The Vietnam conflict
Part of French Indochina, Vietnam was occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Ironically, America's first involvement in the region was in support of a Vietnamese patriot named Ho Chi Minh, the leader of a small nationalist movement which had been waging a campaign against the Japanese since 1941. At the end of the War, Ho and his "Viet Minh" movement actively resisted France's attempt to regain control of Vietnam, and turned to the Soviet Union and Communist China for assistance.
While the United States did not initially support French return to power, the collapse of the Chinese Nationalist government in 1949 and the outbreak of the Korean War in June, 1950 solidified American resolve to contain communism and prevent worldwide aggression. As a result, President Truman stepped up assistance to France and stationed a small assistance and advisory group in Saigon in September 1950.
Successive military defeats over the next four years eroded the French will to carry on the war, even though by 1954 the United States was bearing about 75% of its financial cost. The Viet Minh ultimately defeated the French in May of that year, but were denied their goal of a united, communist Vietnam. An international conference in Geneva partitioned Vietnam at the 17th parallel and the Eisenhower administration agreed to provide direct U.S. military assistance to the South. American military commitment to South Vietnam was expanded by President's Kennedy and Johnson, as their war with North Vietnam intensified.
In August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked U.S. Navy ships in international waters off the coast of Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. Congress responded by passing a joint resolution which "Americanized" the war by authorizing the President to "take all necessary measures” to safeguard the troops and prevent aggression.
The Illinois National Guard became involved in the Vietnam Conflict in April 1968, when the 126th Supply and Service Company was called to support the build up of United States forces. The Quincy, Illinois unit which consisted of 200 members was capable of operating a supply and service facility in direct support of approximately 8,000 soldiers.
In May, the 126th left Illinois to begin its training at Fort Carson, Colorado. It deployed to Vietnam in September and was assigned to the 23rd Supply and Transportation Battalion, with responsibility for providing logistical support to soldiers near Chu Lai and Da Nang. It supported 111 units, processing an average of 1500 requests for supplies and food per week.
When Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh and his political organization, the Vietminh, seized control of their independence from France United States Politicians saw it as another communist take over. When really Ho was more a nationalist than a communist. All Minh wanted was for the United States to recognize its independence from France and to send aid to help it reach its nationalistic goals. "Before the Cold War Ho and the Vietmin...
In August of 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the closest thing there was to declaring war on Vietnam. A war that resulted in millions of people dying, and the loss of liberties for a large number of people. The Resolution was passed because the government (and the American people) believed that the Vietnamese had fired torpedoes at a US destroyer on routine patrol in the Tonkin Gulf on August 2, 1964. It was also reported that a second deliberate attack happened against a pair of ships two days later on August 4, 1964. Based on this information, the President in a news conference announced to the U.S. that he was ordering air strikes against North Vietnam in retaliation for the attacks on US ships. But information now leads us to believe that President Johnson had ordered bombers to strike for an attack that never happened. It has even been reported that before the air strikes even began there was reason to believe that the attack on August 4th never happened. There are transmission reports from the commander in the Tonkin Gulf, Captain John J. Herrick stating that there was an overeager sonarman who "was hearing ship's own propeller beat" and freaky weather conditions. Also, Navy pilot, James Stockdale, who was flying in the area that night, stated that "our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets there were no boats there. There was nothing there but black water and American fire power."
However, many problems still remain in Vietnam. After the war there was a conference to discuss the troubles in Vietnam and all of the other troubles in Asia. That conference was called the Geneva Conference. Vietnam sent two delegations to the conference. One of the delegations represented Viet Minh (which was Communist in their leanings) and the other represented Bao Dia's government, which was backed by the United States.
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.
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 Vietnam War lasted from the winter of 1956 to the spring of 1975. The Vietnam War was a domesticated civil war between the communist, North Vietnam, and the democratic, South Vietnam. The North was supported by the Chinese communist, and the leader Ho Chi Minh. The Vietnam War introduced the United States to the Vietcong and Guerrilla warfare. During this time, the United States faced our own battles at home between two social groups called the Doves and the Hawks. This war was very divisive. The Doves protested and Hawks shunned them. Young men without money were being drafted while others went to college, got a medical note, or fled the country. Tensions were already high in the United States when Congress passed Public Law 88- 408, also known as the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.
So many things influenced our involvement in the Vietnam War, and Lawrence examines the decisions we made in a greater context than just our own. He argues that international pressures controlled the attitudes and ideas of the United States, for the most part.
President Harry Truman authorized economic and military aid to the French who were fighting to regain control of Laos and Cambodia along with Vietnam. The United States refused to accept the agreement the French had made to the creation of communist Vietnam North and South. President Eisenhower dispatched military advisors to train South Vietnamese Army and the CIA to conduct psychological warfare against the North.
The 82nd Infantry Division was formed at Camp Gordon, Georgia on August 25, 1917. This division soon acquired the nickname “All-Americans” as a result of having men from all 48 States, at the time. In 1918 the All-Americans were sent to France to fight in World War I. With only fighting for five months, this division was already apart of three major combat battles against the German Army. Soon after World War I was finished, the 82nd Infantry Division was then deactivated. The All-Americans are now just memories of the First World War.
There were many events that lead up the Vietnam War, it started in 1945 with the hostilities between the French and Vietminh. “Geopolitical Strategy, economics, domestic US politics, and cultural arrogance shaped the growing American involvement in Vietnam” (Anderson 1). As a matter of fact, the Vietnam War was several wars, but it was not until 1962 that America had their first combat mission, however, Americans were killed during ambushes by the Vietnamese before the first combat mission. There is much controversy over the reasons for the Vietnam War, supported by the several different books and articles written about the war. “The most famous atrocity occurred in a tiny hamlet called My Lai in March 1968” (Detzer 127). History shows that the reaction of many Americans to the attack by US soldiers on the village of My Lai during the Vietnam War was opposition, and the actions of the US soldiers during the My Lai Massacre will be forever remembered as a significant part of the Vietnam War and American History.
The conflict in Vietnam for the United States started when President Dwight D. Eisenhower went along with the domino theory and sent in military advisors in South Vietnam to stop the communist movement from taking place in South Vietnam. The Vietnam conflict was between the communist’s and the United States. North Vietnam was led by Ho Chi Minh, and Ho Chi Minh led the Viet Cong, a guerilla group to help spread communism. The United States were supporters of the South Vietnam because they wanted them to maintain their government rather than falling to the domino theory of communism. After Eisenhower’s term ended John F. Kennedy became president and took control of the situation of Vietnam but on November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated. Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded presidency and the problems of Vietnam were left to himself. In 1963, the Tonkin Gulf incident occurred where, the U.S.S Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese naval ships on august 2 1964. Two days later an even more controversial attack happened where it was reported another ship was attacked again but has later been proven false. Johnson used these events to gain congressional approval to enter into Vietnam. However the Tonkin Gulf Incident was questioned to have even happened which makes the war undoubtedly questionable Immediately after the incident . Many troops were killed in Vietnam and the United States eventually lost the war and does not achieve their goal to stop communism. Despite the large amount of conflict in Vietnam that needed to be resolved, escalating the war was the wrong idea by Johnson, as the many consequences of the war for the United States outweighed the potential spread of communism.
Herring begins his account with a summary of the First Indochina War. He reports that the Vietnamese resisted French imperialism as persistently as they had Chinese. French colonial policies had transformed the Vietnamese economic and social systems, giving rise to an urban middle class, however; the exploitation of the country and its people stimulated more radical revolutionary activity. Herring states that the revolution of 1945 was almost entirely the personal creation of the charismatic leader Ho Chi Minh. Minh is described as a frail and gentle man who radiated warmth and serenity, however; beneath this mild exterior existed a determined revolutionary who was willing to employ the most cold- blooded methods in the cause to which he dedicated his life. With the guidance of Minh, the Vietminh launched as a response to the favorable circumstances of World War II. By the spring of 1945, Minh mobilized a base of great support. When Japan surrendered in 1945, the Vietminh filled the vacuum. France and the Vietminh attempted to negotiate an agreement, but their goals were irreconcilable.
Vietnam has suffered numerous hardships, causing its economy to drastically change over time. The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. In March 1945, Japan took over direct administration from the Vichy regime, which was France during World World II. Vietnam declared independence after World War II but, unfortunately, France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh forces. Born on May 19, 1890. Ho Chi Minh grew up to be a well known communist revolutionary leader and, eventually, the president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He formed the Vietnamese Independence League, also known as Viet Minh, and began organizing a nationalist movement against the Japanese and the French. On September 9, 1945, hours after Japan’s surrender of World War II, Vietnamese communist Ho Chi Minh declared national independence at Hanoi’s Ba Dinh Square. A year later the Democratic Republic of Vietnam launches its first attack against the French which started a spark leading to the Vietnam War. From 1965 to 1969, U.S involvement in the Vietnam war increased most dramatically, which caused defense expenditures to skyrocket by $31.9 billion while total federal government outlays increased by $65.4 billion. The increase in tax revenues was not enough to keep pace with the increased spending so Vietnam’s deficit reached $25.2 billion in fiscal year 1968. Vietnam’s increased budget deficit increased the nation’s overall price level, decreased in the employment rate, an increase in interest rates (Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History).
The Vietnam War took action after the First Indochina War, in fact the Vietnam War is also known as the Second Indochina War. This war included the communist North Vietnam and its allies of the Viet Cong, the Soviet Union, China and other communist allies going against South Vietnam and its allies, the Unites States, Philippines and other anti-communist allies. It was a very long and conflicting war that actually started in 1954 and ended in 1975. The war began after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist party in North Vietnam. More than three million people were killed during the war, this included approximately 58,000 Americans and more than half of the killed were actually Vietnamese civilians. The Vietnam War ended by the communist forces giving up control of Saigon and the next year the country was then unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Many people, including both men and women were directly and indirectly involved within the war itself. Women worked many different roles in the Vietnam War, and they are most definitely not credited enough for all that they actually did.
The draft took more and more people in as the years went on, and in1968 it peaked to over 500,000 soldiers involved in Vietnam. The government was so desperate for troops that even men with poor eyesight fought, and no education was needed. The people began to strike out and a revolution took place to restore peace to the nation. Some key ways to get the movement attention included student activism and anti-war messages present in songs and literature.