The war in Vietnam lasted for nearly 10 years and took a toll on both the American and Vietnamese people. The war in Vietnam produced large numbers of casualties and a rapid loss of support from the American people. The American leadership, both in Washington D.C. and on the ground had a lot of responsibility for the outcome. This is a piece of history that we don’t want to repeat in the future. This paper will prove that the Vietnam War was almost impossible to win and caused great loss and suffering for both the American and Vietnamese people. It would take years to recover from this loss.
The U.S. Involvement in Vietnam In 1965, “the first U.S. American troops arrive in Vietnam; the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and they are sent …show more content…
Whatever the reason, America paid a terrible price in the aftermath of the war by sacrificing American Soldier’s lives. The reason the U.S. stayed and fought in Vietnam for so long is still unknown, especially with the amount of casualties that were sustained over the course of combat operations.
The Support of the American People
“The Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States” (History.com, 2015). This war was costly in many different ways and quickly lost the support of the American people.
The draft was initiated to help fill the shortages of Soldiers fighting in Vietnam; this brought a lot of dissatisfaction to the war and the quality of Soldiers that would be enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces. Most Soldiers would only do their required 1 year combat tour and get out of the military. This turn around rate would prove to be challenging in itself, especially during times of large casualties during the …show more content…
Combat in the country was sure to destroy a lot of the crops and rice patties that the Vietnamese people worked so hard to grow and sell. I’m sure that this damage and obstruction to their way of life angered even the innocent civilian population to an extent that they would fight as well. It’s evident that “the difficulties of American troops during the Vietnam War often are attributed to the skillful tactics of its opponent and the lack of support on the home front” (Costagliola, 2015). Just the lack of support from home can be a significant demoralizing factor for an American Soldier, this can cause resentment for the war and could potentially get other harmed or killed during combat operations. Most of the Soldiers that were drafted or volunteered to fight in Vietnam were between 19 and 21 years of age. These Soldiers were still just kids and being thrown into a guerilla warfare style of war in the dense jungles of Vietnam. This is a testament to the honor and bravery that these young Soldiers possessed as they took on this huge responsibility. Some of them would not come home and die very young at the hands of
The U.S. Involvement in Vietnam In 1965, “the first U.S. American troops arrive in Vietnam; the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and they are sent …show more content…
Whatever the reason, America paid a terrible price in the aftermath of the war by sacrificing American Soldier’s lives. The reason the U.S. stayed and fought in Vietnam for so long is still unknown, especially with the amount of casualties that were sustained over the course of combat operations.
The Support of the American People
“The Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States” (History.com, 2015). This war was costly in many different ways and quickly lost the support of the American people.
The draft was initiated to help fill the shortages of Soldiers fighting in Vietnam; this brought a lot of dissatisfaction to the war and the quality of Soldiers that would be enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces. Most Soldiers would only do their required 1 year combat tour and get out of the military. This turn around rate would prove to be challenging in itself, especially during times of large casualties during the …show more content…
Combat in the country was sure to destroy a lot of the crops and rice patties that the Vietnamese people worked so hard to grow and sell. I’m sure that this damage and obstruction to their way of life angered even the innocent civilian population to an extent that they would fight as well. It’s evident that “the difficulties of American troops during the Vietnam War often are attributed to the skillful tactics of its opponent and the lack of support on the home front” (Costagliola, 2015). Just the lack of support from home can be a significant demoralizing factor for an American Soldier, this can cause resentment for the war and could potentially get other harmed or killed during combat operations. Most of the Soldiers that were drafted or volunteered to fight in Vietnam were between 19 and 21 years of age. These Soldiers were still just kids and being thrown into a guerilla warfare style of war in the dense jungles of Vietnam. This is a testament to the honor and bravery that these young Soldiers possessed as they took on this huge responsibility. Some of them would not come home and die very young at the hands of