yeah i forgot.
2006-09-07 08:21:17 · 14 answers · asked by super_6ix_4our 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
I never knew exactly why.
2006-09-07 08:21:58 · update #1
Being a Vietnam-Vet, I can tell you there are many "Theories" on how the war started. For those of you who still call it a "Conflict", you are sadly mistaken in my opinion, as well as thousands of others. Yes, it's a well-known fact we did not declare "War", but, If 58,000 lives-lost is not a "War", then what is? (56,000 K.I.A., 2000 M.I.A.). Not to mention the countless thousand's who were permanently disabled. I would most definitely say what I went through there was "War". I consider a "Conflict" as border-skirmishes we had with the Laotians and the Cambodians. Referring to the Nam as a conflict was meant to disillusion the public, and to minimize our role there in my opinion. But, you know what they say about opinion's right? God-Bless all the troops that served, And God-Bless-America.1st. Sgt., 7th Special Forces, (Ret.) Vietnam, "67"-"70"
2006-09-07 08:43:25 · answer #1 · answered by KatVic 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They never declared war and for the most part the U.S. stayed in South Vietnam to defend South Vietnam in the civil war. If it was a war, they would be bombing and invading North Vietnam. There were a few bombings inside North Vietnam (see the movie Flight of the Intruder), but they generally didn't go past the boarder. The U.S. pulled out and South Vietnam collapsed a year later causing the mass amount of boat people from South Vietnam and Cambodia to come to even the U.S.
After the collapse, the North went in and killed the rich and intellectuals like the Communists have done in other countries like China.
Vietnam is still a place to be from and not to go to. They have a low birth rate and negative migration while South Korea (where the U.S. held) thrives today.
2006-09-07 10:20:58 · answer #2 · answered by gregory_dittman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Declared War! Congressional Authority required. Vietnam was at war amoung themselves, we (the US) were there at first as advisors, then it was decided we should tilt the odds towards the South, but congress for got to back us on that one. Because they never declared "war" we were limited in the targets we could hit and the way we could hit targets.
Much of the same appears to be happening now. You can not win a military action with all this politically correct limitations placed on your forces. No one place limitations on the VC and no one is placing limitations on the Insurgents, but the US military can't even fart with out someone crying foul, abuse or illegal action.
You would have thought we would have learned from Vietnam, that Military actions should be left to Military people, and the Politicians can deal with the Politics, and the Citizens can deal with enjoying the freedoms that those of us in the Military garrauntee!
Thanks Vets.......... I appreciate you!
2006-09-07 08:57:30 · answer #3 · answered by Chief 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There never was a declaration of war against Vietnam. It was a policing action just as was Korea.
The policing action was in defence of South Vietnam's Govenment amid the hope that democracy woul dcopme into asia and keep the soviet threat from materializing. That part worked. Had we not entered the Vietnamese conflict the Soviets/Communist would soon have controlled the entire Asian land mass. Freedom would be a memory for most of the world,
2006-09-07 08:27:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
1. The US never declared war during Vietnam.
2. The war wasn't against Vietnam. The US was providing military aid to one side of the Vietnamese during a civil war against the communist side.
2006-09-07 08:27:52 · answer #5 · answered by Ricky T 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vietnam was not a declared war like World War II. Men died, and it was a war in every aspect except it was never officially declared.
2006-09-07 08:41:42 · answer #6 · answered by Kevin P 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because of the "Domino Theory" doctrine.
According to the american government,
Vietnam was about to fall to the communist china.
The belief was that if this happened, the communists ideology would spread across the whole of the far east, and that every country there would "fall" the one after the other like dominos.
2006-09-07 09:21:09 · answer #7 · answered by StéphanDeGlasgow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To keep the Chicoms out of Vietnam.
coragryph is right about war never being declared.
2006-09-07 08:24:29 · answer #8 · answered by El Pistolero Negra 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think we ever officially declared war on Vietnam....but the communist North Vietnamese were attempting to take over the democratic South Vietnamese. We stepped in to defend the South.
2006-09-07 08:25:08 · answer #9 · answered by Brand X 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The US never declared war in or on Vietnam. The US sent troops into Vietnam to protect our tin and tungsten mineral interests.
2006-09-07 08:24:09 · answer #10 · answered by coragryph 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋