The Vietnam War A Great Loss For The United States

Considered a great loss for the United States, the Vietnam War claimed thousands of U.S. lives. Throughout the power struggles, warfare, and lost lives, Francis â€Å"Frank† Horsting unloaded supply ships on the beaches of Vietnam. Drafted at the age of twenty, Frank traveled to Fort Knox in Kentucky before he set off for Vietnam. Along the way he sent a gift to his wife, Rebecca; this gift, a twelve-piece set of Noritake brand china, will forevermore hold a spot in Frank Horsting’s family as it trickles down the family tree. Many factors played a role in why the war began and why the United States intervened. While in Vietnam, among the fighting and bloodshed, Frank Horsting sent his wife Rebecca a china set that would stay in the family for generations to come. The longest, most unpopular war fought by the United States, the Vietnam War (Caputo 4), claimed 50,000 of its lives (Samuels 4). The Viet Minh, a resistance group, conducted a campaign in 1946 with the intent to Vietnam, a French colony, into two separate countries. Known as the â€Å"domino theory,† the fear of communism spreading throughout Vietnam frightened the United States. (Samuels 4) The United States decided to intervene when â€Å"North Vietnamese military action forced a French withdrawal from Vietnam.† Beginning March 8-9, 1965, President Johnson sent the first round of troops to South Vietnam. Although the troops landed in 1965, their assistance to Vietnam began much earlier when they promoted the rulers of colonialShow MoreRelatedThe Vietnam War Was A Great Loss For The United States2250 Words   |  9 PagesOver the centuries there have been many wars in which many lives have been lost and a huge impact has been made upon the United States of America. T he Vietnam War was a great loss for the United States and many times it is also called The Resistance War against America. This war was fought between North Vietnam which fought alongside the Soviet Union, China and other communist groups and the government of South Vietnam who fought alongside the United States and other anti-communist nations and groupsRead MoreWhy Did The United States Lose The War Of Vietnam? Essay1545 Words   |  7 Pagesdid the United States lose the war in Vietnam? Could the US have won? Before the Vietnam War, the United States had never lost a war. The military of the United States had grown to be one of the largest in the world. The post WWII boom boosted America’s economy to be the largest in the world, occupying 38.6% of the world GDP in the 1960 . Yet with all of its military and economic might, the United States could not defeat an insurgency seeking control of a third world country. The United States didn’tRead MoreThe Vietnam War And The Soviet Union1535 Words   |  7 PagesThe Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, United States involvement was for personal reasons and fear of communism. Neither the United States or the Soviet Union should have been involved. The War was just used as a cover up for the actual silent, passive aggressive war between the United States and the Soviet. The Vietnam war was started by the North â€Å"Viet Cong† and their desire to unify Vietnam under communist rule. The South was against communism, making tensions grow until eventually, a war brokeRead More Vietnam and The Cold War Essay1299 Words   |  6 PagesVietnam and The Cold War It is impossible to accurately describe the major events that occurred during the cold war without mentioning the war in Vietnam. From its start, this war has been very controversial concerning its purposes and effects on the countries involved. Both sides of this war lost a great number of soldiers and most of these men and women were not even sure why they were fighting. To this day, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the events that took place during thisRead More How Can They Succeed?1034 Words   |  5 Pagesis behind him.† In the Vietnam War, many official soldiers and civilians took part in the combat. It started from December 1956 to 1975, nearly 20 years, in Vietnam. The Vietnam War was a war between North Vietnam and government of South Vietnam that United States participated and supported. It was a highlight in Vietnamese history and United States history also which was recorded, commented, discussed, debated in many books, journals and articles. In the South of Vietnam, there was a political organizationRead MoreThe United States During The Indochina War979 Words   |  4 Pages During the Indochina war, the United States aided the French, but if we inspect France and United States relationship during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt did not approve of colonization, and wanted France to halt in suppressing Vietnam. Roosevelt did not approve of France’s establishment of political control; it also disapproved of Britain’s, in which the United States did not have a good relationship with regarding this subject. After Roosevelt’s passing, this policy andRead MoreEssay about Effects Aftermath of the Vietnam War 1562 Words   |  7 PagesThe Vietnam War was the first major war American’s had suffered defeat. The Vietnam war was a war of confusion, competition and biasness. The outcome of the war was far greater than an upset American nation, but a severe breakdown of the Vietnamese culture, economy, environment and government. It also had a tremendous impact on American society even up to present day. It was unclear from the beginning of the war if the American’s should even be involved. It was a war between Northern and SouthernRead MoreEssay on The Vietnam War1680 Words   |  7 PagesThe Vietnam War From the outset, the Vietnam War manifested itself as a conflict that could only be settled by prolonged engagement. Because the war was fundamentally an ideological struggle between the democratic, capitalist United States and the Communist bloc of the U.S.S.R. and China, the strategy formulated by both democratic and communist advisory forces in North and South Vietnam conformed to accepted Cold War military practices. However, while initially similar to the war in Korea, theRead MoreThe Vietnam War And Its Impact On American Society1082 Words   |  5 PagesThe Vietnam War Millions suffered. Nearly sixty thousand died. Hundreds of thousands protested. The Vietnam War, an event considered to be one of the most important in U.S. history, became one of the most controversial as well. It was the longest battle fought in American history, lasting from Nov 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975. The Vietnam War tainted America’s prideful self-image, becoming the first time the United States had ever failed in accomplishing its objective in war – preserve an independentRead MoreVietnam Dbq1212 Words   |  5 PagesThe Vietnam war brought many changes to the United States in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Some of the changes were for the better of the country, take the rediscovered Women’s Rights movements and the ever growing Free Speech movements inspired by New Left, while most of the other changes brought on tensions between government and their people. The Domino Theory pushed our leaders to the edge. In order to stop the Domino Theory in Vietnam, the U.S. invaded. The war was useless for the American government