The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War
November 1, 1955, was the beginning of the Vietnam War, and it was between South Vietnam and North Vietnam. It was fought in many environments; for example, jungles, mountains, and rice paddies. The US, who has never fought in the territory, was having trouble fighting against their enemies. The Vietnam War affected numerous people's lives. The environment was damaged, residences were annihilated, and lives were lost. The people that survived the conflict came out of the fight with physical and mental health issues. Around 58,000 United States soldiers perished, on the other hand, Vietnam had between 1 to 4 million soldiers and civilians that got wiped out. “More than 3 million people (including over 58,000
…show more content…
“The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, fought from March 13 to May 7, 1954, was a decisive Vietnamese military victory that brought an end to French colonial rule in Vietnam.” (History.com Editors. “Battle of Dien Bien Phu.”) The Gulf of Tonkin transpired in August 1964, when two US Navy destroyers were struck by North Vietnam, and this ushered Congress into decreeing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This lets the US military go to Vietnam. “The following day, the U.S. destroyer Turner Joy was sent to reinforce the Maddox, and U.S.-backed raids took place against two additional North Vietnamese defense positions. Then, on August 4, the Maddox and Turner Joy reported that they had been ambushed, with enemy boats firing 22 torpedoes at them.” (Greenspan) The warfare of the Battle of la Drang Valley was the first significant influence on the Vietnam War and was the first large-scale fight with the North Vietnamese Army. “The Battle of the la Drang Valley would come to be remembered as one of the most iconic battles of the Vietnam War, and later would set the scene for the film We Were Soldiers based on the novel We Were Soldiers Once……And Young. It was the first major combat action between U.S. ground forces and the North Vietnamese Army. And it all began early one fall day.” (“The Battle of Ia Drang Valley.”) From January 21st to July 9th, 1968, the Battle of Khe Sanh, was the turning point in the struggle of the Vietnamese War. It was the lengthiest and deadliest fight and even though the Us was maintaining its own, they still struggled in the landscape. “For the next 77 days, U.S. Marines and their South Vietnamese allies fought off an intense siege of the garrison, one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.” (History.com Editors. “Khe Sanh.”) The Tet Offensive was a sequence of surprise invasions and more than 100