From the historic campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where the good, the true, and the beautiful are taught, nurtured, and honored, this is the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, bringing the activity and education of the college to listeners across the country.

It's unfortunate, but we often get into wars because we end up trying too hard for peace,

and we don't convince our enemies that we really are going to fight when push comes a shove.

This is your host, Scott Bertram. Welcome to the Radio Free News. enemies that we really are going to fight when push comes a shove.

This is your host, Scott Bertram.

Welcome to the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network.

That was Dr. Mark Moyer, William P. Harris Chair of Military History here at Hillsdale College, as we mark two anniversaries in today's show.

First, the Vietnam War at 50, and later the Great Gatsby, the novel, at 100.

We begin the program with a chat with Dr. Mark Moyer.

He is William P. Harris Chair of Military History here at Hillsdale College, also the author of multiple books about Vietnam,

including Triumph Foraken and Triumph Regained, a third book in that trilogy is coming.

Mark Moyer.com is his website. Dr. Moyer, thanks so much for joining us.

Great to be with you, Scott.

Talking today about Vietnam, we are 50 years on from the fall of Saigon and some of the

lessons that shaped American foreign policy for the five decades since the fall of Saigon,

what do you think is the most important lesson that the United States should have learned

from the Vietnam War.

Well, I think probably the most important is that we need to always project strength and not try too hard to avoid provoking others, because that's's really what where we get ourselves in the most

trouble during this war is a number of occasions we seem so eager to try to end the war or to

avoid, you know, a larger war that we encourage our enemies. And this is a recurrent pattern we've seen in other episodes of American

history as well. It's unfortunate, but we often get into wars because we end up trying too hard

for peace and we don't convince our enemies that we really are going to fight when push comes a shove.

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