The Vietnam War : A Great Loss For The United States

The Vietnam War was first derived from the gradual oppression of the communist party of the north over the region of South Vietnam. The North Communist party was supported mainly by China and the Soviet Union whiles the Anti-Communist party of South Vietnam was supported by United States and France. The communist party group, as known as the Viet Cong, was recognized for their guerilla war strategies within the region of South Vietnam, intended to fully expand and unify Vietnam under Communist rule. U.S. involvement with the Vietnam War starting in November 1, 1955, develops from the theory of the domino effect, stating that if one country falls into communism, a threat that can develop into the encouragement and spread of communism throughout the world in the future. It is basically viewed as a potential harm to the welfare of the United Sates. Therefore, due to the conflicting forces of the historical, political, economic and cultural nature of the war itself, it is known to be the longest enduring war in United States history that altered many lives of the Vietnamese and American community, leading to suffrage and acts of courage.

The Vietnam War is widely regarded as the lowest point in the history of U.S. foreign affairs. It mercilessly dragged an unwilling country on a fatal ride for twenty years, all while receiving low approval ratings and high funding. The Vietnam conflict served as an optimum environment for the virus of controversy. No one has more experience with controversy than Heinz Alfred Kissinger. He is the ultimate pragmatist, as embodying his philosophy of realpolitik, a diplomatic ideology based on utilitarianism rather than international ethical standards. When one’s political calling card downplays the role of ethics in diplomacy, that individual is bound to garner a high profile reputation. Kissinger himself has lamented the national predicament during this conflict—squeezed between the ultimate rock, his duty to keep peace, and hard place, his duty to act with the approval of the American people. This predicament was rooted in an omnipresent opposition to Communism, as was America’s role in the entire Cold War. Cold War politics were politics of fear. That fear drove competition, which bred a certain variety of leader – a logical, calculating politician with regard for nothing but his country’s success. To avoid an uncontrollable spread of Communism through the westernized world, some moral casualties were strewn about the wayside. However, the American public had no trouble rolling up their collective sleeves to back this forward-thinking activist. In more recent years, some

The Vietnam war brought many changes to the United States in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Some of the changes were for the better of the country, take the rediscovered Women’s Rights movements and the ever growing Free Speech movements inspired by New Left, while most of the other changes brought on tensions between government and their people. The Domino Theory pushed our leaders to the edge. In order to stop the Domino Theory in Vietnam, the U.S. invaded. The war was useless for the American government to get involved with. Even Robert Kennedy described our presence in Vietnam as ‘... sending a lion to halt an epidemic of jungle rot.’ (Doc E) From new groups forming to rebel, to inflation and loss of trust in the Government, from 1960’s to

A small country such as North Vietnam was able to win a war against a superpower like the United States of America, through, namely, tactics – such as Guerrilla Warfare -, the ignorance of their enemy, the attitude of the South Vietnamese, as well as a strong leader such as Ho Chi Minh. The Vietnam War was a major conflict (of the Cold War) which lasted from 1959 to 1975 , with US involvement from 1964 to 1973 . US reasons for their involvement in the war was their fear of “The Domino Effect” - or – the US fear that communism would spread to Vietnam and Southeast Asia, making them a major threat to national security. The Fall of Saigon marked the end of the war in 1975.

The Vietnam War was certainly controversial. There were many protests that erupted across college campuses and throughout numerous town and cities. Many individuals viewed the war as unnecessary and unwinnable. The draft was also very widely criticized and seen as a negative point in the war. The draft was forcing young college students to go fight in dangerous territory. The most controversial aspect of the Vietnam War is certainly that it was deemed unwinnable by the US government, but they still chose to remain in Vietnam and fight. Why was the Vietnam War unwinnable though? Was it actually unwinnable or did the US government

The longest recorded and arguably one of the most controversial wars in American history is the Vietnam war. In 1959, the communist government of North Vietnam had devised a guerrilla campaign in democratic South Vietnam. The government of North Vietnam had the goal of uniting both countries under a communist reign. The United States quickly became an ally with South Vietnam because they feared the spread of communism. The aftermath of the war resulted in sixty thousand American deaths and two million Vietnamese deaths. Today many people question the necessity and rationality of the war. It is still debated today if the American force in Vietnam was a blunder or a noble cause.

In the history of the United States, few years could be viewed as being more important than 1968. While there were years in American history of great significance, 1968 has the distinction of being a year in which civil unrest, social progress, and the state of change were the norm, and featured events that affected not only America, but the world as a whole. With the condition of America at the time, society was going through changes that would go on to have massive impact on how the world would progress, with some of these events having effects years afterwards.

The Vietnam War was a tragic part of the United States’ history that to this day holds a great deal of mystery and a lack of information. It was an unpopular war, taking place from 1955 to 1975, with surmountable losses on each side. Forty years later, the consequences of the Vietnam War are still prevalent in the side effects of Agent Orange, post-traumatic stress disorder of soldiers, and the national debt. Though those are significant problems, the biggest influence of the Vietnam War that impacted Americans was the staggering number of soldiers killed in action, missing in action, or taken as prisoners of war. Vietnam was a danger zone where no life was guaranteed, bodies were hard to recover dead

The Vietnam War – the most despised war in America’s history – began earlier than many people realize. Troop involvement first appeared in 1965, but the United States had been sending supplies to the South Vietnamese since the beginning of 1953. During this time leaders of SEATO, South East Asia Treaty Organization, joined forces to prevent the spread of communism. This fear was propelled by something known as the Domino Theory which states that once a country falls into communist clutches then other countries are like wise to follow. The assassination of both John F. Kennedy and Ngo Dinh Diem pitched both countries into a time of turmoil as they attempted to grieve the deaths of their

President Lyndon Johnson stresses in ‘Why We Are in Vietnam’, “Around the globe, from Berlin to Thailand, are people whose well-being rests, in part, on the belief that they can count on us if they are attacked. To leave Vietnam to its fate would shake the confidence of all these people in the value of America’s commitment, the value of America’s word.” The Vietnam war was historically lengthy in contextual buildup, the war produced capping results nevertheless many casualties. The United States began entering and attacking North Vietnam In 1965, as well Communist-controlled areas in the South. The war lasted 19 years and 180 days. North Vietnam was receiving aid and assistance from the Soviet Union, as well as other Communist countries, and in opposition, by 1966,190,000 U.S. troops were in South Vietnam.

My head felt as if it was too explode, blood was dripping down from my forehead, and a throbbing pain was coming from my leg. At first I had no idea where I was or what was happening. In the distance I could hear a scream, although it was fading and my eyesight was blurry. I tried to stand up as I remember but I was not able too. I kept wondering to myself if this was a dream, but I felt pain. Terrible pain. How could I feel this much pain if it was a dream. Then all at once it came back to me. The memory, the fear, the frightfulness, the nervousness, and the sadness.

The Vietnam War was the longest and perhaps the most unpopular war involving the United States, in the 20th century. In 1954, Vietnam was divided into the North, which was controlled by the Viet Cong and its communist ruler, Ho Chi Minh. South Vietnam, however, was democratically controlled and had the backing of the United States and many other Western nations. Later on, South Vietnam refused to hold elections for reunification of the North and South, so the North Vietnamese (or the Viet Cong) began to conduct attacks in the form of Guerrilla tactics. Then one event shocked the whole world; North Vietnamese fighters used missiles to launch on US Navy ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. Intervention was necessary otherwise, the whole region of Southeast Asia would collapse and the Americans would suffer a blow that could go unavenged.

The Vietnam War was a prolonged struggle between nationalist forces in North Vietnam trying to unify under a communist government, and the United States with the help of the South Vietnamese, trying to prevent the spread of communism. The war was fought from November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975, with direct US involvement beginning in March, 1965. Many believed U.S. victory in the war was impossible. The U.S. government lost the support of the American people and felt great public pressure to succeed. In response, the government made the instinctive decision to resort to herbicidal warfare.

The Vietnam War is one of the most traumatic episodes in the history of the United States. Not only because it ended with a defeat for the United States Army, but because unleashed the largest wave of protests in the country, in which the government lost support. Extended over more than a decade, between 1959 to April 30 of 1975, although the US intervened in 1965, in which American soldiers experienced in firsthand scenes of destruction and death. During the Vietnam War clashed nationalist forces and communist court, against anti-communist forces supported by the United States.

The Vietnam War is a blank page in the history of the U.S. foreign policy. As a matter of fact, there have been many public and congressional debates about the American intervention in Vietnam and the morality of the political decision that proved to be fatal for both countries. Undeniably, the Vietnam War belongs in the period of the Turbulent Sixties, which along with other tremendous political events such as the Civil War, divided the American society for decades. Until today the memory of the war still haunts the American conscience. Thus, the purpose of the essay is to examine the significance of the Vietnam War as a collective memory in the American society. Specifically, the main focus will be on how the remembrance of the Vietnam War, as well as the U.S. policy has been constructed in the