The Vietnam War : The Most Contentious Military Conflict

The Vietnam War was the longest and most controversial war that involved the United States and it greatly impacted the United States. Some even compare this war to that of the United States’ involvement in Afghanistan. The Vietnam War lasted from November 1, 1955 until April 30, 1975. It was a cold war that took place in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao. North Vietnam backed by the Soviet Union was on one side against the opposing side of South Vietnam backed by the US, Philippines, and other non-communist countries. Between 1960 and 1973, many antiwar movements in the United States arose which consisted of many people who were united in the common cause to resist the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. They strongly believed that a war in Vietnam was clearly unjust and led to the United States’ decision to eventually withdrawn its troops from the war.

The Vietnam War was a major controversy for the United States compared to World War 1 and World War 2. With both of the previous wars that the United States had been a major part of they had brought the people of the country together to fight  and work hard to show their support to the soldiers that were fighting. During these two wars we saw the rise of women in the workforce as they came into the picture of taking the jobs that the men held while they went away to fight in the way. And then there was the avid signing up to fight. Men as young as teenagers signing up to fight in both of these wars. The difference is that with the Vietnam War it was met with disdain from the public and also the soldiers as well. With this war people

Regarded as one of the most controversial and polarizing military conflicts in U.S. history, the Vietnam War has left a deep and lasting impact on American culture, politics, and foreign policy. From 1964 to the present day, the Vietnam War redefined the scope of U.S. influence both at home and abroad, and caused a fundamental shift in American society that dramatically changed the way in which Americans viewed their government and the role of the United States as a world power. For an entire generation of Americans, who watched as the horrors of the war in Vietnam unfold before the spotlight of the national media, the Vietnam War directly challenged the superiority of the American way and the infallibility of U.S military dominance. In truth, the U.S government, U.S. military, and the American people as a whole struggled to accept the lessons of America’s greatest military failure and the sobering reality of the war’s consequences. To this day, the legacy of this so-called “American War” continues to resonate throughout the fabric of American society as a cautionary tale of U.S foreign intervention and blind acceptance of open-ended conflict.

“Vietnam divided America more deeply and painfully than any event since the Civil War.” (Readings 9, To Avoid a Defeat, 231). The steady stream of American casualties suffered at the hands of the NVA made a difficult situation intolerable as American support for the war diminished with each soldier laid to rest. President Lyndon B. Johnson made a dire mistake in approving General Westmoreland’s request on to put combat troops on the ground in Vietnam, as the threat to American security had not been triggered to the point where it was worth the lives of American soldiers. The American military was severely underprepared for war, and the eventual withdrawal of troops would become a global embarrassment that continues to haunt the United States decades later. Further, President Johnson sought to put an end to the conflict in Vietnam for questionable reasons, driven more by political expediency than thoughtful consideration for the lives entrusted to him as Commander in Chief.

The U.S is sending troops to a place most Americans couldn't point out on a map. This place is called Vietnam. My opinion on the draft is that is was extremely unfair for people that couldn't afford to send their kids to college. If your draft number was called you would have to go to war unless you could afford to go to college. And for many people this was not an option which meant war for them. Fortunately for me, my birthday has a high draft number however, I would still be scared if they ever got to numbers that high. the families of the draftees if your number got called you were most likely devastated with the news. This war ended up having over 50,000 casualties from Americans lives alone. That number is outrageous considering how many people did not agree with the war in the first place.

At the conclusion of chapter three, Paul tells the story of the day before his deployment. In the story, Paul reveals that he and his friends had jumped Himmelstoss and then beaten him up as retribution for all the torture they had been put through. Paul happily explains all the pain that they inflicted on Himmelstoss from Tjaden whipping him to Haie hitting Himmelstoss repeatedly in the face. Personally, I believe that the attack was justified because you should always treat people with respect and dignity or they will treat you without what you believe you deserve. Himmelstoss’s failure to show decency to his subordinates led to Himmelstoss being attacked, so, in a way, Himmelstoss

me may say the war in Vietnam was fought over the topic of pride; others say it was a useless war that served no purpose. Regardless of the meaning behind it, we cannot forget the soldiers that lived through it and the hardships they faced afterwards. A soldiers hardships are felt through their body, mind, and soul. The Vietnamese war has impacted all veterans with physical scars, emotional breakdowns, or spiritual growth; these are the three mementos that are usually brought back from war and have everlasting effects on their everyday lives.

The Vietnam War cost many Americans their lives in the 60s and 70s. Many were drafted into the war by choice and others selectively chosen to join to help America. The contributions made had a major impact on the American side of the Vietnam War. Though many contributions were made none stand out any more than others. It is sometimes said there is always a hero in the war who helped the victory. Wars, however, do not have war heroes because a hero is making an undeniable contribution to the war and affects the victory when in reality a war is based on outsmarting the opponent and seeing who has more heart. The war does not have a hero because drafted soldiers do not always want war to occur, disorders that get to soldiers affect them for

America has won the War of Independence, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Indian Wars, the Civil War, and are back-to-back winners of the World Wars. With the amount of victories made, Americans might try to process the question of who won the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War never had a declared victor. America got involved in the Vietnam War during the year of 1965. The United States first became involved in the war by financially supporting France in the first Indochina War. After that, Vietnam was separated from France’s control. South Vietnam and France were America’s allies. President Kennedy sent roughly 2,000 military advisors to South Vietnam for support. Soon, it became a much more preponderant number. The “Tet

The Vietnam war was probably one of the most, if not the most unpopular war in US history. Civil disobedience began before the war was even in full swing. Men would refused to register for the military draft. And when they actually had registered for the draft the men began to publicly burn their draft cards. As if that wasn’t enough of a sap in the face to the government they began to not just burn their draft cards but actually sent them back to the government. In response to these refuses the government began to prosecute the men who refused; by the end there were over thirty-three thousand imprisoned for refusing the draft. When their pleads for peace were not heard, citizens then turned to the use of horrific actions. United States citizens began to commit suicide in order to be heard. In Washington when pentagon workers finished their day and were leaving, they were met by Norman Morrison. Morrison was so fed up with the war that he drenched him self in gasoline, lit himself on fire, and proceeded to burn to death in public to protest the war. Sadly, enough this was not the only suicide case, a year later Alice Herz fallowed in Morrison’s footsteps and also set fire to herself. Then when bombings in North Vietnam began to take place, US citizens gathered in Boston to protest. But this wasn’t just any normal protest, during this particular protest over one hundred thousand (some think the number was actually closer to two million) citizens attended and peace rallies

The Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War began in 1955 or ten years after World War 2. The United States direct involvement in the war started in 1964 and extended through 1973 but its indirect involvement started much earlier. At the end of the Second World War the United States and the Soviet Union were recognized as the two greatest military powers in the world. As the Soviet Union expanded their influence over Eastern Europe in countries including Bulgaria, East Germany, and China turned to communism and the United States grew concerned with the expansion of communism and its potential impact on the democratic nations of the world. Similarly the Soviet Union was concerned with the economic and military strength of the United

Another big difference in this war was that the Vietnam War was had more disapproval and was more expressive within the American public, unlike the Korean War. The ANITWAR MOVEMENT started in the 1960s this group was never enacted until this era. There was not a group like this in Vietnam, but there were many groups that opposed the war. The main object of these revolts was the American military presence in Indochina. The ANITWAR MOVEMENT caused an influence not only socially, but also in the realm of television, which indirectly had influence in the war as well. The television played a big role in how the influence of the ANITWAR MOVEMENT and how important it became for the era itself. The ANITWAR MOVEMENT truly had one of the most intense effects on the war and how it was viewed for the American public. For example, “it served as a network of communication through which people in one part of the country discovered that others elsewhere shared their feelings about the war, and saw how they could demonstrate those feelings publicly” (164). The ANITWAR MOVEMENT main concern was to convince the American public that the war should be stopped at all cost. Their message was being sent out through many television providers, which would reach the American public.

If Big Darrell lets Krik keep quill and gets over his son and old dog.

American soldiers arrived in My Lai on March 16, 1968. These soldiers were members of

Background: The Vietnam war was a long conflict in Southeastern Asia, starting after World War II, ending in 1975. After losing the war, Japan seceded from the country in 1945, leaving the french with the urge of wanting to regain its long forgotten land. In addition, when China turned to communism in 1949, the communist views became a large influence in Vietnamese society. President Harry Truman was blamed for losing China to communists because he did not want to get the U.S troops involved so he instead aided the French. As a result, Vietnam wanted to become a Communist country; however, the United States was willing to help the lost cause of South Vietnam.