It is said that a war cannot be fought without the support of the people. Much so was this related to the Vietnam conflict. I say the Vietnam Conflict in that the United States never actually declared war on North Vietnam after its communist split-up in 1960. The conflict was based on the principles of containment stated in the Truman and Eisenhower Doctrines. These documents stated that military aid would be given to any nation willing to fight communism. This idea of keeping communism in its place without it spreading to new nations was called containment, a name given by President Harry Truman.
In May of 1955, Vietnam, which was a French colony, was broken up by rebels led by Ho Chi Minh. Under the accords of the Geneva Convention, the French colony was broken into Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. North Vietnam was supported by the Communist China and Soviet Union while South Vietnam fought off communism with aid from the United States. These series of events added to the tensions felt in the Cold War, which lasted between the United States and the Soviet Union until 1989. The year 1964 brought the United States into the conflict even more with President
Johnsons Operation Rolling Thunder, which bombed railroads, troop camps and other North Vietnamese targets. This also brought two battalions of 3,500 marines and opened the door to lead 540,000 men in Vietnam by 1967. This drastic call for troops to be deployed to Vietnam called on the Selective Service Act, which drafted men into the military who fit certain requirements. This combined with anti-war sentiments felt at home led to the opposition to the war I am to speak about. The Conflict in Vietnam did not go unnoticed at home as well. Some Americans were eager to fight Communism in Vietnam.
But, unlike most wars of American time, the action in Vietnam had a very split approval amongst Americans. Many believed that the conflict was the responsibility of South Vietnam, and not that of the United States. By the conflicts escalation, however, the approval of the practice of containment in Vietnam dropped drastically as more Americans lost their lives to Viet-Cong guerillas. But some were optimistic, said here: Writer James Reston commented that the anti-war demonstrations were not helping to bring peace to Vietnam. He said they were postponing it.
He believed the demonstrations would make Ho Chi Minh think America did not support its troops. And that, he said, would make President Ho continue the war (http://www. fas. org/man/dod-101/ops/vietnam. htm). The War Draft was feared by many young Americans, as they were the ones being called into commission. A common practice amongst men aged 18 to 26 was burning draft cards to display war opposition. Some totally fled the country, moving to Canada or other countries. Many got married, plead disabilities or homosexuality or even joined the National Guard.
Many of the protesters were collage aged people, who looked at the war at a different standpoint. The Baby Boom generation seemed to have a different attitude towards war than their parents. Rather than blindly fighting for the American cause, the students asked why and challenged the system of the military draft. No other war in American history had so much opposition, and to this day, people still believe it was a pointless and vain attempt by the United States to show off their military strength to the Superpowers, being the Soviet Union and China.
The media had a large impact of the American opinion of the Vietnam Conflict. The first pictures of the war Americans seen of the war were in 1963, with the burning suicides of Buddhist monks who were attacked by the Communist government. The monks, rather than giving up their religion, immolated themselves publically to show their spiritual strength. This scene shocked Americans as to what was going on to great extremes. As the search-and-destroy mission went on, Americans were subjected to more pictures and reports from Vietnam, adding to their discontent, especially those families of those who were fighting.
American soldiers were apprehensive of any civilian. The Viet-Cong, who were the guerillas in South Vietnam working to spread communism, never wore uniforms and were impossible to detect amongst civilians. Pictures of Americans killing Vietnamese, Vietnamese killing Americans, and scenes of war filled the homes of Americans from the televised news and newspapers from 1963 to 1973. Many people at home because of this began to ask themselves why?.
In the book The Vietnam War, by Diane Yancey she states: Some individuals, labeled doves thought America should negotiate a quick settlement with the Communists to end the prolonged war while others, called hawks believed that people who opposed the war were anti-American and believed that the war should extend and be fought more vigorously (Yancey, 172). This spoke of the rift that rest etween Americans during a time of turbulence, change and bigotry. During these times of war escalation and opposition, many things occurred that shocked the middle-aged blue collar workingmen and traditionalists.
The counter-culture, as it was called, became popular amongst the younger baby boom generation. People began to feel a need to return to antediluvian ways of life and pursuit of inner happiness. They wore haggard dirty clothes, many were jobless, and this became most relevant in the city of San Francisco. People pursuing this happiness often chose drugs such as marijuana, LSD and opium to achieve their nner happiness. This growth of counter-culture, looked at from todays standpoint, can be blamed mostly on the Vietnam Conflict, which to this day a large number of people ask: Was it really necessary?
As riots against the war, the Civil Rights Movement and the counter-culture began to increase, President Johnson felt enormous stress from all sides. Senator William Fulbright (D) of Arkansas had this to say about the failing support of the people: While the country sickens for lack of moral leadership, a most remarkable younger generation has taken up the standard of American idealism. The focus of their protest is the war in Vietnam. They are demonstrating that, while their country is capable of acting falsely to itself, it cannot do without internal disruption (McCormick, 98).
This was the beginning of the end of the war for the United States. Many Americans believed that Vietnam was not a war that they could win. The conflict was originally blown off as an easy victory, for it was the United States and the Allies that won World War II and put an end to fascism. The war was to be a War of Attrition, or the fighting f a war on the basis of having an army outnumbered, but this method led to the massive loss of lives and little damage done to the Viet-Cong. Arthur Schlesinger stated Error creates its own reality (Fall, 59).
This began to become relevant in the minds of many Americans. A further blow came to America in 1968, when President Johnson declared that he would not run again in the oncoming election. This shocked not only the people themselves, but the soldiers in Vietnam were the most shocked. In a war where they didnt even know why they were fighting, the backing down of the Commander-in-Chief struck their confidence and ationalism. After the assassination of Robert Kennedy and the election of Nixon, the people had enough.
Before Nixons election, a melee in Chicago took place after it was learned that Johnsons successor, Vice President Hubert Humphry, was to most likely win the for the Republican Party after the assassination of Robert Kennedy, who was the Democratic candidate. This further proved the negative feelings Americans held towards the United States in their military strategies. After much protest and fire, the United States government acknowledged that the conflict would end with no victor.
Walter Cronkite of the CBS Evening News said this on March 6, 1971: It seems now more certain than ever, that the bloody experience in Vietnam is to end in a stalemate (Stolley, 119). And with that said and the Nixons policy of Vietnamization, or sending tired troops home after years of fighting, went underway. Soldiers were sick of the war and fragging was common. Fragging was a term used to describe when troops would assassinate their C. O. s, most commonly with hand grenades, to avoid their having to fight. Abandonment and soldiers found AWOL was growing at a rapid rate.
Then, in 1973, President Nixon dismissed the last of the Vietnam soldiers after years of conflict, violence and irresolution. After the troops were sent home, Americans were at bewilderment of their loss. 51,000 total dead came from the Vietnam, and many were still angry after the troops were sent home. People began to wonder why so much atrocity must of been committed before the United States would of backed down and spared troops lives. The Vietnam Memorial now rests in Washington D. C. , a constant reminder of the death, destruction, controversy and opposition of what is called The Meaningless War, The Vietnam Conflict.
