The United States Involvement During The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War began in 1954 after years of conflict stretching back to the 1940s between the communist regime of North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was attempting to make South Vietnam a communist country; since we are a democracy, the United States opposes the views of communist countries, and because we feared the spread of communism the United States became involved as an ally of South Vietnam. The war ended in 1975, resulting in disastrous effects on Vietnam and America. The assertion of the United States in this war rose controversy among Americans, and I disagree with our involvement in the Vietnam War because of the United States’ reasons to fight.

Social and economic tensions were not the only things strained because of the war, political activities were on the brink as well. The Domino Theory, speculation that if one country takes another to communism, the surrounding countries will fall to it as well, was one of the main reasons for starting the war. If the Domino Theory had occurred, the United States would suffer a horrible loss to foreign affairs, something they were not able to handle at that time. When the affair in the Gulf of Tonkin happened in 1964, the U.S. government jumped on the idea to stop Vietnam. In the Gulf of Tonkin, a ship, the U.S.S. Maddox, was attacked by Vietnam patrol boats. Even though the Maddox was unhurt, the LBJ jumped on the opportunity to squash the Domino Effect before it started. Soon after the attack, Lyndon B Johnson got the ‘stamp of approval’ from Congress to counter attack. He was allowed to “Take all necessary measure to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” (Doc A) Little did they know that their

Over thirty years ago the Vietnam War ended, and the U.S. came back home with their tails between their legs and nothing to show for other than a high number of casualties, and a huge pile of debt. The U.S. underestimated the North Vietnamese army, and it was costly. Many believe that the Vietnam War was none of the U.S. business, but on the contrary, many believe we should have tried to stop the spread of communism. The long-lasting Vietnam War was unnecessary for the U.S. to be a part of; it put many people through unneeded stress and hard times.

The American involvement in the Vietnam War was a very controversial decision, with many people being for the war, however many people in the United States were also against the war. The Vietnam War was the longest lasting war in the United States history, before the Afghanistan War, in which most people felt strongly about, be them United States citizens, Vietnamese citizens, or just the global population. In order to better understand the ideas of those American citizens that are either for or against the war, one would have to look at the reasons that the United States was involved in the war, the impact of the Vietnam war on the American society, and the impact on the United States foreign policy.

It was under President Johnson’s presidency that the United Sates sent U.S. troops to enter the Vietnam War. The military troops became involved in the conflict in order to contribute to the salvaging of the country underneath communism; additionally it was also supposed to prevent any further expansion of communism during that time. The French had sent in troops prior to the U.S., but after their retrieval it was the United States turn to contribute actively to the cause with military action (Rosenberg, n.d.).

After WWII, the U.S. tried to return South Vietnam or, even better, all of Vietnam back to France. Involvement with Vietnam began with President Franklin Roosevelt and did not end until President Nixon was in office. The war began in order to stop the growth of communism in Vietnam. It had many important effects. In 1966, American deaths were topping 500 a month. By 1968, there were 500 American casualties each week. Through this war, the United States demonstrated its intolerance to communist growth and aggression anywhere on the globe. Because the U.S. entered into the war, they made a statement to the world that they would not accept the growth of threatening ideas or actions. U.S. dominance was crucial because it was a test of American virtues. The war proved the credibility and will power of the United States. The courage of the United States in Vietnam was very important. Depending on whether or not the U.S. stayed or ran had a great impact on the Chinese and the Soviets. If the United States had fled, the Soviets and Chinese would have believed that the United States was not properly prepared to hold up its interests around the globe. In reality, the Vietnam War was a sideshow of the Cold

thousand plus killed, many were blameless citizens who wished not to be involved. The attacks were just fruitless, and it should be clear to Americans about how hypocritical their government is acting and reacting.

The American involvement in Vietnam War began in 1950 with the first shipment of military supplies to the French. (Graham, 2016) The conflict involved over 2.5 million soldiers while 58,183 US personnel were killed and over a span of twenty-four years. Air Defense systems such as the HAWK, Vulcan, Quad 50, and Duster deployed to Vietnam for the protection of assets as well as providing forward area air defense and fire support to ground forces. These systems provided a strategic advantage and deterred the North Vietnamese while maintaining US air superiority. Air defense Soldiers during the war earned more 450 medals for valor and received over 1000 Purple Hearts for their service during the war. (USC ROTC, n.d.)

The United States involvement in the Vietnam War developed into one of the most brutal, yet necessary wars of The Cold War. Although the war was viewed poorly by most, it helped a weak, crumbling South Vietnam stand up to a strong powerful North Vietnam that was forcing communism on them. President Johnson even stated that “Our objective is the independence of South Vietnam and its freedom from attack.” The United States wanted to stop an oppressive government and to make sure the world is a safer, freer place for all people. The Vietnam War was worth fighting for as it sent a message to the world that communism is not the right form of government and that the United States was here to support small nations in dire circumstances. The war

In the end, the United States’ main objective in becoming involved in the Vietnam War was to prevent the spread of communism in the region. After the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which occurred when North Vietnamese patrol boats fired on an American ship that they had discovered conducting a spy mission off the coast of North Vietnam, current United States President Johnson used the incident to eventually get authority from Congress to send more US troops into Vietnam. Slowly over time, the anti-war sentiment against the Vietnam War continued to grow amongst the American people. Many Americans grew confused as to why we were continuing to be involved in a war that was

Eisenhower was not opposed to some form of intervention as evidenced in his belief in the Domino Theory and the Truman Doctrine. Understanding the moral implications of using nuclear weapons in Asia Eisenhower believed it best to use conventional forces. Originating with George Keenan, author of the U.S. containment concept, had recommended in originally dealing with Soviet expansion tendencies. America's policy in Vietnam was based on “long term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian (communist) expansive tendencies”. Further both JFK and LBJ believed in and continued America's policy of containment in Vietnam. However, JFK did order a complete review of how America became involved in Vietnam asking the questions what we thought we were doing and what we think we can now do, tragically JFK was assassinated and never saw the report. LBJ like JFK was reluctant to allow America to be drawn into a major confrontation in Southeast Asia, that being Vietnam. However, LBJ's key advisors were leftovers from the Kennedy administration and supportive of containment policies of the past. With regret, LBJ intensified and escalated the American effort in Vietnam further failing to achieve American defined success. Generally, American involvement in Vietnam was based on Containment combined with The Truman Doctrine of providing help to countries for the resistance of

The Vietnam War was a very intensified war among multiple countries. It was know as the Second IndoChina War and took place in South/North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. It was also known to other counties as the only for America lost. The war was against the Vietnam Cong and the Viet Minh and was the third war in Vietnam between the north and south. The United States played a big role in the war and so did many other counties that were involved in the war. It is very important to know about this war and how it effected many people of not only our country but others as well.

The Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The war began in 1954 (though conflict in the region stretched back to the mid-1940s), after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist Viet Minh party in North Vietnam, and continued against the backdrop of an intense Cold War between two global superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. After the French lost power over Vietnam and left, there was a power vacuum that resulted in the war. Due to the terrain of Vietnam being a jungle, the US had many difficulties preventing the Soviet Union and China from sending in weapons to arm North Vietnamese against the South Vietnamese.

U.S involvement in Vietnam developed gradually and through a series of steps. Both FDR and Truman took the first step, with Truman providing aid to France in their struggle to retain control in Indochina in 1950, thus; supporting French Colonialism. The U.S had at first, a non-involvement approach, despite claims that they supported self-dependence in countries and having granted independence to the Philippines. Vietnam became the battleground for global powers amidst the Cold War. The decision to provide military power and economic aid to France was dominated primarily by the influence of the consolidation of a communist China, with Mao Zedong becoming China’s ruler. The U.S foreign policy quickly became one of containment. They were determined

Vietnam War. President Lyndon B. Johnson began to release for the first a juncture of air attacks