American Perspective Short Stories - Essay Example

To analyze the cost of Vietnam War effectively, the two warring nations need to be treated as separate entities. This is because the costs incurred by the America were not similar to those incurred by the Vietnam. During the war, American suffered heavy losses that had long-lasting effect on its citizens and economy. Firstly, America lost nearly 58,000 people to the war. The dead included American combatants and service members serving at different battalions that were deployed in Vietnam (Bennett 162).

The heavy casualty suffered by American servicemen and combatants in Vietnam caused the Americans to condemn the government for its decision to send troops to Vietnam. This shows that people were feeling the pinch of the war through the death of their relatives. The US also had to sustain the war by supplying equipment and ammunition to the service men and this contributed to the cost incurred by the country. In addition, Vietnam veteran suffered adverse health effects some that resulted from Agent Orange that was used to eliminate Vietnam forest cover.

This caused massive protests from war veterans that America had to deal with as long-term effects of the war. . Between 1969 and 1973 nearly 107, 504 Vietnamese lost their lives. These figures may be slightly lower since most of Vietnamese deaths went on unreported. These deaths include those that occurred in the frontline and those that resulted from bombs dropped in Indochina. The civilian deaths resulting from the war were estimated to be 200,000 most of who died from starvation (Bennett 92).

These figures are slightly lower since most civilian deaths were not recorded. After the war, Vietnam had to cope with the aftermath, which resulted from the devastating effects of the war. The bombs used by America on Vietnam fighters had long-lasting effects on the civilian population and environment. In addition, the country lost most of its infrastructures such as bridges to the war. This is because American bombers targeted such infrastructures as part of their combat strategy. In order to defeat the Vietnamese the American divided the country into portions or territories that later became independent states.

This political strategy was applied by the Americans to gain advantage over Vietnamese. The resultant states included Cambodia North and South Vietnam. This segregation partly resulted due to Soviet invasion and American strategy to win the war. The modern day radical movements such as al-Qaida and Taliban that have cost the US millions of dollars also have their roots in the Vietnam War. 2. What was the Bonus Army and what were the reasons and goals behind the movement? Was it successful? The World War I had a long-lasting effect on Americans and the country’s policy makers.

The bonus army was a demonstration of the effects that the war had caused on the