Ronnie Cale Sutton (1951)

he origins of the Vietnam War can be traced back to the mid-1950s when President Dwight D. Eisenhower pledged support to South Vietnam against the communist North Vietnam. Initially, the US only provided training and equipment to South Vietnamese forces. However, under the administration of John F. Kennedy, the US increased its military presence in South Vietnam. They aimed to prevent the spread of communism through Vietnam and other Asian countries. In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson called for a dramatic increase in US forces in Vietnam, and fighting escalated between the two sides. A large contingent of Americans did not support the war. As the conflict dragged on negative sentiment increased. In 1973, the US and North Vietnam signed a final peace treaty, and US troops withdrew from the region. The Vietnam War claimed the lives of 58,000 US troops. Conflict in the region surrounding Vietnam went on for several decades before the US got involved in 1954. That year, France and Vietnam signed the Geneva Peace Accords. Vietnam was divided into two states along the 17th parallel, North and South Vietnam. Concerned about the possible spread of communism in Asia, President Dwight D. Eisenhower pledged support to South Vietnam in the ongoing conflict with Soviet-backed North Vietnam. The US sent a limited number of troops, and South Vietnamese forces received training and equipment from the military and CIA. 
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent a team to report on conditions in South Vietnam. The team advised Kennedy to increase the number of troops in Vietnam to avoid a domino effect of communism in the region. Kennedy did send more troops and equipment, but fewer than recommended. By 1962, some 9,000 US soldiers were on Vietnamese soil. 
In November 1963, rebel forces assassinated Ngo Dinh Diem, the anti-communist president in the south. In response, President Lyndon B. Johnson increased military presence on land and on the sea. In August 1964, the North Vietnamese attacked two US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Congress quickly passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave Johnson broad war-making powers. He immediately called for an increase in troops and ordered regular bombing raids by US planes, known as Operation Rolling Thunder. 
 Although the war initially had the support of the American public, negative sentiment grew as time wore on. Troops stationed in Vietnam experienced high levels of post-traumatic stress and participated in mutinies, attacks against officers, and desertion. Many also abused readily available drugs, such as heroin. At home, tens of thousands of Americans protested the war. They claimed that the main victims were civilians and not military casualties. 
On January 31, 1968, General Vo Nguyen Giap of North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive. Some 70,000 North Vietnamese troops coordinated a series of attacks on more than 100 towns and cities in South Vietnam. American and South Vietnamese troops were taken by surprise but held off the attack. They drove the invading soldiers out of the cities within a few days. General William Westmoreland called for more troops, but many Americans vocally opposed this. With his approval ratings dropping dramatically, Johnson called for peace talks with North Vietnam. The talks reached an impasse, and Americans voted Johnson out of office. 
Richard Nixon became President in January 1969, and he called for the “Vietnamization” of the conflict. American forces would withdraw; aerial and artillery bombardment would increase; and South Vietnamese troops would receive the training and weapons needed to continue on the ground. Nixon also continued peace talks in Paris. 
The anti-war movement continued to grow in popularity, especially on college campuses, as reports of senseless violence in Vietnam reached the home front. The most crushing blow for the US government came when the New York Times published portions of the Pentagon Papers. These reports revealed the government misled the public about the degree of US involvement in Vietnam. Hundreds of thousands of Americans marched in protest. Soldiers deserted in even greater numbers, and many young men became “draft dodgers”. 
In January 1973, the United States and North Vietnam concluded the Paris Peace Talks with a final agreement to end open hostilities. American troops withdrew. Throughout the conflict, the US lost 58,000 troops. When soldiers returned home, many Americans greeted them with disdain and disapproval. Unlike soldiers from the past, some did not consider them heroes. However, many received awards for their sacrifices and valor, and their names are etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.