VIETNAM WAR Vietnam War Another containment conflict U

VIETNAM WAR

Vietnam War Another “containment” conflict U. S. backs South Vietnam against the forces of Ho Chi Minh’s Communist North Vietnam army President JFK actually ready to withdraw troops when he is assassinated; JFK’s vice president Lyndon Johnson escalates the war

Vietnam War Fighting the Vietcong North Vietnamese soldiers known as the Vietcong proved very difficult to fight Guerilla tactics, hit and run, very elusive Settles in as a war of attrition between both sides In an attempt to help find Vietcong, U. S. starts using napalm and Agent Orange, which had adverse affects to civilians This, in turn, caused massive protest to war…

Vietnam War Protest to the Vietnam War The “living room war” exposed many people to the horrors of war for the 1 st time… Made many uneasy, especially youth in society College campus protests (Kent St. ), White House protests Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Free Speech Movement (FSM) – Cal Berkeley

Vietnam War Tet Offensive - 1968 Vietcong agents surprise attack South Vietnam villagers during new year festivities Weapons are hidden in coffins brought in to cities Attacks were a failure, militarily, for Vietcong, but devastating for American public, which thought war would soon end… Richard Nixon vows to end war as soon as possible…

Vietnam War Nearing the End… My Lai Massacre – reported in 1969, innocent women and children murdered in remote village, shocks the country… Fall of Saigon – March of 1975, North Vietnamese launch a full scale invasion against the South Nixon decides to pull American troops out of South Vietnam, effectively ending the war

Vietnam War Legacy of the War Purpose and intent was right and positive, but failures in logistics, underestimation of the enemy, and public support make it a divided legacy Also, important to note the social issues as the same time as war – civil rights, women’s rights, assassinations, etc.