Essay #2 Draft

The Vietnam War has long become of the most historic battles in the history of the United States but very few know how it all began. The United States began calling this war "the fight against communism" and gave the men of the United Sates the idea that this war was to protect capitalism and save the Vietnamese from the wrongs of communism.  Patriotism, along with pride, encouraged the men of the United States to join the cause to kill the "gooks". Men were trained to believe that the Vietnamese were worthless, disgusting creatures that need the U.S. to become civilized. With these ideologies in mind the soldiers proudly went to war, killing Vietnamese as if their lives were invaluable. Men, women, the elderly, and children were mercilessly killed.

Since the United States was quickly gaining power in the world it needed to obliterate communism to keep capitalistic ideologies. For the policy makers in the U.S. this was more than just fighting communism but about protecting and reinforcing the image of the United States. It needed to maintain that image of a powerful army.

The training the men in the military received caused them to become heartless killing machines. In Hearts and Minds directed by Peter Davis there was a scene where a church leader spoke to the troops. He described the war as a football game that had to be won. He clearly states that “the other team” isn’t going to win because the U.S. is more advanced and has the advantage.