Effects of Vietnam War
Vietnam War Effects
The Vietnam War was a very costly war. It not only affected those in battles, but it also left behind long term effects on people everywhere in the world. It was an extremely costly war with over 58,000 Americans dead and over 150,000 wounded in battle. Many Americans were affected by the war for so many had died and many more were wounded. North Vietnam was victorious over South Vietnam and allied forces. The Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 marked the end of a very bloody war.
The Vietnam War had many long lasting effects on the veterans who fought for America from the 1950s to the 1970s. Some veterans from Vietnam even formed groups against the war. These veterans formed an organization known as Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The organization had a purpose, “It was organized to voice the growing opposition among returning servicemen and women to the still-raging war in Indochina, and grew rapidly to a membership of over 30,000 throughout the United States as well as active duty GIs stationed in Vietnam. Through ongoing actions and grassroots organization, VVAW exposed the ugly truth about US involvement in Southeast Asia and our first-hand experiences helped many other Americans to see the unjust nature of that war.” (http://www.vvaw.org/about/). These organizations formed due to the large number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder found among veterans of Vietnam. A chemical used by the United States, Agent Orange, also had adverse effects on veterans. One government release states, “Approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam Conflict. Shortly following their military service in Vietnam, some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides.” (http://www1.va.gov/agentorange/). Many veterans
The Vietnam War was a very costly war. It not only affected those in battles, but it also left behind long term effects on people everywhere in the world. It was an extremely costly war with over 58,000 Americans dead and over 150,000 wounded in battle. Many Americans were affected by the war for so many had died and many more were wounded. North Vietnam was victorious over South Vietnam and allied forces. The Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 marked the end of a very bloody war.
The Vietnam War had many long lasting effects on the veterans who fought for America from the 1950s to the 1970s. Some veterans from Vietnam even formed groups against the war. These veterans formed an organization known as Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The organization had a purpose, “It was organized to voice the growing opposition among returning servicemen and women to the still-raging war in Indochina, and grew rapidly to a membership of over 30,000 throughout the United States as well as active duty GIs stationed in Vietnam. Through ongoing actions and grassroots organization, VVAW exposed the ugly truth about US involvement in Southeast Asia and our first-hand experiences helped many other Americans to see the unjust nature of that war.” (http://www.vvaw.org/about/). These organizations formed due to the large number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder found among veterans of Vietnam. A chemical used by the United States, Agent Orange, also had adverse effects on veterans. One government release states, “Approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam Conflict. Shortly following their military service in Vietnam, some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides.” (http://www1.va.gov/agentorange/). Many veterans
Cited: “VVAW:Where We Came From, Who We Are.” Online. Internet. 19 June 2006. Available http://www.vvaw.org/about/. “Agent Orange.” Online. Internet. 19 June 2006. Available http://www1.va.gov/agentorange/. “Vietnam Veteran.” Wikipedia. Online Internet. 19 June 2006. Available http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veteran. “Vietnam Veterans Memorial.” Online. Internet. 19 June 2006. Available http://www.nps.gov/vive/. “Vietnam War.” Wikipedia. Online. Internet. 19 June 2006. Available http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_war. “Timeline.” Online. Internet. 19 June 2006. Available http://www.vietnam-dioxine.org/rendezvous_en.php.