Remembering the Vietnam War

Vietnam was the first war that I lived through. As a teen anxiously approaching 18 years old and the draft, the 1970s were years of turmoil. Among the protests over Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, and the Equal Rights Amendment, I most remember the dread that I would need to register for the draft and get shipped off to that terrible place where so many young men of my age came home in a flag-draped coffin. Vietnam was a different war for America and one that we never really came to terms with as a nation for several reasons.

First, it was the first time America had a televised view of its sons coming home from the war in a coffin. While the numbers vary widely, U.S. fatalities were roughly 16,000 dead, with total war death from 1955-1975 at over 3 million. In previous wars fought overseas (World War I and II, the Korean Conflict), World War I and II dead were buried where they fell, and TV did not exist in the 1950s with widespread audiences watching the nightly news. The sight increased the protest and demand for the end of the war.

Second, it was the first war that America lost. While we can debate whether either side was the winner of the Civil War (700,000 deaths total), Vietnam spelled defeat for the first time after America became a world power. It shook the American psyche, and when Vietnam Veterans returned home, they did not come home to a hero’s welcome. They were spat on, derided, and Vietnam Vets never got the appreciation they deserved to this day.

Third, the war was unpopular because America had no real plan to win. Both the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War were part of the containment doctrine started by Harry Truman. After WWII, the Soviet Union retained all the territory it had taken in the war, and suddenly most of Eastern Europe had new Communist governments, as a part of the new Soviet Union and controlled by Russia. America was directly challenged when Cuba fell to the Communists in 1959. Containing Communists thrust us into Korea and Vietnam, with both countries dividing between North and South, and the Communists finally taking North Korea, all of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Not only did America lose the war, but Communism advanced with the help of China and Russia. It looked as though Communism would take the day. Both North Korea and Vietnam are still Communist-controlled.

So, as we approach Memorial Day, it is not a celebration, but a remembrance. Let us appreciate all our veterans, but especially those who fought and returned from Vietnam. The baggage they carry over our losing the war has been great and as a grateful nation, we need to say thanks!