War in Vietnam the Web

¶ … War in Vietnam

The Web site of the PBS documentary of the War in Vietnam: http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/,producedby PBS Online, gives a compelling history of the Vietnam War, from its inception to the American pullout and beyond. The authors' intent in creating the site was to bring together information from a wide variety of sources that might make the war and its outcome a bit clearer to people unfamiliar with the events, causes, and outcomes of the war. The site contains areas of brief history, a timeline, the air war, guerilla tactics, and the siege at Khe Sanh, along with additional resources for further study.

The Vietnam War actually began in the 1950s, in a conflict between France and its colony, Vietnam. France actually lost the colony in 1954, and when negotiating for peace, they allowed a division of the country into North and South, which was supposed to "disappear" after elections in 1956, but ultimately resulted in Communism in the North, and a free Republic in the South (with much help from the U.S.). The war started in earnest when the corrupt leadership in South Vietnam kept telling the world that the Communists of North Vietnam were aggressors in a civil war, and in order to prevent a Communist takeover, enlisted aid from America. American advisors were in the country advising the South Vietnamese military, and after the attack of two U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, America sent in real troops in 1964 and the war was one.

Protests against the war began because the war was affecting every aspect of American life, both human and material, and when the government instituted a draft, things came to a head. By 1968, the country was in protest; there were riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, and on college campuses around the country. The people wanted out of Vietnam, but that would not happen until 1972, for America, and 1975, when the Communists finally took over the South.

The site uses a large number of very reliable sources, such as university professors and experts to reach reliability and credibility, and it does a good job of presenting the history of the Vietnam War in a comprehensive and yet understandable style. The timeline is especially valuable for showing just how long this conflict really raged, and places some of the major events, such as the Tet Offensive, in context with other occurrences during the war. The Guerilla Tactics section shows how U.S. soldiers had to learn to fight in completely different ways in Vietnam, because the Vietcong fought in such different and difficult ways. It is a lot like the suicide bombers and roadside bombs used now in Iraq, which are also new techniques for a new generation of war. The air war was essential to success in Vietnam, and America did have the advantage there, and many new innovations in fighter technology came out of the war. Finally, the Siege of Khe Sanh shows the dedication of Marines who held their base after 77 days of siege through incredible odds. It shows the dedication of the people who fought in Vietnam, and the inability of the North Vietcong to take the base, even when it was weak and undersupplied.

Some of the most interesting things about this site are the detailed information on some of the key occurrences, like the Siege at Khe Sanh, along with the technical innovations and the role aircraft played in the war. Without aircraft, they could not have broken the siege, and it helped win battles in many other areas. Another very interesting aspect was how the U.S. supported the corrupt government in South Vietnam, and then approved of a coup, something else that seems eerily similar to events in the Middle East in the next two decades after Vietnam.