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Because there was no official declaration by Congress that this was a war, the Vietnam conflict is one of the most embarrassing and sadistic periods in American history. Not only did the greatest superpower in the world get defeated by an almost third world nation, but they lost badly. Maybe this war could have been won, or even prevented in the first place. The U.S. could have and should have won this conflict, with a combination of better weapons practice, better tactics, and better support from their home country.
Even years before the war, Vietnam was a very popular disputed territory. Many countries had taken Vietnam over, and after World War II, Vietnam was in the hands of France. Obviously, the Vietnamese wanted their own country, and their long history of being a colonized provoked the oppressed people to fight for their independence in the French-Indochina War from 145-154 (Karnow 16).
Ho Chi Minh, a leader of the Communist party, organized the Vietnamese independence movement, also known as the Viet Minh (Dudley and Bender 15). Asking for support from America first, Ho Chi Minh did not want to have to turn to communist support for the freedom of his people.Ho made a speech in August of 145 to the people in Bah Dinh Square (Karnow 15).He was feeble from a weakening disease and as he climbed to his wooded platform, and began speaking in his "reedy rural accent." (Karnow 15) He asserted Vietnam's Independence by stating, "We hold the truth that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" (Karnow 15).Since the U.S. viewed helping Ho gain his independence from France as a move against their own allies, they declined. It was only after Russia and China offered to help that Ho adopted communist ideals and wanted to make all of Vietnam communist.
The Vietnam war started simply because Ho and his communist followers wanted South Vietnam to become communist after the South split off in 154 to become its own democratic nation (Hoobler 4). The United States saw Ho as a threat to democracy, and using the Domino theory, successfully threw the U.S. into the one of the worst "wars" it has ever seen.The Domino theory first applied by President Dwight Eisenhower was trying to give an example how if Vietnam fell to Communism, the rest of the Southeast Asia was likely also. As early as 154, the United States started sending financial and military aid to South Vietnam, hoping to stop the spread of communism. The flow of military advisors from 700 to over 14,000 built up steadily through John F. Kennedys presidency, and after he was assassinated, Lyndon B. Johnson escalated the war to the point of no return (Dolan 5). The people of the U.S. let Johnson build up a massive force in Vietnam, and he was also almost unanimously backed by congress. By the end of the war, Johnson was so ashamed that he didnt even try to run for reelection.
If only the United States had looked past its insignificant alliances and helped another country gain its independence like we had gained ours so many years ago, this war would have been completely avoided. Unfortunately for the families of over 64,000 soldiers, it wasnt (Dudley and Bender 86).
In 164, the event everyone was waiting for happened. In the Gulf of Tonkin, several Viet Cong torpedo boats reportedly fired on a U.S. vessel.Even though the American ship sustained no damages, Johnson drafted the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorized him to use any force necessary to beat back the North Vietnamese.This was much like the bombing of the USS Maine and the sinking of the Lusitania. Congress never declared war or even directly authorized troops, but Johnson twisted enough words around to have his own little executive war.Johnson's power struggle played a major role in the United States involvement in this conflict (Dudley and Bender 8).
At first, Johnson limited the conflict to an air war, hoping to pound away and demoralize the Viet Cong into submission.During World War II, the allies could depend on decimating the industry of their enemy, therefore destroying its fighting power. The Viet Cong did not rely on industry and big guns, but guerrilla tactics and small arms. The U.S. also believed by bombing repeatedly out of the population centers and by using napalm, the enemy would be demoralized and surrender.
Both of these tactics proved to be direly wrong. By bombing the industry, the U.S. just wasted and threw away billions of dollars and precious time and manpower for nothing. Also, the bombing of population centers rallied the enemy and brought the North Vietnamese closer together, instead of its actual goal. Napalm was also another mistake. By using a flammable jelly to literally burn up all of North Vietnam, the U.S. killed more civilians than soldiers (Dolan 58). Napalm coated anything it came within reach of, and burned continuously for up to a week. Doctors who treated napalm victims said their wounds would still glow green with heat at night, while the patients remained in pain (Karnow 155). Many international scientists and influential people around the world protested the use of napalm very adamantly.
Yet the Americans dropped another type of bomb, this one containing a large amount of the defoliating gas, Agent Orange. Hundreds of millions of acres of jungle were destroyed and even more fields and rice paddies were poisoned because of Agent Orange. South Vietnamese farmers complained about the harmful effect Agent Orange had on their rice paddies, and its use flooded camps and cities with refugees from outlying areas where entire crops were destroyed (Dudley and Bender 87). Agent Orange was supposed to eliminate the Viet Cong's advantageous hiding places, but this again rallied the enemy. Even more so, Agent Orange cause countless birth defects and deadly illnesses in returning vets. Thousands of soldiers came back with reoccurring sicknesses, and even cancer. The use of Agent Orange was perhaps one of the largest mistakes made in Vietnam (Dudley and Bender 87).
By simply thinking ahead, weighing the consequences of using weapons such as napalm and Agent Orange, the U.S. quite possibly could have won the Vietnam War completely through the use of air power. More tonnage of ordinance was dropped in any given week during Vietnam than during all other wars in the history of the world combined (Dudley and Bender 85). One would think this would make the war easy to win. Unfortunately, ethical problems and lack of planning made it impossible to settle the war in the air, forcing the U.S. to invade with ground forces.
President Johnson chose General William C. Westmoreland to command the land forces in Vietnam. Westmoreland, a tall, strong man from South Carolina, was known for his enthusiasm, and for always having excellent news from the front lines. Westmoreland commanded over 500,000 troops at the peak of the war, and was still unable to crush the Viet Cong, as hoped by most of the people back in Washington (Dudley and Bender 8). There were many factors that contributed to our startling defeat on the ground in Vietnam. The first and foremost was the difference in tactics between the Americans and the North Vietnamese. The Viet Cong were ruthless soldiers, who, even though sometimes poorly trained, fought with as much drive and enthusiasm as the best-trained soldiers in the world. The Viet Cong used guerrilla tactics, or spurts of surprise attacks. They would recruit children, tie themselves to trees, use babies as bait for booby traps, and other unethical things. American soldiers stopped accepting the drinks offered to them by young Vietnamese boys after a few unfortunate GIs found out the ice was really crushed up glass (Karnow 81).
Also on the tactical side, the entire U.S. offensive consisted of numerous search and destroy missions. Search and destroy missions involved a patrol, usually 10-5 soldiers, going out of the base and finding and then killing the enemy (Becker 8). Unfortunately, the booby traps placed by the Viet Cong and the fact that they knew the land and could hide, meant these missions were like throwing soldiers away. In fact, more U.S. soldiers were killed from booby traps than any other cause of death in Vietnam.
Weapons were another problem in Vietnam. Going back to World War II, the massive armored assaults that won the war for the allies were useless in the dense jungle. U.S. armor was limited to using troop carriers with machine guns on them, instead of using the more effective tanks and artillery.
Other difficulties with weapons were unchecked. The M-16, a revolutionary new infantry rifle, was prone to frequent jams as well as water damage. And in a country where it rains almost every day, that wasnt good news. Also, U.S. commanders underestimated the power of the Viet Congs weapons, thinking that they only had muskets and bolt-action rifles. But since the Chinese and Russians were supplying the Viet Cong with modern AK-47s and other similar arms, the officers were faced with one nasty surprise after another.The battlefields in Vietnam brought out almost all of the weaknesses of the U. S.'s weapons. However, with tactics that could use the strengths and all but eliminate the weaknesses, the ground war would have also been a snap.
One in every five soldiers who fought, died. This caused panic among the public (Dudley and Bender 8). Draft cards were burned publicly, schools walked out in protest of the war, and even large music events were held to somehow stop the fighting. With all this public opinion against the war, one would wonder why the fighting continued.
General Westmoreland manipulated the body counts for both side to make it look like we were always winning.He once said, "fighting the Vietnam War was like fighting with your hands tied behind your back" (Becker ). Not only did Westmoreland lie, but also he failed to mention that the pool from which Viet Cong and NVA soldiers came from was almost the entire country. With lawmakers telling you one thing and the television telling you another, what would you think? Obviously, it is extremely hard to fight a war where your home country doesnt even support you putting your life on the line.
Drug use was rampant; soldiers would get high before battles to help them forget about what they were doing (Becker 4). With soldiers who didnt know what they were fighting for and people at home who didnt support you, what else could go wrong? Only one thing, and it happened to go wrong.
The largest reason why we lost the war is very evident. When one is fighting for a countrys independence, and the citizens of that country dont support the efforts, trouble begins.Every day, thousands of South Vietnamese joined the Viet Cong, so the American soldiers never knew who to trust, and who to shoot.
The saddest chapter in American history could have easily been avoided, with a combination of good leadership, planning, preparation, and morale.The Vietnam Memorial Wall stands as a sore reminder of those lost in a battle that many think the United States should never have been a part of.
If the United States did not stand up for their allies, it would have shown a weakness in their ability to make alliances, and sooner or later they would be knocking on another country's door asking for their help.What makes that country want to get involved in the United States conflicts, when they know the United States will not help out in theirs?"
Dolan, Edward F., American After Vietnam Legacies of a Hated War. Published by Watts Franklin, 18.
Karnow, Stanley. Vietnam A History. Published by Viking Penguin, 11.
Dudley, William and Bender, David L., The Vietnam War Opposing Viewpoints. Published by Greenhaven Press, 10.
Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas, Vietnam, an Illustrated History. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, 10.
Becker, Elizabeth, America's Vietnam War A Narrative History. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 1.Please note that this sample paper on Vietnam is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on Vietnam, we are here to assist you.Your cheap custom college paper on Vietnam will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.
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