Into the Quagmire

Introduction

According to Henretta and Brody (968), Vietnam War erupted majorly because of the need for independence from French and Japanese colonialists. The war occurred after the failure of the various attempts to unify Vietnam which had sharply divided itself into the South and North. The war became more complicated with the entry of United States which joined the war and supported the South in fighting against the North Vietnam and Vietcong of South Vietnam. The United States was majorly interested in preventing the spread of communism to other surrounding nations particularly those of the South East Asia (Henretta & Brody 968).

Difficulties the United States faced in the Vietnam War

Henretta & Brody (968) noted that the United States faced several difficulties in their fight against the communists of North Vietnam and Vietcong of the South Vietnam. They noted that the U.S troops found it hard to fight against the more experienced Vietcong who employed approaches such as: organizing sudden ambushes, setting up of booby traps and using a network of complex underground tunnels which were unknown to the U.S. troops. These approaches made it difficult for the U.S troops to succeed in their fight against Vietcong.

Additionally, Henretta & Brody (972) noted that the cooperation of women and children with the Vietcong made it difficult for the U.S troops to identify their enemies. They also identified the other challenges faced by the U.S troops as the thickness of jungles, the ruggedness of the terrain and language barrier. In addition, they noted that there was the growing pressure among the Americans who felt that troops should be withdrawn from South Vietnam. Finally, the South Vietnam Government was also ineffective and thus could not provide the U.S with the needed support during the war.  

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is therefore clear that the United States troops faced numerous difficulties and thus were not very effective in the Vietnam War. The United States may have to find solutions to such challenges as change of climate and landscape to enable it to increase its effectiveness in any future external war.