What role did the US play in the Vietnam War?
The United States got involved to prevent South Vietnam from falling into communist hands. At first, the U.S. operated behind the scenes, but after 1964, sent combat troops and became more deeply mired in the war. Following France’s defeat in the First Indochina War, an international agreement divided Vietnam in two.
When did Vietnam War start and end for the US?
Congress considers the Vietnam Era to be “The period beginning on Feb. 28, 1961 and ending on May 7, 1975 … in the case of a veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period,” and “beginning on Aug. 5, 1964 and ending on May 7, 1975 … in all other cases.”
Which US president started the Vietnam War?
Johnson
Why did US invade Vietnam?
During the war years, America’s leaders insisted that military force was necessary to defend a sovereign nation — South Vietnam — from external Communist aggression. As President Lyndon B. Johnson put it in 1965, “The first reality is that North Vietnam has attacked the independent nation of South Vietnam.
Why was the Vietnam War unpopular?
Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds, appalled by the devastation and violence of the war. Others claimed the conflict was a war against Vietnamese independence, or an intervention in a foreign civil war; others opposed it because they felt it lacked clear objectives and appeared to be unwinnable.
Was the Vietnam War a success or failure?
Kennedy sent American soldiers to Vietnam. Lyndon Johnson ordered the first real combat by American troops, and Richard Nixon concluded the war. Despite the decades of resolve, billions and billions of dollars, nearly 60,000 American lives and many more injuries, the United States failed to achieve its objectives.
Why did US superiority in the air war fail to win quickly in Vietnam?
Why did US superiority in the air war fail to win quickly in Vietnam? The Americans thought that they would win the Vietnam War quickly because they had modern weapons. They relied on their firepower and bombs to stop Communist aggression. Because of the tactics that the Vietcong were using against American soldiers.
Why was the Vietnam War particularly brutal for American soldiers?
Vietnam was a war fought by vietnamese people who were seeing a country invading. A everyday person could take up a weapon and attack American soldiers meaning they didn’t know who the enemy was. However Soldiers also had to make their way through jungles and wetlands, this made it very hard for soldiers to move.
Why did the USA find it impossible to defeat the Vietcong?
The Americans used chemical weapons Napalm (jellied petrol) and Agent Orange (superior strength weed killer). This was used to clear foliage in the jungle which was the natural hiding place for the Vietcong. They also wanted to see along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the Vietcong’s supply route.
Where is Kim Phuc now?
Kim Phuc sought political asylum in Canada nearly 30 years ago. She now lives outside of Toronto.
How Nick Ut’s photo napalm girl changed the Vietnam War?
Ut’s photograph, called ‘The Napalm Girl’, became representative of the atrocities of the Vietnam War—the napalm bombing could be categorised as ‘friendly fire’, and Phuc collateral damage—and joined Malcolm Browne’s ‘Burning Monk’ and Eddie Adams’ ‘Saigon Execution’ as defining images of the brutal conflict.