Lasting Effects Of The War
The Vietnam War caused Americans to revise their ideas on how the U.S. should handle international conflicts. The turning points of this war, the Tet Offensive and the My Lai Massacre, not only shocked our country but had extremely bad negative effects on the people of Vietnam.
At this point, television started becoming the medium for transporting information because it was more trustworthy than newspapers and more visual than radios. Where Americans previously only heard about the casualties of a battle from a radio or newspaper, now they could turn on a television and actually see the casualties as they were happening. During the Tet Offensive, shocking pictures were shown around the country disproving the lie that the North Vietnamese and Vietcong were contained and we were winning the war. Though the U.S. troops eventually recovered and emerged the victors of the Tet Offensive, the media's reports of the initial slaughter caused many citizens to change their minds about the war and doubt the decision to send more troops.
The My Lai Massacre was covered up for an entire year year before Seymour Hersh finally broke the story to more than 30 newspapers, which led to public outrage. This story further divided the war's supporters and those who opposed it. Even though America was already beginning to pull out of Vietnam, the story being broadcast through various news sources still marked a devastating blow to the public support for the war.
In the Vietnam War, the media wasn't only more graphic, but it was more informative. Before, war stories were mainly supportive of the conflict and companies reported success rather than failure. This time though, televisions and news articles uncovered the unsavory stories that caused the destruction of morale of the soldiers and Americans' opinion on the war. The reports not only changed the views of those who lived through the war, but also influenced anyone else who didn't encounter it firsthand. This theme of reporting also affects conflicts and the public's view on them today. Though the press still tries to get as much information to the public as possible, the military and government learned from Vietnam to censor certain topics. If reporters could do whatever they wanted, there would never be support for another war.
At this point, television started becoming the medium for transporting information because it was more trustworthy than newspapers and more visual than radios. Where Americans previously only heard about the casualties of a battle from a radio or newspaper, now they could turn on a television and actually see the casualties as they were happening. During the Tet Offensive, shocking pictures were shown around the country disproving the lie that the North Vietnamese and Vietcong were contained and we were winning the war. Though the U.S. troops eventually recovered and emerged the victors of the Tet Offensive, the media's reports of the initial slaughter caused many citizens to change their minds about the war and doubt the decision to send more troops.
The My Lai Massacre was covered up for an entire year year before Seymour Hersh finally broke the story to more than 30 newspapers, which led to public outrage. This story further divided the war's supporters and those who opposed it. Even though America was already beginning to pull out of Vietnam, the story being broadcast through various news sources still marked a devastating blow to the public support for the war.
In the Vietnam War, the media wasn't only more graphic, but it was more informative. Before, war stories were mainly supportive of the conflict and companies reported success rather than failure. This time though, televisions and news articles uncovered the unsavory stories that caused the destruction of morale of the soldiers and Americans' opinion on the war. The reports not only changed the views of those who lived through the war, but also influenced anyone else who didn't encounter it firsthand. This theme of reporting also affects conflicts and the public's view on them today. Though the press still tries to get as much information to the public as possible, the military and government learned from Vietnam to censor certain topics. If reporters could do whatever they wanted, there would never be support for another war.
Almost 60,000 Americans died in Vietnam. About one third of those who served were draftees, or men who didn't actually want to go to war but were forced to. The other two thirds of the army were made up of volunteers, which made the draft even more unpopular due to the large number of people who already enlisted themselves. There were also many draft dodgers who refused to go to war, which is considered a criminal offense. Though the dodgers were pardoned later in 1977 (much to the disapproval of many American citizens), many people disagreed with the draft and found it ineffective, so it ended after the U.S. had taken troops out of Vietnam. Today, we have a full army of volunteers that has enough people to be effective in present conflicts. There most likely will not ever be a need for a draft again unless a third world war breaks out and more soldiers are needed.
Another major policy change for the U.S. was that Congress was given more power to check a President's decision to send troops into battle. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 called for a Congressional declaration of war before the President could deploy armed forces. This is still in effect today (though the the argument can be made that the U.S. hasn't actually entered into a war since 1941), but still conflicts like the Vietnam War happen.
In conclusion of the My Lai Massacre and the surfacing of the event in which took place, questions of what the nation's rules of warfare would be, how would they determined, and how do they apply to soldiers and their commanders? But the greatest question was perhaps: what penalties would be met by those who violate these rules? These were the issues facing the US military court that charged First Lieutenant William Calley with the murder of 22 Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai Massacre. Colonel William Wilson lead the investigation. Wilson learned that the rumors about the slaughter of the My Lai villagers by US troops under Calley's command were true. Such crimes during the Vietnam War were not only common but had become somewhat routine; because these assaults occurred under the watch and under the orders of commanding officers, the troops went unpunished. Calley, on the other hand, did not have such luck. He was found guilty and was sentenced to hard labor for the rest pf his life. It was at this time that President Nixon stepped in and placed Calley under house arrest instead of jail and looked to get him pardoned. After three and a half years, Calley's sentence was dropped due to "unfair conduct." This earned quite a bit of back lash from the general public and many questions pertaining to warfare crimes went unanswered.
Another major policy change for the U.S. was that Congress was given more power to check a President's decision to send troops into battle. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 called for a Congressional declaration of war before the President could deploy armed forces. This is still in effect today (though the the argument can be made that the U.S. hasn't actually entered into a war since 1941), but still conflicts like the Vietnam War happen.
In conclusion of the My Lai Massacre and the surfacing of the event in which took place, questions of what the nation's rules of warfare would be, how would they determined, and how do they apply to soldiers and their commanders? But the greatest question was perhaps: what penalties would be met by those who violate these rules? These were the issues facing the US military court that charged First Lieutenant William Calley with the murder of 22 Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai Massacre. Colonel William Wilson lead the investigation. Wilson learned that the rumors about the slaughter of the My Lai villagers by US troops under Calley's command were true. Such crimes during the Vietnam War were not only common but had become somewhat routine; because these assaults occurred under the watch and under the orders of commanding officers, the troops went unpunished. Calley, on the other hand, did not have such luck. He was found guilty and was sentenced to hard labor for the rest pf his life. It was at this time that President Nixon stepped in and placed Calley under house arrest instead of jail and looked to get him pardoned. After three and a half years, Calley's sentence was dropped due to "unfair conduct." This earned quite a bit of back lash from the general public and many questions pertaining to warfare crimes went unanswered.
The U.S. used some very questionable tactics when fighting in Vietnam. Agent Orange was a popular herbicide that was used to kill trees and foliage to make the fight easier, though the implications of this reached further than they thought. Many people who were at sites that were sprayed have gotten genetic problems, and even diseases such as cancer. Children in Vietnam still are effected by the disorders caused by Agent Orange. The only reason why our army was allowed to use it was because it technically wasn't chemical warfare, which was because of the fact that it wasn't directly being used against humans, but on the plant life. The companies that created Agent Orange essentially lied about the dioxins in it, but since then they have been forced to compensate millions of dollars to Vietnamese who it effected and also veterans in high risk areas. The effects of harmful herbicides are still being dealt with today.
In the years to follow the war tensions were high and the country looked to heal the wounds of war. On was President Carter did so was to pardon the "draft Dodgers." These were the people who fled to Canada or changed their names to get out of going to Vietnam. This decision was highly controversial. On one hand some people wanted the pardon to extend to the people who had fled while in Vietnam. On the other, people who had lost family or had gone to Vietnam believed that the dodgers should have been prosecuted. These people felt cheated and were completely against the pardon. As a whole, the country was divided in this decision.
Clearly the tactics used in Vietnam have changed America forever. Our opinions about war and how it should be handled are now different, as a people we are now more weary about charging into battle in a foreign country when we know very little about the situation. All of the bad things that we learned from our involvement in the Vietnam War are still seen in society today. The counterculture, for instance, is still seen in today's culture, though it is quite different and diminished. Even though we have a functioning army, the draft hasn't been put back into existence, another example of what has changed. It has been decades, yet we can still feel the effects of the Vietnam War today.
In the years to follow the war tensions were high and the country looked to heal the wounds of war. On was President Carter did so was to pardon the "draft Dodgers." These were the people who fled to Canada or changed their names to get out of going to Vietnam. This decision was highly controversial. On one hand some people wanted the pardon to extend to the people who had fled while in Vietnam. On the other, people who had lost family or had gone to Vietnam believed that the dodgers should have been prosecuted. These people felt cheated and were completely against the pardon. As a whole, the country was divided in this decision.
Clearly the tactics used in Vietnam have changed America forever. Our opinions about war and how it should be handled are now different, as a people we are now more weary about charging into battle in a foreign country when we know very little about the situation. All of the bad things that we learned from our involvement in the Vietnam War are still seen in society today. The counterculture, for instance, is still seen in today's culture, though it is quite different and diminished. Even though we have a functioning army, the draft hasn't been put back into existence, another example of what has changed. It has been decades, yet we can still feel the effects of the Vietnam War today.