Richard Dowson - Trump’s Stone Age Rhetoric Is Nothing New
By Richard Dowson, Moose Jaw
I am not a critic. I’m an observer of world events. Criticism is a very specialized field of writing, full of all sorts of dangers. I am an amateur historian. I try to connect historic events for readers.
This is an Observation – not a Criticism.
On Wednesday evening, April 1, 2026 United States President used a television address to speak to Americans and the world about the Israel-U.S. War with Iran. Critics have covered the speech every which way. And that is fine. Everyone has the right to be a critic.
I didn’t watch the speech. I go to bed early.
What I learned about the speech was from news sources.
President Trump said, and I quote, “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” (meaning Iran) and he added, “we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.”
President Donald Trump - official White House handout photo
Seems Secretary of Defence, Peter Hegseth, posted the same, “bomb them back to the stone age” phrase on social media. It was a popular phrase Wednesday night.
What’s New is Old
My amateur historian ear locked on to the phrase, ‘bombing a nation back to the Stone Age.’
I realized, That’s not new!
The phrase, ‘bombing a country back to the Stone Age’ is from the 1960s.
It is attributed to General Curtis LeMay, the commander of the United States Air Force back then.
General LeMay was talking about the Vietnam War and “Operation Rolling Thunder”, an aerial bombing campaign against North Vietnam that lasted from March 2, 1965 to November 2, 1968.
Operation Rolling Thunder
LeMay’s stated goal was to ‘bomb North Vietnam back to the stone age’ so it could no longer function as a country. There would be no infrastructure left.
The phrase, “We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages…” is from the Vietnam War.
How’d That Work Out?
During ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’ the U.S. bombed North Vietnam for three and one half years with limited success. North Vietnam continued to fight.
The Vietnam War ended when American troops left Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, the southern capital city of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese and the Vietnam War was over.
American Troops - Vietnam War
There are no ‘winners’ in war. Only death and destruction.
But why would the President of the United States use a phrase from the Vietnam War in his speech? A War in which 58,220 American military personnel died.
Writer Richard Dowson is a retired educator.
He is known for his frequenting local coffee shops and other places seniors gather.
In a previous life he wrote comedy for CHED in Edmonton.
His views may or may not reflect the views of this publication.