The Reasons Why the Vietnam War Lasted So Long :: Vietnam War Essays

The Reasons Why the Vietnam War Lasted So Long It is said that the U.S. has never gotten over the Vietnam War and it is still a controversial war, these are the reasons why the Vietnam War lasted so long. In 1973, the United States and North Vietnam signed a treaty called the Paris Peace Agreement; this was the beginning of the withdrawal of all remaining U.S. forces from Vietnam which was mandated by the treaty ("Vietnam War," 1991). Also in the agreement was the return of U.S. prisoners of war, and a cease-fire (1991). The war was not over though until 1975 when the North Vietnamese stormed Saigon (1991). While the war ended, the bad feelings would linger. One example of this is the continued relevance in respect to whether or not candidates "served in the military, or dodged the draft, or smoked pot, or dabbled in radical politics, or engaged in the more promiscuous activities of the sexual revolution" (McDougall, 1995, p.478). Some say that men were put into harm's way without thoughtful consideration. Vandemark (1995) claims that from the outset, the U.S. was doomed. It would never complete the mission successfully and Johnson and his cronies knew this (Vandemark 1995). If that is the case, it would explain why there are still conflicting ideas about Vietnam. And while there were people who knew that the U.S. would not win, and that too many of the nation's sons would be lost, there were many who were idealistic, who thought themselves to be freedom fighters and who fought for freedom. It was a pie in the sky idea, a glimpse of the future that saw a free world without the blood, and without the body bags. It was a war that never should have been fought. While much of this has been supported by the literature, the United States withdrew its forces from Vietnam in 1973. Some wonder why it took so long to withdraw and why this did not happen earlier. It is a difficult question to answer, but the Vietnam debacle was not something quick or clear. It was a situation that mushroomed. The actual goal was to preserve an independent, noncommunist government in South Vietnam, but by April of 1975, the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) ruled the entire country ("Vietnam War," 1991). The mission was not accomplished but the goal did emanate from paranoia about communism and a fear of the domino effect.