Vietnamization
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Vietnamization
Vietnamization
Facts for kids
Vietnamization
Facts - 1: The communist
North Vietnamese and their guerilla forces called the
Viet Cong fought throughout the
Vietnam War
to oust the anti-communist and pro-American government
from South Vietnam.
Vietnamization
Facts -
2: The first US
combat troops were sent to Vietnam in March 1965. The
United States fought a hi-tech war in Vietnam,
using B52 bombers, helicopters and the latest computer
technology and equipment. They also waged chemical
warfare in Vietnam employing napalm and defoliants, a
spray for foliage destruction (defoliation), to combat
the guerrilla tactics of the communists.
Vietnamization
Facts - 3: The communists used guerilla
warfare tactics fighting in the impenetrable jungles of Vietnam. The
dense canopies of trees made it almost impossible for the pilots of
high-flying, high-speed bombers, and the low-flying helicopters, to
see and destroy targets in the jungle terrain and their intricate
system of interconnecting tunnels.
Vietnamization
Facts - 4: Despite the use of the latest
American technology and military support, little progress had been
made in defeating the simpler guerilla warfare tactics of the enemy
or preventing the advancement of communist North Vietnamese troops
and the Viet Cong into South Vietnam.
Vietnamization
Facts - 5: When President Richard Nixon
assumed the presidency in
January 1969, U.S. combat troops had been fighting in Vietnam for
nearly 4 years. 31,000 U.S. servicemen had lost their lives
and by April 1969 US troop deployment had reached its highest point
numbering 543,000.
Vietnamization
Facts - 6: The anti-war
movement and protests were rapidly increasing in the
United States sickened by the deaths of troops and the
terrible injuries that had been inflicted on returning
Vietnam Veterans.
Vietnamization
Facts - 7: The constant,
unrelenting media coverage of the Vietnam War, via the
newspapers and television, brought the events of the war
directly into the homes of American citizens. Scenes
such as the suicides of Buddhist monks who burned
themselves to death during the 'Buddhist Crisis' of June
1963 shocked the nation.
Vietnamization
Facts - 8: Opposition to the
draft was intense and the Youth Movement escalated in
the mid-1960's as young people adopted the Hippie
counterculture and popularized the anti-establishment
phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out".
Vietnamization
Facts -
9:
The North Vietnamese gained a psychological and
political victory for the communists with the
Tet Offensive (January 30, 1968 -
September 23, 1968). The invasion of the U.S. embassy in
Saigon was a terrible shock to the nation, severely
damaging national confidence in the Vietnam war policies
of President Lyndon Johnson. The success of the
communist Tet Offensive dramatically contradicted the
optimistic claims by the U.S. government that the
Vietnam War was all but over.
Vietnamization
Facts -
10:
Under the barrage of fierce protests and criticism of
the Lyndon administration, fueled by the mainstream
media coverage of the Tet Offensive and protests on the
college campuses, the Nixon strategy of 'Vietnamization'
evolved
Vietnamization
Facts - 11: In 1968 Richard Nixon was on the
campaign trail and, aware of the intense opposition to
the Vietnam War, ran on a platform for the presidency
that included the claim of a 'secret plan' to end the
Vietnam War. Richard Nixon won the election and assumed
the presidency in January 1969.
Vietnamization
Facts - 12:
President Nixon announced the strategy of 'Vietnamization'
to the American people in a broadcast speech on November 3, 1969.
His 'secret plan' to end the Vietnam War was the complete withdrawal
of all U.S. combat ground forces, and their replacement by South
Vietnamese forces on an orderly scheduled timetable.”
Vietnamization
Facts - 13:
The plan was to equip, train and expand the South
Vietnamese forces so that they could take over more military
responsibilities against the communists in North Vietnam and the
Viet Cong. This enabled the United States to disengage combat forces
without appearing to abandon South Vietnam in the war against the
Communists.
Vietnamization
Facts - 14: Nixon authorized the spending of millions of
dollars on equipment for the South Vietnamese providing them with
the best planes, tanks rapid-fire machine guns and rifles. 600
helicopters and 1,200 were also provided.
Vietnamization
Facts - 15:
President Nixon announced the strategy of 'Vietnamization'
to the American people in a broadcast speech on November 3, 1969.
His 'secret plan' to end the Vietnam War was the complete withdrawal
of all U.S. combat ground forces, and their replacement by South
Vietnamese forces on an orderly scheduled timetable.”
Continued...
Vietnamization
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Vietnamization for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Vietnamization.
Vietnamization
Facts for kids
Vietnamization
Facts - 16: The U.S. provided substantial
training in the use of the weapons including the use of
substances such as Napalm and
Agent Orange.
South Vietnamese officers were brought over to attend
the best U.S. military academies and their troops were
taught to use and repair their guns and to use the
tactics of 'Search and Destroy' missions
Vietnamization
Facts - 17: In June 1969, the
first 25,000 U.S. troops were withdrawn from Vietnam and
a further 60,000 troops followed by the end of the year.
Vietnamization
Facts -
18:
News of the
My Lai Massacre broke in America
in November 1969 to the horror of the nation.
Vietnamization
Facts - 19:
Nixon authorized the secret bombing of the
Ho Chi Minh Trail
along the borders of Cambodia and Laos in an attempt to
destroy supply routes reaching the communists.
Vietnamization Facts - 20:
The undeclared military action in Cambodia and Laos was
taken without the support of Congress or the American
people. He didn't need to because the
Gulf
of Tonkin Resolution, passed on August 7, 1964, had provided the
president a free hand to escalate the war in Southeast
Asia.
Vietnamization
Facts - 21: The Gulf
of Tonkin Resolution had authorized the U.S. president to take all
necessary measures against the communists in Vietnam and
also authorized the president, without a formal
declaration of war by Congress, for the use of
"conventional'' military force in Southeast Asia
providing the legal foundation for such actions
Vietnamization
Facts - 22: On April 30, 1970,
President Nixon, fearing a humiliating defeat in
Vietnam, escalated the war in Indochina even further by
ordering the U.S. invasion of Cambodia and the need to
draft 150,000 more U.S. soldiers for an expansion of the
Vietnam War effort.
Vietnamization
Facts -
23: News of the
invasion of Cambodia, and the expansion of the war
effort, led to protests by enraged anti-war
demonstrators across America. On May 4, 1970, four
student demonstrators were shot dead and nine were
wounded during the
Kent State
University Shooting by Ohio National Guardsmen
Vietnamization
Facts -
24: By 1971 the South
Vietnamese army were trained and equipped and on
February 8, 1971 began an attack on North Vietnamese
troops in Laos. It was a complete and utter disaster.
Vietnamization
Facts -
25: The communists
trapped the South Vietnamese in Laos and they
immediately called for air cover. But the bombs intended
for the North Vietnamese hit their own troops. The South
Vietnamese troops panicked and called for helicopters to
lift them out. Military discipline completely broke down
in the rush to escape in the helicopters and many troops
dropped to their deaths during the mayhem
Vietnamization
Facts -
26: The attack by the
South Vietnamese in Laos was a clear indication that the
strategy of 'Vietnamization' was not working.
Vietnamization
Facts -
27: In March 1971 the
top secret Pentagon Papers
were leaked, covering the period from 1945 to 1967,
revealing that the US government had been dishonest and
had used "incredible deception" about the U.S. political
and military involvement in Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers
also revealed that decisions made about the Vietnam War
had been made without the consent of Congress.
Vietnamization
Facts -
28: The Pentagon
Papers confirmed many suspicions about the "credibility
gap" between what the government said and what it
actually did heralding a new era of skepticism about the
Vietnam War and the U.S. government in general.
Vietnamization
Facts -
29: By the end of 1971
opinion polls showed that 66% of all Americans wanted
the Vietnam War to end as quickly as possible.
Vietnamization Facts - 30:
On January 25,
1972, President Richard Nixon announced that Henry
Kissinger, the National Security Advisor, had been
secretly negotiating with the communist North Vietnamese
aimed at achieving "peace with honor" in the Vietnam
War.
Vietnamization
Facts -
31: The Paris Peace
Accords were signed on January 27, 1973 that included a
ceasefire agreement heralding the
End of the Vietnam War.
The last US combat troops left Vietnam in August 1973.
Vietnamization
Facts -
32: A total of 2.59 million Americans
had served in the Vietnam War. 58,307 U.S. troops
were killed and 304,000 were wounded, of which 75,000 returned
home severely disabled.
Vietnamization
Facts -
33: On November 7,
1973, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution to place
limits on the President's authority to unilaterally wage
war, requiring the President to consult with Congress
before making any decisions that engaged the United
States military in hostilities.
Vietnamization
Facts -
34: The strategy of 'Vietnamization'
failed and the 'gung-ho' and autocratic actions of
Richard Nixon were later mirrored in lies and deceptions
of the
Watergate Scandal which led to the downfall of
the president.
Vietnamization
Facts for kids
Vietnamization - President Richard Nixon Video
The article on Vietnamization provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Richard Nixon video will
give you additional important facts and dates from
January 20, 1969 to August 9, 1974.
Vietnamization
●
Interesting Facts about Vietnamization for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Vietnamization in US history
●
Facts about the Vietnamization
●
Richard Nixon Presidency from
January 20, 1969 to August 9, 1974
●
Fast, fun, Vietnamization
facts
●
Foreign & Domestic policies of President Nixon -
Vietnamization
● Richard Nixon Presidency and
Vietnamization for schools,
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