Since the departure of U.S troops from Vietnam in March of 1973, not much has been said about the Vietnam War. It appears as though America’s involvement in this war is often kept secret, like a dark mark on the completion of a face, covered up with layers of foundation, and powder. It was a costly and unsuccessful war. It was a war that divided the nation. Many believed that it was a senseless, unwinnable war. Riots in the capital and anti-war demonstrations showed that the people in the U.S were no longer in support of the war. Now that the Vietnam War has come and gone, many historians try to make sense of the U.S’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
Some historians would argue that the Vietnam War was a war crime. In the article written by Deborah Nelson, War Behind Me: Vietnam Veterans Confront the Truth about US War Crimes in Vietnam, she writes about how there were crimes committed by the U.S army to the Vietnamese, and the American people were unaware of them.( Nelson) Army investigators secretly confirmed 300 incidents, which involved massacres, murders, torture, property destruction, and mutilation of corpses.( Nelson) One of the incidents occurred on February 8, 1968. An estimate of 19 people from the Quang Nam Province had been collected by the 35th Infantry to be executed. Some the people were women, children, and elderly. (Nelson) An eye-witness medic named Jamie Henry, reported the massacre to Army officials, but the Army did not release the information to the public nor did they prosecute the infantry involved.(Nelson)Nelson’s article revealed that the army had been covering up questionable actions by its soldiers. When confronted about their actions, the army claimed that these incidents were singular occurrences. (Nelson) But according to Nelson’s article that isn’t so. Nelson discovered that there were a lot of written reports of U.S interrogators abusing their power on their detainees, but nothing was done to punish the interrogators. The interrogators would often serve very little or no time at all for their actions.( Nelson) It appeared as though the army was trying to cover their tracks.
Other historians would argue that it wasn’t a crime, but rather it was a mistake for the U.S to get involved because it was costly. It was a mistake in the eyes of the American people because we lost a lot of lives, and because we spent a lot of money on the war, and because we lost trust in our political and social sphere. Between the beginning of America’s involvement in the war in 1965 to the end in 1973, at least 58,000 soldiers were killed.(Ron) Even after the U.S had left Vietnam it contributed to 70,000 to 300,000 Vietnam veterans committing suicide, and at least 700,000 veterans suffered from psychological trauma.(Ron)
In addition to the cost of lives, economically America suffered from the Vietnam War. Throughout the entire war, America spent 140 billion on the war, including 111 billion in military costs and 25 billion to economic and military aid to the Saigon Regime.(Ron)Many of the America factories were used in the effort to create military equipment. Shopping rates plunged, and as a result, the economy began hurting. (Ron)
The Vietnam War was also a major social and political cost to America as well. Anti-war movements began to up rise, and for the first time in history, the American people didn’t trust their government’s choice in entering the war. (Ron) Domestic Affairs suffered too. The American people were hesitant for America to get involved with other foreign countries, fearing that they may experience “another Vietnam.”(Ron) The distrust with the government would continue until 1991.
There were no benefits for Americans from the U.S getting involved in the war. America had lost the war, which did not weaken their credibility as a strong power, but also didn’t strengthen it as well. Veterans from the Vietnam War suffered greatly from post-traumatic stress, and other health problems because of the use of a new chemical called Agent Orange.(Effects on Vietnam War) Once the veterans arrived home, they were not welcomed openly like other war veterans, partly because no one supported the war. Veterans would also have to deal with the stigma of mental illness that was attached to them now.(Effects on Vietnam War) Many people believed that the veterans were physically and emotionally damaged. Thanks to the Vietnam War we also see more American people using narcotics. An increasingly popular one was heroin.(Effects on Vietnam War) The increase in heroin leads to an increase in sharing of needles, which lead to an increase in the spreading of AIDS/ HIV.
The South Vietnamese also did not benefit from the Vietnam War. In the fall of Saigon, South Vietnam surrendered to the North and had to convert to communism. North Vietnam sent people from the South to be put into concentration camps, to be re-educated in communist ideas.(Effects on Vietnam War) South Vietnamese people suffered from poverty and prosecution, for many people began to flee from the South.(Effects on Vietnam War)
Works Cited
Nelson, Deborah. “Crimesof War.” Crimes of War – The War Behind Me: Vietnam Veterans Confront the Truth about US War Crimes in Vietnam. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Ron, Alan. “How Much Did The Vietnam War Cost? – The Vietnam War.”The Vietnam War. N.p., 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2015
.”Effects of Vietnam War.” Effects of Vietnam War. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
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