Guerrilla Tactics

US goes to war, they show we are serious about stopping the spread of communism but if US doesn’t go to war the communism in Vietnam could spread just like Hitler did in WWII. The war wasn’t all about communism though, Vietnam was rich in resources and US wanted to keep South Vietnam’s way of life without communism. America may of killed civilians but think of how many civilians would of been killed if North Vietnam rampaged through South Vietnam. An overlook over the situation I believe America should of fought the war but planned it out better like choosing a better leader to rule South Vietnam. America was just waiting to lose a war and against a third world country America lost the war because of poor decisions.

The public was on board the war train for the first few years of the war, until they found out what it was actually like in Vietnam. Public view of the war immediately changed negatively. When the news reached the soldiers in Vietnam, reactions were mixed. While they could understand why the people didn't like the prospect of war, they were still killing-even when they didn't want to-for their country. Some soldiers didn't know how to respond. One solder wrote to his mother and told her that for one second he felt as if he was on vacation because it was so beautiful in Vietnam. Another one told his mom “not to worry, there is nothing I can't handle”. While the soldiers could handle the physical horrors happening to them, it was the mental stuff that was breaking them down.

The USA was extremely vain when going to war in Vietnam. They had extreme firepower. With a few weeks notice at the time, had the power to turn Vietnam into a region of radioactive glass. The US’s strategy of search and destroy conflicted directly with the Vietnamese’s strategy of hanging onto their belts (caplan,2012). Unlike previous American victories against

The Vietnam War was one of the most intense, stressful and exhilarating wars to fight due to the factors of fear and not knowing the surrounding environment. Vietnam’s land is a jungle filled with natural dangers. Monsoons were common on the Vietnam land, which made harsh wet and hot fighting conditions. Animals such as snakes and scorpions made it dangerous to wander blindly in the jungle. On top of all the natural dangers and conditions of the land, the communist enemy known as the Vietcong were known for their use of booby traps such as bear traps, wooden stakes applied to dangerous designs, and use of poison. American soldiers found these factors made it hard to fight a war and found it even harder to fight when the U.S Army couldn’t discriminate the enemy from civilians. The Vietcong and South Vietnamese were the same people with different views, so this made war hard to fight when it is nearly impossible to identify the enemy. The use of guerrilla warfare made it difficult to beat the enemy in a foreign jungle terrain. The Vietcong having the upper hand in almost every aspect of the war made warfare conditions very stressful for American soldiers. Most of the American soldiers were already experiencing anxiety and stress due

Yet in Vietnam the Army experienced tactical success and strategic failure... The...Vietnam War...legacy may be the lesson that unique historical, political, cultural, and social factors always impinge on the military...Success rests not only on military progress but on correctly analyzing the nature of the particular conflict, understanding the enemy's strategy, and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of allies. A new humility and a new sophistication may form the best parts of a complex heritage left to the Army by the long, bitter war in Vietnam."

Amongst these reasons is the ineffectiveness of conventional military tactics, the overabundant loss of American lives and the loss of both militant and civilian Vietnamese lives, as well as the insurmountable opposition to the war itself. The most detrimental to the Vietnam War effort, however, was indisputably the lack of public support for the war. A country can hardly fight a war without the support of its people, let alone a war that requires an immense amount of resources and manpower. In addition to this, no prolonged conflict can be maintained by a country without the support of its people. The Vietnam War involved all of these elements. It was an intense conflict that required an unprecedented amount of manpower as well as supplies to be maintained. It was also an incredibly prolonged conflict that produced little to no progression and lacked any definitive goal to be progressed toward. Due to the powerful opposition supplied by the Anti-war Movement, civil leader, such as Martin Luther King Jr., and the general disdain for the war on behalf of the American public, especially later in the war, it became a necessity for the American government to retract from Vietnam. Conclusively, the public opposition to the war was the largest and most impactful cause of America’s withdrawal from the Vietnam War, resulting in

The Vietnam War affected greatly the media. This is because the media was mainly used to communicate and spread word about protests and social gatherings. The media was also used by Americans to ensure that their views were heard. This ensured the protest outcome was better. The productivity of protests became increased as more media joined in to relay messages during the protests. In such protests, the government would violate the constitutional rights of the American citizens by preventing them from speaking their minds. This, as stipulated by the constitution on the bill of rights, barred them from enjoying the right of free speech. At that point, the Americans realized that the constitution was bigger than the administration of the government, and they protested even more to ensure that their constitutional privileges were not

The Vietnamese Communists, or Vietcong, were the military branch of the National Freedom Front (NLF), and were told by the Focal Office for South Vietnam, which was situated close to the Cambodian outskirt. For arms, ammo and uncommon hardware, the Vietcong relied on upon the Ho Chi Minh trail. Different needs were met in South Vietnam.

In my 27 years on this planet, I have heard little to nothing about the revolutionist and Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Of the small amount of conversation which has occurred in front of me, Castro was always described in a negative way. He was described as a cruel, selfish Communist dictator who is against the ideas and beliefs of my own country. For those reasons, I have never bothered educating myself about Castro and his life. Now that I am older, my education has presented the opportunity for me to get to know Castro and see things from his perspective, the non-American perspective. Because I am curious about Castro 's rise early life, rise to power, and accomplishments during his rule, I have

Though the US hoped for a quick, decisive victory in Vietnam, as the conflict prolonged itself, many back at home began to take notice. At that time, the ability to film things as they happened was rather new and several news teams had footage that covered what was going on in Vietnam. Once they saw it, many Americans were outraged by what they saw and took up sides either for or against the war. For the first time, many that came back from the war were treated as less than human for what had occured while they were at war. Society became torn between whether or not it should be involved in middle east and southeast Asia.

The drug abuse during the post-war era was very great and relevant. Soldiers needed a way to relieve their stress during the war. Thoughts of being with their parents once again would haunt them. Drugs like marijuana and alcohol were used daily to cope with their daily stress. These drugs are known to play with your brain which could’ve caused indecisiveness or bad decisions. The actions of one could displease another and lead to conflicts. In the movie Platoon, soldiers would gather in their camps and use these drugs. They would use these drugs because they didn’t know if they would ever go back home and these drugs helped them escape these thoughts. These drugs could have led to unprofessional behavior and lead to conflicts between their own people. For some soldiers, drugs have helped them continue to fight the war and for other soldiers, it created a very toxic environment.

The Vietnam War was the first widely televised war, due to television sets becoming widely popular amongst American families as well as cameras becoming widespread amongst the military. As such, for the first time American families could sit down at their TV sets at night and watch, shocked, as on screen, they watched soldiers creeping through the bush, stalking Viet Cong, of perhaps getting blown to pieces. They watched as the U.S. army firebombed the forests, hoping to draw out the NVA( North Vietnamese Army) and end them. They watched from the safety of their homes as soldiers searched entire villages for any sign, any trace of Communist supporters. And they heard when supposed Communist supporters were executed by the hundreds, and when the same happened to supporters of the Republic of Vietnam. Either way, the war began to meet with increased protest as U.S. citizens began to realize that, no, this was not going to be a short war. Some protested the draft for young soldiers. Others began to clamor for civil rights to be exercised as they saw Vietnamese citizens, young and old, flee their burning villages and razed farms. All in all, it was a very

This essay has shown how intelligence and ambush are crucial in determining successful guerrilla tactics. Deception was used in a form of disguise. The Vietcong who posed as farmers in the countryside worked the fields during the day. They held no suspicion from the US patrols and were not considered as a threat. The US troops was driven to frustration over identifying enemy and alliance. Another example comes from the complex underground tunnel. The tunnel provide shelter and mobilization for the Vietcong. Because of this, the Vietcong was able to operate surprise attacks successfully. The importance of two characteristics cannot be dismissed, as they provide crucial plans in winning the

Vietnam was a war of ideals more than a war against an enemy. America had involved itself in a fight against the values and morals of Communism and the people who supported it. During our time in Vietnam, we chased after the pockets of Communism that lay hidden in the jungle and brush. During the 1980s, America found itself close to another battle against Communism but this time laying in Central and South America. In the movie Predator, we explore the fight against Communism explored in how we fought an enemy vastly more strategic, how government incompetence lead to bloodshed, and how the Americans were fighting against ideals.

Events such as this along with many others, such as My Lai, search and destroy missions, and the use of chemical warfare by the USA, were all exposed by media coverage. This and the change in public opinions about the war were the most significant reasons for the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. The Vietnam War was the first to ever have full media coverage due to the improvement in technology. People were able to see exactly how awful this was really was, not only for their own soldiers but for the north-Vietnamese especially. The coverage was particularly one-sided, showing how awfully the US army was behaving.