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Americas involvement in vietnam war essay
America's involvement in vietnam war
American foreign policy vietnamwar
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During the Vietnam War, the Unitied States ' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited General Vang Pao and trained about 35,000 Hmong soldiers to fight communist forces in the mountains of Laos in what is known as the "Secret War." Vang Pao 's involvement in the war divided many Hmong people, but he believed that it would lead to a better life for his people. Under Vang Pao 's leadership, Hmong soldiers stopped the North Vietnamese from bringing supplies into Laos through the Ho Chi Minh Trail, helped identify targets for American bombs, and saved the lives of many American pilots, When the Americans pulled out of the war in 1975, they abandoned General Vang Pao and all of the Hmong people who were now enemies to the communist Pathet Lao.
4. The Vietnam War saw the use of many controversial military tactics used by both the United States and their allies, as well as the Viet Cong and NVA. On the American side, one of the most prevalent and well known missions was Operation Ranch Hand, a decade long herbicidal warfare campaign that is still causing terrible birth defects to this day. The herbicides used in Agent Orange were contaminated with an even worse chemical, known as TCDD, which is a heavy carcinogen and teratogen. In the period that it was used, agricultural lands were sprayed with Agent Orange in an attempt to starve the enemy by destroying the main crop in the region, rice.
(Source I). In addition, B-52 bombings and Napalm bomb use in Vietnam would have detrimental effects on Vietnam, which are still being felt today (Source G). America’s stronger military strength would also escalate the Vietnam War, leading to 58202 deaths (Source F). In addition, American backing of the detested Diem and his regime (Source K) is seen to have attributed to the unrest leading to the Vietnam War.
The Tet offensive, which took place on the 31st of January 1968, had huge significance on the political landscape of America, and public opinion on the war in Vietnam. After the Tet offensive, public support for the war plummeted, and with ever increasing support in the anti-war movement and protests, the war in Vietnam was no longer justifiable to the American public. As a result of this president Johnson stepped down from running for re-election, leaving an anti-war democrat running against an anti-war republican. This meant that Nixon was elected, which arguably ended the Vietnam War, due to his change in tactics.
Agent Orange was a various mixture of many chemicals combined together to expose the hidings of the Northern and Viet Cong Troops throughout the forest, also to exterminate those plants and herbs that they may use that are consumable and of use to the Vietnamese army. From the years of 1961 to 1972 many acres of Vietnam land were sprayed with Agent Orange, approximately over 19 millions gallons were used across 4.5 million acres. Alongside Agent Orange it was a war of attrition, back and forth trying to make one another weaker with simple plans as weakening them would strengthen and conquer the other. They waited one another out, the U.S. had plans of destroying their hidings spots and plants they’d use as a food source so they would be hungry and less prepared for combat. They were only invading troops, not knowing many strategies for engaging and weakening their biggest opportunity was with the agent orange to atleast get rid of some of their food supplies so they’ll be hungry and not be able to fight much or even perform
The United States was directly involved in the Vietnam War from 1964 through 1974. A major event in this war was the Tet Offensive, which profoundly affected American history by impacting our politics, economy, military, and society. The Tet Offensive affected politics by influencing the presidential elections of 1968. It affected the American economy, boosting personal prosperity with new jobs but greatly increasing the national debt, due mainly to the vast amounts of money spent on the war effort after the Tet Offensive. The military was affected by the offensive because of America’s increased involvement in South Vietnam, and the fact that many people in the military realized that this was a war we could not win.
It was used to damage forest area, the leaves, and crops where Vietcong troops were hiding. Agent Orange made it easier for United States troops to see what was going on. In the end, “Many would blame Agent Orange for cancers suffered by Vietnamese civilians and American veterans” (Danzer 945). Since Agent Orange contains dioxin, a deadly chemical, it caused many severe health problems worldwide. “They included cancers, birth defects, rashes, and severe psychological and neurological problems” (“Agent Orange 1”).
Agent Orange is a dioxin, defoliant, and a mix of herbicides that have affected many people for the past 4 generations. During the Vietnam War the US military decided to spray this dioxin in the jungles of Vietnam and the Korean demilitarized zone to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover. From the Vietnam War until now, many lives have been ruined and harmed due to Agent Orange and the people who have been exposed to this chemical have either had kids with birth defects or have obtained a disease or sickness as they age and through scientific research it was found that Agent Orange was the cause of these occurrences. Due to the many horrific damages from Agent Orange the US Congress had created the Agent Orange act of 1991 in order to help those who are eligible, receive certain benefits. Today I 'm going to be telling you several reasons why the Agent Orange Act of 1991 should be renewed for the next 5 years.
The Vietnam War was very difficult for U.S. troops, and the struggles faced by U.S. soldiers who fought in this war were significant. From harsh living conditions to the psychological toll of combat, American troops faced a range of challenges that tested their physical and emotional limits. U.S. troops had to witness many harsh deaths and that led to many emotional health issues for soldiers. The troops had to fight in weather and a country that they were not familiar with, which led to a lot of challenges for soldiers. American troops faced an abundance of challenges during the Vietnam war.
John Kerry utilizes powerful language to combat the depersonalization of the Vietnam War and effectively condemn the actions of the American government. He retains his credibility throughout his speech because he himself is a Vietnam War veteran, and no one knows better than them what really happened. Kerry carefully chooses his words to demonstrate his personal connection to the subject of his speech. He does not shy away from the use of communal language such as the word “we.”
The Tet Offensive was a number of battles that took place during the Vietnam War. It was a hugely important offensive strategy by the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong. It began January 30th the Chinese New year. The goal of the Tet Offensive was to take the Nationalist and the United State armies by complete surprise. There were three major battles of the Tet offensive that happened.
However, the lack of material covered on the Vietnam War further proves that the war remains an event Americans attempt to forget. In America today, the Vietnam War continues to be looked at negatively, which provides further proof of why we must learn about American troops’ ethical lapses in war and how this affected world power and human rights. In the My Lai Massacre, platoon leader LT William Calley Jr. and his men of Charlie Company murdered a village and gang-raped the population. It was not until helicopter pilot; Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Hugh Thompson landed his helicopter and stopped the killing of the innocent civilians by Calley and his men.
In using artillery and air power of weapons like the M163 Vulcan, M42A1 Skysweeper, and the MIM23 Hawk we were able to take down our enemies. There was 2.7 million soldiers that served in the Vietnam War. In this being said there were 58,000 that died or remained missing, and 300,000 that were wounded. More than one hundred forty billion dollars was spent on this war. The U.S failed to overcome its objective of preserving an independent, noncommunist state in Vietnam, now no one knows how or why we fought this war or weather the military outcome was possible for the United States.
For many years there have been military conflicts in the Middle East, between the countries of the Middle East and sometimes between them and outside superpowers. They have endured these conflicts because their society is a very basic technologically lacking civilization. Because of their weaker standpoint, especially against countries like America or Britain, they have had to resort to guerilla warfare to be able to stand a fighting chance against these superpowers. This leads to the collateral damage played on the news and the deaths of U.S. military personnel. This makes the war seem like a hopeless standstill where no one side is winning which is similar to another American conflict that ended terribly, the Vietnam War.
This essay will investigate to what extent did the Strategies and Tactics used by the United States, North and South Vietnam, and the Soviet Union influence the outcome of the Vietnam war? The Vietnam War was one of the most significant war in American History. It was a war that will not be forgotten in a long time due to its surprising outcome and length of the war. One of the key roles in the war that had affected the outcome of the war were the tactics and strategies that were used by different countries. To investigate this question you will need to know about the strategies and tactics that were used by different countries.