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War had a significant effect on several people’s lives from all around the lobe. Cause and US involvement- One of the biggest contributors to the war was the united States, the United States got involved in 1955 when President John Kennedy began sending soldiers to support the South Vietnamese and train them to fight better this caused controversy all over the world. During the 1 ass’s the United States greatly feared communism and feared a revolution much like what happened in Russia and China which ultimately led to communism.
The United States decided to back the South Vietnamese in the fighting against the communist North Vietnamese; they thought that by supporting the South it would monish the chance of communism spreading. The historical novel “The Fall of Saigon” stated that “Between 1950 and 1954, the USA gave France CSS$2. 6 billion to fight against communism in Indochina” this indicates how desperate the United States was to keep communism at bay.
At first most of Americans supported the war against communism but as the involvement intensified they began to disagree with the fighting, this meant that drafting began which forced men to join the war which made people even more upset with the war. Americans were being killed in the thousands this sparked anti-war protests which ended in further bloodshed “the protesters turned to tragedy when four students were shot and killed at Kent State University in Ohio and two more died at Jackson State College in Mississippi.
They died I n clashes with policemen and soldiers who were trying to stop demonstrations. That spring, about 400 universities were shut down at least temporarily because of the violence. ” (Butler, D. (1986). The Fall of Saigon). The US were fighting the Vetting were the communists who began the war which was mainly a guerrilla war, this means that there were no great armies meeting on a tattletale but small groups using surprise attacks to fight. The Vetting were incredibly hard to fight as it was difficult to tell them apart from the villagers they lived with.
Although the South was continually being aided by the US the Vetting were winning predominantly throughout the war this was due to their guerrilla war tactics which helped them take possession Of several rural areas in South Vietnam and the South Vietnamese had a corrupt government due to their corrupt leader Mongo Dint Diem. What long term consequences did the Vietnam War have on the United States? The Vietnam War has various long term consequences on the United States, firstly it was the first war that thy had ever lost, this was quite a shock as they had fought in wars with much larger countries but this war changed it all.
In a poll done by Time magazine 29% of the IIS public felt that the United States were wrong to get involved in the Vietnam war, whereas 58% of Vietnam veterans thought that the United States were right to get involved in the war. This is interesting as these two opinions obviously contrast; this may be because the veterans felt like they had done something of significant in he war. This gives an interesting insight to the perspectives of two different groups that were affected by the war.
The poll also asked should the US re establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, the 48% of the IIS public said yes and 44% of the Vietnam veterans said yes, this shows me that that the Vietnam veterans are still not ready to re connect with Vietnam again. Should the US admit more Vietnamese boat people was also asked 35% of US public said yes and 51% of Vietnam veterans said yes. This could be an indication of the veteran’s experiences and after seeing a communist country and this loud have made them more sympathetic towards Vietnamese trying to escape.
The US has not completely removed itself from the war as it still has had a large influence especially in Hollywood as the Vietnam war has been portrayed trough the big screen with movies such as The Deer Hunter and Platoon to born on the Fourth of July and even a television series China beach. It became such an influential event that people began to want to make it into a story, this helped younger generations understand what the war was like and its significance to the country.
Sadly for some families of veterans ho do not have to cope with injures or death but something much worse every day they have to cope with the unknown. Some Lignite States veterans never made it home, but they did nitrous die on the battle field but almost like they just disappeared. “The 3,600 members of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia still believe there may be loved ones locked in prisons hidden somewhere in the impenetrable Manages Cordillera”. Waterman, p. (1990, April). Vietnam: 15 Years Later. Time. ) Not knowing where your where one of your loved family embers is an unbearable reality for so many families in America and this is how the Vietnam war has impacted their life, in my opinion I think that this is probably one of the worst outcomes from the war. The United States have been divided in their opinions in what their relationship should look like 15 years after the war.
The more sympathetic of Americans feel that they do need to reconstruct a relationship with Vietnam and they need to help them in order for them to have a functioning economy, Anne Willis an anti-war activist commented that “Americans have a role to play in the reconstruction f Vietnam because we had such a large role in destroying it”. As an activist Willis has visited Hanoi in 1 968 and has experienced all the war has brought to country. Although her views are not mutual, “80% say the US does t owe Vietnam anything. Nor is the push to establish full diplomatic retains generally embraced by the Vietnamese” (Waterman, P. 1990, April). Vietnam: 15 Years Later. Time). I think that many Americans are only aware of how the war has affected them since so many of them were sent there and most people would have been affected in some way but this means they do not insider how the Vietnamese were affected by the United States entering the war. Think we will have to wait several more years and let the wounds of the war heal, which they possibly may not but it think that over time the two countries may be able to reconnect. How were New Slanderer affected by the Vietnam War at the time?
Why did the Vietnam War cause so much protest in New Zealand and around the world? The united States involvement was largely significant to New Zealand as their participation was highly controversial as most New Slanderer felt that the Vietnam War had nothing to do with them and was to their war to fight. Although the majority were against the war, the government felt pressure from the United States to provide aid and strengthen ties with the United States; interestingly enough this was the first time New Zealand did not fight alongside their usual allies Great Britain.
New Sealant’s contribution in the war was significantly smaller than other countries the number of soldiers peaked to 543 in 1 968 in total 3,890 veterans . New Slanderer were in the air, in offices, in operating theatres, in hospital wards, in tunnels and jungles they helped out in several different says during the war. The New Zealand soldiers helped to fight against the communists in the North. The War largely affected the New Zealand soldiers in several different ways, physically 187 were wounded this would have had a major effect on their life and may even have had long term consequences to their health.
The war would have also had effects on the veterans mental health with being exposed to the horrors of war, losing their fellow soldiers and having to kill the enemy. New Zealand Bruce Knight, a rifleman in the Vietnam War said “We never use to talk about the guys that died, not that we ever forgot them it hasn’t about till 20-30 years later that we actually talked about them. ” It is important to note that Mr.. Knights perception may have been alter over time ultimately affecting his memory.
Not only the New Zealand soldiers were affected but others involved in the war such as nurses who looked after the injured and sick soldiers while in Vietnam, they were a vital part to the war and had a significant impact on their life. Daphne Shaw a Royal New Zealand nurse who worked in Vietnam said “I’m very glad went to Vietnam, because the reason went was to kick after New Zealand troops, ND I feel did a good job and they appreciated what we did. I worked in a hospital that treated Australian and New Zealand soldiers that were injured or got ill in Vietnam. Daphne recount of the war reflects how non-soldier New Slanderer experienced the war and their contribution, the nurses were not as intensely effected as the soldier for they were not putting their bodies on the line or had the had to carry the heavy burden of firearm. Being a nurse in the Vietnam War would have been more fulfilling as they have the very important job of tending to the ill and wounded. Daphne also comments on ere life Vietnam ‘The accommodation was acceptable, fairly basic but you had a bed, fan and a window. Our relationship with the service men were pretty good really, they treated the girls really well. A positive relationship was formed between the nurses and soldiers, which was essential for the maintaining a healthy environment. It is interesting to note the different contrasting living conditions of the nurses and the soldiers where the nurses had fairly standard living which is expected in a country such as Vietnam and even more so during war time but the soldiers had to spend a lot of time in ranches which Bruce Knight described it as “a horrible thing, they were just one big pit with a wall around it with one big bench seat, the stench was shocking, you never opened your mouth and breathe because you’d breathe a fly in. It is clear from the interview with Bruce Knight that the memory of the trenches is engraved in his mind and has had become a significant event in his life. The war caused a huge amount of protest around the world; this was mainly because it was the first war that was televised helped people to be able to visually connect with the war and made them realist what they were sending heir sons and brothers, this ultimately resulted in the masses of protest that occurred during the war.
New Slanderer felt very strongly against the war this was demonstrated when protests were held on the steps of parliament against sending New Zealand troops to Vietnam, this occurred in 1965.
Most Of the protesters that occurred in New Zealand were in large groups and used signs and banners to convey their message across, a common accurate in the photos is that a fair amount of the protesters were young this was because during the 1 ass’s people especially the younger of the generation came more politically aware and was the time of world peace, I think that people felt after having two world wars which had negative effect on peoples lives and the economy they did not want to have another war where their fathers, brothers and sons had to put their lives in danger.
A Et Papa article on Anti-Vietnam War demonstration stated “the Vietnam war was New Sealant’s longest and most unpopular conflict of the country’s participation in the war was mostly about fulfilling its obligation under the Angus treaty. ” Even though the protesters were not physically involved in the war it still had a ajar impact on their life, much like New Sealant’s military involvement in the war the protests were on a much smaller scale in comparison to the united States.
As the United States protest went so far to having 400 universities’ temporarily closed down and four demonstrators shot whereas in New Zealand a protest occurred at Canterbury University where around 300 students assembled where they listened to music and speakers followed by to the Army headquarters in protest of the war. The difference in the protests was mainly due to the countries size and different law enforcements.
New Zealand veterans were affected physically during the war by the substance used called Agent Orange, the United States military used Agent Orange in the Vietnam War to spray over the jungles where the Vetting used hide in order to expose them. But what they did not realist was the effect the substance had on the veterans at ground level, Ministry of Foreign Affairs “claim that about 5 million people became the victims of Agent Orange” (History Learning site, Para. ) Of those 5 million people affected several from New Zealand, the harmful toxin has many long term health effects such as anger and genetic problems to name a few. The most concerning fact about the genetic problems that are a long term effect is it is not just the primary person exposed to the substance but their future generations, this means that even many years after the war people are still feeling and seeing the consequences of the war.
The New Zealand government was incredibly slow in realizing the harmful effects of Agent Orange, are cartoon was published by Allan Charles Hawked in 2004 which feature two New Zealand soldiers fighting in Vietnam being sprayed by agent orange one saying “How long will t take the authorities back home to realist that we’re being exposed to agent orange? ” with another soldier replying ‘With modern communication- about thirty year. This cartoonist was highlighting the issue that the government were slow to react to the silent danger that New Slanderer were facing in Vietnam and in a time with vast technology it should have been picked up earlier. The affected veterans were left to deal with their health issues on their own after the war which was made many people affected by it very unhappy, veterans spokesman John Miller said ‘the government must insensate ex-soldiers and their families, some of whom have suffered generation of health problems” and “Its bloody unacceptable what the New Zealand government has done to us and other countries involved in the war. In 2004 the New Zealand veterans finally received compensation from the government. A year after the veterans received compensation for the effects of Agent Orange, it was once again in headlines as it became public knowledge New Zealand was involved in supplying Agent Orange in the Vietnam war, Transport minister commented to Sunday Newspaper “The information that has been given to me is that products used to make Agent Orange were shipped from New Plymouth to Cubic Bay in the Philippines. This led to the people of New Zealand especially the soldiers to lose faith in the government for directly and knowing putting them in danger. What long term consequences did the Vietnam War have on New Zealand? New Sealant’s major purpose for entering the war to support the united States was to strengthen ties with the Americans and fulfill their agreement in the ANGUS alliance; even as the participation in the war was highly UN- popular and controversial the New Zealand government felt that what they were doing was in the best interest of the country.
Being on the right side of one of the world’s biggest powers was a way of looking after their own economy and securing a powerful ally. Similarly as the United States the New Zealand government was concerned about the issue of communism growing, so this also became an underlying motive for entering the war in order to keep communism at bay. Although the war received high levels of disagreement from the public but this did not have a great effect on the government of the time which was the National Party as through the time of the Vietnam War they were re-elected twice in 1966 and 1969.
Many New Slanderer much like the Vietnam veterans in the United States faced physical and mental issues which some have had to bear for the remainder of their life. During an interview with Bruce Knight a New Zealand, Vietnam veteran felt that his experiences in the war were not all bad but he commented “l think my time in Vietnam made me a lot wiser and a lot more secure within myself’, This can give us reassurance that the war wasn’t entirely damaging to New Slanderer and that it gave them an experience that helped them grow as a person.
Probably the biggest impact made on New Zealand by the Vietnam War was the 37 families that never got a family member back. It is easy for us to look at 37 and just see it as a number, which is really not that big in comparison to the number of casualties in the US, but in a small country such as our own that is 37 fathers, 37 brothers, 37 sons, 37 friends that all sacrificed their precious lives for a war that many considered pointless.
While researching the Vietnam War it is interesting to analysis the significance to New Zealand by comparing their involvement to the involvement of the united States and how the war effected both countries. First of all the major difference between New Zealand and the United States was the contribution to the war, the United States had 2, 709,91 8 veterans serving in the war whereas New Zealand only had 3,890, New Sealant’s contribution to the war was much less significant than the United States.
This was mainly due to the fact that the united States is a much larger country with more people than New Zealand and were the country that instigated involvement in the war whereas New Zealand were desperate to stay out of the War, but felt pressure that if they did not they would lose a vital allies; Hereford they only sent the bare minimum to fight in order to stay on side with the United States.
Another difference between the United States and New Zealand was the number of fatalities that occurred during the war; the IIS had 58, 148 casualties and 75,000 wounded whereas New Zealand only had 37 casualties and 187 wounded. For New Zealand these number may seem very high but in comparison to the United States it is insignificant but it is still important to consider that New Sealant’s population is significantly smaller than the United States, this just shows how the war had a massive effect on the United States as so many families had to cope with deaths and injuries from the war.
Another difference was that the IIS really were a contributing factor in the war which makes them partly responsible therefore many American’s feel guilty for contribution and are in debate whether they should re-establish a relationship with Vietnam whereas New Zealand did not have that big of an impact so the war is wallowing in their conscious. In the end both of the countries were largely affected by the war, but due to the differing numbers that fought in the war there were different numbers of people affected.
How did the Vietnam War affect Vietnam? The Vietnam War had a great effect on Vietnam and was a largely significant event in their history. After wanting independence for several years the Vietnamese finally broke free from the French in 1940, but this caused a power struggle between the communists in the North which were later supported by the Soviet Union and the Capitalist in the South which were later supported by United States.
The war was mainly a guerrilla war where there are no large battles or armies but a series of small groups performing surprise attacks several of them happened in villages and towns this led to he thousands of innocent Vietnamese to lose their lives or become injured. One of the most sever and publicized cases of local Vietnamese being affected by the fighting was the story of Kim PUC who’s photo as a nine year old girl sent shock waves through the world. During an air raid by the United States which dropped napalm.
Napalm is made up of plastic polystyrene, hydrocarbon benzene, and gasoline which when set alight burns between 800 degrees Celsius and 1 200 degrees Celsius, when it comes into contact with the human body it bring agonizing pain and very few victims survive, Kim PUC was one of the few who d id. The memory of the event that changed her life forever is engraved in her mind “l remember everything remember seeing my left on fire and I was so scared kept running and running till I couldn’t run anymore. As saying ‘too hot, too hot’ and one of the soldiers gave me some water to drink and poured the water over me and after that, I lost consciousness” (O’Brien, C. (n. D). Scars of Napalm don’t heal. The Dominion). The deadly substance left third degree burns on 35% of her body, Kim was lucky enough to be taken to a Saigon hospital by the man who took the photograph Nick Alt, after being left to die as her injuries seemed grave he was transferred to a US funded hospital where she received professional health treatment which ultimately saved her life.
This picture was one of the most horrific to emerge from the war and gave a great driving force behind protesters in the US and all over the world to end the violence and remove the United States military from the war. The photo had great implications on Skim’s life and she felt as if she could not escape it, in an interview with Catherine O’Brien Kim commented “l hated being the girl in the picture. Just wanted to die. I had lost my home and my dream and all because of that stricture. There were thousands of people who had been injured in the war, and I thought why is it they always want to talk to me? Although the publicity around the photo was frustrating and began to negatively affect her life it also did some good too, it gave her an opportunity to gain treatment that thousands of others missed out on, a German photographer even persuaded a plastic surgeon to perform skin grafts, this meant that Kim was now able to lift both arms above her head and revolve her neck. This greatly improved Skim’s quality of life and without all the attention she has received from the hot, the opportunity may not have been available.
Although Skim’s childhood was not an easy one growing up during a war and suffering a burn her story has a happy ending, she married a fellow Vietnamese Buy Huh Ton in 1 992 later they had two sons. Kim also runs the Kim Foundation which helps child casualties of war, although she has had extensive treatment to her burn scars they still haunt her with on-going symptoms such as pain but has learnt to deal with them in a way that suits her lifestyle “l take painkillers occasionally but I try to avoid them because I don’t want my body to depend on them.
So I massage my skin with creams, and my husband helps me, and go for a walk or sing a song. I never think about the pain because when I do, it just gets bigger and bigger. So cope by letting it go. ” Years after war Vietnam are still feeling the effects of an event that still lingers in their lives. When the United States finally pulled out of the war they left Vietnam with destroyed landscapes, thousands of casualties (many innocent people) and a corrupt government.
Fifteen years later the counties Foreign Minister, Unguent Co Teach spoke with Time’s Washington bureau chief, Stanley W. Cloud he momentum that “we have met all the requirements of the US (on Miss, family reunification, human rights abuses in the re-education camps). But in the State Department there is no change. For example, I am not allowed to go beyond 25 miles of New York City when I am in the US. (Retried General John) Vessel can come here and go everywhere. American congressmen are free to go everywhere in Vietnam”.
From Unguent Co Thatch’s perspective the United States and Vietnamese relationship is still note stable as the Vietnamese political figures receive discrimination in the united States while visiting. He also stated during the interview that he wanted the two countries to have a better relationship much like the United States relationship with China and the Soviet Union, and feels that if this were to happen then it “could contribute to peace and cooperation in South East Asia”.
He also thinks that a better relationship between the two countries would help both countries heal from the war in a moral sense, “As long as this state of abnormal relations drags on, the moral wounds will bleed. ” Without moving on and starting to interact normally the war will constantly affect the two countries. Unguent Co Thatch’s opinion is interesting as it gives us an insight into a Vietnamese perspective on the countries relationship, it is also important to consider that his opinion may be biased and it would be useful to have an opinion from a US politician.
In Vietnam there are still Vietnamese veterans who have been severely affected by the war “200 Vietnamese army veterans, many paralyzed from the waist down. Tucked away from the nations gaze, there are among more than 1 0,000 severely wounded veterans from the four wars Vietnam has fought since 1945. An additional 300,000 disabled soldiers are scattered wrought Vietnam, doing the best they can without the help of the government. “(Stewart, W. (1990, April 30). A War on Poverty. Time. Pages 12 and 13).
The war has left physical and emotions scars on the Vietnamese soldiers which has made every day a struggle and they are left to fend for themselves as the government has not provided any assistance for them. This has left the injured veterans angry and resentful towards the war, in particular the Unites States their war tactics have had dramatic implements to Vietnamese health. A Vietnamese veteran disabled in the war, Hong Dint Truing commented back to wartime, it was awful. Really awful. I’m afraid of any more wars. When told that many American veterans shared his feelings, he says tentatively almost shyly, ‘I’d like them to come see us, to see how we live’. ” (Stewart, W. (1990, April 30). A War on Poverty. Time. Pages 12 and 13). This shows me the resentment Vietnamese veterans feel toward the American veterans, Hong feels that the Vietnamese were worse off after the war whereas the Americans went back to a stable country where they received adequate care. This comment is biased it would be interesting to have an opinion of an American veteran after the war . See how their perspective compares and contrasts. The significance of the war is not forgotten in Vietnam it has been commemorated in highly popular tourism museums in War Remnants Museum (Nah Truing Bay Zoo Ac Chine Trash) in Ho Chi Mini City, it has been a worthwhile attraction for many tourists from all over the worlds and its very blunt showcase of the war is an eye opener for many. Another tourist attraction in Vietnam is the PH ABA Airport which is situated in Hue near the border between the north and south, the airport was used by the Americans during the war and is still intact.
These sites that are used as a tourist attraction show that war was a hugely significant part of Vietnamese history and they want it to be remembered not only to commiserate those who died but to acknowledge that the war was a turning point in their countries history. These places are incredibly interesting for tourist all over the world as they give us a first hand perspective of the war from the Vietnamese, but it is important to note that the museums have been known for being biased and largely placing the blame of the war onto the United States shoulders.
How this event sheds light on issues r problems that concern us today The Vietnam War is undeniably a huge event in the world’s history, and has influenced how we deal to other issues. The war caused various anti-war movements and when it ended many people especially in the United States where they lost 58,022 citizens to the war desperately wanted world peace, they were sick of sending people off to die, this opinion was widely felt throughout the entire country.
An example of this was shown “In the sass’s, the ASSAI hesitated to respond to the conflict in Yugoslavia, and many Americans opposed intervention”. (Butler, D. (1986). The fall of Saigon. United States: Random House). The Vietnam War was a wake up for many people and they became more politically aware of what was happening with their country and wanted to have a say, this had a huge effect on other wars that followed such as the war in Iraq which the United States got involved in. His caused a lot of unhappiness through the country this is shown through a CBS news poll which states “only 25% of Americans believe the military can be effective in curbing the fighting between Iraqis; 45% say that Congress should block funding for more troops in Iraq; almost wow-thirds oppose the President’s troop surge; nearly three-quarters believe the war is going badly; and nearly half say the war is getting worse” (America’s Iraq War: Lost before it began. (2007, March 21 The Real Truth. Retrieved May, 1 6, 2013 from http://relatable. Org/articles/070321 -001 -geopolitics. HTML) I think the government is being more cautious about their approach to this war as some have commented that it may become the “next Vietnam” which the United States is trying to desperately avoid. Several people have used the use of visual text to send a political message through movies, these films give audiences and honest look at the war which is fuelled by an anti-war message, they are powerful as they give us the war at a personal level and we can experience what it is like for characters involved in a what was supposed to be a glorious war.