Vietnam Essay -- essays research papers

After thinking about all the things we would memorise this year in Americanhistory I decided to do my project on the experiences of Vietnam Warveterans. There is a lot of controversy as to whether or not the VietnamWar veterans are given enough cite for what they went through. I haveheard horrible stories of US soldiers dying from US bombs, shell shock, andsoldiers returning to America and not being able to function as activemembers of society due to the horrors of the war. All I really know aboutthe war is what I have seen on television. I wanted to learn about the warthrough the firsthand accounts of those who were in that location.The Vietnam War was a military struggle fought in Vietnam from1959 to 1975. It began as an attempt by Communist guerrillas (or Vietcong)in the South, approve by Communist North Vietnam, to overthrow thegovernment of South Vietnam. The struggle grew into a war between SouthVietnam and North Vietnam and ultimately into an international conflict. Thejo ined States and some 40 other countries supported South Vietnam bysupplying troops and munitions, and the USSR and the Peoples Republicof China furnished munitions to North Vietnam and the Vietcong. On twainsides, however, the heart of the war fell mainly on the civilians.1On January 27, in Paris, delegations representing the United States,South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Provisional RevolutionaryCommunist Government of South Vietnam sign an Agreement on Endingthe War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam. The cease-fire officially went intoeffect on January 28. Both the US and North Vietnam asserted that therewere no secret peace terms.2All the US fighting forces had withdrawn from Vietnam by March1973, but not without major losses on both sides. Two million Vietnamesewere killed and 3 million were wounded. The extensive use of napalm anddefoliants (such as Agent Orange) left many state badly burned, anddestroyed the ecology of a country that was mainly agricultural.This is an i mportant part of US history because it was the first war inwhich there was no clear winner. 57,685 US soldiers were killed, and tripletthat amount were wounded. Even those who returned to the United stateswithout physical damage suffered from depression, and had to live withmemories of the carnage and destruction that they saw. What bothers meabout... ...arried, butinstead decided on throwing it away, so that he wouldnt be able to. Soeventhis early in the war, the horrors of the POW camps were already known.I believe the worst twinge Stafford had to endure was being withoutwater. As time passed, Staffords awareness shifted away from his physicalpain and the uncertainty of his situation and focused on one single fact andsensation he was thirsty... He got down off the stool, onto his knees, andlicked the floor where he tiles joined, hoping some water had a accumulatedthere. When that failed, he tried licking damaged places on the wall,hopingthat some water had sweated through.6 It was only his second day withoutwater, and he had to wait three more.The book continues to describe the horrible conditions in the rooms,the small amounts of food, and the torture that they had to go through onoccasion, but never was any soldiers ordeal described the way Staffordshad been.Its amazing how some people can persevere. After spending eightyears as a Vietnam POW Stafford was released. When he returned homehis wife was still waiting for him, and the only puzzle he suffered wasoccasional depression.