Positive views of the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

Vietnam was simply a "news" item in the media, as any other event(s) during that era. Personnel lives were not effected, other than military families; until the military draft began effecting people's lives...then attitudes changed, for the worse.

Answer 2

Senator Barry Goldwater, retired military men, many "blue collar" workers and middle class (the silent majority) members, and even some extreme members of the John Birch Society, were known as “hawks.” As President Johnson escalated the war effort, and became a hawk himself, his chief critics became known as “doves” and included antiwar protesters, college students and faculty, liberal Democrats, and many other people in various walks of life who felt that the war was immoral, dragging on to no benefit for the US, and was causing increased casualty lists to mount. Many believed the US was fighting a war against the wishes of the majority of the Vietnamese people. These critics felt the war was a civil war in Vietnam between north and south and we had no business interfering. Some supported the communist effort in Vietnam and hoped for a defeat of the “imperialist capitalist” United States. Many Americans felt we were fighting a small, unimportant county, while the real enemy was China and the Soviet Union. There were many demonstrations against the war which took the form of sit ins in college and high school campuses, marches both for and against the war, and editorials written for and against the war. One of the most infamous demonstrations took place at Kent State University, 1970, when National Guard troops fired on Kent State students and protesters and four were killed and eleven were wounded. Nixon had been elected on a promise to Vietnamize the war, meaning more fighting would be turned over to the South Vietnamese army, and to start bringing home American troops. When the President ordered US troops into Cambodia and ordered more bombings, the result was a tremendous uproar at home with more marches and demonstrations. Congress reacted to the antiwar feeling and repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which gave the President the authority to send troops and fight the war in Vietnam. Our purpose in the war is debated to this day.

Answer 3

The usual attitude: It'll be over by Christmas.

Answer 4

Advances in military science and technology; an all volunteer military; 18 year olds are now adults instead of waiting until they are 21 years of age.

Answer 5

They mirrored Americas.