“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” Said Nelson Mandela. Despite the Different Opinions on guerrilla warfare against American troops in weaker countries, but these opinions are all based on different perspectives. Some people judge things based on biases and relationship to who is being attacked or to that who is attacking. In comparing the American Revolutionary War, which was the beginning of the great and most powerful country we live in today (America) to the Vietnam War, we see that both of these wars had a lot in common. They both were fought for similar reasons and under similar conditions. Also, same fighting tactics were used in both wars. If Americans had the …show more content…
On the other hand, big forces like U.S in Vietnam, and British in the U.S during the Revolutionary War were fighting to gain more control and gain resources from the land they were fighting in, which is not a strong reason to motivate soldiers to sacrifice as much as their enemies did. In the Vietnamese war, and the American Revolutionary war, we see a lot of similarities. First, in the American Revolutionary war, British were the invaders who were far more powerful than the Americans. Americans had the motivation to fight for their freedom and independence. Since Americans were weaker then British, they used guerrilla warfare, which was new to British and cost them a lot of casualties. On the other hand, in the Vietnamese War, the Americans were the invading force, and the Vietnamese were fighting on their own soil. They were fighting to kick out the invader and gain freedom and independence of their country. The Vietnamese used exactly what the Americans used in their fight in the revolutionary war against the British, guerrilla warfare. These tactics lead to the defeat and withdrawal of U.S from
The North Vietnamese Communist leadership's ability to reassess and adapt during the Vietnam War was reflected in how well they combined guerilla and conventional operations to achieve their strategic goal of unifying Vietnam under communist rule. Throughout the conflict, the Viet Cong (VC) were employed to conduct guerilla operations while North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and VC "main force" units were used to transition to conventional operations. Guerilla operations enabled Hanoi to inflict a steady flow of casualties on US forces which increased anti-war sentiment in America. NVA and VC main force conventional operations reinforced the US Army's conventional approach to the fight which caused the Americans to alienate the people of South Vietnam. By alienating the South Vietnamese people, the Americans enhanced the VC's ability to conduct guerilla operations and control rural population centers which weakened the credibility of the Government of South Vietnam (GVN). The combined effects of guerilla and conventional operations supported the North Vietnamese strategy of a protracted conflict that was sure to weaken the resolve of the United States and eventually defeat the GVN.
The Americans were inexperienced with the terrain and tactics used in Vietnam. Their inability to adapt could have easily lead to their downfall. As described by a Vietnamese soldier (Source F) the Americans were “well armed but slow and clumsy …they were elephants“ in an environment where such things as traps and ambushes were utilised against them and their unfamiliarity led to many
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?
The Vietnam War was not a war fought by volunteers; it was fought by men who were more or less forced to go. The American soldier was there,
Pohl, James W. "The American Revolution and the Vietnamese War: Pertinent Military Analogies." The History Teacher 7.2 (1974): 255-65. JSTOR. Society for History Education. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. .
U.S. political and military difficulties in Iraq have prompted comparisons to the American war in Vietnam. Unfolding events in Iraq have caused some observers to make analogies to the American experience in the Vietnam War. There are many reasons why most Americans believe that Iraq is becoming the new Vietnam, with U.S. troops getting shut down in a bloody war and occupation of a violent area. There are plenty of ways to compare and contrast the Vietnam and Iraq war. Many people have viewed Vietnam as a completely different war from the current one in Iraq. Despite these claims I have still noticed that there are many comparisons that have been made between the war in Iraq and the Vietnam War.
The Vietnam War to this day is thought of as a grim, long-lasting battle that took place between 1955 and 1975. The American people were never fond of this war, as they polled and constantly spoke out against the idea of being involved in Vietnam throughout the entire duration it took place. This war was fought between North Vietnam (with their Soviet, Chinese and other communist allies) and South Vietnam whose main supporter and ally was the United States. This paper will validate what this war was like for the American troops and all the diversity they were able to overcome. Ranging from the lack of American support, to the physical combat and hardships the soldiers had to face while on the battleground.
Throughout history, the American people have, for the most part, stood united during times of war. The people of America always seemed to rally behind each other. Most people were either willing to fight in the war or willing to take up the responsibilities of those who left for war. The majority of Americans supported the decisions of our nation’s government. This was not the case during the Vietnam War. For the first time in American history, widespread revolt against our nation’s decision to fight in the war influenced the outcome. This is what saved our country and the lives of soldiers who were fighting an unwinnable war.
In this reading, Long discusses the history of Vietnamese resistance to colonial and oppressive forces. Long states that American historians and statesman claim that other factors contributed to the disastrous conclusion of the Vietnam war, but that the real truth is that the American’s were not prepared to meet such a formidable foe. The Vietnamese had been resisting the Chinese for over 1,000 years and had held on; when the French arrived the same policy of resistance was practiced. Ultimately, due to the oppressive nature of the French and WWII, the French were ousted and a new communist government under Ho Chi Minh was established. Having just been under an oppressive force, and being very knowledgeable about how to deal with oppression, the American’s were caught by surprise.
“It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder,” Albert Einstein. The Vietnam War was a war that America did not need. America believed they were doing good. They believed that they were protecting the people of Vietnam. America did not realise that they were only making a bad situation worse. America stopped nothing. They didn’t stop communism; they didn’t save the people of Vietnam. America caused the number of casualties in Vietnam to increase and had their own people killed. They caused diseases and destroyed the environment with the help of Agent Orange. America sent soldiers on a mission with a result of hundreds of civilians murdered. America did not help anyone. America sent people out to murder others and to be killed in the line of duty.
Many people did not think the war effort was worth it, considering Vietnam fell to communism anyways. This war was unexpected in all aspects, but especially to the soldiers who fought against the Viet Cong. This war was unlike any other war we’ve ever fought because it wasn’t fought like any of the others. The communist Viet Cong used tactics such as guerilla warfare, traps, and the soldiers were merely everyday villagers and children. The mental toll it took on soldiers was immense and unforgiveable in the eyes of many. Today, Americans are still rumored to be prisoners of war in Vietnam. The Vietnam era was a time of change and chaos in America, it destroyed millions of lives but it also brought about much needed change and activism amongst the American
The United States began to send troops to Vietnam to support French in 1950’s. During the following 25 years, the ensuing wars would cost 5 million people’s life and create a series of domestic tension in the U.S, like Vietnam War protest movement and the Military Draft. Even though the Vietnam War had been considered as the only war that American ever lost, but many Americans believed it was a noble cause. Like President Johnson had said in 1965, “We have made a national pledge to help South Vietnam defend its independence. To dishonor that pledge, to abandon this small and brave nation to its enemies, and to the terror that must follow, would be an unforgivable wrong.” But was it really a noble cause? I don’t think so. There are several reasons why I think it was a shameful venture: First, we want South Vietnam keep its independence is not just because for Vietnamese freedom, but also is we want to make South Vietnam to become an obstacle that could stop the spreading of communist. Second, why did our government kept so many secrets to public during the war? Why our embassy was occupied by Vietcong just after our government said: “American is standing on the brink of triumph.” Third, do we really know a country 8000 miles far away from us? Knowing them so well that we are sure they would like our ideology. Fourth, our government had sent a “boy scout” to fight with those sophisticated Vietcong, some of our troops were composed by those people who just graduated from high school.
The Vietnam War took place in between 1947- 1975. It consisted of North Vietnam trying to make South Vietnam a communism government. The United States later joined this conflict because of the stress North Vietnam was putting to South Vietnam to become a government that America did not want. The main reason why America joined was because of a theory called the Domino Effect. America and Russia were going through what has been dubbed the Cold War. The Domino Effect is the theory that communism will spread form one country to another. United states does not want this because our government is a democracy and communism opposes everything we stand for. America fearing communism was growing, stepped into Vietnam with America’s interest in mind, instead of Vietnam’s. There are several reason why American should have not gotten involved with this war. The most important reason was that America government officials made to much of a big deal about communism. This might sound cynical, but America to a certain degree did over react. Let it be said that it is much easier to say this after the fact. By looking back at McCarthyism, we can see the silliness of this fear. There is a serious side though. Thousands of people dies for a government that has no impact of their daily life. What regime Vietnam was going to change over to had no effect on the every day cycle of the United States. So truly, one can say, this can not one thing to do with America, its government and people.
The Vietnam war has been referred to by many names, one of the longer ones was 'the cornerstone of the free world southeast Asia'. It was called that by John F. Kennedy. He was talking about Vietnam being and essential country in a non-communist world. He believed that if Vietnam became a communist country, all of the surrounding countries would also become communists. This is the main reason America was involved in the Vietnam war. Another reason was that America wanted to spread their “political ideas around the globe”. They wanted to do this so that their anti-communism stance was clear. The public also wanted to keep communism from spreading. To soldiers, the war was like a crusade, a great journey to purge the communists from Vietnam. Sadly, this is not what happened. The Viet Cong (VC) had far better tactics than the US. The VC was told to 'nibble at the enemy' so that he could 'neither eat or sleep'. This worked very well. Another demoralizing tactic the VC used was their landmines; they were designed to blow the limbs off the soldiers without killing them. This tied up hospital beds and meant the soldiers had to carry the wounded back to the base.
The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial subjects in American politics. The US went to the war under the guise of the domino effect, as they believed that if Vietnam fell, the surrounding countries would fall as well. President Johnson said “If you let a bully come into your garden, the next day he’ll be on your porch, and the day after that he’ll rape your wife” One thing that is not controversial is that we lost the war. Lots of different factors contributed to the United States unsuccessful trip to Vietnam. Among many reasons, one of the two biggest factors in the lose of the war was America’s foreign policy how and how bad the US underestimated how important freedom and independence was to the people of Vietnam. On top of that the US used the wrong military strategy, instead of focusing on limiting collateral damage the US used heavy artillery that killed citizens and alienated would be supporters. There was political corruptness in South Vietnam governments, which meant that they could not build an alternative to the NLF. At home, the public opinion of the war was decreasing at a constant rate and demonstrations were at an all time high. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and these problems all contributed to a Vietnam tour that went horribly wrong and an attitude among the American people that was growing ever doubt full of their government.