Vietnam War

There is not a central list of Purple Heart recipients. These are awarded on unit orders at division level.

Each individual's DD214 Discharge record should reflect the Purple Heart if it was awarded.

The Revolutionary War was the longest at about 8 years.

It is important to note that we have not actually been at war since 1945. Our Congress doesn't declare war any longer, though it is believed that they still do have the sole power to do so, according to the Constitution.

The longest military fighting would be the collective battles and massacres of the Native Americans, which started before our nation was a nation, and ended towards the end of the 19th century, which would have it at a century, at least.

The longest military fighting against a specific people in a consistent and enduring fashion was the Vietnam conflict at anywhere from 12 to 16 years depending upon how one classifies "hostilities" and "military involvement".

He declared that he would refuse to serve in the United States Army and publicly considered himself a conscientious objector. Ali stated that "War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." Ali also famously said in 1966: "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong ... They never called me **** (the n-word)."

As a result of the Bay of Ton kin attack, he got the Bay of Ton kin Resolution

Nationalism is a desire to be politically independent and Liberalism is the support for representative government dominated by the propertied classes and minimal government interference in the economy.

The policy of US withdrawal and "Vietnamization" spelled disaster for South Vietnam.
Of course, the Republic of South Viet Nam should be the immediate answer. Certainly other countries in the region were impacted as well. Thailand, Laos and Cambodia all changed, as did China, who went to war with the newly formed government of Vietnam and Cambodia.

Pick your President: Truman gave financial and material support to the French.

Eisnenhower sent in Military Advisors and Air America.

Kennedy sent in the Green Berets.

Johnson sent in the Marines, and

Nixon added Laos and Cambodia to the battle.

Popular w/the US because he was anti-communist. Unpopular w/RVN citizens because he was considered (by some) to be a dictator.

Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam ended in 1976.

We fought over the way the government in Vietnam was being run. They had communism which means if someone needed something in Vietnam like food or money, it was given to them. But we wanted them to have democracy, which means the exact opposite, if we wanted something, we would have to earn it. If we wanted $10, we would have to work to earn the money. So we fought with Vietnam just because we wanted them to have democracy.

P.S. We're mean!

Originally the Soviets supplied the MiG17, then discontinued it and supplied only the MiG21. The Red Chinese picked up where the USSR left off and supplied their version of the MiG17, the J5 series jet. The Chicom (Chinese Communist) J6 (MiG19) was supplied only by Red China; the Soviets never supplied North Vietnam with MiG19s. Both the USSR and Red China supplied tanks, artillery, small arms, trucks, missiles, radar systems, and torpedo boats.

The USA, Vietnam was revolting against the French in the 50's, America started deploying 'advisory' troops to Vietnam in the very early 60's and began consistantly escalating its troop levels until 1968. America did not official withdraw until 1975. America claimed it was trying to defeat a communist takeover of Vietnam and allow democracy. America should not have gotten involved, the Geneva Conference called for Vietnam to have free elections howevever America did not allow this to happen because of the peoples overwhelming support for Ho Chi Minh, a socialist Vietnamese revolutionary. In the end the Vietnamese held out, Ho Chi Minh became their leader after a 30+ year struggle for independance.

the American and ENGLISH soldiers are fighting against the taliban and other mast terrorist groups around the area of Iraq

In Vietnam, it's an annual new years celebration taking place in January.

North Vietnamese troops would be allowed to stay in South Vietnam.

The foreign issue(s) during the war was maintaining the status quo of the world & the cold war; all the while fighting the war in Vietnam. The domestic issue(s) was the same; with the added troubles created by the military draft, which was responsible for most of the unrest.

1. Probably one of the greatest (tragedies) of the war was the greatest Air Search Rescue in US military history... a AC-130 Spectre USAF Gunship that was shot down during the war. More jets, helicopters, and men were utilized to rescue those downed airmen than were used in the celebrated film "BAT-21" starring Gene Hackman.

Why? Because they both happened at the same time, only the press reached the BAT-21 drama first...and that received the attention of the media.

2. In 1968 US Navy Swift Boat 19 was attacked and sunk by North Vietnamese helicopters. Swift Boat 12 (PCF-Patrol Craft Fast) ran along side her and also engaged in battle with the aircraft. US jets were called in and provided air support, accidently firing rockets into the Australian warship HMAS Hobart and USS Boston. The USN states that both incidents are a single incident resulting from friendly fire from those jets. The sunken PCF #19 was located by the USN and ordered destroyed while underwater.

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Nearly all US war memorials were constructed with or for American pride (or National pride). America wanted to forget Vietnam; didn't want to talk about...called it a conflict...not a war...no one died there, it doesn't exist...don't say the words "Vietnam War" it doesn't exist, never did, never will. Think World War II, the GOOD WAR, the REAL WAR, make movies (too many to mention), print books...tons of comic books (SGT ROCK of Easy Company, The Haunted Tank, etc.), WWII is good...Vietnam is evil (doesn't exist/never did). WWII was glorious, good against evil...REMEMBER WWII! (Especially Pearl Harbor and D Day!).

So, a Vietnam Vet had the memorial made WITHOUT the use of American taxpayer monies. His messege, "You can forget Vietnam if you want to, but you're not going to forget the 58,000 men that you sent there to die." So he put every single name of every single man (plus 8 women) on that wall...engraved in stone.

So, forget Vietnam America (the wall originally meant), just remember the GOOD WAR (WWII)...but their names shall be engraved in stone!

The U.S. Military used chemical agents such as napalm and agent orange to kill vegetation and harm the enemy during the Vietnam War.

Agent Orange was a chemical defoliant used to strip leaves from trees in the jungle and to destroy rice crops to deny the enemy food sources. The defoliants were sprayed to allow the U.S. to see into the jungle and see the Viet Cong that were hidden from air-view due to the trees covering the grounds.

The defoliants caused health defects in the Vietnamese civilains. Some of the health detects included cancer, sterility in soldiers, unhelathy and deformed babies and still born babies.

He warned against the military industrial complex. This was strange for a man

who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. He began the federal highway system and it was supported because he said if the U.S. is attacked we need these highways to expedite movement to potential areas of conflict.

Because the French very much wanted a set-piece battle with the Viet Minh, and set up that base specifically for a good battle (read victory). They threw everything they had available into the fight, including some air-dropped M-24 (US supplied) light tanks. However, they underestimated the enemy's capabilities of bringing in field guns to surround their base. After a healthy saturation of bombardment, the Viet Minh infantrymen made their assault; it couldn't be stopped, and the French surrendered. They got their "set-piece battle", lost...and called it quits.

There was NO peace treaty. There were peace negotiations, cease fires, etc. But no armistice's and no treaties. There was a military withdrawal in 1973 (based upon one negotiation), then a total evacuation in 1975 (based on reaction)...which coincided with a total victory for the North, and a total defeat for the South.

Forests grow back (regenerate) after 20 years (sometimes in less time). Old US firebases in South Vietnam (RVN) are now so covered with vegetation, they can no longer be identified as previous US military installations. Others have been replaced by farms, towns, or roads. But during the war years ('55-'75) both North & South Vietnam were covered with bomb craters. Artillery shells make very shallow craters like less than 2 feet deep by 10 or 15 feet in diameter. 1,000 lb H-E general purpose bombs made swimming pools (you drive a full size pick-up truck down inside them). By far, the greatest remaining "effect" from the war are those "ponds" (former bomb craters). Farmers are cultivating some of those ponds for commercial business's.