Vietnam Question (if you were alive during Vietnam)?

Question

I got an assignment to ask these questions for Am. History. When answering these, answer in the 3rd party. Thanks!

1. Do you have the impression that US won or lost Vietnam?
2. Do you have a positive or negative view on the Am. foreign policy during the Vietnam Era. (containment of Communism).
3. Was the war negatively effecting daily life at home?
4. What did you think of the anti war movement/did you think the anti war movement effected the outcome of the war?
5. Are anti war movements a good thing or bad thing, what are some costs and benefits.
6. Do you see any similarities or differences between the Vietnam war and the war in I raq. Are comparisons fair or even possible?

Answer 1

1. It appears to me that the U.S. neither won or lost the war--the country just got tired of fighting a war that they could not win. When all is said and done, vietnam war was just another case of the U.S. trying to bail out France. During WWII, the U.S. supported Ho Che Mein but France decided they wanted the country back (if was a former french colony) so the americans agreed. Ho Che went to war with the french who were defeated and asked the U.S. for help.

2. Containment was another word for appeasement that did not work prior to WWII and it did not work during the 50s and 60s. The U.S. needed to study the situation of the common people and try to help them. This they did not do.....Just remember that a democracy is not always the best government for developing nations or nations whose people cannot handle democracy yet.

3. For me personally, it did not have an adverse effect but it did nationwide....people became disenfranchized and their opinion of the american government went downhill

4. There has been anti-war movements since and including the American Revolution. Personally,. i think it is a good thing so long they are TRUTHFUL in their expression and while they may disagree with the government, they still need to support the individual soldier on the ground. No, the antiwar movement did not effect the outcome of the war

5. See four aboue

6. Yes, the biggest thing that is similar is that the U.S. did not and does not have the support of the common people in the two countries. However, one big difference between vietnam and Iraq, is that Iraq is a religious war now being fought between the Sunnis and the Shiites. Again this is bailing out France who divided the Middle East into nations with the two Muslim groups in both with large numbers of each.....this had to lead to fighting when they had the freedom to do so.....

Answer 2

1. The US lost the war. Without a doubt.
2. Positive. The American foreign policy contained the expansion of communism, and eventually caused communism to fail.
3. Of course, war is costly and wasteful, and the only benefit is not losing.
4. The anti war movement brought the war into question. Which eventually cause the US to withdraw.
5. Both. To bring attention, awareness, and provide discussion to an contentious issue is good, but there is a fine point to crossing the line to aware an anti war movement may be falling into the appearance of committing treason.
6. Their are similarities to every war, people are killing people. Are comparison fair? again yes and no. Just as there are similarities to the wars there are differences, one may give weight to either argument.

Answer 3

Hey Pheobie,

My draft number was 17, so I joined the Navy instead of being drafted to die in a country half the earth away.
1. We did not win, no one did.
2. Negative, what business is it of ours what other people do?
3. The war was the first publicized so quickly on TV, protests everywhere, draft card burners, evaders, kids dying for nothing. My family life and my life were disrupted.
4. The movement ended the war, with bitter feelings, and a lot of that was directed at vets coming home - it was not their fault - they were forced to go over there.
5. Anti-war movements are a GREAT thing. It says we disagree with the method of putting down terrorism that our President chose. He is wrong here, sorry. We should instead seek out the guilty terrorists, and take all necessary actions including force against them, in stealth.
6. Many similarities. The jungle is urban. Our boys dying. Not our home turf. Innocent people being killed. All similar. The difference is the American attitude toward service personnel - and I salute that.

Answer 4

Sounds as if you want an essay. I will sum it up in as few words as possible. The US had no business in Vietnam. We need to take care of our own people in the USA first. Some of the streets here are worse than any war zone. I do believe in having a well trained and prepared military for protection of our own people. Like FDR said, "Speak softly but carry a big stick". Regardless of anyone's opinions, once the President of the US and Congress make a decision to go to war, the people of this country should stand behind that decision publically to show the world the support given to our leaders. If the leader's decisions are not to our liking, we have voting booths to change the leaders and laws which can impeach. Let the USA be a country which stands behind our leaders and our troops.

Answer 5

The Vietnamese won the war, and with it their independence. The Americans lost, which is the reason why the U.S. has hated Vietnam all these years. The U.S. is a very sore loser, even if it means pretending that it was not the bad guy and the aggressor.

Answer 6

You may read my blog on it. I haven't yet come to any conclusins forty tears after the events.
To understand it you should go back to the first post
http://vnpersonalwar.blogspot.com