Explain Why The Us Lost The Vietnam War
I believe that America lost the Vietnam War because they were unprepared. America did not need to get involved in the conflict, and it would’ve been possible to avoid most of the apparent consequences America endured. Preparation alongside careful consideration would have benefitted America in deciding if they were required to utilize measures that were proven to be irrationally harsh. Evaluation of the Vietcong’s knowledge of effective warfare would have been impactful in aiding American and Southern Vietnamese forces alike.
The North Vietnamese were miles ahead of the United States in terms of readiness and knowledge of the terrain. When fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, the heavy leafage and overhead coverage made it difficult for American …show more content…
While thinking of ways to clear the jungle to eliminate the North Vietnamese’s advantage over American troops based on the knowledge of the terrain, America utilized Napalm and Agent Orange to demolish the surrounding jungle. In doing so, it did prove useful to the American and South Vietnamese troops to eliminate one of the upper hands the Vietcong had on them. A side effect of using these chemicals is that the targeted area of the attack is unpredictable. The way American forces deployed these chemicals was by aerial bombs, which made the accuracy of the bombs vary from the expected landing spots. In turn, many innocent women and children, as well as allies of American troops, were greatly damaged or even killed by these chemicals. America did not take enough time or put in enough consideration into thinking about the long-term side effects of utilizing these weapons. Agent Orange alongside Napalm is very harsh on the environment as well as the people who live in it. Many American as well as Vietnamese soldiers were exposed to these chemicals which caused cancer, death, and occasionally, genetic mutations. Another, more obvious, side effect of war is loss of life, which was proven to be so in Vietnam. America did not consider how massive the death toll would be on South Vietnamese and American soldiers alike. If America never would have entered this conflict, the death rate of American soldiers would’ve never existed in the first place. The viewpoints on the Vietnam War made by American citizens are debated throughout the country. Many argue that the Vietnam War should’ve been a civil war between northern and southern Vietnam to settle the conflict of if the south should be under communist rule. From the beginning, it can be argued that America’s Vietnam War involvement should have potentially never been
The North Vietnamese were miles ahead of the United States in terms of readiness and knowledge of the terrain. When fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, the heavy leafage and overhead coverage made it difficult for American …show more content…
While thinking of ways to clear the jungle to eliminate the North Vietnamese’s advantage over American troops based on the knowledge of the terrain, America utilized Napalm and Agent Orange to demolish the surrounding jungle. In doing so, it did prove useful to the American and South Vietnamese troops to eliminate one of the upper hands the Vietcong had on them. A side effect of using these chemicals is that the targeted area of the attack is unpredictable. The way American forces deployed these chemicals was by aerial bombs, which made the accuracy of the bombs vary from the expected landing spots. In turn, many innocent women and children, as well as allies of American troops, were greatly damaged or even killed by these chemicals. America did not take enough time or put in enough consideration into thinking about the long-term side effects of utilizing these weapons. Agent Orange alongside Napalm is very harsh on the environment as well as the people who live in it. Many American as well as Vietnamese soldiers were exposed to these chemicals which caused cancer, death, and occasionally, genetic mutations. Another, more obvious, side effect of war is loss of life, which was proven to be so in Vietnam. America did not consider how massive the death toll would be on South Vietnamese and American soldiers alike. If America never would have entered this conflict, the death rate of American soldiers would’ve never existed in the first place. The viewpoints on the Vietnam War made by American citizens are debated throughout the country. Many argue that the Vietnam War should’ve been a civil war between northern and southern Vietnam to settle the conflict of if the south should be under communist rule. From the beginning, it can be argued that America’s Vietnam War involvement should have potentially never been