Vietnam War

The Vietnam War/ Second Indochina War was a war between the North communist Vietnam, and the South republic Vietnam. The war lasted for about 20 years (1955-1975)

Vietnam War By: Cali Poulos

Interview

Why was the war important to Vietnam? During the Vietnam war, around 8 tons of bombs were dropped, lots of herbicides were used and many people were killed. This event was important to Vietnam because it was the war that unified the North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Although, it was the war between the North and the South, the North ended up taking over the South right after the United States withdrew troops. After the North took over the South, they became one communist country. Another reason why the war was important, was because it left lasting damages on the land and people of Vietnam. A major cause of the damage, was the use of "Agent Orange". Agent Orange was a mixture of different defoliants that the United States used during the war. They used this chemical to destroy forest and jungle cover used by North Vietnam, the enemy. There was over 19 million gallons of Agent Orange sprayed during the war. Agent Orange was later found to cause serious health issues like tumors, birth defects, rashes, psychological symptoms and cancer–among United States troops and their families as well as among the Vietnamese population.

How This Affected The United States The Vietnam War also affected the United States. In 1969, over 500,000 United States soldiers were fighting in Vietnam. By 1972 all troops had been withdrawn and over 58,000 had died. The Vietnam War also caused the people to be suspicious of the government. President Johnson's Great Society programs competed with the war for scarce resources, and people who might have supported liberal social programs turned against the president as a result of the war. The United States also began to be wary of getting involved in other international conflicts in fear of another Vietnam. Many former party supporters viewed the party as dominated by its anti-war faction, weak in the area of foreign policy, and uncertain about America's proper role in the world. A major event that was caused by the war was the Kent State shooting. At Kent State in Ohio, students protesting the war were shot at by 28 National Guards. 4 students were killed and 8 were injured. The Vietnam War affected the United States in many ways, from not longer trusting the government to rioting at home.

"We never truly learned the lessons that we should have learned from the failures of the Vietnam War." - Peter Rosenberg Captain in the United States Army