Why Men and Women Went to War - Essay Example

Reasons Why Men and Women Went to War of Reasons Why Men and Women Went to War There are a number of reasons why men and women of the 1960s went to war. A number of factors that limited their choices to military faced these men and women. Much of the war was fought during Nixon’s presidency (Morgan, 1992). Many Scholars asserts these men and women were attracted to military by constraints or pressures of their civilian lives. Some were attracted to military life due to patriotism. Moreover, the military slogan claimed that the military was not just a job, but also rather an adventure. In America, there was some form of booming economy: post-war economy. However, this economic boom had its effects on the working class. There seemed to be no equality in the working class, leading to mass unemployment of about 12% among whites and 27% among the blacks in 1960s. The fact that poor and working class youth could not secure stable jobs prompted them to join military as an alternative to their problem. In fact, most of the potential employers placed the fulfillment of military service as a condition for employment. In other words, most employers never wanted to invest in young men who might be drafted. Therefore, these youths had to choose between poorly paying jobs without advancement or military (Appy, 2006). Some of the military recruits had volunteered to join the military on the promise that they would have an option to make their own career choice. In fact, some of the men and women who enlisted themselves in the military had a promise that they would not be taken to war, but would have chance to train on subjects of their choice. However, these promises were not practical as most of these volunteers were later sent to Vietnam. Therefore, most of men and women might have gone to war because the military officials tricked them. Some men and women had volunteered in the military to avoid getting into problems. According to these people, school was a boring place, and family life was unbearable to them due to lack of employment. Therefore, such men and women viewed the military as the best alternative, and so they ended up in Vietnam. Some of them had volunteered to avoid the trouble of being in prison. Moreover, some historians portray the 1960s as a time when judges would send young offenders either to prison or military (Breuker, 2009) Economic hardship was also an aspect of enlisting to the military. It was mostly the factor responsible for many family tension and feuds. Many men hoped to escape such hardships through their enlistment in the military. Amongst the black volunteers, economic and social improvements played major role for their enlistment. According to some surveys, these blacks had hoped that military training and benefits would advance their lives. Moreover, they were happier with the free housing, steady wages and food that the military was providing. Therefore, this group saw military life as better than civilian life (Morgan, 1992). This made them choose military. Some men and women went to war because the government had set terms and conditions that were very unfavorable to them. According to their assertions, the number of people joining college had risen then dropped abruptly between 1965 and 1975. Some contemporary theorists viewed the surge in colleges as an attempt to avoid the draft. Therefore, the government had to counteract such motives by raising the aggregate for joining college. To this extent, the majority who could not get direct entry to college had no option but to join the military. For that reason, such people found themselves in military (Duncan, 2007). Vietnam also comprised Army Nursing Corps, who were sent by the American government in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam to help train Vietnamese in healthcare procedures. Such nurses worked in various regions, giving services to the wounded soldiers. A number of the army combat volunteered for duty in Vietnam for a number of reasons. These nurses saw Vietnam as a place of adventure while for some it was a sign of patriotism. However, others went because they wanted to save lives. Therefore, for some professionals like nurses, duty took them to Vietnam. Patriotism is another factor that must have made some men and women to go to war. One may realize that some citizens tend to be very patriotic to their nations to the extent that they do not question the moral obligation of their countries. In such an event, men and women may find themselves in battlefields. For instance, one may realize that Vietnam War was a combination of various combats including guerilla. Therefore, there was the possibility of patriotism inspiring the decision to go to war amongst some citizens. War is at times viewed as a means to attaining freedom and peace. Further, war removes fear that people may have. In the case of Vietnam War, some men and women might have been urged with the need to achieve freedom. For instance, most Vietnamese might have been in the war because they wanted to free themselves from America that they viewed as their greatest opponents. In fact, the fact that Vietnamese had depended on their terrain to defeat Americans might have helped remove fear in them and made them free from their enemy, America (Caputo, 1996). Some charismatic men and women go to war because they feel good to be on the positive side of history. For instance, war veterans would always want to share their war experiences. This may be the reason some great men and women took part in the Vietnam War. Moreover, Vietnamese would always want to share stories of how they took advantage of the terrain to defeat the Americans in the Vietnam War. In summary, the Vietnam War of the 1960s was of much importance because contemporary generation can learn from it. Furthermore, the war is an advantage for the looser to learn where they failed and correct their mistakes. On the other hand, victors have the advantage to improve their art of war and skills in preparation to face for any threat that may arise to test their military capability. However, the world must have learned on the need to wage professional war after what was seen in Vietnam. PART B The invasion of Cambodia by USA in 1970 was a long-term plan that President Richard Nixon had started during his presidential campaigns. Nixon had a diplomatic plan for withdrawing American troops from Vietnam and leaving Vietnamese to sort out themselves (Morgan, 1992). Nixon resorted in arming the Southerners and training them on how to use sophisticated weapons. Once, the southerners were ready, Nixon decided to cut the enemy supply lines from the North through Laos and Cambodia. Therefore, Nixon decided to launch secret bombings to the hideouts in Cambodia where the enemy’s food and weapons were kept (Owen, 2006) The war in Cambodia escalated in April 1970 with the US attack on Indochina. Besides the supplies, Nixon hoped to find and destroy Vietnamese field headquarters. With the help of the Cambodian government, but not the Congress nor the American people, Nixon succeeded in destroying the enemy supplies, but not enemy headquarters. However, this attack in Cambodia was marred with oppositions that left many demonstrators dead in places such as Ohio and Kent states. With the long-term results of the invasion, the military government failed leading to the rise of a dictatorship government. This resulted in the rise of the Khmer Rouge under dictator Pol Pot who murdered over one million Cambodians. However, Nixon’s Vietnamization was faced with many problems. For instance, in 1971, the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam failed in all its attempts to break up the Northern troops. In fact, at Laos, the Northerners attacked them from three sides, forcing them to run. Further, the attempt to use air cover ended up killing just the very Southerners. Further attempts to use helicopters ended in vain. Fearing to be left behind, the army hanged even to the landing runners, but they later fell and died as the evacuation helicopters were trying to clear the surrounding tree. On the other hand, there was some ray of hope in 1972. The secret negotiations that had been going on since 1969 were almost complete. From this negotiation, the North proposed for the two sides to agree and organize free and fair elections, and they reached certain modalities that would bring lasting peace. However, the longest serving Southern commander was never happy with the treaty, which would leave over 145,000 soldiers and guerilla to the South Vietnam as the American troops depart. Therefore, Nixon had to help him bomb communist headquarters and assured the South of security. In January 1973, the US participation in Vietnam War ended with the signing of a treaty between South Vietnam and the North Vietnam. In conclusion, various theorists hold different opinions to the American invasion of Cambodia. However, it makes some sense for those who claim that it was due to the interest to eliminate the hideouts of the destructive Northerners who could attack the South. However, those who hold that it was just away of showing off to the communist who had proved to be problematic might be right to some extent. Likewise, America seems not to have been clear in concluding this war as the North seems to have been favored by the peace treaty that ended the war. References Appy, C.G. (2006). Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Breuker, R. (2009). Korea’s Forgotten War. Accessed from http://www.koreanhistories.org/files/KH1_1%20Breuker- Korea%27s%20Forgotten%20War.pdf Caputo, P. (1996). A Rumor of War. New York: Holt Paperbacks. Duncan, D. (2007). The Whole Thing Was A Lie. Accessed from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/teachers/lesson_plans/pdfs/unit12_11.pdf Morgan, E.P. (1992). The Sixties Experience: Hard Lessons about Modern America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Owen, T. (2006). Kiernan, Ben. Bombs over Cambodia. Accessed from http://www.yale.edu/cgp/Walrus_CambodiaBombing_OCT06.pdf Read More