In many ways the Tet Offensive was a turning point in the Vietnam War which led to the withdrawal of American troops; however there is also evidence to suggest otherwise. This is caused by the undeniable fact that America suffered a major loss during the surprise attack but, they also came out on top and survived the ambush. The main reason to agree with this statement is that America heavily suffered from the attack in which many lives were lost, ammunition wasted and the government was shown in a new light. This light was that they were not on top of the Vietcong’s tactics and did not know what they were planning. As well as this the fighting itself was filmed and broadcasted in North Vietnam to show that they had successfully attacked and breached the American defences.
Sometimes people believe it’s best to just forget a problem, rather than learn from it. Maybe that’s how the U.S. felt about the Korean War; otherwise we wouldn’t have had a history repeat in Vietnam. The Korean War is known as the forgotten war because of the number of P.O.W.s, the fact that the conflict was a failure for the U.S., and because it’s “easier” to forget failures than learn from them. The number of P.O.W.s was viewed a problem by the U.S. 7,140 American soldiers had been taken into captivity and almost half perished. This is one thing many military leaders wanted to forget because the P.O.W.
Many troops were not committed to their duty in Vietnam and did not always see why they were actually putting their lives on the line. Not only were the VC more committed to the war, they were also greatly underestimated by the US and were not expected to have the advanced tunnel systems and weaponry they used. In summary, Americans simply believed their enemies were technologically inferior peasants, when in reality the VC were well aware of Vietnamese terrain, quick to improvise and extremely dedicated to their cause. Before Ia Drang the US had already commenced Operation Rolling Thunder, the strategic bombing of North Vietnam. Despite
Also, the idea was very slow to be accepted because many people such as inoculators were opposed to it because they thought they would lose business and people thought that something could go wrong or they could die, so they didn’t want to use it. The Royal Society also didn’t want to accept it because they didn’t know Jenner as he was only a country doctor and because sometimes it worked, but them sometimes; unfortunately, it didn’t work and people died from it. On the other hand, a reason why he was so important was the fact that Jenner was responsible for getting rid of a huge killer disease, known by the name of smallpox. So, this saved many lives, as when the government strictly enforced that the vaccination was compulsory, the number of deaths rapidly decreased. He also had the government support and was the first public health programme to be supported by the government, so a lot of people then supported him He used many scientific methods to show the vaccine in progress.
The design principle appears to be inviting. The piece is designed so that visitors can come close and touch the wall and the names engraved in the stone. In 1982, the United States was still feeling the effects of the Vietnam War. The soldiers who fought in Vietnam were treated horribly upon their return. Instead of being treated as returning heroes, they were hated and spat on.
He writes his beliefs and thoughts down to tell the world. Suppressed from the government, this is Kovic's way of expressing his self and getting the word out to the general public in regards to the atrocities of the Vietnam War. Kovic believed that the war was wrong. Here is a person who believed in supporting his country and then came upon the realization that he and his country were wrong in their actions. On the other hand, this gives a person that has not experienced such an incident an insight into the feeling the helplessness, hopelessness, and lack of self worth a veteran may suffer.
Firstly, a main point that their actions were to blame would be that repetitive tactics and how they would refuse to change them. This would result in there army losing out at a battle or changing them to their own plans. Another factor would be that none of them really knew how to work the new weapons and couldn’t train there men to use them, so in most cases they would refuse to use them. Whereas if they had used them in battle there might of been a better chance of the men surviving. Losing touch with the high command was another point which caused a lot of men died.
Likewise this sentiment was shared by many politicians and political activist during the Vietnam War era, like the presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy and singer/songwriter John Dylan. Similar to the Vietnam War, soldiers were returning from Iraq feeling unsatisfied and unconvinced of any progress. Today some solders return still home wondering what, if any impact they made over in Iraq. However, in contrast, our military is held in much higher esteem today upon their return as opposed to the experience Vietnam vets endured. Not only did solders return unsure as to whether their mission was accomplished and/or successful, but there was absolutely no fanfare.
If not killed during the war, many believe any Vietnam veteran would return home great and proud. But this is not the case. Many Vietnam veterans have committed suicide before, during, and after the war. Not only have these men and woman risked their lives for our country, but now, return different people and can not comprehend whether or not to continue their lives. Many people believe we win wars, when in actuality, no one does, especially those who serve in the armed forces (Suicide Wall, 11-10-2000).
According to the article "What Is Combat PTSD?”, Diagnosing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be hard because soldiers view reporting their symptoms as a sign of weakness (What, 1). This makes it difficult to get an accurate idea of exactly how many men and women return from war with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Those who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder often relive the horrendous events they have experienced in combat. Behaviors of this disorder can take on many forms. Sufferers may have a hard time relaxing, experience anxiety, and they often battle depression.