Anti-War Movement Essay Example

thousands of miles away to defend liberties in southeast Asia that they could not secure in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. This served as an effective mass protest as those who fought for their rights and burned draft cards were the ones summoned to fight in Vietnam, which could even be considered as a mutiny. Although excluding middle-class college students kept their support solid, it simply meant they were not losing their children in Vietnam; thus, if conscription was universal, the government would have had no support. When radical left-wing protesters chanted "Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh" in front of the American embassy, it caused widespread criticism. Though they were in few numbers, their actions ridiculed the more prevalent pacifist protesters and weakened mass protests in the U.S. The antiwar movement transformed into a platform for the developing counterculture of the sixties, which alienated rather than attracted many Americans.

In his book "Vietnam in Retrospect: Could We Have Won?", Jeffrey Record discusses the increasing public opposition to the Vietnam War. In December 1964, around 25,000 protestors marched against the war, causing concern for the government as it represented a significant loss of potential votes. Protest numbers continued to rise and well-known figures such as Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr., and the newly formed Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) joined in. The VVAW started with only six members but grew to 30,000 by the late 1960s/early 1970s. As actual veterans of the war, they posed a dual threat to the government - potentially costing them another 30,000 votes and gaining significant media attention from their influential status protesting against a war they had fought in.

The worldwide media coverage of the protest of Buddhist monks against the repressive Diem government in South Vietnam was noteworthy. The monks committed suicide to bring attention to the fact that Diem did not treat Buddhists equally as he was a devout Catholic. Additionally, Diem targeted journalists who tried to document rigged elections. Thich Quang Due's suicide on June 11th, 1963 was particularly significant as it was captured by photographers and cameramen globally. He sat on a road in Saigon where some nuns poured petrol over him before setting him on fire. This event shocked the world with the intensity of conviction it conveyed, and was especially noteworthy for America, as they supported Diem's ascendancy as the leader of South Vietnam. The war in that part of the world caused considerable consternation for a majority of Americans who often saw footage of soldiers being killed in Vietnam, which could lead to a mass of lost votes for the White House.

The media's influence during the Vietnam War was significant due to the fact that it was the first war to be broadcasted live and extensively in people's homes. This made them the "armchair generals," representing Middle America, whose sons and daughters were not fighting because of conscription exclusion. Despite the nightly display of lost battles, and awareness that it cost $66 million per day, the media had the power to decline a vote for the government, which some argue was even more powerful than protest. General Maxwell accused them of being "unpatriotic" and "helping the enemy," but they were undeterred and could report every offensive and operation in their preferred manner.

The government was

not worried about the media, but rather the potential impact of "arm-chair generals" who may decide not to vote for the current ruling party in the next election. These individuals, though a silent majority, could hold the government accountable by voting them out. North Vietnam achieved propaganda victories with each military success against the US, especially during the Tet offensive which resulted in 37,000 out of 70,000 NLF members being killed. The media showed images of burnt NLF members on Saigon streets which had a negative effect on American viewers.

During the Vietnam War, the National Liberation Front (NLF) launched a well-known event called the Tet offensive. Its aim was to lure American troops out of cities by attacking US garrisons. In 1968, over 70,000 NLF members attacked more than 100 towns and cities during the Tet New Year. This exposed their vast amount of men and machinery. The media reported this globally as evidence that the war had become unwinnable despite positive reports from Generals. The impact on both troops fighting in Vietnam and people at home was demoralizing. Life magazine printed pictures of 242 soldiers who lost their lives in Vietnam which affected a large percentage of the US population leading to calls for troop withdrawal in 1969. Studies indicated that loss due to cost of war combined with personal grief had greater effect than anti-war movement efforts.

The anti-Vietnam War sentiment was widespread beyond the demonstrations, with many people holding such views without protesting. The media presented live facts and figures from the battlefield, instead of relying on government reports, making it the first televised war that played out in people's living rooms every

day.

Various factors contributed to the #39;destroy' mentality of the US military during the Vietnam War, including encountering a new type of enemy in guerrilla warfare, influence from hawkish generals with anti-Communist beliefs stemming from McCarthyism and Truman's domino theory, as well as a lack of understanding of Vietnam's history and culture. Anti-war sentiment in the media highlighted the war's high cost and devastating effects, ultimately leading to President Johnson's decision not to run for re-election. The US faced severe backlash for their "destroy" approach under operation name "ranch hand," seeking out NLF members and Guerrillas in vegetation-covered land. Napalm bombs and agent orange/blue destroyed peasants' way of life by harming innocent civilians through burning their skin, ruining crops, and land for many years. This scenario makes the phrase "it became necessary to destroy the town to save it" applicable. It is uncertain whether ordinary citizens could handle daily horrors without media coverage bringing true conflict horror into people's homes every night.

Under the banner of Operation Rolling Thunder, a veiled U.S. Army major opted to attack Bentre on February 7, 1968, during the Vietnam War. LeMay clarified that the purpose behind this decision was to pummel the adversary into surrendering. Even though this mission was initially supposed to endure for only 8 weeks, it eventually persisted for three years and spawned an overall output of one million tonnes of bombs.

At first, a majority of Americans supported the operation due to limited opposition to the war. However, media reports on other military failures like the Tet offensive, My Lai and Hamburger Hill as well as the extended duration of Operation Rolling Thunder changed public opinion. The battle

for Hamburger Hill was an attempt to capture a mountain where US soldiers were killed and treated like meat. Only 124 out of 600 who began survived this 10-day-long battle, which demoralized both troops and Americans at home. My Lai showed how some troops had become desensitized by exposing atrocities committed during the conflict.

In 1968, the Charlie Company sought help from the NLF and arrived at My Lai village where General William Calley identified villagers as suspects and instructed troops to open fire, killing 500 men, women and children. The US was gravely affected by this event in two ways: media coverage of the massacre and Calley's prosecution for war crimes. Furthermore, surviving villagers began supporting the NLF after being mistreated by US soldiers. Nguyen Bat stated that "After the shooting, all the villagers became Communist." The US army's failures cannot be solely blamed for their defeat in Vietnam; the NLF possessed numerous strengths including their extensive knowledge of terrain.

The North Vietnamese Communists used the Ho Chi Minh trail as the primary means to provide aid, supplies, and troops to the Guerrillas in South Vietnam. This trail was heavily fortified with booby traps, making it extremely difficult for infiltrators, something the NLF knew well but the US did not. The efficient and organized nature of the NLF was demonstrated through the successful use of this trail. Additionally, the Tet Offensive served as a turning point in the War, prompting Johnson to announce a gradual withdrawal of troops in 1968. In an attempt to draw US troops out of towns and cities, NLF members had previously been attacking garrisons. However, in January 1967, a massive campaign

involved 70,000 NLF members attacking South Vietnam towns and cities.

Although 7,000 NLF members were killed, their morale remained unaffected as it showcased to both the media and enemy troops that they had an abundant number of volunteers. The complete offensive severely impacted troop morale and was a source of worry for those viewing the broadcasts. It is approximated that in the early 1970s around 20,000 soldiers resorted to drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin which were easily obtainable in South Vietnam. This further demonstrated the declining morale among troops.