A historical about-face: A look at Nam

The Vietnam War is one of the most romanticized and retold armed conflicts in the previous century. Set in the tense Cold War era, its circumstances have provided the subject for many movies, books, and studies created then until today. It remains as a solid example of how the intervention of superpowers can exacerbate and blow a dispute beyond its rightful boundaries.

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In the 1950s, communist forces, led by nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh, defeated the French colonial powers in Vietnam, leading to the formation of the National Liberation Front (NLF) or the Viet Cong. This divided Vietnam into two, with the north controlled by the communist NLF, and the south controlled by a separate government.

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South Vietnam received military aid from the United States. U.S. support increased as the Viet Cong’s power grew. Gripped by tension from the Cold War, the U.S. regarded the NLF as an antecedent to the proliferation of communism in Vietnam and in Asia as a whole.

In August of 1964, several torpedo boats allegedly attacked the U.S.S. Maddox, then on an intelligent mission in the Gulf of Tonkin. A severely disputed second attack by the U.S. resulted to several air strikes on naval bases in North Vietnam, officially sparking the start of U.S. involvement in the conflict. Before the year ended, the U.S. had sent over 23,000 military advisers to Vietnam.

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In 1965, 100,000 American soldiers were sent to Vietnam, reinforced by troops from the Philippines, Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Thailand. The Viet Cong put up an effective resistance, utilizing the cover of rainforests and the familiar terrain to their advantage. The conflict raged on for years, its results uncertain.

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In 1968, then President Lyndon Johnson faced backlash from the American public due to thousands of U.S. casualties. When he came to power, President Richard Nixon quickly searched for an exit from the war. By 1973, the U.S. had withdrawn more than 500,000 soldiers from Vietnam.

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American support for South Vietnam left with the former’s withdrawal of its troops, leading the latter to crumble. Saigon was occupied by North Vietnamese forces in 1975 and was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Refugees who opposed the communists fled by boat and went to neighboring territories. All in all, the war left around 3 million dead, 58,000 of them American soldiers.

Retired Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney has served in a number of war zones in his more than three decades of military service. This Facebook page contains links and updates on him.