The Vietnam War (1965-1975)

The Vietnamese certainly don't consider it an American Tragedy.

I can't break out that last star because of this nagging feeling I have that it was somehow more tragic for the people of Vietnam than it was for us.

I was born long after the war had ended and was always taught by my parents (who grew up during the conflict) that the war was senseless and wrong and that the U.S. should have never been involved. In doing research for my thesis, I'm starting to think that, perhaps in hindsight it was devastating and, of course, we lost... but we had an obligation to the Southern Vietnamese people as well as to the Western world to guard against the aggressive spread of Communism. Some might argue that we, as a nation, take on a role that we have no business playing on the world stage. I would have to agree. We have always had the geographic advantage of being isolated from threats overseas, but always seem to find some "excuse" to get involved. But can we honestly sit on the sidelines while defenseless citizens are consumed by an oppressive government they did not want when we are fully capable of assisting them? What were our alternatives in that situation and were they morally sound?

the vietnam war was a pointless war for the fact that we went into the war to stop communism which is a type of government that would fail on its own and lots of people died for that war and the ones that didnt now suffer their own memories

This is the last time the US has dared to fight a formidable adversary.  No wonder that they kicked around Iraq a couple of times, they needed the ego boost.

yea it a bad thing, but it's wwar, and nomatter wat kinda war it is, ppl die and thats 1 of the sad parts bout war.MANY PPL did die over there. my uncle [ a marine] served 1 tour ova there and made it back alive.

A grinding and terrible war that cost not only lives but a way of looking at the institutions of the State. America has never been quite the same since. To insert a personal note, I have a cousin with his name on that god-damned Wall in Washington, dead from friendly fire. His death still echoes through my family. (Remember, we're Irish, we forget nothing, and we're maudlin buggers)

Victor's right about Ho Chi Minh.  It pains me to think of the terrible way we treated our former WWII ally:  we kicked them in the teeth, turning them back over to their colonial masters, when we had an opportunity for a genuine Asian ally and friend in the post-colonial age.  If only our leaders had had more foresight then.  And as a kid I remember my neighbors coming home in boxes; the kid I used to play games with in my back yard blown to rags at Khe Sanh.  For what?  And do we ever learn?

Some view the Vietnam War as one front in the larger cold war. A case can be made for that. However, it seems that very few Americans realize that Ho Chi Minh was very much pro-western, pro-USA in 1945. His personal hero was said to have been Abe Lincoln. He fought with the allied forces against the Japanese. We repaid Ho by seeing to it that his nation once again became a colony of France.This is the reason we should never have been at war in Vietnam.

Considering America's sheep-like approach to nodding our heads to just about everything the present administration has told us about the finished ("mission accomplished") Iraq War, then it is clear that we haven't learned much. . .History is the worst taught subject in High School and sometimes it sure is obvious. . .

We're still suffering for this tragedy.

Vietnam was tragic in many ways especially for the people that fought the war. Many were killed due to the goverments handling of the effort and the hand tieing it did to the military. The social climate of the time was very effected by people feelings toward the war. It was the first war to have coverage that went right into the home. It had a profound effect on three generations. The parents, the young men and women who fought the war and their children.

A morally bankrupt and completely useless war. why we ever decided to be the world's policeman and stick our nose in VietNam's business is beyond me. This war gained us nothing but a soiled reputation, millions of American soldiers dead (and for what? VietNam was never a threat to us!), and millions of dollars wasted for the war effort. I don't blame the war protestors for fleeing to Canada during this time. I'd rather be alive than fight -- and very possibly die -- for nothing.

Very tragic. Actually, this is the exact same thing that is going on in Iraq right now. American government lying to it's people, American boys dying for nothing, conservatives praising it, liberals speaking against it and being called traitors and unsupportive. And if you are one of those people who will start dishing out good reasons for it, believe me, history will disagree................... .............unless the right is writing it. Think about it - almost the exact same situation! We are the only country in the world who thinks it is right. EXACTLY! Anyway, yeah, the Vietnam War was extremely tragic. As we do about that, we will regret this situation in Iraq. Safety?! Get real people. Think. On a different note about that war...............I was just reminded of a quote I heard in the acclaimed documentary about Vietnam (Hearts and Minds) - there are some who think we may have been on the wrong side in the Vietnam War. We were not on the wrong side...... ........we ARE the wron... Read more

It is tragic we went into a war we didn't intend to win.It is tragic how these men were treated when they returned home.America was nothing but a paper-tiger.Update:A little sidenote for bluetar,even though this is about Vietnam and not Iraq.You say we are the only country who thinks the war in Iraq is right.Seems to me Great Britain and Australia have stood beside us.As for some of the others, they have bigger reasons not to support us.The French had given Hussein 25 billion dollars since 1990,the German's had a Neo-Natzi in the U.N. representing them and Russia had a 50 billion dollar oil deal on the table that they stood to lose.

Certainly among THE most tragic events in US history. You young know-it-alls, it wasn't a war we undertook stupidly, blindly. JFK began the military incursion with Marine advisers to assist the Vietnamese military in resisting the (very real, very brutal) communist invasion/massacre. Johnson, after Kennedy's death, escalated the war, in the same way Harry Truman had fought communism in Korea. That's how it became known as the Truman Doctrine. Johnson micro-managed the war from the White House, without a capable team, viewing the newspapers and deciding what to do next. The military didn't lose or mishandle the war, Johnson did. Kruschev had threatened, We will bury you, and believe me, Americans knew their way of life was being threatened. It wasn't a war we should have fought, it was a war we had to fight, and when we lost it, and pulled out, the massacre that followed was of epic proportions. And the soldiers, returning home, took the blame for the indiginity. To compare it... Read more

A war where our intentions truly were never clear. Who knows what might have happened if the war was run better from the beginning. Oh, and the lasting impact is a generation that became disillusioned with their own country, thousands of Americans that returned home to have their own people spit on them and degrade them, almost 60,000 Americans that didn't come home at all, and thousands more who suffered physical and mental trauma for years afterward.

And the lasting impact was....??? Somehow, that comment scares the hell out of me. How can anyone NOT see the lasting impact?? 60,000 Americans died over there, most of them kids (can't forget the draft) and that war divided the U.S. more than virtually anything other than slavery. You take that 60,000 people, and figure out how many people were directly affected, parents, siblings, spouses, kids....

A little sage advice for my younger friends. Just because something happened before you were born does not mean that it's importance has become insignificant. How anyone can look at recent American history and not conclude that some kind of lasting impact was the result of Viet Nam is beyond me. I suppose that for those who know of Viet Nam only through books and old news articles it probably seems like it took place a hundred years ago. Don't let your youth misguide you. I recently saw another review where someone said that there was no history in the state of New Jersey. Perhaps reading a few books on the revolutionary war might upgrade their knowledge. Just because you are not aware of something does not mean that it doesn't exist! Viet Nam divided this country the likes of which we had not seen since the civil war. Even those who did not serve were caught up in the protests and the social movements of the day. One way or another everyone was involved in Viet Nam whether they wore a... Read more

Flick, very well said. History does not become less relevant becuase someone wasn't there or chooses to ignore it. Kudos!!

And the lasting impact was.....?

a horrible tragedy that took place because leaders of both political parties were misguided into believing that this was a war that actually needed to be fought. they were wrong, and over 58,000 americans and 3 million vietnamese are dead. we are still learning the lessons of vietnam: the democrats still don't believe that anything is worth fighting for, and the republicans are still learning that in order to be successful a clear exit strategy is needed and that fighting the war is even harder without the support of the people.

I have to rate this higher than the 9/11 WTC attacks because I lost my father in Vietnam. That makes it the most tragic event for my family.

An overall poorly managed war that cost the lives of 58,000 American boys and led to deep divions and political turmoil here at home. Johnson saw it as his duty to micromanage every aspect of the war. Having never served in the military, he was definately not qualified to do so. The Vietnamese conflict really had nothing to do with us. Sending several thousand troops there to train the Vietnamese to win their own war is one thing, but to send millions of our boys over there to die in a war halfway around the world is definately another.

Viet-Nam divided a country, killed thousands on both sides and was evntually found out to be pointless by it's very orchestrators. Thousands of heros were never properly recognized because the police action was unjust. It is a terrible thing when men are sent to their death and fight bravely, for the wrong reasons.