US Involvement In The Vietnam War

(INTRODUCTION) In August 1964, Vietnamese DRV torpedo boats attacked two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. President London B. Johnson ordered the retaliatory bombing of military targets in North Vietnam. Shortly after the incident, U.S. congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Johnson war-making powers, and U.S. planes began regular bombing raids (Reference http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history ). In Vietnam, the US enjoyed virtual air supremacy. Nevertheless, Air Defense Artillery (ADA) units were able to distinguish themselves and prove their versatility by providing fire support to ground forces. ADA earned more than 450 medals for valor, receiving more than 1000 Purple Hearts, and one Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to SGT Mitchell Stout (Reference http://www.usc.edu/dept-00/dept/armyrotc/branches/air_defense.html ). Despite there being no confirmed aerial engagements, Air Defense Artillery played a vital role in the Vietnam War, and were at times crucial to battle success, proving their versatility, adaptability, flexibility.

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.

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.

CONSIDERATION: In March 8, 1965, 3,500 marines of the 9th Expeditionary Brigade arrived in Central Vietnam; they were the first of the many American combat troops to be deployed into what ultimately was, a great tragedy (Lindsay). This tragedy is known to the world as the Vietnam War. A war that was an unmitigated disaster. A war that was lost before it even began. A war that resulted in the deaths of countless lives. An estimated two million Vietnamese civilians were killed, alongside 1.1 milion North Vietnamese soldiers, 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers, and 58,200 U.S. soldiers (Spector). Once a champion of America's involvement in the Vietnam War, Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense who presided over

As many as two million Vietnamese civilians were killed during the Vietnam War(Spector). Would this number have been different if certain things off the battlefield in United States did not occur. The Vietnam War was a war between the communist regime of North Vietnam leaded by Ho Chi Minh, and the non-communist South Vietnam. The United States fought with the south in fear that if all of Vietnam became communist then the domino effect would occur and all of Asia would turn to communism. The war began in 1954 and ended in 1975 when communist forces took over the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon(Vietnam). This was two years after President Nixon, the thirty seventh President of the United States ordered the withdrawal of U.S forces in Vietnam(Vietnam).

Air Defense played several different and critical roles in the support of combat operations in Vietnam. The demand for air defense grew due to the existing threat of the Cold War as well as the new threat of the Soviet Union and China supplying light bombers as well as training the North Vietnamese. In response, the United States Army sent several different air defense weapon systems to Vietnam. These systems not only played a role in the protection of from the growing air threat, it also played a role in ground combat operations.

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 beginning, the United States always pushed forth the idea they were becoming involved in the war in Vietnam in order to send out aid to France, who was an ally of theirs. After the United Nations began setting up a plan to help France, the United States suggested splitting up the Communist and Democratic portions of Vietnam, with the communists having control over the North, while the Kennedy administration continued to send military aid to the Southern portions of Vietnam.

The Vietnam War is thought of as one of the most significant events in United States history. It was fought over the course of two decades and three United States presidencies. American involvement in the Vietnam War is one of the most highly debated topics discussed today. The United States began their involvement by supporting the French with one billion dollars per year to assist in containing the chaos in Vietnam. Once the French failed, the United States continued to supply money, firearms, and military advisors to aid the South Vietnamese. Americans remembered their promise to support any country fighting against the spread of communism. That promise was hard to keep when government lies were exposed, the number of American graves grew, and the matter of draft issues became too overwhelming to ignore.

The Vietnam War was a grousing, costly battle that drained our nation morally and psychologically. The war lives infamously with the unpopularity received by America and its people. Many believed that we had no business joining arms with South Vietnam to try and defeat a communist regime of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. With the war begining in 1954 due to the rise of the North Vietnamese and their leader Ho Chi Minh, an advocate for communism, which put a target on North Vietnam due to America’s pursuit to end communism around the world. By 1969 and the Wars 15th year of existence, more than half a million American soldiers had been involved. Many returning veterans and a large portion of the American public felt bitter about our involvement

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.

Former Secretary of State and Vietnam veteran John Kerry said it best when he stated “In our opinion and from our experience, there is nothing in South Vietnam which could happen that realistically threatens the United States of America” and “To attempt to justify the loss of one American life in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos…is to us the height of criminal hypocrisy which we feel has torn the country apart” (Goldstein). This statement stands true with many Americans as the Vietnam War was the most opposed and debatable war in the history of the United States. The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War began 1954 and ended in 1975 and was a direct result of the First Indochina War in which France claimed Vietnam as a colony (Mintz, McNeil). The war ended in 1954 following a French defeat in the battle of Dien Bien Phu (Marlantes, history.net) which resulted in Indochina’s independence, and the division between North and South Vietnam. America’s involvement heightened in the war in 1954 in an attempt to stop the spread of communism (Mintz, McNeil). In fact, the United States had the largest military presence in the war and basically directed the war from 1965 to 1968 (Mintz, Mcneil). This battle against communism led to one of the longest wars in American history, and one of the bloodiest conflicts America has ever seen; thus, leading to outrage and protests in streets of Washington D.C. The Vietnam War is considered one of the most controversial wars in the history of

The U.S. involvement in Vietnam was a failure and should not have been a war the US fought. The United States main objective was to stop communism within Vietnam, considering that Vietnam is still a communist country shows that the involvement did not help to stop communism in Vietnam. The Vietnam War was not only a disaster in Vietnam, the United States was getting a lot of backlash from its citizens. The US was split with pro-war and anti-war opinions that created a lot of protest amongst the citizens. The covering up and lying about the war by president Johnson also caused a lot of distrust between the US citizens and the US government grew. The United States involvement in Vietnam did not only not fail in its main objective, it came at a huge cost in casualties to American and Vietnamese citizens.

“Why? Why was America involved in such brutal war to stop a brand new country from forming? Shouldn 't we support that because that 's what happened to us.” That was my very first question when my grandfather first told me about the most brutal and longest wars America has ever been in, the Vietnam War. America’s involvement in the conflict was to stop the evil and corrupt system of Communism. French forces were dead meat unless America teamed up with them. Unfortunately, this didn 't stop the nonmoral army under Ho Chi Minh. The United Sates did not win the Vietnam War due to strong motivation, Guerrilla warfare, and the political factors in the United States.

The Vietnam war is exactly the kind of situation George Washington had in mind when he warned the future leaders of the United States against alliances. While they offer a level of security, they can also be a liability especially when you are as strong as the United States was in the middle of the twentieth century. And this is exactly what happened in Vietnam, when the United States becomes too invested in our commitment to allies it hinders our ability to focus on domestic policy. The question we should have asked before getting involved is, “how will this affect our ability to build from within?” During the Vietnam war, this would have meant compromising our foreign agenda, such as the multinational army. The United States then would have had the ability to maintain their appearance of a loyal alliance to the rest