Vietnam: America's disgrace
Many events led up to the Vietnam War. The League for the Independence of Vietnam, generally known as the Viet Minh, was organized in 1941 as a nationalistic party seeking Vietnamese independence from France. On September 2, 1945, less than a month after the Japanese surrendered in World War II, Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Viet Minh, formally declared Vietnamese independence. Not until the mid 1950s did the Viet Minh become openly communist. Fighting broke out between the French and the Viet Minh in 1946, and did not end until 1954. A cease-fire was then called, and a truce was declared. Vietnam was divided along the 17th parallel, with the Viet Minh occupying the northern part, and those under French command would retreat to the southern part. However, two years later, the communist Viet Minh decided to unify South Vietnam with North Vietnam through military force. America, fearing the spread of communism in Asia, dispatched troops to South Vietnam, hoping to provide the country with economic and military assistance. However, the Diem regime, which governed South Vietnam, was extremely unpopular with the people, and American involvement did not improve the situation. Guerrilla warfare spread as the Viet Minh soldiers,
------------------------------------------------------------------------ The war waged on for another 21 years, during which almost 60,000 American soldiers, 224,000 ARVN soldiers, 1.1 million VC soldiers, and one million Vietnamese civilians were killed. So many deaths, and yet so little to show for it. Many Vietnamese cities and towns were ruined; bombs and the herbicide known as Agent Orange scarred much of the countryside. Returning veterans were not only physically injured, but also mentally scarred for life. This emotional trauma veterans suffered from came to be known as PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Some were even classified as °psychologically disabled.± Even if they didn¯t go insane, many of the veterans still felt isolated upon returning to the mainstream American society. The website version of Vietnam magazine. Contains articles and other perspectives about the Vietnam War. So why did Americans fight in the first place? Walter Dean Myer¯s novel, Fallen Angels, may answer part of this question. Though fictitious, this novel gives insight on the soldier¯s state of mind, and also their motivations for fighting. The main character and narrator of the story, Richie Perry, enlisted as soon as he got out of high school because he had no where else to go. Coming from a poor family, he could not afford college, so he joined the army to help support his family. Perry also believes that if the Viet Congs were not stopped in Vietnam, the fighting would continue in the streets of America. Some other soldi
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1041
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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