The Vietnam War started on November 1, 1955, and ended April 30, 1975. A total of six nations sent combat troops to fight in South Vietnam against North Vietnam. These nations were the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Vietnam is in Southeast Asia bordered by China and two other countries. The country is a small thin coastal territory.
The U.S got involved in the war 10 years after it started on March 8th, 1965. The reason why is because they wanted to stop the spread of communism under Truman’s policy of Containment. It served in many ways as a proxy was between the Soviet Union and The United States during the Cold War.
More than 58,000 Americans died fighting in the war.
The U.S had to withdraw from Vietnam on March 29, 1973, because the Army had to fight in unfamiliar territory, was lacking in moral, were not prepared for the conditions, could not shut down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and were untrained to respond to guerilla warfare. All these are major disadvantages causing them to withdraw from the war.
Out of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, fewer than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veterans age to be around 60 years old.
Life was difficult for soldiers returning from the Vietnam War because the US never secured public support for it. Back home, the counterculture was on the rise, and much of the reaction that lives on in memory consists of protests and marches against American involvement in Southeast Asia.
Today, all around the US, there are events to help support and honor all the Vietnam veterans that served in the war. There are also recognition dinners, ceremonies, and rallies.
If you happen to know someone who was a Vietnam veteran, take time out of your day to thank them for there bravery, sacrifice, and the strength to go out on the field.
