In 2012, President Obama signed a presidential proclamation, designating March 29 as the National Vietnam War Veterans Day to ‘thank and honour’ the US Army Vietnam Veterans for their sacrifice. By virtue of this proclamation, the Vietnam War Remembrance will continue over a 13-year period till November 11, 2025.
On this day in March 1973, the last American troops returned back from Vietnam.
The Vietnam War (1955 to 1975) was one of the longest and most divisive wars in modern history.
As a mark of respect for the slain soldiers’ President Obama officially inaugurated this commemoration at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., on May 28, 2012. President Trump went a step further by bringing in the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 to commemorate the 50th anniversary over a 13-year period.
The Vietnam War (1955 to 1975) was one of the longest and most divisive wars in modern history. The United States supported South Vietnam, which was fighting against North Vietnam, which was backed by the Soviet Union and China.
Almost 3 million Vietnamese and about 60,000 American soldiers, died in the war which remains a sensitive subject, with different explanations about its likely cause and consequences.
One of the primary causes was the Cold War, which saw the United State .
and its allies seeking to contain the spread of communism, particularly in Southeast Asia as a direct threat to its strategic interests.
Another factor that contributed to the Vietnam War was the political instability and lack of unity in the newly independent Vietnam (Vietnam got independence from France in 1954). Vietnam was divided into two states. The United States supported the unpopular South Vietnamese government in the war against North Vietnam supported by the communist regim ..
Strategic significance: The Vietnam War had a significant impact on U.S. military strategy, with many lessons that shaped military doctrine and tactics for decades to come. The war also highlighted the inability of the military to achieve political objectives and highlighted the need for greater emphasis on diplomacy and political solutions.
Humanitarian significance: The Vietnam War led to considerable civilian casualties and damage to the infrastruct ..
Global significance: The Vietnam War was part of a larger global struggle between communism and democracy, and eventually became a proxy war between the Soviet Union and the United States. The war had significant implications for U.S. foreign policy, which influenced America’s approach to global conflicts for decades to come.
The Vietnam War is significant in modern warfare history for several reasons:
Guerilla Warfare: The Vietnam War was chara ..
Chemical and biological warfare: The Vietnam War was neither the first nor the last war in which chemical and biological weapons were used. The U.S. military used many toxic herbicides and defoliant chemicals like Agent Orange, Agent Purple, Agent White, Agent Blue, and Agent Green named after the colour-coded stripe on the barrels used to store them. These contained various combinations of chemicals, like 2,4-dichloro phenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), 2,4,5-trichloro phenoxy a ..
The use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War proved to be a landmark in the history of chemical warfare and continues to impact the lives of people directly or indirectly affected by it. Even today, the legacy of Agent Orange continues to cast its spell on the Vietnamese and U.S. veterans and their families. The long-term health effects of exposure to the chemical are still being studied to provide medical care and compensation for those affected by its use.
Role of Technology: The Vietnam War was the first major conflict in which technology played a significant role, with the use of helicopters, napalm, and other advanced weapons. The war demonstrated the potential of technology to revolutionize warfare but also highlighted its limitations in the face of unconventional tactics.
While the Vietnam War was not the first major conflict to use technology, it was the first war in which advanced technology played a significant r ..