Vietnamese artillerymen fire from a mountain position during field training
Credit: The New York Public Library
Credit: The New York Public Library
The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. More than 3 million people had died during the war; Vietnamese civilians make up half of the death toll. In America, the war divided those who supported or were against it, despite President Richard Nixon requesting U.S forces to leave the war-zone. The Vietnam War ended in 1975 when communist forces seized control of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam at the time. Three months after the war ended, North and South Vietnam became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
A nation in Southeast Asia, Vietnam was under French colonial rule during the 19th century. After Japan invaded Vietnam, the League for the Independence of Vietnam - the Viet Minh - was established by Ho Chi Minh, a political leader. The Viet Minh was created to fight Japanese forces and the French Colonial Administration. In 1945, Japan pulled back its forces from Vietnam after they surrendered in World War II; this left the French-educated Emperor Bao Dai in control. Taking control of Hanoi, Ho’s Viet Minh created the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV). In July of 1949, Emperor Bao Dai established the state of Vietnam, with Saigon as the capital. Both sides wanted Vietnam to be one country, but Ho and his supporters wanted the county to be communist and many others, including Emperor Bao, wanted it to have economic ties with the West.
Before the war officially broke out, there was conflict between North and South Vietnam. It continued until the Viet Minh won the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, a major Vietnamese military victory that ended almost a century of French colonial rule. In July, a treaty signed at the Geneva Conference temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th Parallel, with Ho occupying the North and Bao occupying the South. This also called for elections to be held in 1956 to select a president and reunite the nation. However, Ngo Dinh Diem, an anti-communist politician, pushed Emperor Bao aside and became president of the Government of the Republic of Vietnam (GVN).
Diem’s forces arrested those who sympathized with the Viet Minh; he called them Vietnamese Communists or Viet Cong; most of whom were tortured or killed by execution. The Viet Cong and Diem’s enemies created the National Liberation Front (NLF) in December of 1960. In a coup to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem, he and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, were killed in November of 1963.
In the Gulf of Tonkin, two U.S. destroyers were attacked by DRV torpedo boats in early August of 1964. On August 7th, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed and the U.S. began Operation: Rolling Thunder. During this operation, Vietnam and Laos were bombed by U.S planes. The main task was to cut off supplies in the Ho Chi Minh trail and prevent the rise of Pathet Lao - known as the Lao People's Liberation Army.
In March of 1965, President Lyndon Johnson decided to deploy U.S forces to Vietnam. At the end of July, he approved the dispatch of 100,000 troops. Military officials called for more troops to support South Vietnam’s army. As of November of 1967, 500,000 had been deployed to Vietnam. In the south, most of the fighting occurred on the ground.
In the war’s later years, there was an increase of physical and psychological decline in American soldiers. This had included drug use and post-traumatic stress disorder. Americans turned against the war after being overwhelmed by horrific images of the war on television. Outside the Pentagon, 35,000 protesters put on a massive Vietnam War protest in October 1967.
On January 31st, 1968, 70,000 DVR troops attacked over 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam, during the Tet Offensive, chain of attacks. The U.S. and South Vietnamese were able to fight back. Through a speech in March of 1968, President Johnson’s new tack encountered a positive response from Hanoi. In May of the same year peace talks between the U.S. and North Vietnam commenced in Paris. Despite the involvement of South Vietnamese and the NLF later on, the dialogue reached a deadlock.
After becoming president, President Richard Nixon announced a program called Vietnamization. This strategy would withdraw U.S soldiers, have an increase in bombardment and have the South Vietnamese receive the training and weapons required to help them. The goal of this program was to decrease America’s involvement.
The next few years brought more slaughter, including one of the most horrific incidents carried out against unarmed civilians during the Vietnam War: the My Lai Massacre. On March 16th, 1968, over 500 people were killed, in the massacre, by a company of U.S. soldiers, who were led by Lieutenant William Calley. Protests against the war continued after the massacre; hundreds of protest marches and gatherings occurred throughout the country.
In Washington, D.C., over 250,000 citizens took part in the largest antiwar demonstration on November 15, 1969. The protest called for withdrawal of U.S troops from Vietnam. When the first troops were pulled out, tens of thousands of soldiers were dishonorably discharged for desertion. From 1965-1973, 500,000 men became “draft dodgers;” many fled to Canada to avoid the draft. As a result, President Nixon ended draft calls and established an all-volunteer army in 1972.
Hanoi became willing to compromise after a failed offensive into South Vietnam at the end of June 1972. In fall that year, Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese representatives started creating a peace agreement; however, leaders in Saigon rejected it. Known as the Christmas Bombings, President Nixon allowed bombing raids to target Hanoi and Haiphong; the raids produced international condemnation. Although the U.S. and North Vietnam agreed on a final peace agreement, which ended hostilities between them in January of 1973, the war between North and South Vietnam continued.
On April 30th, 1975, troops from North Vietnam captured the city of Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, in remembrance of the political leader who passed away in 1969.
20 years of the Vietnam War had a huge effect on the Vietnamese population. It was estimated that about 2 million civilians were murdered; 3 million people had been wounded; and 12 million left Vietnam and became refugees. In the United States, the effects from the war mentally ran deep. Many veterans faced negative reactions from those who supported or went against the war. Anyone who was against it viewed them as killing innocent people and anyone who supported it viewed them as losing the war.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was revealed in Washington, D.C in 1982. The names of 57,939 men and women who were killed or went missing are engraved; the total was brought up to 58,200 when more names were added.
A nation in Southeast Asia, Vietnam was under French colonial rule during the 19th century. After Japan invaded Vietnam, the League for the Independence of Vietnam - the Viet Minh - was established by Ho Chi Minh, a political leader. The Viet Minh was created to fight Japanese forces and the French Colonial Administration. In 1945, Japan pulled back its forces from Vietnam after they surrendered in World War II; this left the French-educated Emperor Bao Dai in control. Taking control of Hanoi, Ho’s Viet Minh created the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV). In July of 1949, Emperor Bao Dai established the state of Vietnam, with Saigon as the capital. Both sides wanted Vietnam to be one country, but Ho and his supporters wanted the county to be communist and many others, including Emperor Bao, wanted it to have economic ties with the West.
Before the war officially broke out, there was conflict between North and South Vietnam. It continued until the Viet Minh won the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, a major Vietnamese military victory that ended almost a century of French colonial rule. In July, a treaty signed at the Geneva Conference temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th Parallel, with Ho occupying the North and Bao occupying the South. This also called for elections to be held in 1956 to select a president and reunite the nation. However, Ngo Dinh Diem, an anti-communist politician, pushed Emperor Bao aside and became president of the Government of the Republic of Vietnam (GVN).
Diem’s forces arrested those who sympathized with the Viet Minh; he called them Vietnamese Communists or Viet Cong; most of whom were tortured or killed by execution. The Viet Cong and Diem’s enemies created the National Liberation Front (NLF) in December of 1960. In a coup to overthrow Ngo Dinh Diem, he and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, were killed in November of 1963.
In the Gulf of Tonkin, two U.S. destroyers were attacked by DRV torpedo boats in early August of 1964. On August 7th, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed and the U.S. began Operation: Rolling Thunder. During this operation, Vietnam and Laos were bombed by U.S planes. The main task was to cut off supplies in the Ho Chi Minh trail and prevent the rise of Pathet Lao - known as the Lao People's Liberation Army.
In March of 1965, President Lyndon Johnson decided to deploy U.S forces to Vietnam. At the end of July, he approved the dispatch of 100,000 troops. Military officials called for more troops to support South Vietnam’s army. As of November of 1967, 500,000 had been deployed to Vietnam. In the south, most of the fighting occurred on the ground.
In the war’s later years, there was an increase of physical and psychological decline in American soldiers. This had included drug use and post-traumatic stress disorder. Americans turned against the war after being overwhelmed by horrific images of the war on television. Outside the Pentagon, 35,000 protesters put on a massive Vietnam War protest in October 1967.
On January 31st, 1968, 70,000 DVR troops attacked over 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam, during the Tet Offensive, chain of attacks. The U.S. and South Vietnamese were able to fight back. Through a speech in March of 1968, President Johnson’s new tack encountered a positive response from Hanoi. In May of the same year peace talks between the U.S. and North Vietnam commenced in Paris. Despite the involvement of South Vietnamese and the NLF later on, the dialogue reached a deadlock.
After becoming president, President Richard Nixon announced a program called Vietnamization. This strategy would withdraw U.S soldiers, have an increase in bombardment and have the South Vietnamese receive the training and weapons required to help them. The goal of this program was to decrease America’s involvement.
The next few years brought more slaughter, including one of the most horrific incidents carried out against unarmed civilians during the Vietnam War: the My Lai Massacre. On March 16th, 1968, over 500 people were killed, in the massacre, by a company of U.S. soldiers, who were led by Lieutenant William Calley. Protests against the war continued after the massacre; hundreds of protest marches and gatherings occurred throughout the country.
In Washington, D.C., over 250,000 citizens took part in the largest antiwar demonstration on November 15, 1969. The protest called for withdrawal of U.S troops from Vietnam. When the first troops were pulled out, tens of thousands of soldiers were dishonorably discharged for desertion. From 1965-1973, 500,000 men became “draft dodgers;” many fled to Canada to avoid the draft. As a result, President Nixon ended draft calls and established an all-volunteer army in 1972.
Hanoi became willing to compromise after a failed offensive into South Vietnam at the end of June 1972. In fall that year, Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese representatives started creating a peace agreement; however, leaders in Saigon rejected it. Known as the Christmas Bombings, President Nixon allowed bombing raids to target Hanoi and Haiphong; the raids produced international condemnation. Although the U.S. and North Vietnam agreed on a final peace agreement, which ended hostilities between them in January of 1973, the war between North and South Vietnam continued.
On April 30th, 1975, troops from North Vietnam captured the city of Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, in remembrance of the political leader who passed away in 1969.
20 years of the Vietnam War had a huge effect on the Vietnamese population. It was estimated that about 2 million civilians were murdered; 3 million people had been wounded; and 12 million left Vietnam and became refugees. In the United States, the effects from the war mentally ran deep. Many veterans faced negative reactions from those who supported or went against the war. Anyone who was against it viewed them as killing innocent people and anyone who supported it viewed them as losing the war.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was revealed in Washington, D.C in 1982. The names of 57,939 men and women who were killed or went missing are engraved; the total was brought up to 58,200 when more names were added.
Judson M. Ray
Judson M. Ray was born in June 1947 and raised in Clayton, a small town in rural North Carolina. In November 1965, he volunteered for the US Army. Following training, his unit, comprising approximately 4,000 young men, was transported to Vietnam in a Troop carrier ship. During his deployment he was in six major battles, with the largest one occurring on November 21st, 1966. After serving nearly three years, Mr. Ray was discharged from the US Army on August 14th, 1968. Mr. Ray stated that one thing he will never forget is the many heroic and unselfish acts performed by average ordinary men. In April 1980, Mr. Ray joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was the first Agent in the nation and the FBI to be admitted as an expert witness in the area of Criminal Investigative Analysis to the Federal, State and Military Courts. Agent Ray retired from the FBI in 2004 and now devotes much of his time to travel, reading and limited consultative service in the area of Criminal Justice. Responses recorded: 1-3-22 |
|
Joseph Kosinsky
Navy Electronic Technician Joseph Kosinsky was a teenager in high school studying electronics when a Naval Chief recruiter came in. ET3.Kosinky became interested in joining the Navy instead of being drafted as he comes from a patriotic family and had a good trade that could be used in the Navy. He was then assigned to a destroyer and was second in charge of the Electronic Department. Although he had foreign sea duty, ET3.Kosinsky wasn’t near Vietnam waters. He spent 3 months in a Naval Hospital after being aboard ship and was medically discharged. After retiring, ET3.Kosinky applied to Hofstra University and received an undergraduate degree in 1971. He decided to go to graduate school Received a master’s in Economics after working at Wall Street; he received a master’s in Economics in 1977. He’s attended ceremonies honoring Vietnam War Veterans. |
|
Phuong Bui-Riles
A survivor of the Vietnam War, Phuong Bui-Riles of the Vietnamese province, Long An, was young when she lived during the war. Her family had shelter underground and went there when the Viet Cong attacked her village during the night. Ms.Phuong was the youngest of 10 siblings; she survived the war with them. Ms.Phuong lost one of her brothers during the war. One of her brothers had to watch the rest of his siblings as he knew when a bomb was going to hit them at night. Living in the warzone brought out a hard life and fear all the time. In 1972, Ms.Phuong left Vietnam by airplane; landed in Tallahassee, FL when she came to the U.S. A year after the war ended, she became a US citizen. |
|
Ken Chin
Knowing that he was going to be drafted, U.S Navy Veteran Ken Chin volunteered and signed up for the Navy in the first week of May in 1967. After completing basic training, his first assignment was going to Midway Island to see how well he took stress and if he can be relied on under it. After the assignment was completed, he was assigned to the USS Hancock, an attack aircraft carrier, before going to Hawaii and deployed to Vietnam. During his deployment, the main tasks aboard the USS Hancock was to provide support for combat air operations for ground troops and eliminate hostile targets. After his enlistment in the Navy, he was honorably discharged in early 1971. He received a medal for volunteering during a war and campaign medals for Vietnam and a North Korean rescue operation. Under the G.I Bill, U.S Navy Veteran Ken Chin went to college and got an Environmental Health Science Degree. In 2012, he decided to volunteer at the USS Intrepid to talk to people about the Vietnam War and being a sailor. |
|
Bill Miller
Born in Pennsylvania, First Lieutenant Bill Miller, was watching The Green Berets with his friends when all of them decided to become Green Berets. After being talked into and passing the physical, he was qualified to become a medic and went to Fort Dix for basic training. After being placed in the Artillery unit, 1Lt.Miller went to Fort Sill and went through artillery training and became an Artillery Officer. When he got accepted to Flight School, he knew that he was going to be deployed to Vietnam. 1Lt.Miller was deployed in January 1969 and assigned to Camp Enari with the Fourth Infantry Division. During his deployment, his mission was to hunt and kill the enemy and he saw tracers, which were bullets, go by. When the war was over, 1Lt.Miller stayed in the Army, until he was discharged in December 1984. For his service in the Army, he received the Bronze Star and 30 Air Medals. With the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Association, he went to Washington DC. He is also a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America. |
|