The Vietnam War: Dodging The Draft

604 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Vietnam War Quizlet

The Vietnam War was one of the most memorable and controversial wars. We think of the Vietnam War as a brutal fight against the murderous, bloodthirsty North Vietnamese but they see us the same way and even worse. The Vietnam war started in 1954 and ended in 1975. It happened in Vietnam which is in Indochina and is near Cambodia and Laos. It was a war between the North and South Vietnamese with Russia and Communism on the North’s side and America and Democracy on the South’s side. Some people thought the war was unethical and therefore wanted to avoid it, others felt the need to come to America’s aid and help fight. So you had to make the choice on whether dodge the draft or not. Dodging the draft means either you don’t enroll in the draft …show more content…

As it states in Document B, “It seems now more than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate…” This means that the longest war that Americans have worked so long to win will end in a tie. 58,220 Americans died during the Vietnam War so that’s about 2,911 Americans dead every year. Imagine how the numbers would add up. Seeing this guides me towards the decision to dodge the draft. Another piece of evidence that supports dodging the draft can be found in Document D, it's a picture of a tiger with the label Vietnam across it's back. On the tail you can find the ex-president LBJ barely hanging on. This shows that the tiger (North Vietnam) is uncontrollable so we can't possibly over power the tiger. This panel is trying to show that the war is unbeatable. Document I is an excerpt from Senator Eugene McCarthy. In the article it recites, “...In 1966, 1977, and now again in 1978 we hear the same hollow claims of victory…” This line means that the army officials are trying to keep America’s hope up by telling citizens that “we’re going to win” or “we’re almost there!” when there isn't any evidence to support the claim. This contributes to the idea that the war is unwinnable because the fighting forces are trying not to show how badly the war is going on America’s side. Furthermore, all of this evidence points to the fact that the war is

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of A Prayer For Owen Meany

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    The war was also known as the American War (in Vietnam, as opposed to the Vietnam War in America), the Vietnam Conflict, the Second Indochina War, and also the War Against the Americans to Save the Nation (The History of the Vietnam War). It started on November 1, 1955 and ended on April 30, 1975 (At a Glance June 2012). The main conflict that started the war was the aspiration of North Vietnam to unify the entire country under a single communist government that was modeled after the ones seen in the Soviet Union (now Russia) and China (Vietnam War |

    Read More

  • Comparison of the Vietnam War and in The Things They Carried

    1796 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the twentieth century, many young adults and many other men were chosen/ drafted to enter the war. The Vietnam War started during the time period of 1959 and this brutal war ended in 1975. It started with the United States sending aid and military advisors to the Southern part of Vietnam. The U.S helped the southerners of Vietnam because the northern part of Vietnam was a communist state, so the south wanted to end Communism in the north. Also, this war was said to be one of the bloodiest wars that took place in the twentieth century.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Vietnam War vs. Iraq War

    671 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Vietnam War was a war over communism that started in 1950, when Ho Chi Minh, the national leader of Vietnam, introduced a communist government into North Vietnam. In 1954 it was decided to split the country at the 17th parallel, and was ruled under opposing governments, Bao Dai leading the south and Ho Chi Mihn the north. North Vietnam went to war with South Vietnam with the north being supported by Russia and China, as they were also Communist countries, and the south being supported by Britain and the USA.

    Read More

  • Was The Draft Unfair?

    1187 Words  | 3 Pages

    On August 7th 1964 the United States Congress passed into law the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which, for all intents and purposes, officially brought the United States into the Vietnam War. Following this resolution, a draft was instated to increase the number of men that could be sent to war. Shortly after men started to be signed into conscription for the United States Military, a public outcry started over the use of a draft to increase military size. The draft was found to be unfair to American Citizens because certain groups of men were severely disadvantaged, the draft was illegal in many ways, and veteran’s future lives were harmed, among other reasons.

    Read More

  • The Vietnam Counter-Culture

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    Due to the volatile conditions of the Vietnam War, the protestors believed that they should not be involved in a war that they cared so little about. Public opinion heavily swayed during the war as only one senator dissented from the overwhelming opinion to fight the war (Amter 45). However, as President Johnson escalated the war and the Draft increased by 25% in 1968, those youths being conscripted were infuriated (Dougan 118). Not only this, the North Vietnamese began a ruthless offensive on American soldiers by merciless attacking our bases. This resulted in US victories, but also US casualties (Dougan 116). Also, the marines stationed at the bases began to use offensive attacks to deter Viet Cong assault against the wishes of General Taylor (Karnov 443). With these new less defensive strategy, Nixon announced plans to start operations in Cambodia, and to increase the bombings overall in Southeast Asia (Dougan 180). Some missions even began t...

    Read More

  • Vietnam War Research Paper

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Vietnam War was the longest war in America's history of involvement. Twenty years of hell, land mines, cross-fire, and death. Vietnam was divided by the Geneva Accord. The north being communist run by Ho Chi Minh. The south being anti-Communist run by Ngo Dinh Diem. Before Vietnam was separated, it was run by France. France had ruled most of Indochina since the late 1800s. The Vietnamese were unhappy with the way the French were controlling, therefore, many of them took refuge in China. When in China, they began to follow the lead of Ho Chi Minh, who wanted to model the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence as that of the U.S. version. In the 1940s, Japan had taken over Vietnam which upset Ho Chi Minh and his revolutionaries when they had returned a year later.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The Draft In The Vietnam War

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    If people do not believe in what they are fighting for and are drafted into a war they do not want to fight, people will not fight with honor for their country. Being drafted into a war someone does not want to fight causes him or her to fight that war to escape with their life, not to earn a victory for their country. The United States intervened into Vietnam to try and stop the spread of communism into South Vietnam (HISTORY.com,. "Vietnam War History). They declared we needed a draft to help supply troops to fuel the war against communism, but in the end the result was the same. The Draft was an unneeded part of the Vietnam War. If the draft would have never been introduced less protestors to the war would have risen and more volunteers would have came forward and sent to Vietnam. When American troops were beginning to be withdrawn from Vietnam, it was not because of a lack of troops, but from a lack of support (Walpole, Andy.). The lack of support and the idea of and unwinnable war was the cause of a slow end to the terrible war efforts. The American ideals changed from the start to the finish of the war, hating the soldiers when they came back. The last troops did not return home from Vietnam until 1973(Walpole, Andy.). This vast difference in time between the first troops to leave and the last troops to leave was the cause of much resentment among the

    Read More

  • The Vietnam War and The Tonkin Gulf Resolution

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Vietnam War lasted from the winter of 1956 to the spring of 1975. The Vietnam War was a domesticated civil war between the communist, North Vietnam, and the democratic, South Vietnam. The North was supported by the Chinese communist, and the leader Ho Chi Minh. The Vietnam War introduced the United States to the Vietcong and Guerrilla warfare. During this time, the United States faced our own battles at home between two social groups called the Doves and the Hawks. This war was very divisive. The Doves protested and Hawks shunned them. Young men without money were being drafted while others went to college, got a medical note, or fled the country. Tensions were already high in the United States when Congress passed Public Law 88- 408, also known as the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.

    Read More

  • The Vietnam War Draft

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people in the 1960s and early 1970s did not understand why the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. Therefore, they had no desire to be a part of it. The Selective Service System, which was used to conduct the draft, had aspirations of directing people into areas where they were most needed during wartime. However, people took advantage of the draft system’s deferment policies to avoid going to war. Others refused induction or simply did not register. There were also people who left the country to escape the draft. The Vietnam War proved to be an event that many Americans did not agree with, and as a result, citizens took action to elude the draft entirely or to beat the draft system.

    Read More

  • Military Draft Essay

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rich, Alex K.Moreno-Riano, Gerson. "Draft Vs. Volunteer Army: An Overview." Points Of View: Draft Vs.

    Read More

  • Military Draft No longer Necessary

    1749 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rhem, Kathleen. “Rumsfield: No Need for Draft; Disadvantages Notable.” U.S. Department of Defense. Defense.gov. Jan 7, 2003. n. pag. Web. 29 March 2014.

    Read More

  • The Hippie Movement

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    It became very important to dodge drafts during the Vietnam war. The Vietnam war grew into a broad social movement over the years. Americans became angrier because they believed it wasn’t their fight to fight. They began protesting and filled the streets on changing politics and anti-war movements. The hippies went against President Nixon and President Johnson and spoke out due to drafting thousands of Americans to Vietnam and Cambodia. They created slogans such as “Make love, not war”, “US troops get out of Vietnam”, and other peace signs. Along with signs, they would chant and played music to help promote their ideas and thoughts against the war. Many artists and bands pitched in and helped spread the youths’ ideas. There were songs such as “Paint it black” by The Rolling Stones, “Blowin’ in the wind” by Bob Dylan, “Give peace a chance” by John Lennon, and many other inspiring

    Read More

  • The Vietnam War Draft

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    Being a young adult between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five can be very difficult. I know this because I am twenty-two years old. At this age, there are many concerns about the future and a career. Making many important decisions which will affect the rest of your life is common during these ages. This is the age when the majority of people are getting married, having families, and buying houses of their own. Many young men and women of this age group are graduating from college and ready to start their careers. Being a young adult can be very challenging; however, it can be the best time of life. These aspects of a young adult's life were not that much different during the Vietnam time period. Unfortunately, many of these men were not able to make these decisions. Millions of men were forced, drafted, into a battle that many "considered to be illegal and immoral (Maxwell 37). It's hard to imagine basically being forced to put life on hold, leave family, and risk life fighting a war. Some men were opposed to the draft, and were determined to find ways to avoid it; on the other hand, many men accepted the terms of the draft. I believe a person has a right to make his own decision about fighting in a war. In the Vietnam time era, the concerns of a man who was getting drafted went from bettering his and his families’ life to deciding to go to war or find an alternative. Going to war meant personal hardships, loss of income, leaving family, and potential of losing one's life. I can understand a person’s determination to avoid the draft. Whatever choice the men made, the consequences were dangerous and sometimes deadly. Until 1973, the choices of draft age men were to serve in the military, receive a deferment if qualified and ava...

    Read More

  • The Role Of Youth In The 1960s

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    The men that were drafted into the war either dropped out of school and the government either came to your door to get you if you was a male that wasn’t attending school in some case. Like you Dr. Rowan mention how if you didn’t have 2.0 or higher in college back then you were automatically drafted into the war with no kind of excuses. As a Grandson of a Vietnam Vet, my Grandfather would tell me a lot about his experience other seas and he told me it wasn’t the best since it was hot and muggy out there. He told the same thing that was mention in class about the males that didn’t attend school would be drafted into the war or if you refused you would serve jail time for not serving the country.

    Read More

  • The Vietnam War Of Vietnam

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Vietnam War took action after the First Indochina War, in fact the Vietnam War is also known as the Second Indochina War. This war included the communist North Vietnam and its allies of the Viet Cong, the Soviet Union, China and other communist allies going against South Vietnam and its allies, the Unites States, Philippines and other anti-communist allies. It was a very long and conflicting war that actually started in 1954 and ended in 1975. The war began after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist party in North Vietnam. More than three million people were killed during the war, this included approximately 58,000 Americans and more than half of the killed were actually Vietnamese civilians. The Vietnam War ended by the communist forces giving up control of Saigon and the next year the country was then unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Many people, including both men and women were directly and indirectly involved within the war itself. Women worked many different roles in the Vietnam War, and they are most definitely not credited enough for all that they actually did.

    Read More

More about The Vietnam War: Dodging The Draft

Open Document