Vietnam history lesson enjoy!

The United States
should never have entered the Vietnam War. That is because The Vietnam War was
a civil war in that country and was not our concern. Another factor was the
American public was not for American soldiers entering the war, not only that
but also but the American soldiers was not well equipped for the environment
they were entering was new.

            The Vietnam War was a civil war that pits the Communist
North against the Democratic South.  Ever
since the 1800s the French occupied the area that was called Indo China. In 1919, Ho
Chi Minh, a Vietnamese social activist living
in France at the time, submitted eight demands to the French at the Versailles Peace Conference that at the end of World War
I. The list included representation in the French parliament, freedom of
speech, and release of political prisoners. When France ignored these demands,
several nationalist and Communist organizations sprang up in Vietnam. The
French tried to stop these nationalist movements by making the traditional
authority look good. When World War 2 started the French backed out and
Japanese stepped in. After Japanese took control and Ho Chih Minh decides to
take back Vietnam.  During World
War II, when France fell to Germany, Japan occupied Vietnam from 1940 to 1945. Minh saw the Japanese
invasion as a chance to build up a new nationalist force, one that appealed to
all aspects of Vietnamese society. Therefore, in 1941, he founded the Viet
Minh. Americans opposed the Japanese in World
War II, so Ho Chih Minh was able to convince U.S. leaders to secretly supply
the Viet Minh with weapons to fight their Japanese oppressors. General Vo
Nguyen Giap fought successfully against the Japanese after Minh told
him to adopt guerrilla tactics which were surprise attacks in the jungles of
Vietnam. Throughout World War II, the Viet Minh successfully expanded its power
in Tonkin and Annam. It helped peasants in the region during a wartime famine,
which won the organization popularity. 
After a long battle they pushed the Japanese to the capital Hanoi where
Ho Chih Minh defeat the Japanese army. 
When Ho Chih Minh took the capital Hanoi that was the day marked as the
August Revolution. Following that, the Emperor, Bao Dai, left his throne in
late August, and just a week later, the Japanese signed a formal surrender to
end World War 2.  Since Japan was
defeated, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam to be an independent country which was
known as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam or the DRV. The French did not
recognize Minh’s claim, so French forces returned to Vietnam and drove the Viet
Minh into the north of the country but were unable to push any farther.  In 1945 Ho wrote a number of letters to Harry
S Truman, appealing for official United States recognition of the DRV. However,
the United States was in fear of communism due to the Cold War that was
beginning with Soviet Union. As the tension grew it altered the United States
choices of allowing Vietnam to be an independent country. The United States
refused his request, denounced him, and offered to help the French. Within a
year, American ships were transporting French troops into Vietnam. When France
troops returned to Vietnam, the Viet Minh was well equipped, fighting quickly broke
out between French and Minh forces. 
Almost immediately after the war, the French, who did not recognize Ho’s
government, set up a rival government in the South Vietnam. By 1949, when the
French reinstalled Bao Dai as figurehead, the two sides had fought to a
standstill. The fighting between the French and Viet Minh was called the First
Indochina War and would go on for 5 more years. 
At the time of the French return to Vietnam, three other important
groups in Southern Vietnam commanded large followings and existed outside the
Viet Minh. The first was the Cao Dai, an eclectic cult that combined aspects of Eastern
religions and Western pop culture. The Hao
Hoa, meanwhile, combined Buddhism and
nationalism and maintained a sizable army. Finally, the Binh
Xuyen, headquartered in a Chinese-dominated
suburb of Saigon called Cholon, were essentially the Vietnamese mafia. All
three groups had considerable influence in southern Vietnamese politics, which
was extremely corrupt.  While the war
continues there was one battle that was downfall of the Viet Minh, it was
called the battle of Dien Bien Phu. After this lose to the French, the French
government decide to end the fighting and created the Geneva Conference where
they finally cut Vietnam in half making the 17^th parallel. This
began to put the North against the South. 

            As with the Korean War, the United
States made the decision to intervene in Vietnam’s civil war. The United States
started to intervene during the cold war. This was started between the U.S. and
Soviet Russia. The president of the United States was afraid to of Communism
spreading. Therefore that is why they enter the Korean War. The cold war was an
time where everyone was trying to stop communism. The United States enter the
Cold War to stop Soviet Russia from having too many nuclear weapons and
spreading communism around other countries. This was reference to as the Domino
Theory which meant if one country that fall to Communism then other countries
will also follow. In fear of the Domino Theory America continued enter wars
that they could not handle. Just like the Korean War there were many casualties
because of the lack of training they had, not knowing the terrain and losing
the country’s support.  There were two
armies because they divide into the North army which had 231,000 soldiers and
the Southern army which was called the ROK which only had 98,000 soldiers. When
United States enter the war the there was 36,516 deaths, and a rate at US
deaths a day . Presidents began to create conspiracy theories like Lyndon
Johnson, when he made up the Gulf of Tokin. When U.S. Navel ships were attacked
it escalated the situation but, there was no attack and there was no ship
damage that was just a report to get the general public of America for the war.
 There were two incident of the Gulf of
Tokin, this event was named USS Manddox Incident. This event involved two
things that happen on two different days. 
The first was on August 2^nd 1964, the USS Manddox was having a
patrol run but a North Vietnamese submarine shot a torpedo at the USS Manddox.
That was the first sea battle in the Vietnam War, which escalated the conflict.
The second incident of the USS Manddox was on August 4^th 1964 which
was also another sea battle, but instead may have involved “Tonkin Ghost” , and
not actual North Vietnamese Navy  torpedo
boat attack.  The outcome of the two incident was what allowed Congress
to give President Lyndon the okay to send troops to aid any Southern Vietnam
forces that were oppressed by the Communist North, which also help escalate the
Vietnam War during the Cold War that was going on. It wasn’t until 2005 the
National Security Agency historical study reanalyzed the incident it concluded
that the Maddox Had engaged the North Vietnamese Navy on August 2, but that there
may not have been any North Vietnamese Naval vessel present during the incident
of August 4. The report stated it is not simply that there is a different story
as to what happened; it is that no attack happened that night. In truth,
Hanoi’s navy engaged in nothing that night but the salvage of two boats damaged
on August 2.  This shows how the
presidents of that time try to start more wars so they can stop Communism. Even
though this incident was what helped the United States bring troops overseas, President
Johnson also gave an speech to the American people that convinced the public to
support the soldiers that were heading to Vietnam. President Johnson went on
air at 11:34pm and talked about the attack by North Vietnamese vessels on two
U.S. Navy warships and requested authority to undertake a military response. As
he talked about how the attack happened Johnson’s speech repeated that theme
that “ dramatized  Minh as the aggressor
“ which made the American public think that they should be sending people over
there to protect and help the soldiers that were wounded.  Johnson emphasized commitment to both the
American people, and the South Vietnamese government. He also reminded
Americans that there was no desire for war.” A close scrutiny of Johnson’s
public statements reveals no mention of preparation for warfare and no
indication of what they needed to do when they are over there. Johnson’s
statements were short to make the U.S. back into the conflict. This is how the
cold war was for the people of America to be masked behind lies and false
events, but it stimulated the public for support for the war.

            Failures of the Korean War should have taught the U.S. a
valuable lesson. In the Korean War, Americans were sent into Korea to stop the
Communist threat.  Since Soviet Union were
helping any country that would turn Communist they began to aid the Communist
Korean government, by giving weapons and tanks for their forces. The forces
became greater and many Koreans join the Communist side, not only did the
Soviet Union support them but China also aided them by giving them more help
with forces and weapons.  With the
combined force the Americans could not handle the fight, but they were not
prepared for it. Even though the war was before the Vietnam Crisis, Americans
should have used this as an example to learn from. In the Korean War soldiers
were not ready to fight in a different field so the death toll was high for
Americans there were 54,200 deaths. Since the environment was so different place
making it too much to handle, many soldiers were so damaged and traumatized
with the war that they could not bear with it when they came back to the United
States. Also during the Korean War, African Americans fought in integrated
units for the first time since the civil war. President Truman signed Executive
order 9981 on July 26 1948, calling on the armed forces to provide equal
treatment for black men that was in the army. Truman’s 1948 orders were carried
out varied among the various branches of the military, which segregated units
still in deployment at the start of the war, and eventually being separate till
the end of the war.  Economically people
became that we lost more in the war then we could profit. Accordingly, after the war, the American defense budget
was boosted to $50 billon, the Army was doubled in size, as was the number of
Air Groups. Finally when the war came to a end the U.S. had to back out
so that means the war was an total lost. Losing many soldiers and taken an
economic toll that was hard to recover from.  From these events and statistic this should
have taught the United States an valuable point to not enter foreign problems.

            Involvement in the Vietnam War caused turmoil in the
United States. Many students took protest at their school and marches. Some
students that could not leave campus were at school and they had a sat in
protest in which they stop and protest. When the Vietnam War started only a
small percentage of the American population opposed the war. The first march to
Washington against the war took place in December 1964. Only 25,000 people took
part but it was still the largest anti-war demonstration in American history.
As the war continued, more and more American turned against it. People were
upset by the use of chemical weapons such as napalm and Agent Orange. In 1967,
a group of academics under the leadership of Bertrand Russell, set up what
called the International war Crimes Tribunal. After talking to many witnesses,
they came to the conclusion that the Unites States was guilty of using weapons
like that. Also the United States armed forces were found guilty of torturing
captured prisoners and innocent civilians. In November, 1965 Norman Morrison ,
followed the example of the Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Due and publically burnt
himself. With this action the protested became very moved and wanted to support
the protest that were going on. Mostly all of them were young men. The Kent
State shootings also known as the May 4 massacre this was also what made people
go crazy and create turmoil in the country. The event unfolded in Ohio at Kent
State University members of the Ohio National guard on Monday May 4 1970. The
guardsmen fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students
and wounding nine others, one who suffered permanent paralysis. Some of the
students who were shot had been protesting against the American invasion of
Cambodia, which President Richard Nixon announced in a television address on
April 30. Due to this event it created all schools in the United States to
close all our schools. Which cause an turmoil in the United States.   These
were many protested that took place upon students and the general public. Many
musicians come together and made up songs like Bob Dylan’s. Some song were
Master of War, World War 3 blues, People would be moved by the music they were
listening too. There were songs like American Draft Dodger in Thunder bay. This
was a song about soldiers not getting drafted. The draft was something that
people didn’t wanted during Vietnam.. Many young student were drafted and
unprepared for the war. They had no clue of what the environment would be and
how it would be like if they ever enter the war. Mostly people were scared to
go and not many went but some were forced to go because if you didn’t that
would be counted for treason. So this song really made the people believe that
the war was avoidable. It also gave hope to the people that were about to be
draft feel better about the draft.  That
is because once soldiers came back from the rotations they would bring home
many drugs which caused a different turmoil and it created more crisis and
problem. Making the communities a more dangerous place. This is what caused
many problems in the community and when the gangs came together and created
more turmoil in the country.  The people
in the community got worse one person said, this person been here during the
protest and the war and even the Korean War. Her husband also served in the
Vietnam War and was very against it.  She
said that the community was not always like this with the gang and violent
protest against the wars. Many people were joining groups that were anti war.
These actions explain how the community was when the war was happening. With
all the protest and major events that happen 
it made the public dislike what the government was doing with the war.

            The United states suffered economically and socially
after the Vietnam war.  The Vietnam war
went through 3 presidents Kennedy, Lyndon, Nixon all their efforts to fight
communism has put the American society in turmoil.  Each president had a mistake that was an
major event that was their downfall also. With Kennedy it was the Bay of Pigs.
The first time that the president sent forces to Cuba to stop communism. Which
it was an horrific event that was an big lost, most of the people that were
sent died due to an ambush because the rebels were already aware that they were
coming. Giving this president and bad view even though many people like the
president it was an mistake that would change many people’s views. Lyndon major
problem was with the Gulf of Tonkin. This was an event that would also change
history and make our economy plummet. During this event many people were sent
to aid the Vietnam to aid the southern Vietnamese people. This was when the
public became upset with this because they was an draft that brought the people
in a frenzy. Many people were upset by this event, but given the speech that
Lyndon gave it made the people believe in him and trust him. So he was allowed
to bring soldiers into the Vietnam War.  Also
with Nixon trying to win election so he can try to salvage what they had from
the war, but with his one action of trying to rigged the election he was forced
to leave office for his action. This was not something he should have done. In
addition, the government military spending caused several problems for the
American economy. In the bombing hurt the economy
of the United States .By the beginning of 1968, it was estimated that $300
million of damage had been done to North Vietnam. However, in the process, 700
US aircraft, valued at $900 million had been shot down. By 1968 the Vietnam war
was costing 66 million dollars a day. Since it cost so much Lyndon increased
income taxes and cut back on his programs to deal with poverty.  The United States "ten dollars for every
dollar's worth of damage inflicted."  Also the toll of human life was very high
Three million US soldiers served in Vietnam between 1965 and 1973. Only about a
quarted of these were involved in direct combat with the North Vietnam. Most of
these guys died because of the guerrilla warfare that was used against these
soldiers. Many of these soldiers were aged on eighteen and older. Many of these
solider were not prepared mentally for this war so they told themselves do stop
thinking about what they are doing, and count days until you go home and that
is how they operated when they were in Vietnam. 
It has been estimated that 700,000 of the soldiers who served in Vietnam
have since suffered from some form of stress disorder. According Washington
State department for Veteran Affairs, over 100,000 of these soldiers have
committed suicide since returning from the Vietnam War. When president Nixon
was in office he called for an withdrawal of troops. The 540,000 US troops were
to be reduced by 25,000. Another 60,000 were to leave the following
December.  This was the human toll, not
even the general public will be upset with these numbers because they were
losing so many of their family members. 
Although the United States took damage the real victim of this war is
Vietnamese country.  With the carpet
bombing that the United States was using on the Vietnamese they destroyed many
farms and forest land. This made the agriculture of Vietnam very hard to
recover from. Since the land was dead and it made it hard too farm and produce
food for the country bring the economy down as well.  Many of the North Vietnamese veterans was
upset because they could not see their families that were in the South.  Also the South Vietnamese people had to summit
to the new communist government, and whoever was in the South Vietnam regime to
concentration camps. Also many people in the south suffered from the chemical
weapons in Vietnam the most harmful chemical was agent orange. Today more than
one million people suffer from serious diseases, including different types of
cancers and disabilities, as a result of the spreading of defoliants and
herbicides. Even thirty years after the end of the war, children in Vietnam are
still affected by the chemical operations carried out by the United States. As
you can see many things change both country but the United States did the most
damage to Vietnam.  Many Vietnamese
people are still affected by this war. 
This is just how the society was affected by the war. With all the
damage to the land and the cities the economy took a long time to get back to
normality.  These where the factors that
made the United States suffered economically and socially after the Vietnam
War.  Many of these factors made the
American public unhappy with the decision that they made and now these the
consequence made it hard to forgive for.

            Looking into the factors to the Vietnam War and the
Korean War. It displays that the United should have learn from their mistake.
Meaning to leave the country alone and happy and not putting other peoples
society in turmoil also, leaving foreign wars to be dealt with on their own.
All of these factors where why the United States should not enter the war.