Vietnam War
americas longest war
vietnam
The Vietnam war lasted from 1954 until 1975. The war was between communist North Vietnam, China, and Soviet Union fighting against the non communist South Vietnam and the United States. The war was about the North Vietnam trying to make to whole country communist. The war ended in Saigon in 1975. There was 58,000 American deaths and 1.3 million Vietnamese deaths.
Vietnam and its cost
The Vietnam war was the nations longest war and fifty-eight thousand American soldiers died during the war. The government used $1.4 billion on the war, that's enough to fund urban renewal projects in every major city in America. This was one of the reasons that there was protesting during the war. This war created much division in the United States.
The vietcong
The Vietcong was a communist led organization that used guerilla warfare in southern Vietnam and was supported by the north fighting the Americans and South Vietnam. They consisted of men, women, and also children. They didn't have a formal uniform that they wore to fight in, they just wore their usual clothes like the ones below. They fought guerilla warfare which was fighting behind trees and rocks and using traps.
Vietcong and their traps
The Vietcong used traps to try to surprise the Americans. Most of the traps were really simple, such as a string attached to the firing pin on a grenade and put close to the ground so that when you pull the string the grenade goes off. Most of the traps was not lethal right away but would cause infections that would kill the victim eventually if it wasn't treated.
Vietnam
Vietnam today has around 83,535,576 people currently living there. Vietnam is mostly a coastal country along with mountainous areas and swamps. It is tropical in the south and monsoonal in the north.
Vietnam War Memorial in DC
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was founded by Jan Scruggs, who served in Vietnam (in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade) from 1969-1970 as a infantry corporal.On March 11, 1982, the design and plans received final Federal approval, and construction was begun on March 16, 1982. The wall was completed in late October and dedicated on November 13, 1982. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund raised almost $9,000,000 through private contributions from corporations, foundations, unions, veterans and civic organizations and more than 275,000 individual Americans. No Federal funds were needed. The total is now 58,272 names listed on the Memorial. Approximately 1200 of these are named as missing in action and prisioner of war.
CIA Archives: The Battle of Ia Drang Valley - Vietnam War Documentary Film (1965)