Free Essays on Vietnam

Vietnam Many believe that America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was a disaster. The majority of the men and women fighting in the war had little or no idea why they were there in the first place. The staggering number of lives that was lost cannot and will not be overlooked. The importance of this war was decimated, and the actions of political leaders were scrutinized by there own people as well as other countries. One question that comes to mind when thinking about the Vietnam War is our reasoning for entering the war and what our enemies thought about America’s intervention in the war. America’s intervention in Vietnam changed the lives of many people and families in our country today. The Political leaders of our country took, in a sense, moral authority in there involvement in Vietnam. According to Loren Baritz, Author of God’s Country and American Know-how, Moral authority has been imbedded in American culture before America was even a country. I believe the quote by Herman Melville best explained moral authority when he said, â€Å"and we Americans are the peculiar, chosen people – the Israel of our time; we bear the ark of the liberties of the world.† After analyzing this statement one can make a direct connection to moral authority and America’s actions at the time of the Vietnam War. Whoever gets in the way of the human races right to live their lives with virtue, liberty, and with God is an enemy. The role of the â€Å"worlds police† was assumed by America in the Vietnam War partly due to Americas need and want for everyone to live in peace and happiness, our involvement ended up being an experience on what not to do . Along with moral authority American political leaders felt they had a promise to keep to themselves, America, and the citizens of their country. After WWII concluded America installed what they call the containment theory. The containment theory pledged, According to George... Free Essays on Vietnam Free Essays on Vietnam The past few months have been very hard on me. I have just been trying to hold on. I don’t know if I can. I have seen some things that I should have never seen. I have been through a lot in such a short time. I have gotten a life time of stories in just a few years. It all started when I took that photograph class back in High school. They said I had a natural gift and they hadn’t seen anything like it before. Either they were lying or it was just that I was one of the first people to experience the new technological advances that were made in the world of cameras. After that I started to really pursue photography as a career. I spent a lot of time and money on my passion. And this passion got me places. I graduated college and got a job working for Life magazine. I’m not going to lye, I was the best they had. They sent me to places near and far. I saw the world for free. It was great. Until I started to get jobs I didn’t like. When it was declared that Ho Chi Minh, who is very photogenic, was communist and therefore our enemy the US decided that they had to stop him. Stop him from doing what, I don’t know, but I do know that I didn’t like it at all. When Vietnam was split into two countries, North and South Vietnam, by the Geneva Conference it didn’t seem like a huge deal. When President Eisenhower sent over support it didn’t seem too bad. I mean he sent in 675 advisors to help out. They were there to show South Vietnam what to do. When that little boy, Kennedy, took office is when the problems started. He just kept sending troops into a war and a country that we had no reason to be in. He sent 16,000 Americans to Vietnam. And if that wasn’t bad enough the leader of the country we were helping wasn’t even trying. The president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, wasn’t helping the situation. He was such a bad leader that he didn’t even get the support of his people. He sent people... Free Essays on Vietnam The U.S. Involvement in The Vietnam War The Vietnam War was one of the worst wars in the United States history. The reason for the United States involvement was due to the start of communism in North Vietnam. The citizens in South Vietnam feared the control of North Vietnam and were worried that the north would take control of the south. The communist North Vietnam had support from the Soviet Union and China, making the South Vietnamese vulnerable to the north. In their time of struggle the South Vietnamese were able to receive aid from the United States. The North Vietnamese had set up a series of radar stations along bays and islands on the Gulf of Tonkin. On August 1, 1964 the U.S.S. Maddox was posted on a surveillance mission to study the North Vietnamese defenses in the Gulf area. In early morning on August 2, 1964 the U.S.S. Maddox spotted three North Vietnamese patrol boats, located twenty- eight miles from the coast. The patrol boats were still in International waters, which meant that they had no right to patrol S outh Vietnam. Captain John Herrich of the Maddox ordered fire upon the three North Vietnamese patrol boats. The Maddox had assistance from the carrier U.S.S. Ticonderoga. The two ships managed to sink one of the patrol boats, while the other two boats bailed out. To this day government officials are still unsure whether the United States or the North Vietnamese fired first in the situation. United Sates President Lyndon B. Johnson received word of the attack and ordered the Maddox to return to the Gulf of Tonkin and patrol for more action. The Maddox accompanied by the U.S.S. Turner Joy returned to the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964. While stationed in the Gulf the radar engineers on the destroyers thought that they saw an advancing enemy ship. While not certain of the approaching ship, the two destroyers fired into the darkness. The destroyers found no trace of a ship. President Johnson was convinced that the de... Free Essays on Vietnam Robert S. McNamara, appointed by John F. Kennedy to the position of U.S. Secretary of Defense in 1961, said about the Vietnam War, â€Å"It is important to recognize it’s a South Vietnamese war. It will be won or lost depending upon what they do. We can advise and help, but they are responsible for the final results, and it remains to be seen how they will continue to conduct that war,† (McNamara 72). Despite these guidelines for assisting in the war, the U.S. would end up doing much more than just advising. The Vietnam War was supposed to be a demonstration of how willing the U.S. was to battle communism, but ended up a personal vendetta against the North Vietnamese as the U.S. escalated its commitment in Vietnam infinitely greater than it had ever intended. After World War II, France returned to Vietnam to reclaim their Indochinese colonies after the Ho Chi Minh had declared Vietnamese independence in 1945 (Goldstein 3). The U.S. had just ended a war started by G erman conquest in Europe, and now was being asked to help France conquer the colonies it lost control of during the war. The Vietnam Nationalists, the same ones who had supported the U.S. in the war against the Japanese not more than a year previous, sought only to peacefully gain their independence from France (Chant 25). In January of 1950, the Viet Minh gained recognition by the governments of the USSR and China, who supplied weapons and places to train (Chant 25). Because the two Communist superpowers recognized the Viet Minh, the Vietnam war became to the U.S. a struggle between capitalism and communism, especially since the Viet Minh were openly communist themselves. By aiding the French, the U.S. thought they were helping their free-trade ally France fight communism, the Communist Party was very strong in France (Goldstein 3). The U.S. feared that Vietnam would fall to communism, and set-off the â€Å"domino effect† for other communist satellites in Indochina (M... Free Essays on Vietnam Vietnam Many believe that America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was a disaster. The majority of the men and women fighting in the war had little or no idea why they were there in the first place. The staggering number of lives that was lost cannot and will not be overlooked. The importance of this war was decimated, and the actions of political leaders were scrutinized by there own people as well as other countries. One question that comes to mind when thinking about the Vietnam War is our reasoning for entering the war and what our enemies thought about America’s intervention in the war. America’s intervention in Vietnam changed the lives of many people and families in our country today. The Political leaders of our country took, in a sense, moral authority in there involvement in Vietnam. According to Loren Baritz, Author of God’s Country and American Know-how, Moral authority has been imbedded in American culture before America was even a country. I believe the quote by Herman Melville best explained moral authority when he said, â€Å"and we Americans are the peculiar, chosen people – the Israel of our time; we bear the ark of the liberties of the world.† After analyzing this statement one can make a direct connection to moral authority and America’s actions at the time of the Vietnam War. Whoever gets in the way of the human races right to live their lives with virtue, liberty, and with God is an enemy. The role of the â€Å"worlds police† was assumed by America in the Vietnam War partly due to Americas need and want for everyone to live in peace and happiness, our involvement ended up being an experience on what not to do . Along with moral authority American political leaders felt they had a promise to keep to themselves, America, and the citizens of their country. After WWII concluded America installed what they call the containment theory. The containment theory pledged, According to George... Free Essays on Vietnam Vietnam has had conflicts since the 1800’s. The French struggled for years to take control of Vietnam. In the early1930’s the French fought to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam. In the late 1940’s they started losing massive amounts of troops. U.S. president Harry S. Truman decided to send funding to the French. The Truman administration decided it was right to help in the fight against communism (â€Å"Eve of Battle 38†). America officially entered Vietnam in 1965 (â€Å"Eve of Battle 38†). The U.S already had advisers in Vietnam at the time of arrival. President John F. Kennedy increased the number of advisers after taking office. He felt it necessary for further increase in U.S. help (â€Å"Barr 20†). The struggle later escalated into a major controversy that Americans will never forget. J.F.K. was eventually assassinated and Lyndon B. Johnson took over the presidency. Johnson made many decisions that greatly effected the lives of soldiers and the entire outcome of the Vietnam War. Johnson was an important part of Vietnam. He made several big moves that helped the U.S. get seriously involved in the war. Suprisingly he did not run for another term as president. In 1968 Richard Nixon was elected president. He resigned in 1974 to avoid impeachment (â€Å"Vietnamization 114†). Nixon had many decisions to make while in office. He faced the public, U.S. soldiers, politicians and many obstacles in his political career. The public would later question his honesty and ability to serve as Commander and Chief. Many Americans questioned the reason for U.S. involvement in Vietnam. When Americans herd about the spread of war into Cambodia and the â€Å"Watergate Scandal† they started to question his authority. U.S. citizens felt they should no longer trust a president that lies and keeps secrets from them. In 1974 Nixon resigned and Gerald Ford took over presidency. After the Vietnam War Americans learned of the ... Free Essays on Vietnam By the start of 1968, Johnson encountered mounting opposition to the war. An antiwar movement had arisen in 1964 and 1965 as Johnson began to escalate American involvement in Vietnam. In 1965 students and teachers at the University of Michigan held one of the first campus teach-ins to spread information about the war. Teach-ins soon were held at many colleges and universities. Antiwar protests evoked massive support among draft-age youth, half of them college students. Chanting activists disrupted draft boards, burned draft cards, occupied campus buildings, and marched on the Pentagon. The Johnson administration faced political critics as well. Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright began to hold hearings that questioned why the United States was fighting in Vietnam. Fulbright stopped supporting Johnson when he learned that the president had exaggerated enemy aggression at the Gulf of Tonkin. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara called the bombing campaign a failure and left his post in 1968. European allies also criticized the American role in Vietnam. At home, the war generated intense debate. â€Å"Hawks† assailed the policy of limited war and favored an all-out effort to defeat Communism in Vietnam. Some contended that politicians prevented the military from winning the war, or that military leaders had no strategy for victory. Others held that the antiwar movement stifled support for the war, ruined morale, and undercut the military effort. â€Å"Doves,† in contrast, believed that the United States should never have become involved in Vietnam. The conflict, they argued, was essentially a civil war, and contrary to containment doctrine, its outcome was irrelevant to American security. To some critics, the war was unwinnable, and stalemate was the best foreseeable outcome. In any case, doves argued, the United States should negotiate with North Vietnam to end the war quickly. By 1968 antiwar sentiment affected electoral politics. Chall... Free Essays on Vietnam The Vietnam conflict began in the late nineteenth century. The French conquered Vietnam and made it a protectorate. For nearly forty years, Vietnam had not experienced settled peace. The League for the Independence of Vietnam ( Viet Minh ) was formed in 1941, seeking independence from the French. On September 2nd,1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed it independent of France. The French opposed their independence from 1945 to 1954. The first representatives of de Gualle's government landed by parachute in Saigon and Hanoi on August 23rd, 1945. The French wanted to reestablish their rule in Vietnam but were beaten at the battle of Dien Bien Phu on May 7th, 1954. The French Expeditionary Force tried to prevent the Viet Minh from entering Laos and Dien Bien Phu was the place chosen to do so. The French were not very careful and this allowed the Viet Minh to cut off their airway to Hanoi. After a siege that had lasted for fifty - five days, the French surrendered. Ho Chi Minh led the war against France and won. After the war there was a conference in Geneva where Vietnam was divided into two parts along the seventeenth parallel. North Vietnam was mainly Communist and supported Ho Chi Minh, while the south was supported by the United States and the French were based there. There was still some Communist rebels within South Vietnam. These were the Viet Cong. The South Vietnam ruler was Ngo Dinh Diem who was anti - Communist. At the conference, Laos and Cambodia became independent states. North Vietnam wished to unify North and South Vietnam through military force. Since the United States feared the spread of communism in Asia, John F. Kennedy provided economic and military aid to South Vietman to prevent the takeover by North Vietnam. At this time, this was still a civil war. The United States were not yet officially involved. The North Vietnamese resented the little inte... Free Essays on Vietnam Vietnam- Roots of a Conflict Today in society the topic of the Vietnam conflict is still greatly talked about. It is still disputed the reasons for America being involved and the reasons for the conflict period. The intend of this paper is to determine the roots of this conflict and answer the questions of the reason for the conflict and the reason America became involved to point that they did, and then highlight the major events of the war to show it in a larger different view then just another war. From the 1880’s until World War II, France had governed Vietnam as part of French Indochina, which also included Cambodia and Laos. In 1940 Japanese troops invaded and occupied French Indochina. In December of that year, Vietnamese nationalists established the League for the Independence of Vietnam, or Viet Minh, seeing the upheaval of the war as an opportunity for resistance to French rule. The United States demanded that Japan leave Indochina, warning of military action. The Japanese refused . The Viet Minh began guerrilla warfare against Japan and entered an effective alliance with the United States. The United States sent supplies and trained men and sent their â€Å"flying Tigers† ( a volunteer group of American Pilots fighting in China) on raids over Vietnam in aid of the Viet Minh. Ho Chi Minh was the principal leader of the Viet Minh.. American were sent to Vietnam during the second World War to help train Ho Chi Minh and his troops to effetely resist the Japanese troops occuping his land. When the Japanese signed their formal surrender in 1945, Ho Chi Minh used the occasion to declare the independence of Vietnam, which he called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The French refused to acknowledge Vietnam’s independence, and later that year drove the Viet Minh into the north of the country. Ho Chi Minh wrote letters to President Truman, asking him to recognize Vietnam’s indep... Free Essays on Vietnam To begin with, Vietnam had been undergoing a protracted struggle for independence since before World War II and had sustained this struggle militarily and politically against the French empire, the Japanese empire, and then after 1945 the French empire again. By 1954, at the epic battle of Dien Bien Phu, the forces of Ho Chi Minh and Gen. Giap had effectively decided matters on the battlefield, and President Eisenhower himself had conceded that Ho would have won any possible all-Vietnamese election. The distortions of the Cold War led the United States to take over where French colonialism had left off, to assist in partitioning the country, and to undertake a war that had already been lost. Whatever the monstrosities of Asian communism may have been, Ho Chi Minh based his declaration of Vietnamese independence on a direct emulation of the words of Thomas Jefferson and was able to attract many non-Marxist nationalists to his camp. He had, moreover, been an ally of the West in the war against Japan. Nothing under this heading can be said of the Iraqi Baathists or jihadists, who are descended from those who angrily took the other side in the war against the Axis, and who opposed elections on principle. If today's Iraqi "insurgents" have any analogue at all in Southeast Asia it would be the Khmer Rouge. Vietnam as a state had not invaded any neighbor (even if it did infringe the neutrality of Cambodia) and did not do so until after the withdrawal of the United States when, with at least some claim to self-defense, it overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime. Contrast this, even briefly, to the record of Saddam Hussein in relation to Iran and Kuwait. Vietnam had not languished under international sanctions for its brazen contempt for international law, nor for its building or acquisition, let alone its use of, weapons of mass destruction. Vietnam had never attempted, in whole or in part, to commit genocide, as was the case with the doc...