Customer center

We are a boutique essay service, not a mass production custom writing factory. Let us create a perfect paper for you today!

Example research essay topic: Percent Of Americans Viet Cong - 1,641 words

NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote

... nd ammunition depots. These tunnels proved to be an excellent strategy for fighting in the Vietnamese jungles, as they were perfect for transporting men and supplies unnoticed through the jungle. Another strategy that the Vietnamese used to combat Americas military superiority was the laying of booby traps. Booby traps are defined as Concealed devices used to inflict casualties.

Booby traps were an integral component of the war waged by the Vietnamese forces. Between January 1965, and June 1970, booby traps and mines caused 12 percent of the fatalities and 18 percent of the wounding that were inflicted on American soldiers (9). Booby traps were used mainly to delay and disrupt the movement of American troops, divert manpower towards clearing traps and mines, and also to fill up American field hospitals. Booby traps were a key component in pre-arranged killing zones. The use of booby traps also had a psychological effect on Marines. The fear of booby traps was so great that even Platoon Commanders were reluctant to send Marines into Vietnamese territory.

Many materials that were used for the mines and booby traps were of American origin. These parts included unexploded bombs and captured or abandoned munitions. They would also use bamboo and venomous snakes in their traps. One historic example of the effectiveness of such traps was when Charlie Company of the First Battalion, 20 th Infantry sustained over 40 percent of their casualties in 32 days without ever seeing their enemy. The effect on their morale was so great that it was the surviving marines who committed the My Lai massacre. Booby traps can be divided into non-explosive and explosive traps.

The most common types of traps were the single punk stake gravity traps (See appendix 3). Punk stakes were sharpened shoots of bamboo that had been hardened in fire and coated in human excrement to cause infection. These were hidden in shallow pits and covered with foliage. This trap was intended to be walked on and to injure the lower leg portion, as well as poison their targets. Other pit traps followed the same basic design but would have many punk stakes and were designed to injure more than one target. Also, there were weight sensitive traps that would only be activated by over 1000 pounds of weight and were approximately 10 by 10.

The pits on these traps were dug about seven feet deep and were designed to impale American troops and kill them. There were many other traps as well including the swinging ball trap, and the bear traps. The Vietnamese also constructed explosive traps that were meant to injure and kill dozens of Marines at one time. Once triggered, the Marines would have three to five seconds to clear the 20 -meter kill zone. The most deadly explosive trap was the Claymore, because it was able to be detonated from high up in a tree and send shards of shrapnel showering down in a 60 -degree radius onto Marines. Most explosives worked very much the same, were cheap and easy to build.

Other devices included daisy chains, (grenades tied together in sequence), and toe poppers, (a bullet set under the ground with a nail under the firing pin which when stepped on would obliterate the foot of whoever stepped on it). These Vietnamese strategies coupled with the fact that the Vietnamese had been fighting for over fifty years in the jungle, completely stripped the United States of all of its military superiority because they could not possibly keep up with the rag-tag Vietnamese force that would not be drawn into a traditional war. Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. This is a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. He said this about the Vietnam conflict. While president Johnson did have the countrys support at the beginning of the war, as Americans began to realize that the war was a lost cause, the Presidents support began to decline.

With a mortality rate of 1 - 5 men who were drafted, people began openly protesting the war by burning their draft cards, organizing walk-outs, and holding anti war rallies. Why did the Americans continue to fight? Because of General Westmoreland. General Westmoreland would change the body counts from both sides to make it look like the Americans were being triumphantly victorious. Along with these lies, General Westmoreland also failed to mention that while the Americans were killing many enemy soldiers, the draft pool from which the Vietnamese were able to draw from included almost all of Northern Vietnam.

From a soldiers point of view, the Government was downplaying their efforts and their sacrifices by manipulating body counts. In the field, morale suffered greatly due to daily engagements, friends dying all around, and officers being replaced every week. Most Marines would do drugs before their patrols to take their mind off what they were doing and where they were. Also, the number of soldiers who went A.

W. O. L (absent without leave) was higher in Vietnam than in any other conflict in history. Officers who were hard on their men ran the risk of getting framed (killed by your own men). While American soldiers were basically fighting for another nations independence, it was very demoralizing for them to not be respected or appreciated by the people they were fighting for, - the South Vietnamese. The South Vietnamese were not happy about the Americans being in Vietnam and it was very obvious.

Every single day, hundreds of South Vietnamese citizens would join either the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese Army. This made it very difficult to know which South Vietnamese villages could be trusted. By not having Vietnamese support or appreciation of their efforts, the Americans began to mistrust the South Vietnamese people and could be the reason for a horrible event. In 1968, when the village of My Lai was completely destroyed, and over 100 innocent Villagers were killed, the marines who were responsible claimed that the Village had been a staging area for recent attacks on a nearby Marine base. Not one weapon was found in the wreckage of the Village, nor any enemy troops. This made it clear that some American soldiers had been through too much and could not longer control themselves.

Another unnecessary morale-dropping event was the radio broadcast by Jane Fonda in 1972. She went on to praise the Viet Cong, Without hesitation, he offered me, an American, their best individual bomb shelter, while American bombs fell nearby. She continued to later criticize the way in which the Marines were fighting. I witnessed the systematic destruction of civilian targets schools, hospitals, factories, houses, and the dyke system. Although she did apologize 16 years later on the Barbara Walters show, the damage had already been done.

The consequences of war are usually economic and political. However, this time the social effects were the most important. For the first time, the United States got involved in a situation where they not only had external pressures against an action, but internal pressures as well. When the people saw the death toll rise, and the horrific carnage, the American people demanded the end of the slaughter in Vietnam. Two large anti war groups were founded by students and were known as S. D.

S (Students For A Democratic Society), and Y. I. P. P. I. E (Young International Peoples Party).

One such group was involved in the Kent State riots. A group of students who were protesting the war got out of hand and the National Guard had to be called in. A fight broke out and the Guard killed five students. Socially this destroyed whatever support for the war that was still present in America.

By all means and against any other enemy, the Americans should have been able to win this war. Unfortunately for the Americans, in this scenario, where most of their advanced weaponry was neutralized by either nature, geography, or the cunning of the North Vietnamese, the strategy that was used against them, and their lack of morale and support, it was impossible for the Americans to have won this war. Americans had a very bad experience in Vietnam, while the Vietnamese who participated had the honor of defending their nation. 91 percent of Vietnamese veterans said that they were glad that they served in Vietnam, to the 13 percent of Americans who answered the same (10). Also, 74 percent of Vietnamese veterans said that they would still enlist today knowing the brutal outcome of the war, to the 8 percent of Americans who answered the same. On January 27 th, 1973, all three involved parties, (Viet Cong, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the United States) held peace talks in Paris. They negotiated for two years while fighting during peace talks in Paris.

The involved parties agreed that American troops would gradually withdraw from Vietnam, and that all prisoners of war would be released from both sides. Also, the treaty stated that South Vietnam would have the right to choose whether or not to remain a sovereign nation, or to re-unite with North Vietnam. Going against the peace talks, North Vietnam rolled into Saigon with no resistance, and on July 2 nd, 1976, Vietnam was once again under Communist rule. The North Vietnamese renamed Saigon Ho Chi Minh City, after the instigator of Communism in Vietnam. 47, 000 American soldiers were killed in the line of duty, and at a cost of well over 200 billion dollars, the war had been all losses and no gains. After the Vietnam War, America imposed trade sanctions against Vietnam, crippling their economy. It was until Soviet aid made its way to Vietnam that they were able to stand on their own two feet.

Despite the American effort: Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam all remain communist today.


Free research essays on topics related to: percent of americans, south vietnamese, americans began, viet cong, peace talks

Research essay sample on Percent Of Americans Viet Cong

Writing service prices per page

  • $18.85 - in 14 days
  • $19.95 - in 3 days
  • $23.95 - within 48 hours
  • $26.95 - within 24 hours
  • $29.95 - within 12 hours
  • $34.95 - within 6 hours
  • $39.95 - within 3 hours
  • Calculate total price

Our guarantee

  • 100% money back guarantee
  • plagiarism-free authentic works
  • completely confidential service
  • timely revisions until completely satisfied
  • 24/7 customer support
  • payments protected by PayPal

Secure payment

With EssayChief you get

  • Strict plagiarism detection regulations
  • 300+ words per page
  • Times New Roman font 12 pts, double-spaced
  • FREE abstract, outline, bibliography
  • Money back guarantee for missed deadline
  • Round-the-clock customer support
  • Complete anonymity of all our clients
  • Custom essays
  • Writing service

EssayChief can handle your

  • essays, term papers
  • book and movie reports
  • Power Point presentations
  • annotated bibliographies
  • theses, dissertations
  • exam preparations
  • editing and proofreading of your texts
  • academic ghostwriting of any kind

Free essay samples

Browse essays by topic:

Stay with EssayChief! We offer 10% discount to all our return customers. Once you place your order you will receive an email with the password. You can use this password for unlimited period and you can share it with your friends!

Academic ghostwriting

About us

© 2002-2024 EssayChief.com