Westmoreland's Involvement In The Vietnam War

Conflict in focus
The war in Vietnam had been called the defining experience for the United States in the second half of the 20th century which was the longest and bloodiest world conflict in history. Vietnam war was the defining aspect of his life. He himself perceived that and was driven through the rest of his days to characterize, explain, rationalize and defend that role memoirs reflect the fixation in a long career totaling 36 years as an officer in a string of postings to increasingly important assignments. The four years he spent commanding American forces in Vietnam and aftermath constitutes virtually the entirety of his account all rest a mere tenth understanding Westmoreland is not easy. He turns out to be a surprisingly complex
Westmoreland unfortunately underestimated the enemy staying power instead of giving up where they suffered grievous casualties. They proved willing to absorb these and still keep fighting, making up the losses time after time and thus the progress Westmoreland unclaimed in racking up huge body counts did nothing to win the world. The enemy simply kept sending more and more replacement to make up his losses. Westmoreland was on a treadmill. Westmoreland also overestimated the American people's patience and tolerance of friendly
Westmoreland saw this as a positive development, as the enemy was finally engaging in open combat. After U.S. and South Vietnamese forces inflicted heavy losses, including some 90,000 killed among NVA and NLF forces, Westmoreland reported to Johnson that the end of the war was in sight, as the Communists could not possibly replace the men they had lost. But the ambitious Tet Offensive, a coordinated series of fierce attacks on more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam that on January 31, 1968 (the lunar new year) disproved Westmoreland’s claims of progress. Though U.S. and South Vietnamese forces managed to repel the Tet attacks, it was clear the war was far from