What was it all about?

Dear Kelly,

Protesting the war in Vietnam was probably a very fine thing
and I would encourage you to protest any political action you
government might undertake that you are opposed to.  I do not,
however, believe that the protest against the American involve-
ment in Vietnam was about the concern for the safety and
return of our troops.  It was to the best of my understanding
about, don't send me or my boyfriend to Vietnam.  Had there
been genuine concern for the troops in the field there would
have been less hate shown to them by the protesters.
    The men who fought in Vietnam were just trying to do the
job their country asked them to do.  That the war turned sour
is by no means their fault unless you wish to say the
inability to win the war was because the troops were no damn
good, and therefore, the reason for the lack of a speedy
conclusion.
    The protesters' ability to end the war was about as
successful as the troops' ability to win the war.  The 
protest went on from 1965 to 1972 and may have stopped the war
but not quick enough to save many lives.  The protests did
give hope to the enemy in Vietnam that all they had to do was
wait and what they wanted would be theirs but maybe more 
importantly the protesters did considerable damage to the 
moral of the troops.  It is hard to fight for a cause that
divides the nation so bitterly, and especially so, when you
know you will be ridiculed when you get home.