The Vietnam War on American Soil The Vietnam War was a proxy war America fought from the 1950s to the 1970s. Through this time many Americans had changed their view on the war, going from pro-war to anti-war in just a matter of years. Many of these anti-war activists consisted of college students, but even some veterans soon decided against the war. One veteran in particular was Ron Kovic, an author of his own book, Born on the Fourth of July. In this memoir, Kovic explains his views and experiences during this time period and about how he started out as an extreme patriot and slowly through his treatment after the war becomes an anti-war activist. Kovic’s views show how not only him, but Americans, changed their point of view through this
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From the way he was treated at the parade, to the way the V.A. hospitals treated him slowly changed his views on America and the war efforts. Most Americans seemed to despise the war because it seemed to be a war America could not win, it was just a black hole of deaths. According to the American Yawp, chapter 27, “…by 1968 half-a-million American troops were stationed in Vietnam, nearly 20,000 had been killed, and the war was still no closer to being won,” (Locke and Wright, Ch. 27). This was one of the biggest reasons American’s views on the war had changed so drastically. Another reason people were so against the war was due to the draft. Sending people over to fight a war that has no major reason behind it, and that is killing hundreds of thousands of men, was not the best way to get American’s enthused about the war. The last reason, was that the Vietnam war was one of the first wars were footage had been shown to the American citizens, showing them what it was really like overseas and how horrible the conditions were. “The U.S. government imposed no formal censorship on the press during Vietnam,” (Locke and Wright, Ch. 28). Soon American’s started to feel that there was no reason as to why the United States was fighting this war, and protesters broke out all across the
From the way he was treated at the parade, to the way the V.A. hospitals treated him slowly changed his views on America and the war efforts. Most Americans seemed to despise the war because it seemed to be a war America could not win, it was just a black hole of deaths. According to the American Yawp, chapter 27, “…by 1968 half-a-million American troops were stationed in Vietnam, nearly 20,000 had been killed, and the war was still no closer to being won,” (Locke and Wright, Ch. 27). This was one of the biggest reasons American’s views on the war had changed so drastically. Another reason people were so against the war was due to the draft. Sending people over to fight a war that has no major reason behind it, and that is killing hundreds of thousands of men, was not the best way to get American’s enthused about the war. The last reason, was that the Vietnam war was one of the first wars were footage had been shown to the American citizens, showing them what it was really like overseas and how horrible the conditions were. “The U.S. government imposed no formal censorship on the press during Vietnam,” (Locke and Wright, Ch. 28). Soon American’s started to feel that there was no reason as to why the United States was fighting this war, and protesters broke out all across the