Do you think American soldiers are put on too high of a pedestal

[Minimalist]

Try to imagine the potential problems which might have resulted from one of our planes attacking a 'neutral' ship.

Of course. But imagine striking those dockyard facilities while no ships were in port. Those missiles ain't gonna walk to the battery's deployment.

It should also be noted that supplying arms to a belligerent is, under international law, itself an act of war.

So we needed another war with China, Russia or one of their allied states? 

Besides, we mined Haiphong harbor which was dangerous enough and we bombed the shit out of Haiphong and Hanoi.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-histo...d-haiphong

In the first use of B-52s against both Hanoi and Haiphong, and the first attacks against both cities since November 1968, 18 B-52s and about 100 U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter-bombers struck supply dumps near Haiphong’s harbor. Sixty fighter-bombers hit petroleum storage facilities near Hanoi, with another wave of planes striking later in the afternoon. White House spokesmen announced that the United States would bomb military targets anywhere in Vietnam in order to help the South Vietnamese defend against the communist onslaught.