How Vietnam War Affected America - 1450 Words

The United States’ war with Vietnam was undoubtedly â€Å"a different kind of war†. Guerilla tactics and a largely jungle environment throughout the theatre of Vietnam made this a supremely unique conflict in the annals of American military history. Faced with this type of unique enemy and terrain, the American Armed Forces undoubtedly had to evolve and adapt their tactics accordingly. One element that is particularly extraordinary and exclusive to the Vietnam War is the development of highly organized scout-sniper training. Prior to the Vietnam War, the United States had zero trained snipers. By the time the War had ended, trained American snipers had killed more than 13,000 enemy soldiers. The impact of these efforts must be examined on a†¦show more content†¦Almost immediately, the program began churning out success stories. This new type of warfare was utterly foreign to many Marines. Lying and waiting on a near invisible enemy to appear and subsequently pulling the trigger only once as opposed to large-scale firefights was counterintuitive during this time period. Nevertheless, the Marine Corps managed to find marksmen who also possessed qualities such as patience, unwavering nerves, and a great deal of confidence. Due to the dire need for snipers at this point in the war, enlisted men spent only three weeks in Land’s sniper training program. Despite the haste in which these men were trained, the 17 original snipers in the 1st Brigade rack up more enemy kills than any other Corps combat battalion in their first three months in the field. The most striking advantage such successful organized sniping brought to American forces was its sheer economic efficiency. In what is often viewed as a war of excess; a war of tremendous financial and human cost, organized scout sniping offered a tremendous amount of value to the United States Armed Forces. According to figures released by the Department of Defense, the average number of r ounds expended in Vietnam to kill one enemy solder with the M-16 was 50,000. The average number of rounds expended by U.S. military snipers to kill one enemy soldier was 1.3 rounds. Thats a cost-difference of $23,000 per kill forShow MoreRelatedThe Secret War And How It Affected The Hmong People1230 Words   |  5 PagesTOPIC: The Secret War and how it affected the Hmong people. SPECIFIC PURPOSE: At the end of my speech, my audience will get a better sense of what the Secret War was and how it affected the Hmong people. INTRODUCTION: Just by the name itself, it can already be implied to what the â€Å"Secret War† was. It was a war that was kept as a secret from the public, and by public, I mean the American public. Many of you may wonder what exactly is the secret war, and I will explain that throughout my speech. ButRead More06.07 Dissilusionment Essay930 Words   |  4 PagesQuestion: Explain how events such as the Vietnam War and Watergate affected the American public’s opinion of the U.S government. Part I: Read the question above and write down what you think the question is asking in your own words. I think that this question is asking for the American public perception of the US government and their elected officials during both of these events. Both the Vietnam War and Watergate events had big impacts on American society. For example, the Vietnam War was the firstRead MoreThe Vietnam War On American Society932 Words   |  4 Pagesthe growing success and power that Vietnam held. America was calm at first as they held the belief that Vietnam would serve as a barrier to communism. Unfortunately, when communism kept spreading, America panicked. American troops were sent into Vietnam and the citizens of America were lied to about the reason for the presence of the troops in Vietnam. The years 1964 to 1975 were characterized by the negative effects of the Vietnam war on American society and how they heightened social, politicalRead MoreImpact of Vietnam War on American Culture1421 Words   |  6 PagesThe Vietnam War began in the year 1954, after the ascension to power of Ho Chi Minh, who was a communist leader in North Vietnam. The leader was spreading communism, and because the United States wanted to stop the spread, it sent military troops to aid South Vietnamese to stop this vice. The war saw about 3million people die with the inclusion of 58,000 American soldiers. About 150,000 people were wounded during the war. In 1975, South Vietnamese government surrendered the war after the communistRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War1693 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica has won the War of Independence, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Indian Wars, the Civil War, and are back-to-back winners of the World Wars. With the amount of victories made, Americans might try to process the question of who won the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War never had a declared victor. America got involved in the Vietnam War during the year of 1965. The United States first became involved in the war by financially supporting France in the first Indochina War. After thatRead Mor eThe Vietnam War Had A Tremendous Effect On The World1415 Words   |  6 PagesThe Vietnam War had a tremendous effect on the world, especially the United States. Not only did the war affect people in battle, but also left permanent effects on people all over the world. Over 57,000 U.S. citizens died and over 140,000 injured in battle. Multiple Americans were impacted by the war, vast amount of people died but more were injured. North Vietnam won the battle against South Vietnam and their allies. The Fall of Saigon in 1975 was the end of a gruesome war. The war had multipleRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Vietnam War cost many Americans their lives in the 60s and 70s. Many were drafted into the war by choice and others selectively chosen to join to help America. The contributions made had a major impact on the American side of the Vietnam War. Though many contributions were made none stand out any more than others. It is sometimes said there is alwa ys a hero in the war who helped the victory. Wars, however, do not have war heroes because a hero is making an undeniable contribution to the war andRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Vietnam War By Kristen Ann Hass s Making A Memory Of War897 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica’s involvement in the Vietnam War and the toll it had on America as a whole, it can be rather controversial. Many people wonder what the war was even about and some even bring up that the Vietnam War could be considered another Civil War for America. An example of this is how Marilyn Young argues in her article, â€Å"The Vietnam War in American Memory,† how many Americans treat Vietnam as something that happened amongst themselves. I believe what Young meant by this was how throughout the many yearsRead MoreHow Were The Us Soldiers Affected By The Vietnam War?1281 Words   |  6 PagesConnolly US History Date How were the US soldiers affected by the Vietnam War The war in Vietnam was a war against communism that tore apart the US. The United States of America plunged together with its allies and played a tremendous role as far as fight against communism is concerned. A huge number of American soldiers were deployed in Vietnam a practice that coupled with much unpreparedness. The soldiers were not aware what exactly they were up to in Vietnam. Most Americans at the time wereRead MoreThe Vietnam War Changed America1139 Words   |  5 Pages The Vietnam War greatly changed America forever. It was the longest war fought in America’s History, lasting from 1955 to 1973. The Vietnam War tarnished America s self image by becoming the first time in history the United States failed to accomplish its stated war aims, to preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government. The war also had great effects on the American people. It was the first war ever broadcast on television. The public was able to see what happened on the battl efield