As many know the United States defeat in Vietnam was colossal and could have been completely avoided by doing a few particular things differently. What took place in the Vietnam War when the United States was defeated by the North Vietnamese forces was a devastation to say the least. North Vietnam was in action for the cause of rolling out communism into South Vietnam. The United States was supporting the opposition of stopping the spread of communism to South Vietnam and the world while also encouraging democracy. Although the United States had what was considered one of the most well built and functioning armies in the world, they fell in the war in Vietnam because they did not have much of the nation’s approval and the North Vietnamese were familiar with the terrain and they were banded together to fight for a cause they strongly believed in, communism.
The United States participation in Vietnam grew intensely in 1956 when France, who was in favor of and supported the North Vietnamese, left Vietnam (“Vietnam War Timeline”). France began a war in Vietnam that they were not able to complete so the United States hopped on the saddle. “The Vietnam War was the legacy of France 's failure to suppress nationalist forces in Indochina as it struggled to restore its colonial dominion after World War II” (The U.S. Army in Vietnam). The United States was battling the spread of communism by joining up with the South Vietnamese troops. Supporting the North Vietnamese forces
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 political instability in Vietnam from 1950 to 1975 between the communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam during the Cold War era has led to the United States’ inevitable intervention in Vietnam. The main motivators for the United States’ incremental decision to intervene and commitment in Vietnam can be viewed as an accumulation of socio-political, political and economic catalysts. In recognition that there were many other factors that may have contributed to the U.S’s involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, this essay will largely focus on these three factors. As the cold war resonates, the American’s crusade was propelled by the fears of the domino theory and perception of Communist threat and expansion affected the
One of the most important issues that happened to everyone in the past called the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War is a war that between the Southern and Northern zones of Vietnam. In the early 1960’s, the United States was very worried about the situation in the South Vietnam. Therefore, the president Lyndon B. Johnson were starting to draft so many young people in the country to combat issues in the war with Vietnam. However, the Vietnam War were proved to be a common topic were to fight against the war, combat the issue of drafting about freedom and peace in countries to stand against the U.S. intervention in other countries. Moreover, the United States has believed there were over 20,000 Viet Cong guerrillas in the south and about another 100,000 of the population were on the Viet Cong side to defeat with other countries. Also, Vietnam War is one the longest war in the history has fought with the United States on the bridge of Cau Tan Cang which never going to win the war in Vietnam. Besides that, the Australians have fought a battle in a rubber plantation near the Long Tan. They won this battle with the Viet Cong and was lost with 18 men and has 21 wounded during that battle. Also, The Viet Cong had about 500 people wounded and lost 245. Therefore, the Vietnamese traditional culture may be still a mysterious and unknown to most of the people outside the countries of Vietnam, especially the white people. Nowadays, many white people, Philippines, and other neighbor countries
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 Vietnam War in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia lasted from November 1st, 1955 to around April 30th, 1975. The war was split up between two sides, North Vietnam, who were allied with the Soviet Union, China, and most of the communist countries during this time period, and South Vietnam, who were allied with the United States and many countries that were against the belief of Communism. Although the United States did not necessarily have to get involved in the war, they believed that they had too so that South Vietnam would not join the Communist party. During this time period there was a belief that if a region began to fall underneath communist control then other countries around them would do the same, this was known as the domino theory. As a result, the United States were committed for the long run to try and contribute to South Vietnam, so that Communism would not spread across the world. While the United States government was simply trying to stop Communism, what they did not know was that this war would begin the movement of anti-war by the citizens of the United States. Peace movements began to appear all across the country in major cities such as New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, and in smaller towns as well. Surprisingly, numerous veterans joined in on the movement too. This may have been due to the fact that many veterans have struggled from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, but it also enlightened an abundant amount of citizens for if those who are
The Vietnam War, deploying 2.5 million troops and lasting 10 years made it one of the largest wars in United States history. Allegedly, the war started after two navy ships were fired at off of the banks of Vietnam. The questionable attack would foreshadow a very misunderstood and questioned war to come. The United State’s army would be tested in just how strong they were, some 58,000 men were killed and almost double that were severely disabled. This was humiliating to the United States, a great world power at the time, and tensions grew as the war went on. Robert F. Kennedy mentioned the severity of the war in one of his speeches, “For years we have been told that the measure of our success and progress in Vietnam was
“There 's many a boy here today that looks upon war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell!”-William Sherman. During the Vietnam War, this was the thought process for many people and college students, including Mark. Throughout his life, Mark Egli’s occupations and lifestyle has fluctuated greatly. Mark went from being an orderly at a nursing home, to a farmer, to a school teacher, to a superintendent and the reason for all of these changes had to do with one event, the Vietnam War. Mark was in college during the war, and as the war went on, many people and college students, including Mark, started to go against the war for various reasons. Some of these reasons included adults being mad about the draft, the casualties that were occurring, and the fact they saw no point to go to war. The war affected Mark’s life in numerous ways including his college life, his job selections, and his thoughts about the government.
In the United States, we learned about how we beat the British during the Revolutionary War, even before we were a country. How we jumped in during WWI to help bring it to an end. Also, how we raided the shores of Omaha to save Europe from Hitler, and drop nukes on Japan. We learned how we beat the Soviet Union so hard during the Cold War that they don’t even exist anymore. One war that America does not seem to talk about is the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a proxy war during the Cold War, but it is always swept aside. The Vietnam War divided the U.S. as the war continued throughout the years. The U.S. shouldn’t have been involved in the Vietnam War because the Domino Theory was not correct.
Since the U.S were trying to prevent communism, they would try to support and “backed the return of the French in Vietnam” (Llewellyn). Though, some do not like the idea of returning Vietnam to French due to their hatred toward colonialism and believing that Asian nations should be free to govern themselves. But many would rather take the revival of French colonial-ism than a communist-ruled Vietnam. So America offered support for the French in Vietnam. Until in the late 1945, there was a formal position which was about one of the neutrality, but “by early 1947 the U.S. Government was tacitly supporting France” (Llewellyn). Later that year, President Harry Truman funded French War effort.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, the Vietnam was the most talked about issue of the time. Due to the high number of American casualties, and the troubling images that were broadcast on the nightly news networks, the opposition of the war rose drastically. Many argue that the climax of the anti-war opposition occurred in May of 1970 on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. It was during an anti-war protest that the Ohio National Guard opened fired on the crowd, killing four students. The country, torn apart by the war, saw the support for the soldiers decrease. In the years that followed Kent, President Nixon began to bring troops home from Vietnam. Expecting a hero’s welcome back to the states, similar to what their parents had received following WWII; Vietnam Veterans received quite the opposite. At airports that soldiers were returning to, many protests occurred, shaming the soldiers for their actions during the war. Many of the veterans returning home Vietnam found it hard to find work because too many people had developed a hatred for them due to the war. Congress confronted the growing problem of discrimination against these Veterans by taking action in 1974.
Many of those who have seen the face of war will tell you that it never leaves that individual. It is likely that some of those who may tell you that may have seen that face during their time in Vietnam. The Vietnam War was an armed conflict that spanned over many years before it finally ended in 1973 with the exfiltration of United States (US) forces. During this time, tens of thousands of US service members lost their life while hundreds of thousands were left with debilitating injuries and returned to the US. One of the bloodiest battles during this war was the Battle of Hue, which took place during the Tet Offensive of 1968, and was one of the largest urban fights since the Korean War. Due to the urban environment of this particular battle, cover and concealment was at a premium but left fields of fire lacking. Hue city was significant because it was a religious and cultural focal point for the country. Hue city was one of the most venerated cities in Vietnam, as well as, the home of the Catholic church of the country. The purpose of this paper is to explore the events surrounding the Battle of Hue and actions which may have caused a different outcome. Analysis of the Battle of Hue reveals a significant challenge facing the US: The use of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection and dissemination of the critical information obtained by effective source operations would have drastically changed the outcome of this battle in the favor of the US and its allies.
The Vietnam War also known as the Second Indochina war took place in December 1956 through April 30 1975 to the fall of Saigon. It is one of the most debatable armed forces combats that the United States of America participated in. The United States involvement the civil war that took place in South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, was characterized by numerous conflicting positions. South Vietnam was supported by United States and other anti-communist countries. The Viet Cong or” NFL” a lightly armed South Vietnamese communist fought a “Guerrilla war” against anti-communist forces in the region. The U.S government viewed American involvement in the war as a way to stop a communist take-over of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam under communist rule. According to the Domino theory, if one state went communist, then then other states in the region would follow. Many American men and women were instructed to leave their country and travel thousands of miles to Vietnam and participate in this warfare. However, the involvement of the United States in this war was questioned by some members of the international community. The American citizens are also divided in their approval of their countrymen’s involvement in the conflict at Vietnam. The questionable cause or motive of the United States’ government is the primary reason as to why some people are questioning the intention of the country’s intervention.
In season six and the first part of season seven of Mad Men, Sterling, Cooper, and Partners work on a very difficult account, Chevy. There is a popular fan theory that this account is actually SC&P’s version of the Vietnam War. There are a number of large coincidences and references that make this theory seem legitimate. The account plays out in 1968, also a very important year in the war. Furthermore, the Vietnam War is included in a number of the plot lines during the Chevy episodes. Additionally, war talk is continuously made in reference to Chevy, as if to suggest the account is like war. Also, Ken Cosgrove plays the soldier in this theory seeing that he is the one actually interacting with Chevy and is the one getting hurt. It makes sense seeing that Chevy is a part of General Motors, who is also a defense contractor. Finally, the overall storyline for the account parallels the Vietnam War. This paper will include further exploration of each of these points in order to support the theory that the Chevy account is in fact an allegory for the Vietnam War.
The 7th of August 1964 saw the start of the Vietnam War where fatalities escalated as war arose. This once civil war since 1954 became an international Cold War as the US conducted military operations to the now, politically unstable Southeast Asia overrun by the Viet Cong. This turn in the civil war, saw one of the world’s most infamous events, The My Lai Massacre take place. December 1967, the 23rd Infantry Division’s fist battalion’s C Company, also known as Charlie Company arrives in South Vietnam. There they encountered 23 incidents of mines and booby traps resulting in 5 deaths followed by more deaths by Mid-March 1968. Morale was fading as anger and resentment rose amongst the remaining troops. In search of the Viet Congs 48th Battalion, C Company were sent to the village of Son My, specifically the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe in March 1968. The 16th March 1968 saw the first platoon’s Second lieutenant William L. Calley lead C Company into My Lai, where there were no findings of any VC. However it was believed that they were being hidden by the locals. As a result of this assumption, between 347-506 Vietnamese women, children, infants and elderly were killed as C Company carried out their gratuitous “search and destroy mission”. Unarmed civilians were killed on the spot, others were grouped, lined up in drainage ditches and executed. Some were clubbed, stabbed to death, tortured and some even had “C Company” carved into their chests. This
I really enjoy the TED Talks videos and always learn a lot. Johann Hari is intriguing to listen to and backs his statements with scientific evidence. I especially like his comparison of rats getting to choose between water and heroin or cocaine (Hari, 2015). When the rats had a viable and enjoyable alternative to the desire to use the drug they choose the water in almost all instances. I think the analogy to the Vietnam War was interesting as well as the comparison to Portugal. What comes to mind for me, is the relation between the Portugal program and the manner in which positive reinforcement works. It seems the program they have been using in Portugal for the last 15 years is very effective. A 50% decrease in injectable drug use, decrease in overdose and HIV and addiction in general. The Portugal method of dealing with addiction, benefits not only those with addiction issues, but also those who employ those recovering addicts by paying half their salaries. Hari’s major point is structured around the importance of close relationships with family and friend and how our society has gotten away from this. The other video Dr. Werries posted about intervention, demonstrates the opposite of what Hari is saying in his talk. Those family and friends involved in the intervention program confront the person addicted to the substance and demand they stop the behavior or they will take away their love and discontinue their