University:
High School
Course:
High School History
Academic year:

2020
Views:

105

Pages:

10
Author:

MarleyC

1. U.S. Troops Face Difficult Conditions Much of the initial pressure was placed on LBJ by hawks in Congress and the military, both calling for more troops in Vietnam. At this time, LBJ wanted to fight a limited war in Vietnam with a restricted number of soldiers.The American public, he believed, would turn against him if troop and casualty levels rose too high. In 1968, most of the U.S.ground troops in Vietnam were not professional soldiers, like the marines who first landed at Da Nang. As the war progressed, more of the fighting was done by drafted soldiers, many of whom were critical of the war.In a letter home, one draftee summarized the attitude of many soldiers when he wrote, "We are the unwilling working for the unqualified to do the unnecessary for the ungrateful." U.S.soldiers' cynical outlook toward the war reflected the difficult conditions they faced in Vietnam. U.S.soldiers spent much of their time on patrol in search of the enemy. They trudged through dense vegetation, swamps, and other difficult terrain, carrying rifles, ammunition, and packs weighing 90 pounds or more.Vietnam's geography and climate proved enormous challenges for American Gls. Fighting in Unfamiliar Territory One set of difficulties concerned the geography and climate of South Vietnam. Few American Gls had previously experienced such hot and humid conditions.In some areas, temperatures hovered above 90° F for much of the year, and heavy monsoon rains fell consistently from May to October. One GI recalled his reaction when the plane door first opened upon landing in Vietnam: "The air rushed in like poison, hot and choking ... I was not prepared for the heat." The uncomfortable tropical climate also harbored a host of insects and other pests, as well as diseases like malaria. Perhaps the greatest geographic challenge U.S.soldiers faced was Vietnam's rugged topography.Troops had to march across soggy rice paddies and swamps, through dense jungles, and over steep mountains.The heavily forested terrain often made it difficult to locate enemies.Unlike U.S.soldiers, the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army_(NVA) were familiar with the land, and thus were skilled at concealing themselves in the dense tropical vegetation. The U.S. military attempted to eliminate the enemy's forest cover by spraying chemical herbicides from the air. These herbicides stripped the foliage from plants and killed many trees.The preferred herbicide was Agent Orange, named for the color of the barrels in which it was stored. The military sprayed Agent Orange in many areas, including along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and used these herbicides to kill crops that might feed the enemy. However, these herbicides had little effect on enemy operations since Vietnam's forest cover was so extensive. Herbicides contaminated soil and water, destroyed civilian food sources, and exposed civilians and soldiers to toxins with long-term health risks. Engaging an Elusive Enemy When the United States To avoid detection, the Viet Cong created an elaborate system of underground tunnels to hide from U.S.troops.This is an entrance to one of these tunnels. The Viet Cong frustrated U.S. commanders, whose soldiers had to traverse the landscape in search of their enemy. escalated its involvement in South Vietnam in 1965, the Viet Cong and NVA realized that they could not match superior U.S. firepower.To succeed, these armies had to engage in guerrilla warfare, relying on the element of surprise and their skill at disappearing into the terrain.