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One question that comes to mind when thinking about the Vietnam War is our reasoning for entering the war and what our enemies thought about America’s intervention in the war. America’s intervention in Vietnam changed the lives of many people and families in our country today. The Political leaders of our country took, in a sense, moral authority in there involvement in Vietnam. According to Loren Baritz, Author of God’s Country and American Know-how, Moral authority has been imbedded in American culture before America was even a country. I believe the quote by Herman Melville best explained moral authority when he said, “and we Americans are the peculiar, chosen people – the Israel of our time; we bear the ark of the liberties of the world.” After analyzing this statement one can make a direct connection to moral authority and America’s actions at the time of the Vietnam War. Whoever gets in the way of the human races right to live their lives with virtue, liberty, and with God is an enemy. The role of the “worlds police” was assumed by America in the Vietnam War partly due to Americas need and want for everyone to live in peace and happiness, our involvement ended up being an experience on what not to do. Along with moral authority American political leaders felt they had a promise to keep to themselves, America, and the citizens of their country. After WWII concluded America installed what they call the containment theory. The containment theory pledged, According to George B. Tindall and David E. Shi, America’s opposition to the advancement of communism anywhere in the world. This goes back to moral authority, why would we control another countries fate, and even over a political ideology such as communism. President at the time Lyndon B. Johnson believed that, “to leave Vietnam to its fate would shake the confidence of all these people in the value of American commitment.” Americas confidence in its’ political leaders and as a country itself is an important factor to consider. For example, when America beat the Russians to the moon American moral was at an all time high. Although not many people probably understood the containment theory, not upholding a promise that a country had made to itself would undermine the very existence of making a policy in order to protect our country and the citizens of our country. If America did not defend what it believed in how are the people supposed to believe in America? My impression of the war changed immensely after reading how wide spread the negative support the war was receiving from American citizens. The political leaders of our country came under intense heat from American citizens as well as surrounding nations. President after president avoided being charged with the loss of the Vietnam War. The war gave many potentially good presidents a bad name due to the overwhelming number of war ending support. According to Tindall and Shis’ , The Tragedy of Vietnam, President at the time Lyndon B. Johnsons’ popularity declined to 35 percent. In 1968 the average spending on every enemy killed was 322,000 dollars, and by this time over 58,000 American officers serving in Vietnam had been killed in action or remained missing in action. This was evidence enough that had Americans screaming for an end to the war. These are the types of things that go on in war that no one can make sense of, all of the death, money, and time that you can offer up in a 12 year time period. In my own personal opinion a change of policy is required in times like these. Secretary of Defense McNamara said it best when he admitted, “The picture of the world’s greatest superpower killing or injuring 1,000 non-combatants a week, while trying to pound a tiny backward country into submission on an issue whose merits are hotly disputed, is not a pretty one.” I believe defense secretary McNamaras’ thought is not only seconded by the American majority but also the people who were fighting the war on their homeland. In an intriguing essay written by Le Ly Hayslip, a native of Vietnam and former Vietcong fighter, entitled, “When heaven and earth traded places”, Hayslip offers up her own views about why the war began from the opposite side of the spectrum. Hayslip entered the war as a teenager in a war stricken country. The Vietnamese had already fought a war against the French which lasted nearly eight years. To say the least they were ready for another attack and being on their home front gave them a huge advantage over the Americans. Hayslip goes on to talk about her upbringings in the Vietcong, particularly interesting is the connection made between her lifestyle and American lifestyle: “Since we farmers subsisted by our own hands and felt we owed nothing but to god and our ancestors for the right to live as we saw fit.” We as Americans for the most part feel the same way and this idea is part of the reason that we entered the war in the first place. Hayslip and her people were under communist rulers from the beginning, communism fit there lifestyle as farmers, it was what they knew. When America decided that communism was to be ended worldwide they intruded on these peoples way of life. American policies and a strong sense of moral authority led the charge into Vietnam. Hopefully the American people will learn from their past and not be destined to re-live the horrible events that took place at Vietnam. Bibliography: Duties: Food preparation, restocking shelves, running the cash register, and customer service. Dates Employed: August 2001 - September 2001 Employer: Blue Ridge BackCountry Position: Wilderness Instructor/Intern Supervisor: Randy Olson 48 Roby Conley Rd. Marion, NC 28752 (828)652-0037 Duties: Co-leading six-day backcountry trips with youth, planning, purchasing and preparing food rations, equipment maintenance, teaching backpacking, rock climbing and canoeing skills, planning routes, first aid kit upkeep, and leading debrief and Bible study times. Dates Employed: May 2001 - August 2001 Employer: Hillcrest Chapel Day Care Position: Afternoon A-2 Teacher Word Count: 1006
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