Do they study the 1983 Beirut Barrack bombing? 207 U.S. marines were killed then, in a war that had nothing to do with the USA.
Reagan decided to send Marines as peacekeepers into Lebanon even though his advisors tried to discourage him. There was an intelligence warning of an impending attack on the marines. It was wasted. Rules of engagement prevented marines on guard from shooting the truck bomber that blew up the barracks and killed 207 marines.
Afterwards, Reagan pledged retaliation but in reality he had all US forces hurriedly withdrawn from Lebanon after the fact. He handily won reelection.
You could say all this about it too…
…but while it was a tragedy, most Americans, and most people around the world, have forgotten it happened. Except for the survivors of the bombing who still bear injuries from the attack, and their families. Reagan’s reputation went unchanged.
Objectively, the incident did nothing to change the reputation of America in the world, or that of its military, except perhaps in the eyes of our opponents, the more desperate of which began to believe that if you drew American blood, America would retreat.
The same sort of thing occurred 10 years later in Somalia. Presidents GHW Bush and Clinton deployed increasing military force as security for UN relief efforts. Things went sideways and led to the Battle of Mogadishu. American forces distinguished themselves fighting against armed hordes. Nevertheless, 18 Americans were killed, as well as several hundred non-combatants, and the US quickly withdrew forces afterwards.
At the time blame was placed on Clinton for unnecessarily placing American solders in harms way, and for allowing the Somali warlords to go unpunished. Eight years later a hit movie was made (Black Hawk Down), and that’s all most people remember of our involvement in Somalia. Excepting of course the survivors of the battle who still bear injuries from the attack, and their families. Clinton won reelection handily in 1996.
What Biden did was unlike what Reagan and Clinton did. Following an agreement signed-off by his predecessor he actually tried to get military forces out of harms way before some catastrophe occurred. It backfired. Take whatever lesson from that you wish.
Reagan, Clinton, and Biden all immediately took responsibility for what occurred. Unlike Cheeto jesus who never takes responsibility for anything.