Pros and Cons of the Vietnam War

884 Words2 Pages

The Vietnam War was the most publicized war during its era; moreover this was the most unpopular war to hit the United States. All over the country riots began to raise, anti-war movement spread all over the states begging to stop the war and chaos overseas. This truly was a failure in the political side of things. For the public, all they saw was a failed attempt in a far away country. Events such as the Tet Offensive where the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong established an all out attack on key locations around Vietnam, and although the Viet Cong was virtually wiped out, this still had a large affect psychologically on the troops as well as the populist back in the United States. Another atrocity that occurred during this war was the My Lai Massacre. This was the mass murder on unarmed civilians in South Vietnam during March 16,1968. Around November 1969, the world saw this and was outraged with the killings of innocent civilians prompting and giving the public more reasons to stop the war. Although the war was very unpopular, men and women were still fighting and dying for America. Heroes such as Captain John W, Ripley of Dong Ha, Medal of Honor recipients, and overall troops that gave the ultimate sacrifice were forgotten for a brief period. As unpopular as the war was, the American people should still know the stories and good that some of these troops had done for the United States.

What happened at Dong Ha?

This event took place in Vietnam about1972, around the time Americans were withdrawing from the country due to the public demands. A Captain John W. Ripley who has been assigned to overlook and advise South Vietnamese troops did not foresee himself doing such a heroic act to stop further advancement from the North. Captain Riley before being an officer was an enlisted personnel, he went through various amount of rigorous training, furthermore he did cross training with the British Royal Marines, and did a year long tour in Vietnam with the Marines. [Captain Riley’s dedication of duty could not be put in words. His self-sacrifice and steadfast performance to stop the North Vietnamese Army were even greater at this time at Dong Ha. He received information about an advance movement from the NVA into southern parts of Vietnam. A key element of this strategic move was the bridge of Dong Ha.

Show More
Related

  • COL Prescott’s Command in the Battle of Breed’s Hill

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    COL Prescott’s role in the Battle of Bunker Hill, or more correctly know as the Battle of Breed’s Hill, is a great example of how to properly execute mission command. An overview from The Cowpens Staff Ride and Battlefield Tour (Moncure) reveals a number of operation and strategic objectives that the American militia had to consider. In this instance, COL Prescott takes charge of 1200 men with instructions to defend against incoming British forces that were seeking to occupy the surrounding hills during the Siege of Boston campaign. COL Prescott utilized a variety of steps in the operations process that contributed to his expert utilization of mission command over his forces. Through various sources from published works by experts on the subject, COL Prescott’s mission command demonstrates its effectiveness in his understanding of the situation against the British, his visualization to create an end state for t...

    Read More

  • The Battle of la Drang in Vietnam

    2025 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lieutenant Colonel Moore led his unit, the 1st Battalion, 7th U.S. Cavalry to South Vietnam, and led them in the famous Battle of Ia Drang. Surrounded by enemy soldiers, and with no clear landing zone that would allow them to leave, Moore managed to persevere against the overwhelming odds and complete his objective. Moore's dictum that "there is always one more thing you can do to increase your odds of success" and the courage of his entire command are given credit with the outstanding outcome (Galloway). Despite the fact that Moore's outstanding leadership and tactical prowess led to more than a 4-to-1 ratio between North Vietnamese casualties and U.S. casualties in their first major engagement of the war. Many consider this early battle a small preview of the U.S. tactics later in the Vietnam Conflict.

    Read More

  • Battle of Ap Bac

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the early times of the Vietnam War there were two main sides, the Viet Cong who were rebels and opposed the South Vietnamese government, and the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) which was on the side of the South Vietnamese government. This was one the very first times these two opposing forces had met in battle. On January 2, 1963 the battle of Ap Bac proved to be much more than a normal battle. Many things happened there that were unclear and not resolved. There were many different stories of what happened those days at Ap Bac. This paper will portray what I believed happened at Ap Bac given the evidence at hand.

    Read More

  • How Important was the My Lai Massacre in Generating Support for the Peace Protest Movement?

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The reason that the events in My Lai, 1968 were so unpopular is because it was the first time that people back home, in the USA and all around the world saw what was actually happening to innocent citizens who had done nothing wrong, as a result of Search and Destroy missions. The My Lai Massacre was the first incident to be televised during the war and therefore, it was only then that people realised what was actually happening in Vietnam. This caused a major uproar, which many people were involved in. Students played a major role, running demonstrations against the War, Veterans from the war threw their medals away in disgrace at what was happening, as well as a few more individuals, Richard Nixon, Coretta King, Dr Spock, Roger Laporte and Norman Morrison, who all did their own thing to symbolise the wrongs of the war. Teach-ins on why the USA should leave Vietnam, Railway Blocks with human barricades, Campus Demonstrations, Huge Public Demonstrations, Burning Draft Papers and even the drastic case of burning themselves to death.

    Read More

  • Battle Of Hue Mission Command Analysis

    1672 Words  | 4 Pages

    Introduction The Battle of Hue is one of the longest battles within the realms of the Vietnam War. The United States sent two Army battalions and three under strength US Marine Corps battalions, which together with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) defeated ten North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Viet Cong (VC). The battle highlighted the challenges the U.S. Marines faced in an urban battlefield. The NVA and VC forces entered the city of Hue under the cover of darkness on January 30, 1968. Under a unified front, they seized most of the city except two strategic locations: ARVN 1st Division Headquarters and the U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) compound.

    Read More

  • The My Lai Massacre

    2698 Words  | 6 Pages

    On March 16, 1968, in the Quang Ngai region of Vietnam, specifically My Lai, the United States military was involved in an appalling slaughter of approximately 500 Vietnamese civilians. There are numerous arguments as to why this incident even had the capacity to occur. Although some of the arguments seem valid, can one really make excuses for the slaughter of innocent people? The company that was responsible for the My Lai incident was the Charlie Company, and throughout the company, there were many different accounts of what happened that reprehensible day. Therefore, there are a few contradictions about what had occurred, such as what the commanding officers' exact instructions for the soldiers were.

    Read More

  • Vietnam Memorial Pros And Cons

    148 Words  | 1 Pages

    The establishment of the Vietnam Memorial was a controversial process because of the two different opposition groups that were in play during the war. In "Never Again: A Vietnam Syndrome in American Foreign Policy", Patrick Hagopian analyzes how various factions formed due to either support or opposition of the Vietnam War. As the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C was created, a vast majority of individuals were verbally protesting back and forth against each other, and neither of the two groups were either right or wrong. Jack Smith, a psychologist, noted that "everyone blamed everyone else for what had gone wrong. Military men blame policy makers, right-wingers blame the pinkos and media and protestors, the left blame the right" (Hagopian).

    Read More

  • Sense Of Disorientation In The Things They Carried

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    McNamara recalls one of the actions of President Johnson made, “Johnson initiated bombing of North Vietnam and committed U.S. ground forces…All of this occurred without adequate public disclosure or debate” (Hollitz, 291). From Johnson’s actions, no one really knew what was happening in Vietnam thus creating mass confusion. By comparing O’Brien and McNamara words, O’Brien seems too poetic and McNamara is cold and harsh but factual. However, by combining the two as one, a clear image of confusion became present; O’Brien sets the scene of emotion with confusion followed by McNamara shining a spot light on the truth. Confusion is not the only reason O’Brien, courage plays an important role in the fight for life or

    Read More

  • The Cost of the Vietnam War

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in which Americans ever fought. And there is no reckoning the cost. The toll in suffering, sorrow, in rancorous national turmoil can never be tabulated. No one wants ever to see America so divided again. And for many of the more than two million American veterans of the war, the wounds of Vietnam will never heal.

    Read More

  • We Were Soldiers Once, And Young: A Review

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    General Norman Schwarzkopf notes that, "We Were Soldiers... Once and Young is a must reading for all Americans." And indeed it is. Lieutenant General Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway did a remarkable job writing a historiography that critically examined a variety of authentic sources and wrote an unbiased work that will stand the tests of time. We Were Soldiers is not just a story about the battles of X-Ray and Albany. It tells the stories of Americans and Vietnamese soldiers who endured the atrocities in the Ia Drang Valley. It is an impartial piece of literature that does not demonize the Vietnamese soldier, yet still praises the American soldier. The book is a marvelous account of history, absent of political opinions, detailing the true story of the Ia Drang Valley. And just as General Schwarzkopf stated, it is a MUST read for all Americans.

    Read More

  • What Are The Similarities Between The Vietnam War And The Iraq Invasion Of 2003

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    These social occurrences caused vital changes to our society and the way we thought about the wars. In the Vietnam War, many soldier casualties arose; specifically 58,000 deaths, 300,000 wounded, and many veterans coming back to the United States with PTSD and other health problems. Likewise to the Iraq Invasion of 2003 in which 4,000 soldiers were killed, 31,000 were wounded, and many veterans came back to the United States with health problems. This caused arguments from both sides. In one side, you have citizens saying that the loss of life isn’t worth it. In comparison to proponents of the war who believed the soldiers are fighting for peace and democracy. Throughout both the Vietnam War and the Iraq Invasion, the popularity and support for both wars changed. Through the span of 2003 to 2007, the popularity of the Iraq Invasion decreased from 80% to 30%. This was also shown in the Vietnam War, in which the decrease approval rating was as similar to Iraq. In both of these wars, the public became less motivated, apathetic, and trusted the government less. Throughout the duration of both conflicts, various Americans were protesting and caused drastic changes to the country. Throughout the span of the Vietnam War, many Americans were protesting lottery drafts and they wanted it to cease; in which succeeded. Also, another reason why people protested during the Vietnam War was to have

    Read More

  • My Lai Massacre Essay

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The picture of the world's greatest superpower killing or seriously injuring 1,000 noncombatants a week while trying to pound a tiny backward nation into submission on an issue whose merits are hotly disputed, is not a pretty one."(Martin Luther King Jr.). In this short quote Martin Luther King Jr. perfectly described what happened at Vietnam and what many people thought of the war. As the war progressed many viewed it as a mistake and one of the reasons why was the alarming fact that many innocent people had died. What made things worse was that the government tried to hide this information from the people. One of the many appalling stories that made this war so gruesome was the My Lai Massacre. Many proclaim that the My

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast We Were Soldiers And Platoon

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Vietnam War was a tragedy for many families. Many families lost husbands, sons, brothers, daughters, wives, sisters and friends. A lot of lives were lost from than one country and for many different reasons. To a lot of people the war seemed to go on forever, almost as if it was endless. The Vietnam War is a part of history that will never be forgotten. Loved ones that fought in the Vietnam War that gave their lives will never be forgotten. The Vietnam War was the first war that was put on television and it brought the horrifying incidents of the Vietnam War to families at home in the United States right into their home. Since before the Vietnam War ended, documentaries and movies have been made on it. I have

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The Vietnam War

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the United States crisis against the Soviet Union; The Vietnam War in that era

    Read More

  • Short Summary of Vietnam

    470 Words  | 1 Pages

    The paranoia and fear of death never left them. The My Lai Massacre occurred in 1968, when the village of My Lai was completely destroyed, although it did not contain a single enemy troop. Over a hundred villagers were slaughtered. It became clearer to Americans how soldiers were losing control, and how there was no easy way to win this war.

    Read More

More about Pros and Cons of the Vietnam War

Open Document