village located in the Quang Ngai province named My Lai. The U.S. soldiers thought of My Lai as a stronghold of their Viet Cong enemies, and was a frequent target of U.S. and South Vietnamese bombing attacks. An American contingent of 100 soldiers, “Charlie Company”, led by Lieutenant William L. Calley, had received poor intelligence and were told that they would encounter many Viet Cong. After the murder of 504 innocent civilians, the village was found out to be filled with mostly good, and…
herbicide used during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. It was used by the United States military who intended to gain an advantage in the war by spraying the chemical over the dense jungles of Vietnam. The military hoped that this would deprive the Viet Cong of hiding places, reducing their chances of winning the war. The original purpose of Agent Orange was solely to defoliate the jungles of Vietnam, however, there were many unintended harsh side effects of the chemical. This was a global problem…
Following Kennedy’s assassination, Lyndon Baines Johnson assumed the role of presidency in 1963. During this time, there were little bursts of antiwar sentiment on the political fringes of the United States, but this perspective did not encapsulate the typical American citizen (Morgan 140). Generally, the American imagination of Vietnam was skewed positively. The news was often painted from a positive lens, detailing America’s success and helpfulness in helping South Vietnam gain independence…
Before World War Two, Vietnam was part of the French empire and when World War Two started it had been taken over by Japanese when the Japanese people retreated the people of Vietnam had an opportunity to take back Vietnam and create their own establishment of Government lead by Ho Chi Minh then after the war allies gave back South Vietnam to the French while North Vietnam was left in the hands of the non-communist Chinese, the Chinese treated the North Vietnam people badly and that support for…
Explain why US policy towards Vietnam changed during the presidencies of Eisenhower and Kennedy (10 marks). The US policy towards Vietnam changed during the presidencies of Eisenhower and Kennedy. After the Secound World War, US leaders desperately wanted to stop the spread of communism. Vietnam was temporarily divided into North and South; North Vietnam was ruled by communist Ho Chi Minh and South Vietnam was run by anti-communist Diem. The US was incredibly afraid of communism and leaders felt…
She lost both her parents and five siblings during Pol Pot’s regime, and this is her story. In 1969 a man by the the of Viet Cong invaded cambodia when she was only four years of age. Her family was forced to leave and moved around Cambodia during this she lost both her brothers due to lack of medical care. When Rouge was in power in 1975, her family was forced to go to a labor…
the dark.” (Zimmerman 260). President Lyndon B. Johnson refused to lose Vietnam, and he feared losing Vietnam would send them in the direction as China. In 1960, Viet-Cong rebels from south revolted causing the election to be Ho Chi Minh was a part of. In 1962, John F. Kennedy sends 16,000 advisors to defeat the Viet-Cong. The Viet-Cong most of the country side in Vietnam, and once Johnson was in office he began sending combat troops. Because of supported attitudes, there was…
rebels who lived in the South, who called themselves Viet Cong, used the hit and run tactic and their knowledge of the jungle they lived in. The North helped these rebels set mines and booby traps, and create networks of secret supply routes. America didn’t perform to well in protecting South Vietnam. The Americans alienated the people they were suppose to be saving as they chased their enemy. They burned villages they suspected of harboring Viet Cong and sprayed the jungle with chemicals so the…
with France’s imperialism. The French took over Vietnam and established Indochina in the 1880s. However, the people of Vietnam wanted to be free from France, and under their communist leader Ho Chi Minh they established a military organization called Viet Minh. This organization took over the capital and declared Vietnam an independent country. Ho asked for aid from the U.S, but the U.S distrusted their communist ideals. Instead, President Truman sent aid to their ally, France. During President…
It is hard to fight an enemy who can blend in with civilians and civilians who can act like the enemy. The Viet Cong was a communist organization in South Vietnam that was known for their use of guerillas. They could never assume that someone was not an enemy or that land they had lived on for weeks would not be riddled with traps. It was not just South Vietnamese…