McNamara's Morons - The Low Intelligence Soldiers Used as Guinea Pigs in the Vietnam War

In 1966, Robert McNamara announced Project 100,000, not so much to meet the escalating requirements to keep America in Vietnam, but to spare America's poor and otherwise disadvantaged from, in his words, "idleness, ignorance, and apathy" by giving them a chance to "earn their fair share of [America's] abundance" and "return to civilian life with skills and aptitudes." Basically, McNamara claimed that one of the primary goals of Project 100,000 was to solve societal issues in America.
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:15 Project 100,000
2:01 New Standards Men
3:41 Examples of New Standards Men
5:20 Training and service
8:08 Consequences of Project 100,000
9:56 Conclusion

[@jacopocarettoni6044]

"we weren't expecting special forces"

[@coconuthead1361]

I'm ashamed that I laughed at this

[@roy2177]

😂

[@dogoven.]

NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION

[@duo496]

But it was me, Dio

[@austindonohue7918]

If anyone likes this comment, they're banned

[@regularfather4708]

Private Pile and Forrest Gump finally explained.

[@mikewade386]

LMAO!!! Hahahaha

[@ramirezad45]

To be fair though (yes I know it was a movie ) Forrest Gump did graduate from college

[@cowardtoe6532]

Frost1945 passing college don’t make you smart.

[@thomasmcgovern8565]

Animal Mother too

[@ramirezad45]

coward toe not so much now but back then without google and shit it took a bit more of one to think outside the box. All I’m a saying is for a guy with a low iq he did a bunch of extraordinary things that most people who can don’t (yes I know it’s a movie with a made up story )

[@ericmcknight123]

I was a Project 100,000 enlistee. I discovered this while in basic training with a broken ankle. I saw my medical folder with Project 100,000 stamped in blue letters. I started to open my medical folder when the Dr. walked in and basically made it clear I was never to open my medical folder. I completed my 4 years in the USAF (served in Japan and Viet Nam). Upon discharge I had numerous careers before deciding to earn a college degree. Despite my learning disability I earned a college degree and a Masters in Special Education.. I spent 20 years as a Special Education Teacher. Years later I discovered what Project 100,000 was and it purpose. Never the less, I am not a happy camper about McNamara's label. But I guess I was lucky to still achieve something with my life.

[@satod7223]

Damn life sucks at least it works in your case

[@ronindebeatrice]

Thank you for your service foreign and domestic.

[@ericmcknight123]

@@satod7223 Thanks

[@ericmcknight123]

@@ronindebeatrice Thanks

[@jedidiahross7447]

I wouldn't say that you were lucky. I think that underneath, you were determined. As an educator, I'm sure you would agree, the ' moron' in any situation is the person without the ability to explain himself and his thoughts clearly. The sadness we see is when the 'intelligent' don't take the time or have the ability to comprehend something else. That's why your determination has won the day. You went well over halfway to help others see you. Thank you.

[@ProtoMario]

Don't decieve yourselves, we are all cannon fodder.

[@boringdude1626]

EVERYONE HAS A SECONDARY MOS OF 11B.

[@guccipucci3941]

They were cannon fodder for the cannon fodder…

[@thebooboo3269]

@extremely crappy channel sometimes KZbin post a comment twice whether you mean it or not

[@DaiMie]

@@boringdude1626 12B is like 11B, but better.

[@guccipucci3941]

@@thebooboo3269 tru

[@bradleyhouse3180]

Just sign here boy, youll never have to worry about your future again.

[@Gottaculat]

Can't worry about your future if you don't have one.

[@yuurichito1439]

Ah yes giving a 66 iq soldier a machine gun *WHAT COULD GO WRONG*

[@AWormsPurpose]

Goattacular thanks for killing the subtlety of this joke

[@hunter5502000]

@@yuurichito1439 Some of those 66 IQ soldiers probably made damn good killing machines. No questions asked, just kill.

[@JJP-lb3ek]

"Friendly fire? What does that even mean?"

[@arch_6133]

"We was always looking for some guy named Charlie."

[@CFMLEAP]

Goooooood morning Vietnaaaaam!!!!

[@da1vinci1edi]

That hits hard now

[@onewaypresto4552]

Omg that’s great

[@cyprezz]

Hey, don't forget his buddy "Victor".

[@SenkaBandit]

Reminded me of forest gump Unless that’s where the reference is from

[@terrancewilhite9260]

I was one of mcnamara's "morons". I failed the entrance exam and then was drafted. We could not be failed in basic or AIT. I was 40 before I learned to read. I am proud of my injuries, medals, and the fact that i could run with the "good" people.

[@jedidiahross7447]

My respect to you, sir! The blood and toil given to the King is not unseen.

[@8a41jt]

I'm proud of you too. You *should* be proud of yourself.

[@USMC6976]

Great Job. Glad to see you kept at it. I too received a waiver on this program when I joined the Marine Corps in May, 1969. I was 5 pounds light of the minimum. It was a blessing, I received double rations in boot camp starting about 3 days into training. There are many success stories from that program.

[@ericmcknight123]

Excellent job.

[@notsoaveragegamer5725]

May the evil you encounter get what they deserved... and I'm not talking about the vietnamese

[@ShiftingDrifter]

Growing up in the 60s in small town USA, I heard of many young adult men who - after standing before a judge due to some non-violent infraction of the law and now possessing a criminal record - was given one of two choices: "...six months in jail or two years in the army with criminal record removed." I'd like to know the statistics on that group.

[@sgt.duke.mc_50]

Absolutely, I was one of those & during my 20 months as a Marine in Vietnam, I met many more who fit that description..Another quantifer was disproportionate numbers of minorities to combat duty as "bullet stoppers" as we called people actually "in the bush".

[@vincentgarzoli3197]

Back in the 90s, I had a colleague in another division of the company I worked for who was one such case. I recall him saying that the judge in his court case sent him off to join the Marines with the words, "....And I hope you get killed over there!"

[@charlesphillips430]

My Natl Guard unit had tons of those. A pain to train too!

[@charleswest6372]

We had hundreds of them in the guard. A pain to work with. I refused to train some of them

[@Sub12Hz]

My uncle was one of those guys. He was KIA within his first year. It at least got my grandparents a deferral for my other uncles being at risk of the draft.

[@carljohnson4473]

When the special Forces are literally Special...

[@axelpatrickb.pingol3228]

Special Needs...

[@spamuraigranatabru1149]

For special deeds...

[@axelpatrickb.pingol3228]

Oh shit, I forgot this is CJ. Remember Jack Howitzer?

[@carljohnson4473]

@@axelpatrickb.pingol3228 ooh yes, i remember "Special Needs Cop" 😂

[@axelpatrickb.pingol3228]

@@carljohnson4473 The jokes writes itself if you know Jack's roles...

[@therealcharlie7314]

This whole scenario seems like a cruel social cleansing project.

[@markflierl1624]

It probably was!

[@didierblanch827]

It is, let the ones they aren't good use for the society die in the battle zone.

[@steelydan146]

Probably true, but look at what those types are doing today... voting for Trump

[@aforerunner1773]

Yeah no it wasn’t, it was desperation

[@WARSinRIOTS]

@@aforerunner1773 pretty sure it can be both.

[@kevinhealey6540]

I was in the army but I had never been in Vietnam. I had talked however to Vietnam Vets. They all told me about what this video explains. Also they took kids who were in trouble in the courts and the judge would tell them that they would serve no jail time if they joined the army. The Vets also told me that there were no plans to win the war. There were no fronts in Vietnam. A common expression by all of them was, "just wanted to the time and get the fxxk out of there. I also talked to WW2 vets and one of them told me in those days they took just about everybody and anybody. This was done to fill up the gaps on the front line. One told me that he was rejected from the Navy because he had a hearing loss in one of his ears and one of his arms was not in good shape. That was in 1939. He had a good paying job however in a factory. However as the war progressed, the army called him him up in 1942 for enlistment. He went down there with his paper work showing his bad hearing and bad arm. They told him what they would do for him is, they would be him in the artiliary. With the bad ear he would not know the difference. However when he was England when everyone was awaiting the landings for the invasion of France, before that happened he was reasigned to an Infantry unit. His unit arrived 2 days after the initial invasion. He said the fighting was preety bad too. For instance he told me before throwing a grenade he had to pull the pin and let the timer run down four seconds because the Germans were skillful at picking up a grenade that was thrown at them and throwing it back from where it came from. He said, "In the film "It's a Wonderful Life" George Bailey was excused from service because of bad hearing in one of his ears. That was not the way it was. In World War II, if you were breathing, you were going."

[@boat6float]

My grandfather told me something similar.

[@tabo01]

Yeah, giving guys with drug problems and out in Nam, where you could get a vial of heroin for %2. Genius level social engineering.

[@Ray-md9nr]

The only reason McNamara came up with this is so he wouldn't have to draft rich kids (that through multiple ways were avoiding or dodging the draft). It's usually the poor who fights and die.

[@slesley4223]

College deferments were part of it. When they decided not to activate Reserve and NG units for Vietnam, McNamara realized maintaining troop levels would mean cutting most college, (and other draft) deferments. So, he decided to draft 100K who had scored in the two lowest categories (CAT 3 and 4) on the AFQT.

[@anti-communist103]

muh poors

[@declan1278]

You said it mate look after the rich kids

[@66kaisersoza]

He didn't want to upset the middle class voters.

[@cvhinson1]

this was voted on by democrats, ran by democrats, and covered up by democrats.

[@adrunkhomelesguy8675]

As a veteran this is heartbreaking but not shocking at all. The government is not your friend

[@mostlyharmless88]

Easy there Reagan. It doesn't have to be that way -- government is a system by the people, that represents the people. What your country makes of it says more about the people than government. Just because Americans have a war fetish and elect leaders that fuck them, doesn't mean the idea of governments are bad. Hell, Republicans hate government so much they sabotage it, underfund social programs until they crumble and then point to that as an example of why they don't work. From the vantage of point of being outside of America, it's laughable how you people see the world. A great example is America's understanding of the political spectrum, that in no ways lines up with objective reality or the rest of the world's definition. i.e. Joe Biden is not RADICAL LEFT, or even left for that matter. The Democratic party is actually centre-right when put in proper context, save for a FEW members (AOC, Bernie) who are not FAR LEFT -- only left of centre. But discussing this with an American is akin to convincing them that the sky is green, it does not compute. It'd be funny if there weren't real life consequences, it's like sleeping next to an elephant on peyote.

[@coolspot18]

This is just a representation of America ... which the world has been witnessing the last 4 years, and finally came to a head at the capitol 4 years ago. People should really consider more carefully who they are voting for and what type of country they really want.

[@adrunkhomelesguy8675]

@@mostlyharmless88 bro I'm not reading that novel. I'm not a fan of Reagan and he was actually before my time

[@fnerXVI]

So something interesting I've noticed is that a lot of veterans, including myself, have a strong distrust of the government. In my case this distrust wasn't present before serving. Why do you think that is? My guess would be that I've experienced the incompetence of people in the military, and knowing how people are, believe that same level of incompetence exists everywhere in the government.

[@michaeljackson8002]

You cant be sending only the most competent to fight on the front lines and die, gotta have a retard battalion to absorb some of the casualties and even out the natural selection

[@jonathanpiccone6935]

Forrest Gump and private Pyle anyone?

[@raymondnewton2388]

Prime examples.

[@mariomoso1059]

jonathan piccone hey men nice to see you

[@rotteni]

this shed more light to pyles character...

[@absinthefandubs9130]

Pyle doesn't even strike me as mentally handicapped, just incredibly clumsy and a bit off. There are mental disorders that do this which... would also usually disqualify one from enlisting.

[@nunyabusiness4904]

I don't think the Private Pyle from Full Metal Jacket fits the bill, a bit overweight and he didn't handle stress well but in the very first scene he was in he appears to be mentally on par with his fellow recruits.

[@fernandoreynaaguilar1438]

Do not be offended by the term "Moron": that Is (was) the scientific term usted by science. The problem is that it began to be used in a derogatory form. So they changed to "idiot". That too became abused, so they changed to "imbecile". That too became abused, so they usted "cretin", which... You get the idea.

[@tyrongkojy]

Now it's "special", which has always been awkward for me to say. It feels condescending to call someone that, and those I've spoken to tend to agree that it's at least inching toward that direction.

[@jessewoody5772]

Now they call em REPUBLICANS

[@kingofdragonsgameplay1369]

@@jessewoody5772 brilliant, top-level comedy. I can’t believe you’re not a worldwide famous comedian.

[@forkstaf1918]

You see this is why we can’t have nice things.

[@jessewoody5772]

@@kingofdragonsgameplay1369 I'll be here all week. Try the lamb

[@TheGelatinousSnake]

Nearly every 6th grader I’ve ever taught read at “post high-school” level and any time my students read at a “sixth-grade level” or lower had disabilities. For adults to be at that level, these were poor and unfortunate souls...

[@mylesmacleod4306]

An average 6th grader as already met high-school literacy standard?!! Man, I wish I didn't believe that.

[@randomstuff1019]

Yeah I remember reading Watership Down in 5th or 6th grade. If they only had a 6th grade reading level, they probably don't understand the reality's of war.

[@pewpew9193]

I was watching some collegiate scholar bowl & the questions were so basic. I really hope it was just simplified for the masses watching network TV & that isn't the level of our newly produced "scholars". I was just in college a couple years ago & I had some very unfortunate classmates, but it almost seems like the dumbing down of America is on purpose. I know people that graduated & still couldn't produce a basic MLA format paper.

[@jp-sn6si]

@Jack Chester why? she' can't even write a proper sentence. man no wonder why all these kids these days have such a problem with proper prose.

[@karaokeentertaintment8197]

I had coworkers who had "higher" education level than me but couldn't spell the word "saw". Believe it or not, at that point I started to get pissed off. I was an e-mail to our boss and i wasa CCed on it, I couldn't believe it and wasn't a typo either since it happened more than once. If a 4 year degree is that easy to obtain than i dont want to get in debt for one.

[@ggpl8117]

That makes my teammates in Rising Storm2:Vietnam historically accurate

[@arthurmorgan2861]

whats a back-blast and why is my squad ded? -me

[@kellythomas6347]

But I wanna see the pretty plane fly over ME

[@itsjustanapple5452]

LOL

[@whiskey419]

The only good people in that game are the ones who sacrifice themselves to play music in local voice, even when being repeatedly killed by a friendly

[@Grimnir_x]

This.

[@steveturner3999]

I had a coworker tell me that upon returning from Viet Nam he was sent to the unemployment office to find a civilian job. The counselor told him they'd place according to the skills he acquired while in the service (he was air force). He told her there wasn't an comparable job in civilian life. She told him there had to be. "What did you do in Viet Nam she asked?" "I hung big ass bombs on airplanes. Got anything like that needs fillin?" She promptly awarded him unemployment benefits.

[@jalan8171]

He could of qualified to work in an Amazon Fulfilment Center today.

[@busteraycan]

I mean, that skill should apply to airport baggage loading nicely.

[@loganinkosovo]

When I ETSed the first time I was told since I decided to get out of the Army Voluntarily I did not Qualify for Unemployment. If I had had my ass thrown out on a Chapter I would have Qualified for Unemployment.....

[@chachcadi271]

Vietnam

[@loganinkosovo]

@@chachcadi271 Those of us who were alive during the Viet Nam War always use that Space between Viet and Nam.

[@slesley4223]

I had been aware of McNamara’s “Project Hundred Thousand” for many years. He created it to draft 100K who scored in the two lowest categories (CAT 3 and 4) on the AFQT. It was the result of two key decisions. 1. Not to activate Reserve and NG units for Vietnam, and 2. It avoided the need to cut college draft deferments for the elites. Many of the soldiers served with distinction, but most were just cannon fodder. I scanned McNamara’s supposed “tell all” book about Vietnam. Decided not to read it when I saw he did not mention his Project 100K. 1SG, USA, Ret

[@josron6088]

It's mind-blowing how cruel and dysfunctional the people who lead us are.

[@markhoberg4088]

You nailed it!

[@Jin-Ro]

OK, that explains Full Metal Jacket. Always thought that they wouldn't let a guy like that in the forces. Seems they absolutely did!

[@che8866]

RIP Bubba .

[@teopini]

He could very well be one of McNamara's Morons, makes so much sense now

[@TribleNerd]

Yeah, I would like to say your right. But take it from someone who went through boot camp. He was much smarter than some of the people going though boot today, and I will still trust them with my life.

[@garrettwilliams205]

They absolutely still do...

[@liamvosefski2795]

Current serving marine here, we had several people like that in my platoon when i went through in2016

[@round5soundsfetchmetheirso827]

US: Sends intellectually disabled men to die in Vietnam Hitler: based

[@thejonathan130]

kek

[@derhonkler]

Edgy-Big-Boi based on based

[@conorchambers3449]

@Edgy-Big-Boi Hitler introduced a policy of Euthanasia just straight up started shooting disabled, elderly and mental health patients in the head until the Church complained and News became international. Here the USA sent these men to die

[@YungEagle3k]

Look at what the soviets did instead. Far greater scale

[@Journey_Awaits]

At least the Germans only sent random plebs to fight when they were running out of soldiers in 45

[@georgestreicher252]

The attitude back then when a young man displeased his elders was, "The army will make a man out of you". Many adults were World War Two vets then. As war becomes more technical, less people fight in the front lines. Most of the WW2 vets that said this probably never saw actual combat. I respect the men and women in the military but not the politicians that send them into needless war. This video kind of hits home in that I failed my induction physical in 1969 because of a childhood disease they thought would reoccur. I have heard they were drafting people into the Marines at that time. I would have made a terrible soldier and an even worse marine. Time to stop "foreign entanglements", as George Washington phrased it and defend our own boarders.

[@tracylemme1375]

When in Vietnam I knew a young man who didn’t know one end of a paintbrush from the other he was a “MacNamera’s wonders” . Luckily he made it through a full tour and got home safely.

[@wert1234576]

You can't just take any idiot give them a gun and send them off to fight. "The hell I can't" -McNamara

[@expectnothing9032]

Guess the whole entirety of the u s is a hole then lmao

[@DoxSteele]

@Burn#Loot#Murder BLM the irony is strong here...

[@LoudaroundLincoln]

@@DoxSteele oh you bastard. Got in there before me. I'm going to use that comment to explain irony to my 4 year old son.

[@ibubezi7685]

Maybe McNamara wasn't a complete idiot, but he was a total loser - squandering away men - and the war - may he eternally burn in napalm.

[@ugoc3300]

You can't teach an idiot not being an idiot. If there is only low education, maybe, if not, you are running at your risks.

[@bluesdoggg]

As a former infantry soldier, I can tell you this does not translate to civilian employment skills.

[@11B30Inf]

Mine did! While I was still in Army, I took the time to learn about computers and later about Simulation warfare. Before I retired from the Army, I took a class to get my A+ Computer/Software Certification. When I retired I got a job to do be a Armor Vehicle Simulation Tech in Close Combat Tactical Trainer. This was five trailers which we travel to a Army National Guard posts on the West Coast. Trailers consist power generator, AAR/Operations, 2 M2A2 Bradleys per trailer of total of 4 M2A2 Bradleys. Here we can train soldiers in simulation warfare and the Bradleys we had match with the real ones they use. The pay is pretty good (almost six figures).

[@benr6751]

British army infantry veteran of ten years, 5th battalion The Rifles... and no right you're right, I've found my time in service is barely worth mentioning on my CV (I think Americans call it a resume?) I cant exactly tell a civilian employer that my job was to engage, close with and kill the enemy... I'd probably end up with terrified faces and arrested on suspicion of being some sort of psychopath. Only 2 things I got out of service: Confidence The ability to drink enough booze to kill an elephant and still walk home fine

[@americanpig-dog7051]

@Kenny the G Well the A+ isn't really a huge time commitment cert so it's not like he is saying he had time to go to college while he was in.

[@jackhames3874]

half sack good to know our British Infantry brothers are just like American Infantrymen

[@davidcool140]

Mr. MOORE the army opens up so many doors for you!.... they’re real fake doors though...

[@anonymoushuman8344]

An uncle of mine who was in the Vietnam War once mentioned that he had been put in charge of a small group of mentally disabled soldiers. It was an uncomfortable subject for him. I didn't ask him any questions about it, and he has since died. I wouldn't be surprised if those men were subjects in this project.

[@yellowlynx]

I feel so bad for your uncle as well as those soldiers - they had no idea of what was happening - there were drafted simply because the rich white elites didn't want their sons to go to Vietnam.

[@robertmaybeth3434]

Nowadays if that happened to me I'd call them my Goof Troop. Unless of course I was part of the goof troop

[@desertdaze129]

In 1966, At the induction center in LA, I roomed with one of them. A month or so later, I saw him in a recycle platoon. He didn’t recognize me. I hope he made it.

[@wzpu3283]

Plot twist: He was smart and was playing dumb to avoid deployment. Pretending not to remember you helped to corroborate his narrative.

[@uncreativename9936]

"Infantry and Artillery teach skills to help them later in civilian life." *X* to doubt.

[@lg4president728]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4TYqoKnZdt2e6c

[@joneszer1]

How to be homeless hahaha

[@-aa6991]

How to use a gun to fucking get anything you want in the world except for a decent medical healthcare system of course! 😁🔫

[@robertlanning7612]

I mean, most of life's problems could be theoretically solved with the proper application of a high explosive projectile 😂

[@joneszer1]

Robert Lanning you are not wrong... then again doesn’t need to be HE. Could just be some good ole 5.56 but if you’re feeling spicy, some Willy Pete will always help.

[@KubinWielki]

> The lowest IQ > Common assignments: Administration Given everything I've ever heard about military logistics and all, it checks out.

[@DynamicDurge]

I hope their administration jobs were limited to being desk clerks

[@jonlee2553]

Some say the project is still going on to this day. S-1 lost your BAH request btw.

[@angrydragonslayer]

@@DynamicDurge he implied that current admin staff is filled with morons I had to deal with them while i was in the ME as an aid worker (and later ad hoc merc) and i have to say it's fitting

[@che8866]

RIP bubba

[@brandonstonestone1795]

The lowest iq go infantry. If you score piss poor on the asvab this will be your only option.

[@joefirma2242]

Apparently, this program was a resounding success because it became the blueprint for hiring in the public sector. Even American universities adopted this too. Although they did upgrade the requirements of a percentage of college freshmen to slightly higher than "moron". There is logic in the reasoning. If an American university can train a dog to be a lawyer, it is a validation of the superiority of the American educational system.

[@milsurprifleguy7091]

I graduated in 1975 at 17 years old and I was really wondering what I was doing to do when I turned 18 in a few months . Then I watched the fall of Saigon & felt sad for those left behind , because of us . I went on to collage and talked with a lot of guys who had been over there . There is only so much you can understand from watching the news until you talk to someone who lived it

[@neilreynolds3858]

Thanks for being one of the few who wants to listen.

[@arturowagner4728]

"I'm pretty handy with a bayonet, but you can't put that in your resume. It scares people!" Frank Barone Every Body Loves Raymond

[@billythekid2281]

We had a guy at my work who had “Qualified in throwing grenades” on his resume.

[@charlesfitton9677]

@@B-26354 Thx for that, B-263 54. I'll borrow that for resume writing...

[@codyblea3638]

I know it's not glamorous but skilled trades love former military of almost all MOS. I've done tree work with vets of all branches. The work ethic and ability to work as a crew is invaluable in potentially dangerous work. Ever see a former 11b haul ass to help a guy pull over a tree when a gust of wind is pushing the tree the wrong way? That MFer will get there in time, no matter what is between him and that rope. Guy gets hurt? He's on the ground unable to move under a tree or heavy limb? You will see momma lifting car tier strength from the vets to help that guy. Need a tedious, tiring days long project done? The vets will joke how this is fun compared to the stupid shit they had to do to stay busy. Find a trade you enjoy, work hard and expand your skill sets, you will do well. You already did boot camp and survived your service. Now you can learn something you like and get yelled at a lot less. Edit because autocorrect.

[@arturowagner4728]

@sick boytypo...

[@Alex-cj1uh]

@@billythekid2281 i mean how hard is it to throw grenades really? You pull the pin and chuck the bitch as far as you can...

[@michaellawson6298]

When I was a squad leader in Vietnam, I got several of these guys as replacements. They were worse than useless. They hurt our combat effectiveness as we had to watch them all the time so they wouldn't fuck up our patrols.

[@aidansouthall1]

My grandfather is a Nam combat vet and squad leader too. He had to deal with a lot of these dudes. He still tells me stories about how stupid a lot of his men were. It’s quite sad. He would always tell the new guys somethin along the lines of “if you listen to me and do what I say, then you might just be able to make it home”. Cheers and thank you for your sacrifices!

[@Clos93]

Thank you for your service sir!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@marcusowens1735]

Thank you for your service sir. 🇺🇸🗣🙏

[@KimNguyen-xe2hn]

Marcus Owens I feel good to know that the Americans lost

[@marcusowens1735]

@@KimNguyen-xe2hn breh we fucking dumped bodies..the vietnamese just never gave up, art of war tactics..but if your talking bodies breh it wasnt even close..gtfo..

[@ssglinus]

The sad thing is that I think McNamara believed what he said about the project. Such is the arrogance of those that see themselves as "elites" in our society.

[@JerzyFeliksKlein]

Every society is a pyramid and has the top, middle and the bottom. As such every society has the top, or the elites. From a modern first world country to a poor tribe in Africa. The problem here was that McNamara wasn't an elite but thought of himself as being one.

[@chipschannel9494]

McNamara elitism is a major factor in the U.S. escalating the war , he didn’t have much to say when he resigned and he past still trying to justify his actions though he knew he made a huge mistake with Westmoreland and Johnson.

[@ssglinus]

@@chipschannel9494 Hindsight is 20/20.

[@charleswest6372]

Only Elite idiots who wrecked the military.

[@dalekerby9105]

And unfortunately, their arrogance generally results in pain for others. The "elites" always know best, and that includes what is best for us non-elites!

[@samuelsmith5773]

I taught photography as an Air Force instructor during this experiment. Category 4 inductees were too dumb to learn anything technical;. We weren’t allowed to test them like other students; they weren’t allowed to fail.

[@ArkadiBolschek]

Adolf Hitler 1934: "Let's put undesirables into concentration camps." Robert McNamara 1966: "Why do that when we can use them as cannon fodder."

[@arnatar2086]

The big difference being how they defined undesireables.

[@ArkadiBolschek]

@@arnatar2086 Not at all: the nazi eugenics programs also targeted the "weak", "idle" and "feeble-minded"; many of McNamara's Hundred Thousand would have qualified.

[@arnatar2086]

@@ArkadiBolschek not to forget the jews and other minorities. So only because there is some overlap, it does not mean the definitions are equal.

[@ArkadiBolschek]

@@arnatar2086 The definitions aren't equal, but the difference isn't _that_ big.

[@arnatar2086]

@@ArkadiBolschek On the contrary, one is an argument based on estimated economical worth of people, the other one based on ideology

[@robyngiesbrecht5206]

"most common assignments included artillery" yeah why not put the least competent people in charge of the giant cannon aimed with math

[@denesmiltenyi9508]

I think the "morons" were the ones that transported the Shells and Cartriges from the Depot to the Gun. That is also an important job and does not need much brain. But entrusting a 155 mm Shess to a low IQ guy is not really "Recomended".

[@Enumclaw]

Yeah, they were carrying and setting stuff up. Reasonably intelligent NCOs were the ones aiming the guns.

[@Ship-security]

I doubt they were in charge.

[@WildsDreams45]

I guess that would explain why a vet told me that some of the other artillery battalions would fire on ally positions.

[@killercuddles7051]

@@Ship-security lmao...dude you left yourself out there for a good burn!!!

[@joemclaughlin8592]

I was in boot camp for the Navy in 1983 and we had two guys in the company who fit this description. They needed constant help. One of them even needed help eating as he had no idea how to use utensils. I'm fairly certain they were 'mission day' ascensions, when recruiters throw everything down to the processing station in hopes that some make it to fill mission requirements.

[@vuvuvu6291]

"The training of NSM is long and cost a lot of money." That's the point.

[@1mol831]

Politicians probably think: Why not just order them to charge so that they will be shot as distraction, then dishonourably discharge all of them, so we can reduce the number of undesirables in the country

[@randomv3iwer]

“Cannon fodder” Simply what it was.

[@bryansammis998]

The prototypes for the expendables

[@hadoken5402]

Culling of the working class

[@tylerrochester8496]

hado ken um most of them would be janitors if they were working

[@MatthewLee8383]

USA has always had a bit of a thing for genomics.

[@whoshotya4503]

@@bryansammis998 🤣🤣😭

[@OccidentalExpression]

Can't read or write? Here's an administration/communications job.

[@cristianespinal9917]

I thought we were talking about the Vietnam Era, not modern day...

[@SLAPNTZ_MCCOY]

That’s government for you

[@suicidewafflez]

Those were probably the dumbest ones. Imagine what the fatality rate would've been if they let those guys be infantrymen as well.

[@jaredneal5588]

The idea that you could make someone more well-adjusted to society by sending them to war… it just goes to show how disconnected McNamara and company were from the harsh realities of war

[@watfordgap6737]

Social engineering was popular at that time. It isn't any longer.

[@roberthermann97]

@@watfordgap6737 Yes it is popular, extremely popular. It's just focused on race, gender and sexual orientation now.

[@watfordgap6737]

@@roberthermann97true. But it won't work now either

[@charlesphillips430]

I failed my physical for Iraq. I knew it was bogus, no WMDs or like. All about $$ at soldier sacrifice.

[@dalekerby9105]

McNamera, et al, were the REAL morons!

[@guruthetank]

Didn't get to the end yet but I feel like people underestimate how twisted the government is and the type of things they do and are willing to do for there agendas

[@ronniehopper2726]

True story my grandfather was drafted into Vietnam the man can’t read and he can’t write from what I was told the army recruiters taught him how to read instructions and write his name, I would like to make some edits it wasn’t a recruiter but what my grandfather told me is a CO.

[@celter.45acp98]

I'm sorry our country failed your family

[@guyorsini1044]

There is a difference between sending someone who was illiterate and send a man who was , to use a old term, mentally retarded.

[@aa64912]

Ronnie Hopper if you are drafted you don’t see recruiters only if you enlist. So, did he enlist or was he drafted? I know and served with a number of college grads who were infantry or artillery. Artillery demands math skills and mechanical abilities. I was a RTO and am a past member of MENSA. My brother, also a member, was artillery. Thank you for your grandfather’s service. He is to be respected

[@guyorsini1044]

@@aa64912 A particularly onerous practice by recruiters who had to meet their quota to avoid being sent to Vietnam was to show up at induction centers and sign up potential draftees before they went through the induction process "because yo're going to end up in the army anyways." There's a reason that recruiters were know as "the crotch".

[@ronniehopper2726]

Walter Johnson I think he enlisted my grandfather doesn’t really like talking about the details of his service. I know he was 92G whatever that is and his rank was E4,

[@smonyboy]

"infantry and artillery" Imagine someone who cant tell his left from his right, in charge of an artillery piece

[@mauricehinton5889]

CHECK FIRE! CHECK FIRE

[@JoinMeInDeathBaby]

You need an officer to operate a gun, this guys were probably loaders.

[@monkeydust100]

Probably why friendly fire happens

[@smonyboy]

@@JoinMeInDeathBaby and how does that relate to my point.

[@JoinMeInDeathBaby]

@@smonyboy factcheck

[@TheReader6]

This blows the ideas that “anyone can be trained to do anything” out of the water.

[@AJ213Probably]

Yeah, which is why you can't just tell people to find better jobs that pay them more. There will always be people who can't be trained to do better jobs meaning they get stuck doing stuff like fast food or retail. That and someone has to do the job too. Its a shame both the left and right get this wrong. Its like they both are ignoring that some people just won't be able to contribute much to society in the work force.

[@davidcarik1761]

A buddy of mine from West Texas told me a story once about his two Uncles who fought in World War II. Apparently, his Uncles were out on the farm and didn't even know a War was going on or what that meant to them. Somehow, both were sent off to the Army and it was discovered, amongst other things, that their teeth were so bad they had to pull out ALL of them! They couldn't read or write but were two, fairly strong and tough farm boys. They Army sent them both up to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska until the War was over. They came back to West Texas with no teeth (given false teeth I'd surmise) and a few stories like, "It was sure cold up there in Alaska", and never left their West Texas town for the rest of their lives. Good old "Uncle Sam".

[@hdwarrior8830]

My uncle tried to join the Army before the Vietnam war started, but although he was very bright he was dyslexic and therefore couldn't even read the exam. When they really needed warm bodies they called my uncle up and read the test to him. To this day he will not talk about his time in Vietnam, but now I understand why he was there. McNamara was a monster. My uncle was smart enough to keep himself alive, but all those poor men who were just sent to their doom as cannon fodder just hurt my heart.

[@Goalie002]

Although he didn't serve, Muhammad Ali had the same. He suffered from severe dyslexia and had great difficult reading, many of his speeches were written phonetically to help him. His dyslexia was so bad he was put into the lowest eligible draft category, but the categories were changed and he was called up because of it. They needed warm bodies, the poor and "stupid" are always the first to go. Not everyone can join the National Guard or study abroad for a few years. It's criminal and despicable that this was done.

[@manz7860]

he didn't sound very bright lol

[@michaelfregoso1820]

@@manz7860 aww someone looking for attention? 😿

[@CETGale]

I have severe dyslexia, when I was a kid I was sent to a school to learn how to control it... I dont remember allot about it but I do know they made me read in mirrors.... That said I have a 126 IQ and never had any problems with asfab sat nor any other test.... Having dyslexia does not mean you are dumb or stupid and it is treatable as far as Ali was concerned he was just a damn draft dodger with $......

[@jessewoody5772]

@@CETGale just like draft dodger donnie, Forever to be known as THE BONESPURS PRESIDENT.

[@user-mz2yh6qz7y]

"Even a man who has nothing, can offer his life"- can't remember who

[@KaleKutter]

Warhammer 40k lol xD

[@Altaranalt]

It sounds very Warhammer-ish

[@Wanhope2]

If a warhammer 40K quote matches, it's probably something horrible and dystopian.

[@johnmccallum8512]

Every politician since time began

[@arnavrawat9864]

That's such a cruel quote. Disgusting.

[@David-mh2jn]

I grew up in a suburb outside of Chicago on a tract called Prospect Heights, mostly 2 and 3 bedroom homes filled up with optimistic, conservative families. My dad had been a flight navigation officer and photographer with a B-24 crew during the war in The Pacific. And dad sure wasn't alone in that neighborhood, damn near every father on the block had served during WW2 or in Korea. There was this one family a bit different than the rest of the crowd. They lived down at the end of our street, their last name was Stryker. The were the only single parent family in the area, which is one strike against "em in a neighborhood of all the sames. Mrs Stryker was raising her son and daughter in the home by herself, and I have no clue where the Mr was, but that's not where I'm going with this ..... so I'll get to it. Her son was Peter Stryker, a long haired 18 year high school dropout (strike 2) with a huge white toothed smile that was unfortunately surrounded by a face that had lost a brutal battle with the acne army. It's surface was marred in bomb craters and trench pits that all the Clearasil in the world could neither help not hide. Pimple faced Pete (Yep, kids can be cruel), as he was known, used to walk down our street, wearing bellbottom jeans and a Levi's jean jacket that covered a skinny shirtless torso. On the jacket's rear, stenciled across Pete's narrow shoulders, done in large pink lettering, was THE DOORS. As he walked , he would always be snapping open and then slapping closed a shiny Zippo lighter. My dad didn't like Pete, of course, and would always say something like, "there goes that goddamn hippy freak from down the street". "Who," my mom would surely ask, and my dad would growl back something wonderful like, "That goddamn Stryker kid whose face looks like someone took an ice pick to it." That summer, Pete Stryker lost any chance of my dad ever coming around to his side by getting arrested for burglarizing the Mackey's house, which sat directly behind the Strykers. He didn't stay in jail long though, I guess his momma bonded him out of Cook County because a couple evenings after the botched crime, I heard dad giving his standard commentary over Pete's stroll down the block. "I hope the little cocksucker tries to rob us. I got bullet ready to go right in the middle of that big crater on his forehead." It only seemed like a couple months or so before Pete got what my dad called "the deal of a lifetime." A Cook County judge, sensing that Peter J Stryker's life was on a shakey path, offered Pete a different route. This trip wouldn't involve walking down Hackberry Ln while snapping a zippo, but it most certainly would involve a lot of walking. The judge told Pete that if he went down and enlisted in the United States Marine Corp, proved it, and then came back to court after successfully completing boot camp, that the judge would dismiss the case. Or, the honorable and fair minded jurist said, you can take door number 2 and go to prison for 3 years. So Pete was off to basic training at Paris Island. Even my dad had hope for the kid: "The goddamn leathernecks will make a man outta the freak.' Now, for anybody who's been bored enough to read this, I gotta tell ya, no matter how much I scratch my head, try and do the math, look at the calendar, whatever, I just can't really figure out how long he was gone. So I will just tell it like this. It seemed like a very short period of time had passed. I know it was winter and snow was on the ground, and I do remember that my grandmother was in town and staying with us. I was sitting on the stairs teasing our cat, Sam, with a Slinky that someone had given me on my birthday. I heard dad, who had just come in from work, talking to my mother in the kitchen as she prepared the family's daily bread. "Oh, I meant to tell you," said dad offhandedly, "Tom Coleman from down the block told me today that the Stryker kid was killed in Vietnam last week." "Oh no," my mom replied, "that poor mother." "well", said pop, "we won't have anymore goddamn burglaries."

[@robertmaybeth3434]

Amazing story here mister, and true no doubt...

[@menopassini9348]

My Dad told me during WWII it was the same way. Lots guys couldn't read or write or math. Skinny and slow from malnutrition. Never used Toilet paper, a phone or was in a car. Did not understand taking a shower or brushing their teeth. One guys Prize possession was a comb to get the lice out of his hair.

[@Boris90PFC]

So Forest Gump was part of NSM program.

[@werewally3156]

except, he volunteered...

[@noahhess4955]

were wally they say around the 8 minute mark that 55% were volunteers

[@NikeaTiber]

Prior to the NSM program Gump would have been rejected regardless of whether he enlisted or was drafted.

[@plzfixwolves955]

NikeaTiber He played College Football before volunteering so I doubt he was physically unfit.

[@domosrage5434]

NeuKaiser he was mentally unfit, however.

[@Idahoguy10157]

The first half of my military career I served with men who remember when McNamara was Secretary of Defense. They all despised his “leadership”. All McNamara wanted with his Project 100,000 to bring up enlistment rates. The scariest part is McNamara may have believed his own BS.

[@Crustymarine]

You speak truth. However seems some of those 100k managed to make a career well into the 70's. Not the brightest but some were good Marines and were proud to make a better life for themselves. Others, worthless shitbirds.

[@Idahoguy10157]

Crusty Marine ... I served with my share of troops from disadvantaged backgrounds. Half of those I met did well. Some stayed in, some got out and used their educational benefits

[@psilvakimo]

McNamara was a traitor.

[@LegoSwordViedos]

@@psilvakimo Or a eugenics perpetrator.

[@Marinealver]

The Ass that insisted he send both the lions and the sheep into battle, and was baffled why they lost to the wolves.

[@Bobdangerzone]

My grandpa didn’t make it through 3rd grade because he had to help work for his family and he was sent to Vietnam. I understand now he wasn’t drafted because he got unlucky. It’s because he never made it in school. At least he made it out alive

[@TheWaterMagister]

Imagine being one of those soldiers looking down and seeing this video about themselves.

[@ohh1065]

Some of them have commented on this video

[@capncake8837]

@@ohh1065 Several are now near the top.

[@mikehenderson560]

This is really no different than what Britain did during the Napoleonic wars: Empty out the prisons and send the "louts and touts" to the front. As Lord Wellington famously said: "Wars are very useful for getting rid of the scum of our cities and the swill of our shires".

[@_annoyed4692]

To be fair, by _"scum"_ they always meant _poor_ people, not _dumb_ people. Rich morons still got to say "ouchie, my bone spur" and got to stay home...

[@sirspikey]

Or the origin of the Foreign Legion

[@WhiteBloggerBlackSpecs]

@@_annoyed4692 Haha nice

[@louisromero2320]

This is really no different to a lot of major conflicts

[@johnschwartz1641]

As has been pointed out, poor does not equal stupid. Although, given the Flynn effect, it's likely most early 19th century soldiers would have been below our current average intelligence. Nutrition and child development weren't as well understood back then, and that would have dragged down the average intelligence. So it's possible that the "louts and touts" were mentally disabled by our standards. But even given that, warfare didn't require as much thinking back then. There's a big difference between marching in formation and firing volleys, as opposed to Vietnam which was all booby traps and ambushes. A redcoat was supposed to shut up and do as he was told. A grunt in Vietnam had to watch out for himself and his unit.

[@TheGrungy1]

This explains a few of my dads war stories. Especially the one about the guy who shot him self more than once and the one who ate mud.

[@The_Republic_of_Ireland]

Fuck...

[@livewellwitheds6885]

fuck man. MORE THAN ONCE?,,

[@TheSeanoops]

*desire to know more intensifies*

[@HIDHIFDB]

Just tell us more im interesed in thos stories.

[@jjt1881]

😳

[@faithlesshound5621]

The British Army enrolled many "mentally defective" soldiers in the first world war, even taking some who were in institutions, often those being trained to be ploughmen. They did not repeat that in the second world war.

[@berardoferrari]

and it still didnt help them much the second time around. LOL !!!!!

[@stupitdog9686]

Too Right !! Although nowadays, if my RN 9 year services observations are correct - they are now training them to be Navy officers .....!

[@amante2443]

"I got a letter in the mail, it said go to war or go to jail." That military running chant/cadence, as well as old timer SF guys saying I belong in the other ""Special" forces makes scarily strange sense

[@miketacos9034]

Tbf, they did learn one transferable skill: don’t trust the Pentagon.

[@swaghauler8334]

I'm never leaving the warmth and comfort of my DD214 "blanket."

[@brimster-valorantaggressiv3419]

Yup, they learnt as they were on the way back home in a coffin

[@crypticcorgi8280]

Nice, use their deaths as a promotion of your conspiracy. Tasteful.

[@TheOkstate]

Tbf you should use tbh instead

[@BigPurp9]

@@crypticcorgi8280 aww we’ve found the bootlicker who actually believes that politicians care about average people

[@abrahampetrow6750]

In 1966 it was called the AFQT. Armed Forces Quota Test. There were 100 questions. You needed to get 30 right to get into the military. One of the questions was "Do you like to ride motorcycles?"

[@Gemikoni]

Wait really that stupid question?

[@kassia2380]

but neither answer is wrong... they must have been really desperate

[@luissanchez723]

Today's equivalent of Dodge Chargers

[@kobe0007]

It's still AFQT (armed forces qualification test) and the minimum is now 31 :) No motorcycle questions though.

[@kassia2380]

@GabrieLP *welcome to the dark side jimbo. there is none.*

[@rethguals]

There were hundreds of thousands of trained men in the Army National Guard they could have called on to fill the gaps, but conscripting people and recruiting unsuitable men was weirdly seen as far more politically expedient. Consequently, the Reserves and National Guard literally became full; professional athletes, the wealthy, and the well-connected got prized spots in these organisations while the less privileged went off to fight wars. It's criminal

[@robertstallard7836]

The contract the National Guard signed was to protect the homeland - not serve overseas. They were enthusiastic and capable men who VOLUNTEERED to give their own time training to protect their country. Along you come - the new politician on the block - and how are you going to reward them? By breaking the contract they signed with you and sending them overseas! I can see you'd be the typical slimy, backstabbing, untrustworthy politician we have all come to know and love.

[@rethguals]

@@robertstallard7836 *The contract the National Guard signed was to protect the homeland - not serve overseas* Was that *really* the case? When you look at the precedents, that becomes very hard to believe: - 40% of US troops deployed to France in WW1 were National Guardsmen - The whole National Guard was called into federal service during WW2, and were disproportionately overrepresented in America's early battles overseas (i.e., Philippines, Solomon Islands, Algeria) - 4 USANG divisions were activated during the Korean War for overseas service - half went to fight in Korea, half went to Germany - A few USANG units and its members were involuntarily activated to serve in Vietnam Essentially, the idea of a "homeland service only" contract was impossible - the National Defense Act of 1916 and an amendments in 1933 literally gave the President the power to call up members of the National Guard into federal service, and deploy them overseas *They were enthusiastic and capable men who VOLUNTEERED to give their own time training to protect their country.* Modern attitudes of the Reserves/National Guard being composed of enthusiastic patriots volunteering their free time on top of their careers simply was not the case at the time. For starters, spots in the National Guard and Reserves were extremely prized during the Vietnam War, as it effectively insulated a young man from being drafted into full time service and/or being sent to fight in Vietnam. Eventually, only those well-connected were able to enlist (i.e., GWB and the Dallas Cowboys) The National Guard was not the well-trained, highly regarded organisation it is now - it was regarded as a soft and easy option with a very small commitment required, and largely full of privileged men who wanted to escape overseas service. *By breaking the contract they signed with you and sending them overseas!* Again, what contract? Where is it? Legislation at the time allowed for National Guardsmen and Reservists to be called up for overseas service, and still does *I can see you'd be the typical slimy, backstabbing, untrustworthy politician we have all come to know and love.* A very ironic statement for two reasons: 1 - I'm an Army Reservist, I already know what the potential commitments are and have volunteered to serve overseas in the past 2 - I can't think of anything slimier and more untrustworthy than conscripting poor men to fight in a dodgy war for political reasons, and allowing a previously prestigious military organisation to turn into a hiding place for politicians' sons and football players

[@SSmith-fm9kg]

We had one of these guys in our group during basic training in the USAF, 1969. He had come from Tennessee. He couldn't understand how to fold his socks for inspection, we had to fold them for him. I was told he was to be trained as security police. I wondered how he managed to be accepted into the USAF. Decades later, I found out about McNamara's Morons.

[@Vlad-sj5yw]

Some of these would have been children, but just in a grown mans body. Absolutely horrible to think of that.

[@michaelbiscoe9230]

I met many of these guys in the marines,the draft had been ended but recruitment was at it's nadir because Nixon wouldn't get out of Vietnam ...so that's how they found enough warm bodies. If anything it was worse than the narrator's description, double digit IQ's, barely literate, worst of all some enlisted as an alternative to a jail term.

[@Mrjohnnymoo1]

That sounds terrible, but at the end of the day, a mentally young person in an adult body is an adult, I.E if an adult is,"Attracted to children because he is a child" It isn't any less messed up.

[@kostismetallo8697]

@David your comment could not be more wrong and out of place. What does marxism has to do with children fighting in Africa?

[@kostismetallo8697]

@@youtubeaccount4901 and still Marxism has nothing to do with that.

[@Mrjohnnymoo1]

@Hunter D Again, this is true. But if a man with the mental maturity was found naked with an 8-year-old, we don't say, "Remember he has the mental capability of an 8-year-old." If they have lived 18 years, they are still 18 years of age.

[@guyman4234]

I served with criminals and illiterates. It was absolutely horrible. Horrible.

[@Dirtbag-Hyena]

Tell that to the French Foreign Legion....BADASSES,ALL.

[@maxmuller8633]

So you're a criminal as well?

[@adamgea]

How long were you a congressman?

[@eyebelieve3]

Ahhh you're a pollitician!

[@poolee77]

Anyone with an IQ below 80 is useless to modern society.

[@jon9021]

One of the jobs they could do was Military police. Well, that explains a few things.

[@SomeGuyButNotThatGuy]

My father was in the air force late 50s & early 60s, he told me ages ago that the less intelligent recruits were sent to military police, lol. I sort of doubted him, but I guess he was right.

[@imazombieee8949]

Im fairly new to the channel, but I'll say; I love this channel. Entertaining and informative! Keep it up. Glad I found the channelin

[@zacharyhassan6352]

"So, we some kinda Suicide Squad?"

[@pchavez8833]

Golden comment

[@vladimiralexander229]

Lmao roll credits

[@corpsemachine6949]

Hol up, so whatchu be sayin' is

[@TheAwillz]

Zachary Hassan every single army ever 😂

[@victorrascon7468]

This comment deserves so many likes

[@kingarthur5110]

'Hey guys, we're going to send some special forces to help you out' 'Sweet! So who is it? Green Berets?' 'No, no. "Special" forces' 'Oh.'

[@From-North-Jersey]

We told you: the Green Berets are busy, and the Airborne Rangers are booked up thru Christmas. We are sending you "The Nickel Eaters" a new force the brass are looking to mainstream into the war.

[@HarrySBallz]

So what would "Para-troopers" be? Guys in wheelchairs?! :)

[@From-North-Jersey]

​@William Hutchinson It won't be that guy who was trying to draw a section 8 by claiming he was gene krupa. Where do you even get cymbals in a war zone?

[@Demonmixer]

@@HarrySBallz This all sounds like the plot of a hilarious film, which would be banned before it was ever released...Send in the Paras!

[@laslon78]

is it wrong that i hear the A-team theme, and imagining a short bus pulling up at that moment?

[@Collin857]

Thank you for sharing this! This made me feel better about not being able to enlist due to medical reasons.

[@sanction7627]

I had a student in Infantry Transition training in about 2005 who was navy prior service. I asked him what he did for 6 years in the navy. He said "I scraped paint, Sergeant". I said 'Yeah but what did you get rated as?". he said that he never got a rating and chipped his way around a ship for 6 years.....And they wanted me to train him in "Clear a mined wire obstacle", and "administer an IV".....Not happening. he was disenrolled.

[@jontrout2010]

Little known fact: Project 100,000 was continued clandestinely into the 2010's. After focusing on small unit tactics and the battle of public perception, it was rebranded; TEAM 10.

[@rumblytumbleson1995]

That was quite the chuckle

[@kenji3979]

I’d say take my upvote but hell this ain’t reddit here take my like

[@educatedcommunist9602]

Well shit Im going to hell for mocking disableds

[@Susono09]

Not gonna lie you had me in the first half

[@jibtripin]

I don’t get it.

[@lopaka76]

Wow, just...wow. I could almost understand if they were assigned to a non combat role, but to put them in the field. Holy shit.

[@northkoreanjesus8476]

They were mentally incapable of going anywhere except to die in the front.

[@sooryan_1018]

@@northkoreanjesus8476 umm... Was that an excuse?

[@bodeutscher2413]

Sooryan Anil Kumar ya what else do you do with em? Put em in mental hospitals, is that much more humane? In nature they would simply die of their own incompetence but I agree it’s bad that they were sent there by someone else

[@quinnholloway5400]

Macnamera was a bastard for this And only helped make things worse for the men fighting and these men

[@hayemiranda7647]

@Deadpoppin ツ social darwinism?

[@marks1638]

I was stuck with a CMSgt many years ago in the Air Force who bragged he was a Project 100,000 enlistee. He wasn't very smart, but he had a street wise cunning. He ingratiated himself with the higher ranks, copied other people's Efficiency Reports, Awards and Decorations to use for himself, and constantly belittled or screwed over other's in his rank or below to maintain control. He had zero empathy for others and yet somehow managed to get promoted. McNamara must be proud of himself for letting such a POS in the Service.

[@binkwillans5138]

Getting "things" done is important, not how you do it.

[@neilreynolds3858]

You know, we had a top sergeant like that in the Army. We couldn't decide if he was really as stupid as he looked or if he was on opioids.

[@mikeyakus2939]

You forgot to mention that it filled ranks and enabled kids with college deferments to continue avoiding the draft.

[@rdbjrseattle]

The 100000 were substitutes for richest kids that would have to fill draft quotas otherwise.

[@gsauto8588]

Truth. Because, sooo many rich kids were already too fucked up because they were in college, though not really, but rather hippies doing smack and drinking all the time producing nothing because mommy and daddy bought them a car and send them money when they call. They were the antifa of that period. Like antifa; child molesters, rapists, violent people claiming they were about peace. When there is that many drugs there is no peace. Rich privaliged young adults will always be a problem for the poor regardless if the poor were pure genious or absolute fucking retards because money does not make logical sense to a genious as it doesn't make logical sense to a person with a normal IQ because it means only what a small group of people say who are called "congress". All of this is stupid, and young rich privaliged adults are part of that stupidity.

[@EvMund]

Ok boomer

[@Red_Anon]

GS Auto Antifa lacks any uniformity whatsoever, it isn’t and never was a problem. The only people who should be afraid of them are conservatives with shady takes and fascists, and rightfully so

[@rdbjrseattle]

Gotthatgoin4me Was your father, grandfather one of the rich kids?

[@DudeInOhio85]

We can't have our best and brightest wiped out. Best to send the dummies.

[@MarcTBG]

As lady liberty says: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” Uncle Sam retorts: “I know just where to send em!”

[@pheresy1367]

And says... hey if you manage to come back alive, we'll give you a green card... mmmmm .... maybe not.

[@levi35oh]

Good sir you win the comment section today!!

[@MarcTBG]

Zer0 Hey thanks for the comment I didn’t get notified of any responses before your comment and wouldn’t have seen the first guys comment (which is funny/sad for a friend). So thanks again 😀

[@itrthho]

Lady’s Liberty doesn’t say that...the pedestal says that.

[@piterpraker3399]

@Inspector Bloor Damn straight it was. Fuck 'em. It's more complicated than that, but most of the complexities of immigration policy don't roll off the tongue.

[@Korvilon]

Full Metal Jacket and Forest Gump make sense now oh my god.

[@slesley4223]

Obviously, Forrest Gump was a fictional character, but, as my wife and I first watched Forrest Gump, I told her, ”I always knew one of McNamara’s Hundred Thousand would have a movie made about them.“. 1SG, USA Ret

[@burntfr8509]

"McNamara's Morons", A.K.A. the Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel

[@ClarenceEwing]

Just wanted to mention that, at that time, words like "moron" and "imbecile" were actual medical terms used to describe people with perceived mental deficiencies. It's only recently that those words took on the insulting connotations they have now.

[@npc8253]

Yep we change the words every generation gor snowflake reasons

[@granthughes6738]

Bullshit, these terms had fallen into disfavour years before the vietnam war.This was mainly due to partially educated know-alls misusing them as terms of abuse and insult. People today are likewise misusing words like psychopath and narcissist in an attempt to impress.

[@GeorgeMonet]

Incorrect. Being called those things even at the time would have been insulting BECAUSE of the fact that they were medically used to describe retards. It's like being called a pig. The insult comes from being compared to a pig.

[@Atlas-Shrugs]

@@GeorgeMonet If that's what they were medically diagnosed as I don't see how in the context of these soldiers it is an insult. Just because a word is used as an insult sometimes doesn't always make the word an insult.

[@MomentsInTrading]

Only morons argue over the use of the word moron 😀

[@rickhatesmisleadia7101]

Forest Gump and Bubba. That movie just took on a whole new meaning for me....lol

[@oz_jones]

Read the book, it's a hoot too

[@kharnthebetrayer1575]

And now I see your comment ......🤔🤯

[@JeffersonAleman]

I was thinking the same.

[@barrybarnes96]

Bubba was smart. Knew everything there was to know about shrimp and how to catch them.

[@eddiecastaneda8918]

@@barrybarnes96 Gump was no chump neither, he assembled his weapon in record time, and he saved the entire troop.

[@loganrun6633]

Would love to see a video about tiger force / Sam Yarba . Same basic idea as 1000000 but put all the psychos and disaplanary cases into one unit. Worked out great when you needed an atrocity committed to show the enemy who was in charge.

[@Sic.Parvis_Magna]

I read the book. No wonder the Army buried the investigation...

[@johndriskill8745]

I wound up in the hospital at NAS Pensacola Florida with a broken leg during the Vietnam War. The hospital exchange was on the second floor. So I wheeled my wheelchair to the elevator. A Marine held the doors open for me and we went to the second floor. After we got off, the Marine said, “I know you, you use to carry a brief case in Central High School.” I then recognized him from the high school in Jackson Mississippi. I would pass the group of Special Education Students in the hall way and he was among them. He wanted to be in the Army ROTC program there, so they excepted him and mostly he was shining the brass door knobs and other bright wear while wearing a uniform. At the hospital exchange I bought him a Coke and found out he had been drafted. He served two tours in Vietnam and had survived. He was being discharged to go home to Jackson. I later met him on the street in Jackson Mississippi with his new wife. Until now I never knew about Robert “Strange” McNamara’s program for the mentally challenged. Sorry bastard.

[@domanit927]

"how to commit legal genocide" by Robert McNamara

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

domanit927 it’s not genocide. This wasn’t targeting one race. It’s more like a form of eugenics.

[@lilitheden748]

NCR Master Race That’s what I was thinking. Before WWII the NAZI command had a likewise programme. All the “unfortunates” were brought to some kind of clinic “to recover”. Once there they were killed by injection of poison. Mind you these were German citizens, men, women and children. Mostly these people had a low IQ or some suffered from inherited ( mental or physical) disease. Also sufferers of TBC or venereal disease were taken care of.

[@tahahormozan]

It called negative eugenics and unfortunately it works Like Spartans who used to killing unhealthy infants

[@rage8842]

you have no idea what genocide is

[@che8866]

RIP bubba

[@carlmanvers5009]

I think the rationale is pretty clear: They needed more soldiers and a way to reduce numbers of the poor. And by 'reduce' I mean 'cull'.

[@hoticeparty]

@Vee Cee haha funny man

[@geyotepilkington2892]

Yep, pretty genius really

[@andchat6241]

As the total US losses in over 10 years of conflict were around 80,000 it would seem a costly & rather odd way to 'cull of the poor' by training them ,sending them to Asia , bringing them back into society ...if there was 'A Cull' it was of Vietnamese & those in Laos, Cambodia...

[@cangrejo5238]

@@alexmag342 You want to be sterilized for the good of humanity? that's very brave of you, bud

[@alexmag342]

@@cangrejo5238 touched a nerve I see, so you prefer total eradication instead of sterelization.

[@yank-tc8bz]

I spent the last 6 months in the army as a " prisoner chaser" most of those I oversaw were members of this program. Not their fault. They just couldn't hack it. The Army ruined their lives with dishonorable discharges.

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

"Humanity has proven itself to be quite adept at making mistakes! Hell, it's the only thing we truly excel at!" - Brock Mason

[@Lilljehook]

Nice documentary, haven't heard about this before.

[@andrewphillips8341]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXuVh6p8ebtnY8k so much better

[@MastemaJack]

Well this explains why Forrest Gump was allowed in the military.

[@theecstatic9686]

Ugh...I lived it...in 2006....

[@joaoostroski4778]

Hmmm I wonder why people never hear about incidents like the biscari massacre, the bombing of a road full of refugees trying to flee the country, the killing of Japanese soldiers that surrended or the conscription of handicapped people in the army? Good old “american” media!

[@jackbroughton1431]

Nasim Aghdam Not true, from the Vietnam Veterans of America: “86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book ‘All That We Can Be,’ said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam ‘and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. Black fatalities amounted to 12 percent of all Americans killed in Southeast Asia, a figure proportional to the number of blacks in the U.S. population at the time and slightly lower than the proportion of blacks in the Army at the close of the war.’”

[@darkcloud6664]

The logic behind this: "If the guy can hold a gun he is good enough for the army!"

[@delloda]

It still the same!

[@ozansimitciler5781]

plot twist; he wasn't.

[@brandonbowden1262]

They are talking about school dropouts not mentally ill or retarded people. The announcer goes into broken homes and unemployment to make it sound worse. Not exactly war crime material. Seems like they lowered the standard to get more bodies.

[@iffracem]

I think it was McNamara who pushed to change the doctrine on small arms use as well. It used to be steady aimed shots intended to get value for every shot (well, it was when I served in the Aust army, and I believe it still is)... if you're going to expose yourself to take a shot at the enemy, might as well make it count. Then along came McNamara and the M16 and it was "throw as many rounds down rage as you can, as quick as you can, at best you might hit something, and the volume of fire just might make them keep their heads down." Your statement seems to back up my assumption, in McNamara's mind it won't take much "intelligence" to dump a full auto mag towards the enemy, reload and repeat until you have no more ammo or are dead.

[@iffracem]

@@brandonbowden1262 he doesn't go "into broken homes and unemployment to make it sound worse" he goes there because it was it is fact. It was a stated aim of McNamara's plan, it happened. The people targeted were those cognitively "slower" than the average... in other words "retarded" in a medical sense. These people were more commonly found in lower socio-economic communities, with higher levels of single parent families and unemployment. Was it a "war crime"? No I don't think so, was it a crime against selected parts of the American population? Yes I think it was.

[@Hibernicus1968]

This video explains what _really_ would likely have happened to Forrest Gump had he been a real person and been sent to Vietnam rather than a fictional character. It turns out there's more to being a soldier than just mindlessly following orders, and people with an IQ below about 80 really just can't think fast enough to cope with the high-stress, chaotic, and rapidly changing environment of the battlefield, which is why the Project 100,000 soldiers died in such disproportionate numbers. Forrest Gump is the charming, heartwarming fiction. Lots of dead low-IQ soldiers is the harsh reality.

[@clivematthew-wilson2491]

It's worth noting that at time, many idealistic psychologists believed that it was possible to turn anyone's life around if you just gave them a fair chance. So it's possible that the people who decided to go ahead with this project actually believed their own bullshit.

[@MarcusHess-xb9og]

Least naive psychologists

[@PaxEmpyrean]

Blank slate egalitarianism still exists, and a lot of people REALLY want it to be true. They just refuse to believe that there are people who are just dumb and that nothing can be done about it.

[@benbrice9343]

Damn this is sad man. Just imagine. Some of these men were probably proud to be serving their country and had no idea they were just being used. You just don't take advantage of less intelligent individuals. There is something terribly wrong with your moral code if you wouldn't feel guilty about taking advantage of someone that was born with a disability.

[@benbrice9343]

@Deadpoppin Oh man you're edgy... What's your secret ? How can I be just like you ?

[@nominis4523]

@Deadpoppin You're starting to sound a lot like hitler

[@drdre4397]

@@nominis4523 Yes but he has chosen to remove the humanity out of the equation. Also there's no reason to assume he has an IQ out of the double digits. Probably some kid who reads things online and thinks he has the solution to all the worlds problems. Classic Dunning-Kreuguer effect. Most of these people are just lonely and negative attention is all the attention they can get.

[@korpiklaaniband2277]

You’d be the first to go with your plan

[@visible2anyoneonyoutube]

I guess you've never met a Marine.

[@Meekmillan]

That was literally just the Government performing eugenics.

[@randomcenturion7264]

Business as usual for the Government.

[@GlidingZephyr]

We're talking about the same Government behind Project MK Ultra, the Tuskegee Experiment, the as of yet unnamed distribution of crack cocaine throughout U.S. urban areas, "Weapons of Mass Destruction" in the Middle East during the early 2000's (and the privatisation of some military functions during that conflict), Camp X-Ray and scores of CIA "Black Sites" throughout the world, domestic Concentration Camps for Hispanic migrants...the United States has become what it sought to destroy in World War 2.

[@norikofu509]

@@GlidingZephyr We fought against the wrong enemy...

[@GlidingZephyr]

@@norikofu509 Maybe. I would still weep if everything collapsed, now. All we have to do is vote Trump out and let his militias try something. I have a feeling the military isn't on his side.

We should have nuked north vietnam and built the worlds largest walmart and mcdonald's

[@terence8127]

McNamara was a ruthless, ambitious political operative who was promoted way beyond his abilities. He was not altruistic, he did not have the interests of the poor or vulnerable at heart, he used them to further his reputation, he needs to be remembered for what he was.

[@rickyricardo3551]

All of the ex military Vietnamese and North Vietnamese refugees I know truly appreciate the US and other countries involvement the war .It was mostly the homeland and bureaucratic fools that kept putting negative spins on the conflicts.

[@28ebdh3udnav]

This is an open secret. My dad told me that during thw war, a lot of people he was serving with, he was at the frontlines, said that they were below average in intelligence or even straight up criminals who committed major crimes from arson and robery, and murder.

[@hugonamenlos7218]

Damn, would love to have a murderer cover my back.

[@neilreynolds3858]

That's right, I remembered the guys who got popped for pot and got the choice between jail and service but there were also the guys who told me about their murders. How could I forget them?

[@ryanc2286]

Hitler: "Not my taste, but I like your style"

[@Va11idus]

@Lawrence Rummerfield stalin was not trying to better the human race, he was trying to make them subservient.

[@johnlynch4743]

Thanks for the chuckle.

[@Tempusverum]

To think men like McNamara were from JFK’s “Camelot”. Nothing like good PR.

[@npc8253]

Even hitler knew tards belong in work camps. First rule of of evil warfare: know your strengths!

[@snickle1980]

@@npc8253 Are you part of the evil council?

[@DorGreen1]

The IDF (which has mandatory recruit) does recruit people of this sorts - but with structure and support and, crucially - a suiting role to assume, usually not as a combat soldiers. They do acquired useful skills. Some of them even stay for paid service!

[@theuglyfriend]

I only have a 6th grade education and a GED. I did go to college for my 15 credits to join the Marines in ‘05. The recruiters were very surprised that I scored a 54 on the ASVAB which was higher then the average high school graduate.