...some people on the left to make comparisons to the American experience in the Vietnam War. These people argue that the United States has put itself into an in-extractable “quagmire” from which there is no feasible withdrawal. This type of reasoning by historical comparison is not wise because no two historical events are completely alike. In the case of Iraq and Vietnam, extreme caution should be exercised in comparing two wars so far apart in historical circumstances, geography, and time. It becomes pretty obvious that the differences between the two conflicts greatly outnumber the similarities. This is especially true in the strategic and military dimensions of the two wars. There is simply no comparison between the environment, the scale of military presence, losses incurred over time, the quality of enemy resistance, the role and scope of enemy allies, and the duration of open warfare style combat. There are, however, two political parts of the Iraq and Vietnam wars that are similar in nature: our attempts at nation-building in a foreign culture, and our trying to sustaining domestic popular support in a long and drawn out war against insurgents. Policymakers should have an understanding of the reasons for U.S. political failure in South Vietnam, as well as for the Johnson and Nixon administrations’ failure to sustain popular support for the accomplishment of U.S. military objectives in Vietnam. A repeat of those failures in Iraq could have uncalculated consequences for...
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...of the war because the American strategy from the start would have inevitably caused the loss of the war anyway; the U.S media just helped to speed up that defeat. The Vietnam War was the first televised war. According to the now retired Lt. Gen. Phillip B. Davidson "The war was literally piped into the living room, bedroom, and kitchen of most Americans”. Furthermore the former U.S. Commander in South Vietnam, General William C. Westmoreland noted that Modern technology "provided the press a means of indirectly involving the American public with the war on an almost hourly basis." Despite initially positive media coverage of the war, it soon became increasingly negative, in some cases falsely so. It has been suggested that the media coverage of the Tet Offensive was an exaggeration of the true course of events that helped shock the American Public. But did the media coverage of this major battle really change public perception leading to America withdrawing from the Vietnam War? With the outbreak of the Tet Offensive the Vietnam War had hit the urban areas and had subsequently become more reported on than at any other point previous in the war. Many of the Journalists had not experienced war at first hand to such a scale and were shocked by what they were seeing and the ferocity of the attacks. The surprise nature of the attack coupled with the warfare inexperience of many journalists present in Vietnam saw many of them change their verdict on this war in Vietnam. They...
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...through Vietnam war and fight for the united states of America and tell stories about their experience in Vietnam War. Many of the soldiers in the Vietnam war had experienced emotional burdens that are clearly the most difficult element of the Vietnam war. One of the soldiers named, Jimmy Cross, faced the emotional burden of losing his fellow soldiers in war. Another soldier named,Rat kiley, faced the emotional burden of living in the Vietnam war. Third soldier named Tim O'Brien, faced the emotional burden of killing someone in the Vietnam war. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was the leader of the soldiers in Vietnam war and ordered them around and told them what to do. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross was responsible for the entire group of soldiers and during the war, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross had a crush on a girl from back home named Martha. Thinking of Martha was a big distraction to Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and lead to the death of Ted Lavender. “Lieutenant Jimmy Cross felt the pain. He blamed himself” (O'Brien 6). The emotional burden that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross had during the vietnam war was, blaming himself for the death of Ted Lavender. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross didn't want to lose a single soldier in vietnam war and as the leader of the group he failed them by losing Ted Lavender....
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...some people on the left to make comparisons to the American experience in the Vietnam War. These people argue that the United States has put itself into an in-extractable “quagmire” from which there is no feasible withdrawal. This type of reasoning by historical comparison is not wise because no two historical events are completely alike. In the case of Iraq and Vietnam, extreme caution should be exercised in comparing two wars so far apart in historical circumstances, geography, and time. It becomes pretty obvious that the differences between the two conflicts greatly outnumber the similarities. This is especially true in the strategic and military dimensions of the two wars. There is simply no comparison between the environment, the scale of military presence, losses incurred over time, the quality of enemy resistance, the role and scope of enemy allies, and the duration of open warfare style combat. There are, however, two political parts of the Iraq and Vietnam wars that are similar in nature: our attempts at nation-building in a foreign culture, and our trying to sustaining domestic popular support in a long and drawn out war against insurgents. Policymakers should have an understanding of the reasons for U.S. political failure in South Vietnam, as well as for the Johnson and Nixon administrations’ failure to sustain popular support for the accomplishment of U.S. military objectives in Vietnam. A repeat of those failures in Iraq could have uncalculated consequences for...
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...To what extent was America's involvement in the Vietnam Conflict the result of the wrong judgments of American policymakers? Abstract In this paper, I will discuss the policy of America during the Vietnam conflict and how this resulted in the unnecessary Vietnam War. I will discuss why the U.S. thought the domino theory would suit the American policies during this time period. Also, I will analyze why the domino effect was not suited well for America. America thought that if communism were to takeover Vietnam, then it would eventually leak out into the surrounding region. This was incorrect and in this paper, I will discuss why it was invalid information. This paper will also examine why American policymakers exaggerated the stakes of the Vietnam War and why this led to unnecessary involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Even as the US realized that the stakes had been exaggerated and that the domino theory was implausible, they continued their involvement in the war. As for sources, I will utilize the sources provided for us by the teacher. These sources are Chapter 10 from LeFeber and History in Dispute: Was US intervention in Vietnam justified? These sources will help me explain why the US’ tried to base their policies off of the domino theory and why this was not the best policy. Also, I will conduct my own research using the online database JSTOR. I will also utilize the Pentagon Papers, a source I found online. Together, all these sources will help me formulate and discuss...
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...than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and is misunderstood now.” These words, spoken by Richard Nixon, demonstrate the difficulties when deciding whether soldiers served honorably or dishonorably during the Vietnam War. Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore, Joseph L. Galloway, and John Kerry depict the service of U.S. soldiers through conflicting viewpoints. Vietnam Veterans against the War, written by John Kerry, depicts the war accurately because it displays the negative manner in which soldiers served. Soldiers served dishonorably during the Vietnam War because highly decorated soldiers were accused of war crimes, body counts soared, and soldiers were unable to sympathize with the people of Vietnam. The Vietnam War brought dishonor upon U.S. soldiers as several highly decorated veterans were accused of crimes against the Vietnamese. Many reflected on the times they had raped, cut off heads, and even tore through villages in a manner similar to Genghis Khan. Soldiers imposed their will upon the Vietnamese by bombing and destroying the countryside of Vietnam. Destroying the countryside brought disgrace to U.S. soldiers as they failed to realize the significance of farming to the Vietnamese. Thousands of jobs were lost and the farmers of Vietnam were unable...
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...The Undeclared War Known as Vietnam Akilah K. Berry History 105 Professor Joseph Krulder American Intercontinental University The Vietnam War is considered the longest war. It can also be known as the unnecessary war, the war we lost, and an unofficial war. This war demonstrated to the world that the United States of America will defend its beliefs by any means necessary. It unified yet divided it’s own nation while focusing on the conflict at hand. Despite the fact the US Congress never officially declare war, the most decisive (excluding the Civil War) and America’s longest war is known as The Vietnam War. Around 1950, in efforts to protect the Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia known as the French Empire in Indochina the US initiated their involvement. In addition to protecting the French Empire the prevention of Ho Chi Minh’s Nationalist-Communist Viet Minh forces gaining control of the French Empire was also a key objective. At the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Viet Minh seemed to achieve independence and national sovereignty in addition to their victory, regardless of great assistance from the US. At the 1954 Geneva international conference, the United States (for whom a Nationalist-Communist Vietnamese government was unacceptable) divided the country in two. The southern half was the birthplace of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). Americans spent the next twenty years defending the RVN which was an artificial country (Buzzanco, 2010). By 1960 the National Liberation...
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...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...
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...About 58,000 American soldiers died in the Vietnam War. The reason why the Vietnam War took place is because the North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to unite Vietnam under the communist rule. Around two million Vietnamese civilians and some 1.1 million North Vietnamese and NLF fighters died. In honor of all of the Americans dying, they made a memorial about it. A memorial is something that is usually a structure, and it is there to show honor to a person or an.event. The Memorial is called the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The memorial is a long wall that shows each name of an American soldier who died during the Vietnam War. The names are carved into the wall. There are 58, 286 names listed on the memorial. It took eight...
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...The Vietnam War was unlike anything that the United States had ever been involved in before. Many were unsure what exactly this war was all about. Since the draft was reinstated, many men were trying to find a way to escape being forced into war. The soldiers were treated like enemies rather than as the brave heroes they surely were. The Vietnam War happened during the “hippie era” of the United States, and in turn there were hundreds of protests on college campuses all across the country. Once the war ended, it was not truly over. The social and political outcomes that followed were not something anyone could have been prepared for. The catalyst to one of the most notorious protests was after President Nixon had recently “…expanded the war beyond Vietnam into Cambodia…” (Davidson, 2005). Students at Kent State University decided to protest this decision on May 4, 1970. About 300 student protestors gathered, and after burning the pages of a the Constitution form a text book, were returning back to campus to “…burn down an old army ROTC building.” (Davidson, 2005). Word of this got back to Governor James Rhodes who in turn ordered the National Guard to the campus. The National Guard had ordered the crowd of protestors to leave immediately, and while a few did, most did not. In fact, some of the protestors began throwing rocks and stood their ground. “The guardsmen suddenly fired into the crowd, many of whom were students passing back and forth from classes.” (Davidson...
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...The Vietnam war was like a disappearing act.It was this way in the sense that many American men were drafted into the war. Many people did not like this.It messed with many lives and businesses.The US was impacted a lot in the fact of why they had to help, the impact on society, and the impact on foreign policy. The US had no other choice than to join the war.The US made a promise to south Vietnam and kept that promise by helping build and defend south Vietnam. They also want to protect freedom and democracy. Protecting democracy for one country shows they really care about democracy and other countries.This is Why the US got involved in the Vietnam war. The Vietnam war hugely impacted the american society. There were many people from Vietnam staying in america which caused a few changes. The US had to put extra signs on buildings so the Vietnamese people could read them and know which building to enter. This influenced our signs for packaging today. We also had all our money going towards war and not society. This is how the Vietnam war affected the US. Also, the Vietnam war affected the US foreign policy. After the war, the foreign policy was left in disarray. The US had discredited the post war policy of containment. Then, undermined the consensus that supported it. This is how the war affected US foreign...
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...Heroes of the Vietnam Anti-War Movement One of the great things about America is freedom of speech. If you are opposed to something, speak out and people will listen. If it’s a good enough cause people may even begin to follow you. This is what happened with the anti-war movement. It was a domino affect that quickly spread all over the country. I do not agree with some logic behind the movements ideas or even some actions. However I believe any individual who stood up for the value of human life and spoke out against Vietnam was a hero. The U.S. war in Vietnam triggered the most tenacious anti-war movement in U.S. history, beginning with the bombing of North Vietnam in 1964. Over the next decade, hundreds of thousands of young people become radicalized in a largely sometimes nonviolent and sometimes violent demonstrations.This anti-war movement started mostly on college campuses. At these campuses “teach-ins” were being held by the SDS, or commonly known as the Students for a Democratic Society. The first “teach-in” was at University of Michigan. This “teach-in” was the first major university-based anti-war demonstration in the United States. Soon after that the first large-scale student movement, Students for a...
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...On The Vietnam War My grandfather is a Vietnam War veteran. That alone drove me toward choosing this topic for this research paper. A few months ago, my grandfather had let me read his manuscript that he wrote when he had gotten home from his twelve year service for the United States. This novel he wrote is increasing my interest in the Vietnam War each page I turn. People often ask me whenever we’re talking about the war, which side I’m positioned on. I say that we shouldn’t have “helped” in the war. Because in my opinion, we could have done better for the country if we would have kept our noses out if the excitement but as for people like my grandfather, he opposes that perspective. I do have a firm grip on both paradigms of the war but as you can tell, I want a world with no war possible but honestly, who doesn’t? I guess you can call me a dreamer. But I know I’m not the only one. I thank John Lennon and my Mother for that lesson. I love my mother and my grandfather just as much. But, like I said, because of that, I know and understand two, very different opinions or viewpoints of the Vietnam War. My Mom is somewhat a flower child from when she was just a teenager. That all began because she never really got along with my Grandfather all that well. My Grandfather (my mom’s step dad) was the stereotypical; stern but fair, strict yet loving, harsh yet respectful step-father. Due to that reason my Mom was a rebel to the degree of a flour child. She is always opposing war any which...
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...In the year 1950, Vietnam no longer represented the common analogy of a “fat kid in a candy shop”: the ending to their situation was unpredictable. The result of the war taking place in this country, would more or less lead to the beginning of the world wide domination of Communism or it would just be another trophy in the French‘s display of achievements. So which aim wins wars, patriotism or materialism? America stepped into the lime-light of the Vietnam War with neither of these as their motives. Thus the lingering question, why did we even get involved? And better yet, why did we support a country [France] whom we have never allied ourselves with before? In the beginning, we, as a nation, only wanted what was best for the Vietnamese, as in a functioning government, and the programs we supported and helped establish were created to do just this. Yes, if France won the war they would again resume power, but in a sense, would this not lead them back into a state of normalcy? All in all, America learned not to try and predict outcomes, because in the end, we would probably be wrong. Upon achieving favorable circumstances following World War II, Ho Chi Minh revolutionized and secured his own authority in North Vietnam. Minh noted that complete independence throughout the whole country of Vietnam would not be attained easily. The French marched right back into the Vietnamese lives to reclaim the land they had ruled over, for nearly half a century (Herring 6). The French took...
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...The Vietnam War The Vietnam War The Vietnam War was hard on all countries; one in particular was the United States. As Americans thought the end was near they soon found out that it all was going to begin with the Vietnam War. This particular war caused hardships for not only the financial aspect of the country, but for the citizens of it as well. To put it simply it divided much of the country. Student Unrest One of the main groups of people that the Vietnam War affected was college students. As the war escalated, the draft began. College students were affected by this mostly because of the military’s rules for joining. The poor and underclass usually could not pass the tests to get in the war and many others had jobs, such as teaching or engineering that was cause for the military to not draft them. This is when student unrest began. As time went on and the war continued to drag on, students all over the country began to question the war. Students began to question the president’s decisions when it came to the war, as well as began questioning what they were fighting for. Martina Bexte 2002 wrote that “People realized that the glowing reviews of the war effort their government had been releasing were “sanitized” and far from the truth.” Students all over the country began protesting against the war. They were angry at the president for what he was doing to the Vietcong’s, as well as the fact that Americans were fighting for a cause that no one believed in anymore...
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