Article: Hagel's year in Vietnam shaped feelings on Iraq.

Byline: Jake Thompson

Jan. 21--WASHINGTON -- When he sees images of carnage and combat beaming from Iraq, Chuck Hagel thinks back. He remembers himself as a 21-year-old Army grunt in the jungles of Vietnam nearly four decades ago. He remembers terrifying patrols with his brother, Tom; buddies dying before their eyes; and how awful war can be. He remembers Congress' silence about the troop buildup; how bitterly divided America became; how it all ended in a debacle in 1975. He doesn't want history to repeat itself. "I'll be damned if I'm going to stand there and accept the status quo and let it all happen again," he said in an interview.

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