Involved In The Vietnam War example essay topic

. Did the United States Make A Mistake getting involved in the Vietnam War? The Vietnam War was a military struggle in Vietnam from 1959 to 1975, involving the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front (NLF) in conflict with United States forces and the South Vietnamese army. From 1946 until 1954, the Vietnamese had struggled for their independence from France during the First Indochina War. At the end of this war, the country was temporarily divided into North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam came under the control of the Vietnamese Communist who opposed France and aimed for a unified Vietnam under Communist rule. Vietnamese who had collaborated with the French controlled the South.

During this paper I plan to prove in my argument that the United States made a mistake when they got involved in the Vietnam War. In order to prove this I will first gather all as much information on the Vietnam War as possible. I need to find all facts. I will start by looking and searching on the Internet. I want to prove that my argument on this issue is the best so I will also get first hand information. I will do this by visiting the VA hospital and interviewing Vietnam Vets to get their input to make my argument stronger.

The United States became involved in Vietnam because it believed that if all of the country fell under a Communist government, Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. This belief was known as the "domino theory". The U.S. government, therefore, supported the South Vietnamese government. This government's repressive policies led to rebellion in the South and the NLF was formed as an opposition group with close ties to North Vietnam. In 1965 the United States sent in troops to prevent the South Vietnamese government from collapsing. Ultimately, however, the United States failed to achieve its goal, and in 1975 Vietnam was reunified under Communist control; in 1976 it officially became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

During the conflict, approximately 3 to 4 million Vietnamese on both sides were killed. More than 58,000 Americans lost their lives. One of the most turbulent periods in American history was the Vietnam War. This war was nasty and cold-blooded! It was traumatic and ugly! The Vietnam War was full of constant fighting and pressure!

This was a rough war for US soldiers. Some people may say that it was worth it, but I argue that this war was none of the US concern and it was unnecessary. The US should have not gotten involved in the Vietnam War. Not only was there senseless fighting a mistake, the US also lost the war. The US lost the war because they were not prepared, too many lives were lost or damaged, and nothing was accomplished. An author once said", Vietnam was a test of the American's spirit", so why did it take 10 years to realize that they were failing the test.

Weak in air power, the Vietcong fought from tunnels and retreated to sanctuaries. They made mines and booby traps from unexploded U.S. ordnance and relied on ambush and sabotage of the vulnerable and increasingly extensive U.S. bases. The U.S. was but prepared for this war. The war was a guerrilla war.

The U.S. was trained to use military strategies and artillery. They were not used to this type of war. The Vietcong was trained to use guerrilla tactics. The Vietcong would avoid pitches battles with the Americans unless the odds were clearly in their favor. They used hit and run attacks and ambushes. The Vietcong followed the examples of Chinese guerillas.

They had training grounds, logistics centers, and headquarters. Traditional military strategies were useless in dense jungle, against a guerrilla army that could blend in at will with the civilian population. My next visit was to the Vietnam Administration Hospital. I entered the building and went to the event office, and asked where I could go to set up an appointment to meet with some Vietnam Veterans.

They told me that it would be in about a week. So I made the appointment. When I went outside and there were a lot of people sitting in a picnic area, I asked if anyone was a Vietnam Vet and was willing to interview. Two older men were vets and agreed to the interview. Before I went to the hospital I had wrote down some questions to ask.

I pushed record on the tape recorder and I began the interview by asking each of them their opinion about the war. I returned a week later for my scheduled appointment at the hospital. The vet and I met in a room with a window, chairs and two tables. The room was comfortable and cozy.

We began the interview by me introducing myself. The Vietcong knew what they were doing. The Vietnam War was fought on grounds that were familiar to the Vietcong, which was an advantage they had over the U.S. I understand that landmines and snipers killed many soldiers, but what is the excuse for when you kill your own men? I know that the U.S. had more weapons then the Vietcong, but these weapons become of no use if you do not know how to use them in that type of war. A Veteran told me", When fighting in a guerrilla war you have to be conditioned, the U.S. didn't have the mindset or experience". The U.S. was not mentally ready for the war.

Another reason the U.S. soldiers were not ready for the war is because they changed riffles". They changed from good durable weapons to M-16", a veteran said. They were not designed to be used in dirty areas, until it was modified the soldier had a weapon that was not dependable. I realize that the M-16 got jammed a lot and the soldiers were just not used to using the weapon, but if they were a good army they should have back up planes, Or they should be skilled enough to defend their selves with another weapon. The U. S had more weapons then the Vietnamese but; they didn't know how to fight that type of war on unfamiliar grounds. The U.S. was not ready for this war.

It was a good thing that I just visited home in Washington DC this past weekend. I thought that it would be a good idea for me to visit the Vietnam War Memorial before I left home. I knew that this would add a great aspect to my argument for my English paper. Before I left home I grabbed a pad and a pen to take notes.

I got on the metro and got off at the Smithsonian stop. When I got off the train I didn't know in which direction to walk. So I asked for help. As I walked across the National Mall, I thought about what I might see. I didn't know what to expect.

I just knew that it would be a great experience and an asset to my paper. When I arrived I began to look around. This place was very unique. It was a big wall engraved with names of everyone who lost their lives fighting in the Vietnam War. The wall itself was in the shape of a "V" standing for Vietnam. I started at one side of the wall which was low in height, as you continue to walk along side the wall it gets taller the closer you get to the peak.

The wall gradually gets smaller again. I planned to spend about an hour. Once I saw how many people lost their lives I began to feel emotional. There were many sad people there. People were crying, and praying. I saw some people leaving small gifts and flowers.

There were also Vets there. I felt so sorry for the people who died in this war and for the people who lost their love ones. I could not bear to stay any longer. I looked at the wall as I touched the wall a tear fell and I began to cry.

So when I got to the end of the wall I said a little prayer for the families of the Vets. During this war the U.S. lost 58,000 Americans lives. Thousands more had been wounded. A veteran said", So many lives were lost because the U.S. didn't have a plan". If the soldiers were not killed or wounded they suffered mentally. Some are still affected mentally in result to the war.

Some soldiers experience Post Dis matic Stress Disorder. It manifests it's self in several ways. You can have flash backs, nightmares, and startled reactions. Any loud noises that sound like backfires riffle shoots, machine guns shoots, or artillery coming in can provoke the disorder. Veterans can also undergo a disorder called Stressed; this is when a vivid picture of something very traumatic is seen frequently in the mind of the affected person. The picture becomes so vivid that the person can not let it go.

So not only were people killed or wounded but also some were affected. The last reason as to why the U.S. made a mistake getting involved in the war was because nothing was accomplished. A veteran told me that", they should have not went into the war unless they went in to win". There was only one thing truly accomplished by the U.S. and that is mistrust by Americans. The Vietnam War significantly altered America's views on foreign policy. The war also contributed to an overall cynicism in Americans about their government that has provided so much misleading information.

Veterans have become less patriotic then they were in the past. The war resulted in several major U.S. policy changes. Beyond adding a few more corpses to the weekly body count none of these encounters achieved anything. In conclusion I hope that I have convinced you that it was a mistake made when the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War.

The U. S was not prepared, too many lives were lost or damaged, and nothing was accomplished. I believe that they should have not gotten involved because the issue over seas had nothing to do with the U.S. They should have learned a lesson about minding their own business. They went over there and lost lives, money, and respect and communism still spread. Yes the U.S. won a lot of battles but they lost the Vietnam War..