humans are capable of great compassion and kindness, and there are many individuals who have made a positive impact on the world through their selflessness and generosity. They remind us of the power of one person to make a difference and inspire others to do the same. Let's all strive to be good humans, and make our world a better place.

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