The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War has had an effect within and throughout numerous families in the United States today either directly or indirectly. The sudden impact ranges from a family members death to the disruption of family life and change into military life. In the 1960's civil rights were important as well as the country learning how to become diverse. At this time the Vietnam War was also creating added tension with the use of the draft.

The Vietnam War was not a very popular war since the United States government asked that the draft become activated so that young Americans would be sent to Vietnam in order to fight to the death. The draft was activated and every male in America had to register for the Selective Service Draft at age 18 which included two years minimum military service in the Army. College students were being drafted as well which they received deferment as they were activated in service. In addition, college students who graduated at this time were being drafted first at the top of the list. At this time starting in the 1960's the anti-war movement was strongly against young men being drafted into a war in which Asian's should be doing for themselves. It was on the minds of many Americans that the issue in Vietnam was not a threat to the United States security. Students started to get weary and question anyone around them because they really didn't know what was going on after college. Students were indeed facing immediate danger when they graduated college because the government was interested in having educated new officers in the field. The process of dealing with the selection of draftees was broadcasts by television. When a draftee was selected either he or she had no choice but to receive orders to join the ranks of the military. Personally, I have an uncle which was drafted into the United States Army; luckily my uncle is still alive today. He states that till this day he has no real reason as to why they were over there fighting a war for someone else.

The political and social outcomes of the end of the Vietnam War varied greatly. Entire generations of Americans in the United States were dumbfounded when it came time to know the actual reasons behind the war therefore leaving many wondering and out of the wars objective scope. Some of the main points which have surfaced post Vietnam War is that the United States did not know who the Vietnamese were therefore they did not know their enemy or their allies very well. Maybe that is a major reason as to why we didn't succeed in the Vietnam War. Our country now knows that we should have never gotten involved in this predicament and maybe we wouldn't have lost so much. There was no just cause the United States involvement in the Vietnam War other than placing many lives in jeopardy.

The United States suffered massive financial instability as the Vietnam War grew which resulted in President Johnson's Great Society Programs suffered major setbacks. During the Vietnam War and after taxes were on the rise and creating much strain on the economic statues of the United States. This war proved that even one of the world's largest superpower could not afford a war of this magnitude. The results were devastating when the federal budget deficit rose to whopping numbers. The Vietnam just mainly proved that the United States government was trying to prove supremacy throughout the world as one of the largest superpowers.

In summation, the United States has seen its share of good and bad between wars, government and the citizens. The draft is probably many Americans number one thought, will it come back? The turn of the Cold War the United States had to instill fear in its enemies as well as prove prestigious and supreme as a superpower. Many Americans were upset and not at ease about the situation when it came to the draft. We have to stop and think what if this situation happens again because at this point in time we are involved in fighting a war which is taking many years to close out. Student unrest and the draft may come back into affect since there is a need for more troops in the Middle East.

Reference:

15th FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT. (1998). Vietnam War Timeline. Retrieved from

http://www.landscaper.net

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI. (n.d.). Student Unrest. Retrieved from http://scholar.library.miami.edu/sixties/studentUnrest.php