Essay --

The United States of America has been considered the greatest country in the world. The US have pristine living conditions, some of the most prestigious schools, and the world’s largest military. â€Å"In 2012 the US spent 39% of the total amount of money spent on defense by every other country on there own defense† (Anup). Yet just 40 years ago, the US lost a war that they should have won. Why did we lose? How did an army of less than 1,000,000 beat the world’s largest superpower? One of the biggest reasons the US lost the war was the lack of support from back home. When President Eisenhower started sending troops and supplies to French soldiers, most Americans agreed with him. They believed Communism should be stopped at all costs. Most also believed that the war would end within the next five years. Over the next decade, Americans watched in horror as their beloved sons were killed at the hands of the enemy. Some started protesting the war publicly. America was drastically changing during the Vietnam war. It was partly because of television. For the first time in history, Americans were able to see what it was like to be on a battlefield. This drastically changed most Americans opinion on wars. Many began questioning whether or not this war was actually necessary. Was it really worth the lives of countless young men? Halfway around the globe, the fighting morale amongst the soldiers was drastically dropping. Many were drafted into the war and did not know how or want to fire a weapon. Some were even against the war prior to their drafting. This did not make for a good group of soldiers. This did, however, make some very hateful and angry veterans. While there were many who did believe in fighting communism at any cost, others wan... .... While some of the men strongly believed in their cause, others saw the war as unnecessary. They believed that the US had no business in Vietnam, and did not understand why they were there. That coupled with the draft left a large group of very unmotivated soldiers (Free Lance Star, Smith, Turner). Vietnam was the first war that congress allowed media to cover a war freely. It was the first war where we fought in a hot, steamy jungle, filled with intricate tunnel systems and dangerous guerilla fighters. It was also the first war that involved an army that wasn’t entirely in agreement with their cause. This was the first war where the public, as a majority, was against the war. Because of all these factors, one of the greatest countries in the history of the world was able to lose a war against a small communist band of rebels in Vietnam (Media, FLS, Smith, Turner).