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Controversial events of the Vietnam War. 1963-to the Present. The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was the first major war in American History where real time events where able to be reported almost instantaneously into the homes of American Citizens through their television sets. .
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Controversial events of the Vietnam War 1963-to the Present
The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was the first major war in American History where real time events where able to be reported almost instantaneously into the homes of American Citizens through their television sets.
The immense amount of Coverage by the media was a major factor in the shaping of public opinion regarding the war and subsequent protests against The war in the United States
There were four major events that occurred during and after the war that were covered extensively by the media and played a critical role in public opinion regarding the war. These four events were: -The self-immolation of the Buddhist monk ThichQuang Due in 1963 -The public execution of a Viet Cong soldier by South Vietnamese Chief of National Police Nguyen Ngoc Loan in February 1968
-The My Lai Massacre in March 1968 -The use of the defoliant Agent Orange from 1962 to 1971 and the subsequent harmful effects on US soldiers and Vietnamese civilians for years to come and the damage to the environment of Vietnam
EVENT ONE ThichQuangDuc was a Buddhist monk who lit himself on fire (self-immolation) to protest the persecution of Buddhists by the US backed Diem government in South Vietnam in June of 1963. The photo of this event won a Pulitzer Prize and was shown widely around the world on every major news outlet.
This event brought attention to the brutal and undemocratic practices of the Diem government and led eventually to the downfall of Diem’s government Which many believe was orchestrated by the US government.
EVENT TWO The public execution of a Viet Cong soldier by South Vietnamese Chief of National Police Nguyen Ngoc Loan in February of 1968. This brutal murder and its video and photo were shown widely in the United States during the Tet Offensive.
These videos and photos were the instrumental in turning media and public opinion against the war in Vietnam and caused many to question the morality and wisdom of supporting the South Vietnamese and American chances of winning the war
EVENT THREE The My Lai Massacre which occurred in March 1968. A unit of the US Army on a “Search and Destroy” mission killed over 500 Vietnamese villagers in My Lai including women and children even though there was no military resistance from the villagers. Many of the Vietnamese women were also raped and small children were bludgeoned to death.
This event was covered up for a year before a soldier from another unit exposed the massacre to politicians and military officials. This event increased opposition and protests to the war and a level of outward animosity towards the US military from many in the US which was unprecedented until that time.
EVENT FOUR The use of the defoliant Herbicide Orange and Agent LNX called Agent Orange in Vietnam from 1962 to 1971 to eliminate jungle cover from the enemy. It is estimated that over 400,000 people were either killed or disfigured from the use of Agent Orange and that over half a million Vietnamese children were born with birth defects. Over 12 percent of South Vietnam was sprayed with Agent Orange which caused immense environmental damage to the Vietnamese countryside.
Many US soldiers also developed health issues that were later connected to their contact with Agent Orange. The media coverage of the use of Agent Orange after the war brought a vast amount of negative publicity for the American government regarding their conduct during the war and became synonmous with the negative view of the Vietnam War held by many of the Vietnam War in future generations after the war.
