Some people think freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint but that’s not the entire thing. Freedom was given to us when the soldiers went to war to fight for our country. Most people skip that part without the veterans we probably wouldn’t be here right now. So the next time you see a veteran say thank you for all that you have done. All the men and women fought so that you could be here will your freedom. Most of the veterans lost their lives so that you could sit here today. Some of the soldiers never wanted to go to war but they knew they had to. The soldiers weren’t in touch with their family or friends or loved ones the only way of communicating was through letter and telephone
i. Difficulties faced by soldiers due to the nature of fighting in the Vietnam War - Personnel had difficulties with transportation supplied with adapted vehicles back seat faced rear to provide additional fire power (Source A) – It appears as if the government didn't worry enough to supply men with safe and capable equipment - Threat of traps led to fear as vehicles had to be parked on street at night (Source A) o Check for traps each morning became a daily ritual particularly in fuel tanks (Source A) o A request for a locking fuel cap was denied because weren’t entitled to one” (Source A) • What circumstances would have needed to arise for them to be entitled to one? The Offensive full guard was set up (24hrs a day), personnel got no sleep and were constantly on alert (Source A) – How significant would this have been in the personnel’s mental frame of mind?
In the early 1960s the U.S. began sending military advisors to South Vietnam beginning the Vietnam War, arguably the most controversial war in United States history. This incident followed Vietnam gaining its independence from the French Empire’s Indochina in 1954. The nation soon split, creating a communist North Vietnam, and a noncommunist South Vietnam. In fear of communism spreading the U.S. supported South Vietnam and sent troops. As the incident dragged on it caused a huge anti-war movement and a lot of political turmoil.The troops were withdrawn in 1973, the whole country fell to communism, and the U.S. failed. How did a superpower such as the U.S. take defeat from a small country like Vietnam? Many have wondered and continue to wonder
The Vietnam War (1965-1975)was fought between the North and South Vietnam. The North was called Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the South was the Republic of Vietnam which was supported by the United States. On August 2nd, 1964 the USS Maddox was on a secret intelligent mission on the North Vietnamese coast where in the Gulf on Tonkin they were attacked by torpedo boats. The USS Turner Joy was attacked in the same area two days later. Due to the second attack Congress declared the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which led to air strikes.In 1959 there were 5,000 guerilla fighters and in 1964 the numbers jumped to 100,000. At Pleiku on March, 1965 U.S Marine barracks were attacked causing the three stage escalation bombing of North Vietnam to begin. The 3 year lasting bombing was used to force North Vietnam to stop supporting the "National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam" by destroying their industrial infrastructure and Vietnam's air defenses. Unfortunately this did not stop the North's support for the NLF. The U.S. Air Force bases were constantly being attacked so the U.S. on March 8, 1965 the 3,500 U.S. Marines was deployed to South Vietnam. At this point in time, the U.S. public supported the dispatch because the Vietnam War had been portrayed to the American people as a war against the spread of Communism. Johnson was president at the time and he kept adding more and more troops as the war went on. As the draft quotas increased, the American public protests started. When Nixon came into presidency his policy towards the Vietnam War was "peace with honor" in other words he wanted to widen the war. After more bombing and fighting, on January 27, 1973 the Paris Peace Accords was signed, restoring peace in Vietnam and U.S. forces pulled out. Nixon stopped all American attacks on Vietnam. The condensed summary of the Vietnam War is to see what presidents were involved in this war (Johnson, and Nixon) and what foreign policies were taken towards Vietnam mostly before the protests began.
The Vietnam War was the longest war in America's history of involvement. Twenty years of hell, land mines, cross-fire, and death. Vietnam was divided by the Geneva Accord. The north being communist run by Ho Chi Minh. The south being anti-Communist run by Ngo Dinh Diem. Before Vietnam was separated, it was run by France. France had ruled most of Indochina since the late 1800s. The Vietnamese were unhappy with the way the French were controlling, therefore, many of them took refuge in China. When in China, they began to follow the lead of Ho Chi Minh, who wanted to model the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence as that of the U.S. version. In the 1940s, Japan had taken over Vietnam which upset Ho Chi Minh and his revolutionaries when they had returned a year later.
Paul Potter, president of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), held his first anti-war rally that attracted 25,000 people. The movement occurred between 1960 and 1970. Paul Potter’s speech, “The Incredible War”, was established in hopes of ending the war by creating a social movement. The only way for people to end the war is by challenging the system, creating posters, and not by having a couple marches because that wasn’t going to benefit them. “This war was mainly fought mainly by Vietnamese Communists, who were strong in the north of Vietnam.” (Britannica) The goal of the movement was to end the Vietnam War because it was taking away the American’s freedom and destroying their peace in the world. The Americans and South Vietnam were mostly involved in the movement. The movement started because Vietnam wanted to become a communist government and until then, corruption occurred.
It has been known that the Vietnam War affected many American soldiers who were involved in the war physically and psychologically. The Vietnam War was one of the most memorable wars in history. Many Americans’ lives lost for no objective at all. Chapter 10 informed us about how the Vietnam War started and what really happened during that time. It also gave us background information about Vietnam Veterans and nurses who were involved in the war and what they went through during the war. I had the opportunity to interview a Vietnam Veteran also.
The other night I had a dream. I dreamed of a boy whom I had known a long time ago, but since then he had disappeared completely from my life. In my dream, I saw him sitting beside my bed and talking to me. He told me about the trip that he had taken with his parents, his two older brothers, and his sister when he was seven years old. He told me how his parents had been victimized by a man who knew about his parents’ desperate attempt to flee from Vietnam, so he took advantage of them.
The Vietnam War created one of the most dividing periods of American history. Many saw the war as an unnecessary conflict that cost dearly in both money and lives. The United States’ involvement in the war was also considered to be unjustified. Despite the many difficulties faced during the controversial time, many activists raised issues in opposition to the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War because of its unjust nature with acts such as the high casualty rates, scorched earth policies, and the lack of an immediate threat.
President Richard Nixon once said "No event in America history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam war. Was misreported then it is misremembered now" (Nixon). The Vietnam War was one the longest wars in the world. It starred around 1940's When Ho Chi Minh raised to power. The war didn't just affect Vietnam, it effected the whole world. The United States joined the war around 1960's and ended in 1975. Both the Vietnam War and play Macbeth exhibits the theme of Patriotism. Newly elected president Nixon declared in 1969 that the United states would continue the involvement in the Vietnam War in order to "Help end the conflict and secure peace with honor for the United States" (Nixon). Most Americans thought the Vietnam War as a phenomenon of the 1960's when the US combat troops arrived in Vietnam. The Vietnamese people thought that the conflict started long before that when the Communist-dominated Viet-Minh who was led by the veteran revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, seized power in Hanoi from when he defeated the Japanese at the end of World War Two. After no negotiation returned from Ho Chi Minh full scale war broke out in December 1946. President Washington efforts to intimidated Hanoi failed, Communist leaders were then convinced that the Saigon Region was near to collapse and, North Vietnam stepped up infiltration and ordered a major effort to seek final victory in the south. but when Vie-Cong forces attacked a US camp at Pleiku in early February 1965. Johnson responded with in air-strike called Operation Rolling Thunder this convinced to enter the Vietnam War. The war has been considered a defeat to the United States. But In fact, the issues is not quite clear-cut. As where both Cambodia and Loas were placed under communist rule ...
Many times, the nurses treated patients that had suffered from multiple traumatic injuries, it was a rare occasion to witness a patient with a single wound. A great deal of times these injuries were far worse. Due to the hostility of the war, these patients could have lost both legs, while also suffering from a head trauma. Furthermore, hospitals become quickly overcrowded as estrangement grew in the country of Vietnam, the number of causalities increased. A wartime nurse by the name of Anne N. Philiben, remembers one of the hardest times she ever wrestled with while serving in the army nurse corps. “One of the most severely injured was John. He had wounds to his face and lost one eye, one leg below the knee, the other above the knee, and one arm. He also lost some fingers on the other hand. Anne dubbed John as a ‘train wreck.’ Saying that his body was so savaged it was miraculous he survived” (Gruhzit-Hoyt,
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
Imagine a soldier coming home after fighting in a war that was not their own and being disapproved of and yelled at for doing what was ordered. The Vietnam War was a war between North Vietnam and South Vietnam because the South did not want communism. The U.S. decided to help out South Vietnam so communism would not spread. This made multiple Americans despondent that soldiers were forced to fight in a war America did not belong in. Once the soldiers came home most Americans were very disappointed in the soldiers and yelled at the men. Vietnam soldiers were treated unfairly when they returned home from war.
From the sacrifices our brave military members make, to displaying respect for our veterans, freedom is a concept that is safe-guarded with our nation's blood, sweat, and tears. The luxury of freedom translates to the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for American citizens, as guided by the foundations of the United States.
The Vietnam Antiwar Movement is one of the most prominent eras in American History. Throughout the Sixties and Seventies, people across the U.S., young and old, publicly opposed the Vietnam war. Opposers of the war expressed their antiwar opinions by organizing protests and mass demonstrations. Multiple anti-Vietnam war protests significantly effected North America. Despite being underestimated by the United States government and pro-war supporters, the Vietnam Antiwar Movement led to powerful and influential impacts.
America is famous for its freedom. Freedom of speech is one of the most wonderful freedoms that Americans are enjoying. This human right is protected by the First Amendment. People should feel free to express their opinions, feelings, and wishes. However, it is the fact that not all of nations are free as much as America. Free speech is different in each country. Vietnam is on opposite side with America. Vietnamese people have limits on their speech; in another word, this nation does not have free speech. There are significant differences between America and Vietnam in regards to freedom of speech on social media, in the classroom and…. The differences between two nations display that free speech is important. Without freedom of speech, people have less benefits in their lives and cannot protect themselves in some cases. Hence, this human rights should be strongly developed in Vietnam as America.