Vietnam and Us
Ryan McConkey
Glenn May
May 29, 2013
Hist. 388: Vietnam and the U.S.
The View from the Ground Vietnam was a hostile place especially for the Vietnamese. Going into a war with one of the most powerful countries in the world and not knowing if they would be able to get out of the war alive. Scared and not knowing if they would be able to gain their freedom that they have been fighting for since they were occupied by China in 1100 B.C. This war was to fight for that freedom and the only thing that stood in their way was the United States of America. The United States was fighting the Fight for Democracy, to end the communist reign, because in the eyes of the Americans it was wrong. This chapter entitled, “The View from the Ground” one can see who fought for each side and their view points during the War for Independence for the Vietnamese.
There are two kinds of people to talk about when you are talking about when you are talking about the Vietnamese, the combatants and noncombatants. The combatants were the “soldiers” that were fighting with the National Liberation Front or the notably the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong members weren’t really soldiers, they were normal people fighting for their freedom against one of the most powerful nations in the world. A lot were scared of the Americans, “causalities everywhere were very, very high, and the spirit of the soldiers dropped to a low point.” (Trinh Duc, pg 158) The NLF didn’t know if they could pull off winning against America. They had central and organized military with money, power, and technology on their side. The Viet Cong weren’t as organized as the Americans. All the Vietnamese had on their side were Guerilla tactics that had been working. But in the words of one Viet Cong member Trinh Duc, “Every time they came in force we ran from them.” (pg. 158)
Huong Van Ba an artillery captain basically sums up the war perfectly between the Americans and Vietnamese. He basically says that
Glenn May
May 29, 2013
Hist. 388: Vietnam and the U.S.
The View from the Ground Vietnam was a hostile place especially for the Vietnamese. Going into a war with one of the most powerful countries in the world and not knowing if they would be able to get out of the war alive. Scared and not knowing if they would be able to gain their freedom that they have been fighting for since they were occupied by China in 1100 B.C. This war was to fight for that freedom and the only thing that stood in their way was the United States of America. The United States was fighting the Fight for Democracy, to end the communist reign, because in the eyes of the Americans it was wrong. This chapter entitled, “The View from the Ground” one can see who fought for each side and their view points during the War for Independence for the Vietnamese.
There are two kinds of people to talk about when you are talking about when you are talking about the Vietnamese, the combatants and noncombatants. The combatants were the “soldiers” that were fighting with the National Liberation Front or the notably the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong members weren’t really soldiers, they were normal people fighting for their freedom against one of the most powerful nations in the world. A lot were scared of the Americans, “causalities everywhere were very, very high, and the spirit of the soldiers dropped to a low point.” (Trinh Duc, pg 158) The NLF didn’t know if they could pull off winning against America. They had central and organized military with money, power, and technology on their side. The Viet Cong weren’t as organized as the Americans. All the Vietnamese had on their side were Guerilla tactics that had been working. But in the words of one Viet Cong member Trinh Duc, “Every time they came in force we ran from them.” (pg. 158)
Huong Van Ba an artillery captain basically sums up the war perfectly between the Americans and Vietnamese. He basically says that