...American Experience of Vietnam War Lisa Phillips December 6, 2013 Professor Michel There are many lessons to be learned by the American experience of the Vietnam War. Each situation and Presidential choice proved to be critical for Vietnam’s continued reputation of a stalemated war. Each President realized the hard way that the Vietnam War would entail. The lesson learned from the diplomatic negotiation standpoint was that both American and Vietnamese leaders made multiple, sometimes redundant mistakes. Diplomatic negotiation means mutual discussion and arrangement of terms of an agreement. The Geneva Accords of 1954, clearly did not reflect this and there was definite lack of interest with both sides wanting successful outcomes. There was a lack of motivation because of the belief that the negotiations at the Geneva Accord were not providing the best means to advance their interests. “United States officials reluctantly participated in the Geneva Conference; they would of much preferred that there be no political solution to the Indochina War”(Moss, 2010, p.37). We learned that to have successful negotiations, we have to be highly motivated to achieve outcomes. This entails communication and compromise on both sides. The Presidential leadership styles during the Vietnam War varied, but they had one thing definitely in common-DECEIT. Whether it started as intentional or just progressed as the hardships and demands of war grew, it was shared among President Johnson...
Words: 633 - Pages: 3
...Abstract This paper discusses how the Vietnam Conflict impacted American society. The topics explored involve how the U.S. was affected socially, economically, and politically. Impact of Vietnam Conflict on American Society The enormity of the damage caused by the Vietnam Conflict is still felt in American society today. While public attitude toward Vietnam Veterans is changing, and faith in the military has returned, there is still a lot of skepticism toward the U.S. Federal Government. Americans don’t want to send their sons and daughters into another seemingly pointless war. One of the major consequences on U.S. society created by the Vietnam Conflict was the enormous strain on the American economy, due to the estimated $167 billion spent on the war. Inflation and increasing federal debt had a major negative effect on the US economy and seriously lowered living standards from the late 1960’s until the 1990’s. Another consequence on society was the public rejection of the war and the soldiers who fought in it. Vietnam vets were considered vicious killers, immoral human beings, drug addicts; they were treated like the lowest form of human existence ("Cold war in," 2011). The Vietnam conflict was a viewed as a devastating loss and resulted in a loss of pride and self- confidence in the American people. The U.S. experienced a reappraisal of American power and glory. At the beginning of the war the American public supported it, because they believed it was part...
Words: 848 - Pages: 4
...justifications for the Vietnam war was to prevent the spread of communism, the U.S defeat was to produce nothing of the kind: apart from the fact that Cambodia and Laos became embroiled, the effects were essentially confined to Vietnam”. This quote embodies the reason for the involvement in the war and also the end result. Communism was the number one factor for entering the war in Vietnam and containment was the policy. In the end, Vietnam fell to communism and the United States failed at their goal. Communism was the main reason for the initial involvement in the war that escalated into a full scale conflict; leading the United States to learn some valuable lessons. The era in which the war took place was one plagued with the fear of communism. The foreign policy known as containment was used to as a justification to intervene in numerous foreign conflicts. This policy is centered around the idea of containing communism to its borders and not...
Words: 645 - Pages: 3
...Running head: VIETNAM Vietnam: Its Impact and Lessons Learned . Prof. Carol Scott Contemporary International Problems – POL300 March 14, 2010 Vietnam: Its Impact and Lessons Learned Introduction The Vietnam War, also known as the Vietnam Conflict and the Second Indochina War to most was considered brutal and unwarranted; it did not accomplish anything and caused a massive death toll. This war was fought between the communist North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. Communist North Vietnam was supported by its communist allies while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and the other nations that were against communist. This was a war fought with the use of guerrilla warfare on hostile soil with an enemy, known as the Viet Cong. Guerrilla warfare is combat in which a small group of combatants use mobile military tactics in the form of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army. The Viet Cong used anything at their disposal to stop the United States from changing their way of life/religion. The Viet Cong was a lightly armed South Vietnamese communist controlled coalition. This made it impossible for anyone to benefit from an invasion of this country. The warfare used played a major role in the outcome of this war. The United States entered the war to prevent the takeover of South Vietnam and the spread of communism in that area. The impact has placed a tremendous hardship on the returning soldiers and the...
Words: 1765 - Pages: 8
...Hair and Rent are two well-known musicals that perfectly display the power of art in the world. Rent is a rock musical that tells the story about a group of poor, young artists and musicians who are struggling to survive and make it in New York’s Lower East Side during the AIDS epidemic. Hair is another rock musical, but this musical deals with the hippie counter-culture and the sexual revolution of the 1960s. In the musical Hair, the setting also takes place in New York, but the plot in Hair differs a little from the storyline in the Rent. Instead of struggling to survive as musicians, the people in Hair are fighting against conscription into the Vietnam War. Each character in the musicals Hair and Rent have to deal with the everyday issues of their time while still trying to deal with their own individual dilemmas. In the musical Rent, the people tend to live a bohemian lifestyle. The American College Dictionary defines the term bohemian as "a person with artistic or intellectual tendencies, who lives and acts with no regard for conventional rules of behavior." The characters in Rent are each trying to reach their dreams of making it in show business, but they have to overcome many obstacles such as living expenses, the AIDS epidemic, love, sexuality, drugs, friendship, and much more. One character, Mimi Marquez, is a club dancer, and that is how she pays for her living. Many people of that time would be club dancers because that was a quick way of earning money. Due to the...
Words: 861 - Pages: 4
...28, 2011 Abstract Studying military history is essential for our military professions. Military history tells us a great deal about our countries past conflicts and gives us a better understanding of how we operated in them. It tells us what Soldiers had to face in the different wars and conflicts our forces have been engaged in. From the Soldier’s on the beaches of World War II, to the foot patrol in the streets of Mosul, Iraq. Military history enables us to understand how the military used a tactics, techniques and procedure (TTP’s) to fight in the past conflicts. Military history has a strong heritage that should be studied by our soldiers in our professional development courses. ARGUMENTIVE ESSAY SGM Ricky A. Nottingham Class 37 Today’s Non Commission Officer and Officers alike should take time out of their schedule to study military history. Through the studies of military history all should learn way the past could apply to the battle fields of today. Conflicts have been won and lost throughout military history. The tactics, techniques and procedure (TTP’s) applied in today battle field have been developed from lessons learned from the past. Today’s leadership must have a board knowledge of tactics and understanding of the environments they are in. they must have a understanding of the culture they are going against. We must know what has succeeded and what failed in order to see what worked and what didn’t. World War II In late 1942 the U.S. Army began...
Words: 1494 - Pages: 6
...Abstract The history of convoy security necessitated design through ingenuity throughout history. By applying initiative and ingenuity, Leaders developed concepts, tactics and vehicle designs to protect their supplies moving throughout their area of operations. This produced innovations from the effective hybrid vehicles developed and used in Vietnam to the common use security platforms used in today’s modern Army. Further dialogue will ensure future doctrine should include funding and discussion. Forgetting the lessons learned, with the lives of Soldiers at stake, would be unconscionable. 3 3 The History of United States Army Convoy Security United States (US) Army doctrine has addressed convoy security since the mid 1800’s. The debate over convoy security operations as a hazardous undertaking of war has been a challenging topic throughout US Army history. The first published discussion of convoy operations described challenges that 19th century convoy commanders had to deal with. To conduct a convoy in safety through an enemy’s territory, where it is exposed to attacks either of regular, or of partisan troops, is one of the most hazardous operations of war; owing to the ease with which a very inferior force may take the escort at disadvantage in defiles (Mahan, 1861, p. 155). The US Army has a history of convoy experience. Most early instances relate to the Indian campaigns conducted prior to and after the Civil War. The American Indian had a completely...
Words: 3349 - Pages: 14
...Dominic Rycraft HUMN 303H Professor McCarthy February 20, 2015 A Broken Union The American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Many say that they have now made that dream a reality. In the early 50’s this wasn’t the case, we still had that dream but many obstacles to get through to achieve that dream. During this time America will be put through strain and heartache to prosper and become the country that many look toward for freedom. The 50’s were a time where we had to take a step back and reanalyze because of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. These two major events that happened in America may have shaped us in the wrong way. During this time in America, we were divided as a whole. It wasn’t one country but two, not by where you lived but rather by your skin color. If you were born with the wrong skin color you would be penalized for this. “Although African Americans’ subjugation holds a special place in U.S. history, they were by no means the only important group facing severe marginalization during the 1950s and since. Native Americans as well as Latinos and Latinas were subject to systematic racial discrimination, dispossession of property, and hate crimes.” (Super, 2014) America was a dark place if you weren’t white and that held us back as a nation. To end racial segregation and discrimination against black Americans, the African-American...
Words: 1845 - Pages: 8
...U.S. Foreign Policy Essay Assignment. Lessons learned through the Past 25.Nov.2011 After the end of the Second World War, the global balance of power steered with the rise of communism and nations determined to fight against it. When these two sides gradually received spotlight of international politics until the end of Cold War, the United States, the key player of anti-communism, began to propel, its unofficial, the so-called ‘World Police’ obligation, as their main foreign policy makings. Even now, the U.S., as the leading super power of the global arena, influences to the whole with what it believes is right for the sake of humanity and the nation itself. Its belief eventually may have salvaged many from the tyranny of communism or unjust dictatorships. However, at times, it did only harm than good to keep the society on the right track. But these were lessons learned after several trials of failures of various spectrums of the United State’s policies. Now, history tells the future generations of young American politicians through the mirrors of past events such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War. These mirrors foretell what outcomes one would face if he finds himself stumbled onto the wrong course of intervention. One will also discover military supremacy is not all to influence a certain entity. Despite the evident proof of the past, there are politicians that are misled to believe what are not worth believing anymore. Mitt Romney, a Republican politician, is one...
Words: 1675 - Pages: 7
...McNamara was a part of or helped influence at the least. In addition, McNamara talks about the 11 lessons that should be learned from his life. The first lesson Robert talks about is empathizing with your enemy. To further illustrate, a great example would be when Thompson urged President Kennedy to respond with the soft response to Kruschev. Thompson put himself in the shoes of Kruschev and empathized with him saying that by responding with the soft message it would make him look like he saved Cuba from a U.S. attack, in which it did. McNamara’s second lesson said that rationality will not save us. His rationality behind this is how the United States was on the brink of nuclear war. Castro wanted to use the weapons against the U.S. and knew that if he had it would result in the destruction of Cuba itself. The third lesson is that there is something beyond one’s self. McNamara, a self made man, is trying to say that you are only as good as you make yourself and that you can go above and beyond and find that something that is beyond yourself. McNamara attended Berkley and went on to become a assistant professor at Harvard. In addition, he served three years in WWII, seven years as Secretary of Defense and thirteen years as President of the World Bank. Maximizing efficiency was McNamara’s fourth lesson. A great example of this is creation of the B-29 bomber planes that were developed to bomb from higher altitude and bomb much more efficiently. McNamara examined bomb reports and created...
Words: 758 - Pages: 4
...in the Vietnam Conflict was neither justifiable nor demonstrative of sound judgment by the American government. Many books, magazines, and other forms of commentary on the Vietnam War have surfaced in the half century since the war’s end. Historian and author Stanley Karnow suggests that such publications generally attempt to make sense of the horrific “war that nobody won” (Karnow 9). It is a subject that will continue endlessly to divide historians and others as they attempt to draw lessons from the conflict that might then be used to justify, condemn, or promote America’s involvement in modern day Vietnams. Because of the magnitude of complexities surrounding the war, some may find it difficult to formulate an unwavering opinion about the war’s causes and effects. According to Robert McNamara, who served as Secretary of Defense for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, mankind has often struggled to find solutions to even simple problems related to the unification of values and ideologies spanning diverse cultures (McNamara 323). In order to fairly judge why the American government put our troops in the jungles, swamps, and fields of Vietnam, one might first closely examine why our government claims to have committed our troops to Vietnam. One of the reasons most adamantly advanced by our government to justify a full scale assault on the Vietcong of North Vietnam was an incident that is said to have occurred in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Gulf of Tonkin boarders Vietnam and was...
Words: 3484 - Pages: 14
...military force necessary to achieve a decisive victory. My American Journey is the life story of General (retired) Colin Luther Powell; the man who created the Powell Doctrine method applying military force. The Powell Doctrine based largely on the “Weinberger Doctrine” consist of a series of questions identifying the conditions that should be met before committing U.S. forces to battle. GEN (R) Colin L. Powell served two combat tours in Vietnam, White House Fellow, Commanding General V Corps, National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. My American Journey is his memoir of all of the lessons learned throughout his career however, it is his experience in Vietnam which leads him to develop the Powell Doctrine....
Words: 552 - Pages: 3
...The Art of War 1 The Five Key Lessons From The Art of War The Art of War 2 Principles of Management 105 Jessica Sanders June 17, 2012 The Five Key Lessons from The Art of War The Art of War is a very interesting book consisting of 13 chapter of how successful wars are overcome written by Sun Tzu in 500BC. The Art of War was written on vertical bamboo strips each no longer than a chop stick. Each stick contained 15-25 Chinese characters that were later stitched together. Inside the 13 chapters of The Art of War lie the secrets to success, which was hidden for a thousand years. Sun Tzu stated if you follow his principles you will prevail, but if you ignore them you will lose. He stated that he could turn anyone into a soldier. He appointed leaders, but women did not take him serious. They thought his orders were funny. One of Sun Tzu principles stated that if the orders are unclear it is the fault of the general that the troops do not obey, but if the orders are clear, it is the fault of the subordinate officers that the orders are not obeyed. Sun Tzu killed his first two appointed leaders for disobeying his orders. Every then followed him. He then became commander of Wu Army. Sun Tzu's principle war is a matter of life and death which is key principle of his teachings, and once understood everyone will be motivated to win. His most important principles were to know your enemy and know yourself and in 100 battles...
Words: 536 - Pages: 3
...many global retailers focused their developing market expansion aspirations on China, which gained acceptance into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. As the decade unfolded, retailers were drawn to the potential of Southeast Asia, the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and Eastern European markets like the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Rumania, Slovakia and Slovenia following their joining the European Union (EU) in 2004. But over the 10 years of retail growth tracked by our research, five nations have consistently ranked in the Top 10: China, India, Russia, Vietnam and Chile. Almost everyone understands China’s size and therefore its market potential. More difficult is establishing its true market value, particularly when it comes to the emerging middle class and burgeoning urban population. As many retailers have learned the hard way, the Chinese consumer is unique, and effectively selling to them demands striking exactly the right balance between assortment, pricing and service models. While China slipped a bit to sixth place in the 2011 study, it remains too...
Words: 1074 - Pages: 5
...An Analysis of A Rumor of War The Vietnam War was one of America’s greatest mistakes. Considered by most to be the only war that the United States has ever lost, Vietnam was a debacle from the start. Lieutenant Philip Caputo, who served in Vietnam throughout the war, shared his experiences in his 1977 memoir entitled A Rumor of War. Caputo, a soldier who narrowly avoided a court-martial for allegedly murdering innocent Vietnamese citizens, discusses his view on the dehumanizing atrocities of the war. Using Caputo’s book, this essay analyzes the reasons why American soldiers in Vietnam found themselves in unsustainable combat situations. In addition, it diagnosed how the lies told by those in command translated into confusion for the already...
Words: 1313 - Pages: 6
