“At that moment I made it my mission to try to vindicate my family’s past — to not let things fall apart again.”. In the end, he commandeered a helicopter, took as many men as he could, and flew to safety in Thailand. This was the most fearsome army in the Vietnam War. And the quick collapse that swept Saigon, with American helicopters whisking desperate throngs from the roof of the United States Embassy, may never come to Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. Starting in 1968, South Vietnam began calling up every available man for service in the ARVN, reaching a strength of one million soldiers by 1972. Question: Why were we fighting a war 8,000 miles from our shores in a country that few of our fellow citizens knew existed until years after? This feeling led to all the atrocities that American soldiers committed against the Vietnamese. What made the Vietnam war different from others in US history? “After they left we had to ration bullets. It might come as a surprise to some that the fighting in Vietnam wasn't limited to the Soviet-backed North or the U.S.-back South Vietnamese forces. As the war continued and more young men were drafted, it became increasingly unpopular . South Korean Units were feared in Vietnam. He warned that Kabul could fall quickly, and that there was still no workable plan in place to evacuate all the Afghans who aided the United States. Many US soldiers became disillusioned with the war, its complexities and its outcomes. For years he flew American-supplied helicopters side by side with American military advisers. What were the results of the Vietnam War? With dwindling American air support, troops on the ground have lost their biggest tactical advantage and morale is faltering: Hundreds of Afghan troops have surrendered to the Taliban in recent days. “But then it happens and there is no way to reverse it.”. This particular organization captures a sentiment that the war was improperly commissioned and soldiers were sent in harm's way for little reason. In 1970 they performed well in the Cambodian Incursion and were executing three times as many operations as they had during the American-led war period. Southern Vietnamese soldiers continued to fight in Saigon after U.S. troops withdrew. While in-depth combat coverage and the instantaneous power of television were used to challenge the war, Clarence R. Wyatt demonstrates that, more often than not, the press reported official information, statements, and views. That was not done in Vietnam.” He sighed. Program was established to help fill-in leadership holes within the ranks during the war. They played no games and often went way beyond the "rules." Given South Korea's history with the fascism of Japan during their decades of occupation of Korea, and the oppressive communism of China and North Korea expressed during the Korean War, they had very little sympathy for North Vietnam, its soldiers and sympathizers. It had long been supportive of the Vietcong. First of all, there was a draft. . These are the top leaders of the Taliban, men who have spent years on the run, in hiding, in jail and dodging American drones. American soldiers, in comparison, were well equipped and given months of basic and specialist training before their deployment in Vietnam. First of all, there was a draft. Instead, he witnessed the same patterns, only now with the roles reversed. Mr Hoang would remain in one of these camps for the next seven years, which included one year in solitary confinement. SBS acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia. Watch SBS World News live daily at 6:30pm on TV and on our app. South Korean Units were feared in Vietnam. A member of the Afghan security forces walked in the sprawling Bagram air base after the American military departed this year. Most importantly, we must note that unhappiness among the soldiers was a phenomenon that was seen late in the war. Then in 1971, Mr Hoang, a 19-year-old law student, was conscripted into the South Vietnamese army and began about 10 months of basic military training. 3. Bao Ninh's (b. "As a soldier I was sent to the 18th division infantry and that was in direct fighting. U.S. troops with ARVN soldiers on the frontline of Vietnam. This war lasted for nine years, and had both volunteers and draftees, involved all branches of the military, and nearly 8 million Americans who served during that time, so I don't think you can generalize any one feeling among soldiers about the war. She said at the end of the war, South Vietnamese soldiers not only lost their country, but their freedom, imprisoned in "bamboo gulags" or re-education camps for years. The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Head of military history at the Australia War Memorial, Ashley Ekins, told SBS News most Australian Vietnam War veterans, particularly those who served in the Australia Army Training Team, had a high opinion of South Vietnamese soldiers. "It's one of the big grievances Vietnam veterans had – it wasn't just that they were involved in an unpopular war and they came home to people who denied their service or ignored it altogether. The photograph of a South Vietnamese general executing a young Viet Cong fighter during the Tet Offensive shocked the world. Richard Pyle covered the Vietnam War for The Associated Press from 1968 to 1973 as a field correspondent and, from 1970-73, as Saigon bureau chief. The Vietnam war dragged on for ten long years. This led to problems such as the 'fragging' of officers and the use of narcotics. Additional experiences the American soldier experienced upon their arrival in Vietnam: American troops were at first expected to fight a defensive war, even though most of their training was of an . The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that came after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. On the whole, we did a good a job in reporting the war itself. The Vietnam War was one where young men from USA were forcibly deployed in the army. But Mr. Armitage, who was present at the fall of Saigon and ended up leading a boatlift of more than 30,000 refugees, said there were also important similarities. America also failed to follow up on promises made to the South Vietnamese to provide military aid and support. Ask Amazon Alexa for the latest SBS News or listen to SBS Radio. Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,3, University of Kassel (Anglistik/Amerikanistik Landes- und Kulturwissenschaften), course: The Vietnam War ... Between 2 thousand and 8 thousand dollars depending on their rank. Latest answer posted October 17, 2015 at 7:33:58 PM. "People who … witnessed the marches said the numbers of veterans marching compared to the size of the community was incredible. The South Vietnamese Army (SVA) had been financed by America throughout the late 1950's, 1960's and as a result of Vietnamisation, to an even greater degree from 1970 to 1975.The South Vietnamese Army first took shape after the 1954 Geneva Agreement when the American Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) commanded by Lieutenant General John O'Daniel set about creating a modern . While South Vietnam did have wealthy peasant landowners, an urban elite, and a middle class, American soldiers did not have much contact with these groups. And lines at the city’s passport office had grown considerably larger. "More than 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died during the war,” she told SBS News. They used brutal public punishments, including floggings, amputations and mass executions, to enforce their rules. The narrator then says that "When it was all over, 5 Americans had died at Bình Giã. The American Soldier in VietnamMore than 2.5 million American men served in Vietnam during the war. Thomas Gibbons-Neff contributed from Kabul. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Ly Kai Binh, right, and Uc Van Nguyen, second from . What were the main social consequences that the Vietnam War had for Americans? We have been at war so long. South Vietnamese Vietnam War veteran Al Chi Hoang. When they returned, they were ostracized by the American public as baby killers. One does not see similar organizations dedicated to the fight in World War II. When the U.S. entered the war in the mid-1960s, the goal was to aid South Vietnam with American personnel and equipment to help defeat the communist North. A Vietnamese war veteran once said to a journalist that what really hurt him is the fact that the media still show pictures of US soldiers hugging North Vietnamese soldiers, but he has never seen a picture of a South Vietnamese soldier hugging a North . He was recalling the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975. To be sure, the defeat of the Afghan government by the Taliban is anything but certain. This is partly due to the fact that the war was not clearly going badly until after the Tet Offensive of 1968. She has written a book, to be released on May 9, called South Vietnamese Soldiers: Memories of the Vietnam War and After. The organization serving as a bastion for soldiers' resentment and anger towards the war is very notable. These two novels bring the reader into communion with the enormous weight of sorrow that resulted from fighting in a […] During that time, American soldiers formed relatonships with Vietnamese women and, from those relationships, children were born. “We never thought it could happen to us, never in your mind do you think you will lose your country,” Mr. Nguyen said. In 1954 he and his family and left their home in North Vietnam on foot to escape the communist regime and had settled in the country's south. I think you can say that, among draftees, most just wanted to serve their time, do their best and come home, whereas you often find that with volunteers, they served more than one tour (especially true among helicopter pilots, see Robert Mason's Chickenhawk). Here’s more on. He wondered aloud whether Afghanistan’s American-built government could ever unite the country’s tribal culture in peace. In the beginning of the war, marijuana was the main drug of choice. Get the news that matters straight to your inbox. 3 Thus, as soldiers came closer to their expected departure, they either withdrew themselves from battle or just became more careful in order to survive and return home safely. “I saw we were the same,” said Mr. Pham, who is a captain in the Army Reserves and now lives in Germany. The United States invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago in response to terrorism, and many worry that, Washington and the Taliban may spend years. 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