The US has had many wars in its history, including international wars. Two of these wars, one gone by and one still in action, have resulted in a myriad of veterans who have done their duties and now require the care they deserve. This blog will talk about the war that has come and gone: the Vietnam War.
There were two sides to this war: North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam had a pro-Communist government, under the control of Ho Chi Minh. It was allied with China, the Soviet Union, and other Communist allies. The armies of North Vietnam were the People's Army of Vietnam, and the Viet Cong, which was a pro-Communist front in the South aided by North Vietnam. South Vietnam had an anti-Communist government, and it was allied with the US and other anti-Communist countries. It had the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), and help from the United States army.
The United States first got involved in this conflict by giving aid to the French in 1950 when the French request help from the United States to repress the political resistance erupting in Vietnam. France was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Diem Bien Phu in 1954, which marked the end of their occupation there. After that, Vietnam was temporarily split at the 17th parallel.
The United States did not get too involved until 1960s. Prior to this, the United States had been sending diplomats to Vietnam. From 1960-1962, the United States sent more personnel to Vietnam. After the Gulf Tonkin incident in 1954 in which a US destroy fought with a North Vietnamese fast attack craft, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was approved. This resolution allowed the United States president to authorize more military involvement, and in 1965, the United States sent its first combat troops to Vietnam. Areas near Cambodia and Laos were also bombed by the United States in order to rid the neighboring countries of Northern Vietnamese Communists.
On January 30, 1968, North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive was an invasion of South Vietnam by the North Vietnamese, carefully coordinated and put together during a week that was supposed to be of peace and celebration for all of Vietnam. The North attacked several cities in South Vietnam. Technically, South Vietnam/the US won the Tet Offensive because the South/US had less casualties than did the North. However, the Tet Offensive boosted the morale of the North and decreased that of the South and the United States.
After the Tet Offensive, the morale of the United States public had especially been decimated. They had been told that victory for the United States and South Vietnam was close, so when the Tet Offensive happened, the public began to doubt the government's words. There was further confusion and rage after the My Lai Massacre, in which U.S soldiers had raped, tortured and killed Vietnamese civilians, and the Green Beret Affair, in which eight Special Force soldiers were arrested for murder, were revealed. The Kent State shootings, in which Ohio National Guards shot and killed 4 students during a student protest against the Vietnam War, provoked further outrage from the U.S public and the international community. United States President Richard Nixon began to carry out a plan he called the Nixon Doctrine. In this plan, the ARVN was to be built and fortified so the United States could withdraw and be able to leave the fighting to the ARVN. The policy eventually became known as "Vietnamization", which would take place between 1969 to 1972.
On January 27th, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords, which according to Wikipedia, were on "Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam", were signed by representatives of the North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the Provisional Revolutionary Government (South Vietnamese revolutionaries) and the United States. The Paris Peace Accords ended direct involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War. A cease-fire was declared, elections were to be held in the North and South, and US prisoners of war were released.
Unfortunately, from 1973-1975, fighting between the two sides resumed, while the United States began to cut off aid to South Vietnam and evacuating U.S personnel from South Vietnam. Although U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin pleaded that $700 million be given in aid to South Vietnam, the U.S. public did not want this. Amidst chaos, panic and confusion, the last of the US military, diplomatic and civilian personnel was evacuated on April 29, 1975 by helicopter, just as NVA troops and tanks were encroaching onto the gates of Saigon. On April 30, 1975, the NVA troops broke in and overran Saigon. They took it over, and South Vietnam's president then, Duong Van Minh, surrendered. Vietnam was united as one, under the Communist control of Ton Duc Thang.
According to Wikipedia, at the end of the war, 58,220 American soldiers were killed, 150,000 were wounded, and 21,000+ soldiers were permanently disabled. 830,000 Vietnam veterans have symptoms of PTSD. Many people say this was the war the United States should not have fought.
-Noelle Toong
There were two sides to this war: North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam had a pro-Communist government, under the control of Ho Chi Minh. It was allied with China, the Soviet Union, and other Communist allies. The armies of North Vietnam were the People's Army of Vietnam, and the Viet Cong, which was a pro-Communist front in the South aided by North Vietnam. South Vietnam had an anti-Communist government, and it was allied with the US and other anti-Communist countries. It had the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), and help from the United States army.
The United States first got involved in this conflict by giving aid to the French in 1950 when the French request help from the United States to repress the political resistance erupting in Vietnam. France was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Diem Bien Phu in 1954, which marked the end of their occupation there. After that, Vietnam was temporarily split at the 17th parallel.
The United States did not get too involved until 1960s. Prior to this, the United States had been sending diplomats to Vietnam. From 1960-1962, the United States sent more personnel to Vietnam. After the Gulf Tonkin incident in 1954 in which a US destroy fought with a North Vietnamese fast attack craft, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was approved. This resolution allowed the United States president to authorize more military involvement, and in 1965, the United States sent its first combat troops to Vietnam. Areas near Cambodia and Laos were also bombed by the United States in order to rid the neighboring countries of Northern Vietnamese Communists.
On January 30, 1968, North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive was an invasion of South Vietnam by the North Vietnamese, carefully coordinated and put together during a week that was supposed to be of peace and celebration for all of Vietnam. The North attacked several cities in South Vietnam. Technically, South Vietnam/the US won the Tet Offensive because the South/US had less casualties than did the North. However, the Tet Offensive boosted the morale of the North and decreased that of the South and the United States.
After the Tet Offensive, the morale of the United States public had especially been decimated. They had been told that victory for the United States and South Vietnam was close, so when the Tet Offensive happened, the public began to doubt the government's words. There was further confusion and rage after the My Lai Massacre, in which U.S soldiers had raped, tortured and killed Vietnamese civilians, and the Green Beret Affair, in which eight Special Force soldiers were arrested for murder, were revealed. The Kent State shootings, in which Ohio National Guards shot and killed 4 students during a student protest against the Vietnam War, provoked further outrage from the U.S public and the international community. United States President Richard Nixon began to carry out a plan he called the Nixon Doctrine. In this plan, the ARVN was to be built and fortified so the United States could withdraw and be able to leave the fighting to the ARVN. The policy eventually became known as "Vietnamization", which would take place between 1969 to 1972.
On January 27th, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords, which according to Wikipedia, were on "Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam", were signed by representatives of the North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the Provisional Revolutionary Government (South Vietnamese revolutionaries) and the United States. The Paris Peace Accords ended direct involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War. A cease-fire was declared, elections were to be held in the North and South, and US prisoners of war were released.
Unfortunately, from 1973-1975, fighting between the two sides resumed, while the United States began to cut off aid to South Vietnam and evacuating U.S personnel from South Vietnam. Although U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin pleaded that $700 million be given in aid to South Vietnam, the U.S. public did not want this. Amidst chaos, panic and confusion, the last of the US military, diplomatic and civilian personnel was evacuated on April 29, 1975 by helicopter, just as NVA troops and tanks were encroaching onto the gates of Saigon. On April 30, 1975, the NVA troops broke in and overran Saigon. They took it over, and South Vietnam's president then, Duong Van Minh, surrendered. Vietnam was united as one, under the Communist control of Ton Duc Thang.
According to Wikipedia, at the end of the war, 58,220 American soldiers were killed, 150,000 were wounded, and 21,000+ soldiers were permanently disabled. 830,000 Vietnam veterans have symptoms of PTSD. Many people say this was the war the United States should not have fought.
-Noelle Toong