Another reason that made people in favour of the war was that so much money had been spent on weapons, machinery and the cost of fuel for getting troops out to Vietnam. For them to pull out of the war in such a high state of involvement would be a foolish decision and a complete squandering of money.
The Americans wanted to fulfil their aim of eliminating Communism and this would make them want the war, which if they were to win would stop the effect of the ‘Domino Theory’. This is important to them because they believe that it spreads like a disease and they want capitalism to be the dominant.
However there are also the people that believe that the war should be brought to an end because all it does is bring destruction and terror and does not achieve anything.
Firstly there was video coverage of the ‘My Lai Massacre’ and the ‘TET offensive’. This exposure made Americans more against the war because it showed the devastation they were bringing to innocent people and it also showed America to be losing so people thought America should pull out of the war before they get beaten. Newspapers also contributed to giving false information about the war. In reaction to this people did protested and wrote letters to try and convince the government to get the American troops out of Vietnam.
Some people also thought that it was a waste of time and money and the money spent on sending troops out to Vietnam could be spent on more effective things for the economy such as teacher training or better facilities in hospitals.
There were also the people that thought it was not America’s business to be involved in the war because it was a war between Vietnam and so America should stay out of the war. Some people felt this because they feared for their loved ones that went to fight and didn’t want to accept that it was their duty and blamed the government for interfering with someone else’s war. Other people who had already lost loved ones in previous wars were also against the war because they knew the devastation this brought and did not want other people to feel this pain. Furthermore, war veterans were included in this category because they new the awful conditions the soldiers had to live in and that it was unfair on them especially if it was not a war they should be fighting anyway. They knew of the mental scarring as well as physical scarring the war brought too with people returning from the war with numerous health conditions.
Another reason for people not wanting the war in Vietnam is that soldiers were scared for their lives. “Any man who walks 50 yards through the elephant grass should automatically get a Purple Heart.” US Soldier. This shows his apprehension in going to war and through the elephant grass. He portrays this fear by saying that soldiers should get the highest of bravery awards for going to war.
Overall there were many different people that had different views on the war in Vietnam in the 1960’s. The people that wanted the war mainly wanted to prevent the spread of Communism and to make money. However, the people that were against the war were possibly influenced by the media showing the American’s to be barbaric and also didn’t want people to feel pain that they may have formerly experienced or witnessed. I would say that generally people were more against the war but people did have strong views for why they thought the war was a good idea.