The Vietnam War

Knowing almost nothing about the Vietnam War and even being unsure about my information about it made the discussions during class very enlightening for me. I only knew for a fact that the war was fought in Vietnam and that the U.S. was involved in it, but I had no idea about what went on during this period of time and its repercussions.

I learned about the division of a non-communist South Vietnam and a communist North Vietnam, and how eventually the North used the National Liberation Front (Vietcong) as a weapon to oppose the South Vietnamese government. The U.S.’s involvement began when they started sending troops to support the non-communist South and their presence escalated progressively throughout the years. What struck me the most about this war was the fact that the Vietnam War was the first televised war. This caused distress among some Americans which led to an opposition towards the war. Students also opposed the war because those who were drafted to go to war could not have the chance to go to college. It was very astonishing for me to find out that some of those who were drafted fled to Canada, and others who made the decision of fighting in the war did it out of fear of disappointing their families. I wasn’t expecting the involuntary soldiers to be so genuinely repelled by this war to even try to injure themselves in order to return home.

I was also oblivious to the fact that the U.S. didn’t actually win the war. American President Nixon announced the withdrawal of the troops and by March 29 all soldiers were expected to be out of Vietnam. Those soldiers who returned home weren’t exactly venerated as heroes, and later on, North Vietnam invaded the South and gained control over the full country. I know understand the general confusion and disagreement from some people, and why this war was so important to the U.S. and Vietnam.