The War Of The Vietnam War

Vietnam got their independence in 1954. Vietnam divided the nation until they could hold an election to have a united Vietnam. A problem then arose, the north wanted a communist government and the south wanted a democratic government. China’s communist government influenced the north. South Vietnam was influenced by the United States to the East. The elections were canceled and North Vietnam attacks the south. The United States was funding and training south Vietnam until 1957. In 1957, an American ship was attacked. That was the point when the United States sent in soldiers and started bombing runs on the North(Cole).

Many people can attest to the fact that the war in Vietnam was very unpopular and unsupported. One could say that it was the most unsupported war in this country’s history. One of the many battles that occurred during the war was the Battle of Hamburger Hill. Although it was a very short battle, some would say that this battle was very unnecessary and a waste of manpower.

This was the first battle between the U.S. Army and the People 's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) of North Vietnam. This two part battle occurred November fourteenth through the eighteenth of November 1965. The location was at the Landing Zone X-Ray and Albany in La Drang Valley. Although ample casualties on both Vietnam and U.S. side, each side adduced the battle was a victory of their own. The action of La Drang Valley was considered essential as it set the layouts for approaches for each side during the conflict. The U.S. troops continued to depend on air mobility and arms fire to acquire their combat zone objectives-achievement of the so called “body count”. Viet Cong learned by quickly engaging their combat forces close to the antagonists (while at close range) the could abrogate American advantages. The battle of La

“I was persuaded then, and I remain persuaded now, that the war was wrong. And since it was wrong and since people were dying as a result of it, it was evil(O ' Brien 272).” Tim O ' Briens If I Die in a Combat Zone is based in the Vietnam war with the main character being Tim O ' Brien. He explains what it was like to be drafted into the war and the hardships that he went through fighting the Vietcong. The changes that happened before his eyes to people he was fighting with being turned into a deranged person. He describes the fears that the soldiers had of bouncing betties and the people hiding waiting to attack the moment they go to sleep. The Vietnam started in 1955 and ended in 1975 with a total body count of a million people killed

The Vietnam War, lasting almost twenty years and deploying 2.7 million troops to the front lines, was one of the largest wars in United States history. Beginning August 2nd, 1964, the war killed 58,000 American soldiers and disabled twice that number. The war brought humiliation to our great nation, and created very overwhelming tensions, in a quote by President Nixon, “Let us be united against defeat. Because let us understand: North Vietnam cannot defeat or humiliate the United States. Only Americans can do that” (Doc G). These tensions grew immensely over the course of the war. In terms of political tensions, the trust and credibility of the war and government began to seem very questionable. Socially, the public began to acknowledge

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

Vietnam, arguably the most controversial war America started, the war that generated some of the largest opposition movements in American history and the war ended with America losing. The Vietnam War has become the subject of ongoing discussion and debate because it had so many aspects about it that shocked and confused the world. Some areas of debate regarding the war include the assumptions that caused its escalation and the argument about whether the war could have ended on different terms. According to historians George Herring and Loren Baritz, Americas limited war theory and their arrogant beliefs about themselves were the main assumptions that guided the escalation of the Vietnam war and are also the reason why the historians did not believe the war would have a different outcome.

Between 1964 and 1975 the heightened tensions over the Vietnam war caused many americans to become divided on the actions taken by the government across seas. Americans questioned whether the government could be trusted. The feeling of betrayal and government secrecy created the “Credibility Gap,” in which many americans believed that the government no longer was for the people, but for anything else that would benefit the government. The Vietnam War exacerbated the gap between the pro-war traditionalists and anti-war liberals along with an increase in military action, causing controversy over government spending; as a whole these factors established a sense of distrust between the American government and its people.

The American Army had an unfavorable impact while fighting in Vietnam. They were incompetent when it came to using the land. The forests, trees, and trails were all dissimilar to the American Army. The Viet Cong could easily move through it. The article “Guerilla Tactics: An Overview” states, “The vietcong were masters at moving though and blending into the local terrain.” The American Army could not blend and fight on the land they had around themselves. In Vietnam, there are many densely forested areas. In the United States, that is not a common land feature. The Americans did not know how to get through the land. The land was hard to adjust to, but so was climate. Fincher says, “The reporters noted how difficult it was for Americans to adjust to a climate so different from their own” (11). They had many problems trying to adjust. They did not realize how hot, humid, and rainy it was compared to the climates they were used to at home. The Viet Cong had the advantage of fighting on their own land. They used their land to further their tactics in Guerilla Warfare. They knew how to use the land, and that made themselves more powerful. An article states, “Several contingents, however, made their way to South Vietnamese jungles, cached their arms, and waited until conditions were suitable to wage a guerilla war” (Fincher 31). The Viet Cong used all advantages they could. The Viet Cong

Prior to that battle, President Johnson elected to debut a new style of warfare using helicopters that would allow the U.S. Army to overcome Vietnams rugged terrain. This new Division of the Army would be dubbed the 1st Cavalry Division, Airmobile and its Commander; Lt. Col Harold Moore would lead the charge (The Out Post, 1996).

Edward R. Murrow once said, “Anyone who isn 't confused really doesn 't understand the situation,” (Quotes About Vietnam War). The entire basis for the Vietnam War was to suppress communism. Citizens of the United States as a whole did not understand communism. Communism was a newer concept and had mainly been seen in reference to the Cold War with USSR. Often times with confusion comes anger. Many soldier were angry that they were sent to war, while others went out of curiosity. The story of Mary Anne Bell’s time in Vietnam is representative of the curious soldiers who volunteered for the Vietnam War.

”Forty-five years ago this fall, in November of 1965, a lone, under strength battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) ventured where no force—not the French, not the South Vietnamese army, not the newly arrived American combat troops—had ever gone”(Galloway 1). The battle of la Drang was the first major battle fought in the Vietnam War between the soldiers (Cav Scouts) of the US Army and the enemy (the People’s Army of Vietnam) aka the PAVN / NVA of North Vietnam. This battle took place between the dates of 14November1865 and 18November1865 at two separate LZs. These landing zones (X-Ray and Albany) were located adjacent to each other to the west of the village of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. The landing zones were precisely at the footstep of the Chu Pong massif. Before the battle started, close to 1,100 Americans in total had died in the United States’ involvement in the fight between South Vietnam and North Vietnam. This U.S. airmobile (1st Calvary Division) offensive operation was codenamed Operation Silver Bayonet I aka the battle of la Drang.

The first major battle of the Vietnam War was the battle of Ia Drang. This conflict took many casualties on both sides in just two days. There have been many books and articles that have been written about the battle. There was even a major Hollywood movie titled “We Were Soldiers” that dramatized the battle. Most of the public thinks of the conflict as a very bloody battle fought by the 1-7, 1st Cavalry Division, led by Lieutenant Colonial Harald G. Moore (Warren, 2015). While this is accurate, what is not known about the battle is the 1st Cavalry Division, utilized a technique called air mobile, now known as air assault, to employ multiple forces throughout the battlefield for the first time in combat. Air mobile was not just used to deploy

The Vietnam War lasted from 1954 through 1975, and was the longest war ever fought in American History which lasted for 21 years. This war was long and costly and was mainly fought against the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies known as the Vietcong, against its war rival South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. More than 3 million people were killed in the Vietnam War, including 58,000 Americans (Staff). Although this war was mainly fought towards the impact of stopping the spread of communism, there were many other factors that contributed to the start of the war.

The Vietnam War is one of the most important conflicts of the twentieth century. It is the second most traumatic, contentious, and problematic event in U.S. history—the first being the Civil War. Yet the Vietnam War, means that “the dispute zone”. it was also called "Second Indochina War" and the "American War".