Would you like some cornflakes?

We lost in Vietnam, yet many Americans remain fascinated with the longest war in American history. Many, whether they were there or not, are still trying to find justification for and meaning in this war. Many soldiers who fought in the jungle hell of Vietnam tried to find justification  and meaning on a daily basis: Why are we even fighting in the first place? What will be gained by this war? Will it ever end? Soldiers asked themselves these and many other questions. It seemed that doubt and uncertainly occupied the thoughts of many "grunts" that fought in the war. At least in America's "big" wars soldiers usually had the backing of the American people during these "popular" wars, but not in Vietnam. Like the soldiers who were there, many Americans could not find justification in this controversial war, and the soldiers certainly did not come home to parades and shouts of victory. They were not heroes in the minds of many Americans. Many of these themes can be applied to our nations current war, but this is another story in itself...

Most people who read about or study wars attempt to find a meaning or justification in wars. Just think for a moment about some of the wars in American history and their meanings or justifications in the eyes of the majority of the population.

The American Revolution:  Great Britain was putting forth measure that seemed tyrannical to colonists, thus we took up arm and became independent.

The Civil War:  In this war most Americans point out the fact that the Union was preserved and slavery was abolished.

World War One:  To many Americans, we defeated the Germans and made the world safe for democracy.

World War Two:  Americans see the many justifications in and find many meanings for this war For example, the defeat of the Axis powers, saving Western Europe from the Nazis and their allies, defeating the Japanese and avenging Pearl harbor, and saving the Jews from more destruction, etc...

Even though they were important, smaller, shorter wars -such as the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War,  the Spanish-American War, Korea, etc.- typically get little attention from mainstream Americans...

My question to you is this: When does war have meaning, i.e., a cause that the general non-combatant population can embrace? Or can any justification be found?

I've been giving the question a lot of thought and I would genuinely like to hear your opinion. I might write a post giving my opinion at a later time...