Vietnam and Iraq Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Vietnam and Iraq Wars - Essay Example The invasion of Iraq was started in an attempt to stop the rise of international terrorism, which started after the attacks of September eleventh, in the year 2001. The invasion was started on the grounds of allegations that there was cooperation and coordination between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. This paper seeks to analyze the two invasions, which were carried out by the American forces in the lights of broad and diverse academic resources. Furthermore, this paper will seek to compare and contrast between the things, which the American soldiers carried with them in Vietnam to the things, which they carried in Iraq. The US was embroiled in the Vietnam conflict during the 1960s and 1970s. Vietnam had been partitioned into North and South after the French withdrawal. North Vietnam had begun to sponsor a communist insurgency in the South (Barbier, 34). This was considered to be a threat to US interests which feared a domino affect that would result in communist revolutions in neighboring countries. The United States deployed its military forces in Vietnam. It used classical counter insurgency tactics like sweep and search operations, resettlement of hostile villages, torture of suspected insurgents, air strikes against North Vietnamese forces, and assassination campaigns against communist collaborators. However the North Vietnamese continued to fight back by creating a large pain threshold. They were able to absorb heavy casualties and sustain a war of attrition against the United States. By 1973, the US had retreated from Vietnam by signing a negotiated settlement with North Vietnam. The United S tates retreat from Vietnam was considered to be a major military setback. It would spawn decades of reluctance inside the US to commit ground troops into any major conflict. Iraq War The Iraq War was launched in the year 2003 with the specific purpose of overthrowing the regime of Saddam Hussein. US forces quickly overthrew the regime within twenty one days but were embroiled in a guerilla conflict with local insurgents. The US has deployed massive numbers of troops in order to achieve its military objectives. It has formed collaborative relationships with local Iraqi forces in order to tame the insurgency. US forces in the year 2007 launched a massive troop surge which was an attempt to pacify the county. The key strategy was to conduct a section by section sweep of suspected insurgent areas. US forces would ensure a permanent presence by establishing checkpoints and outposts. The surge has relatively pacified Iraq with a number of insurgent groups joining the US led allied government (Barbier, 45). Standard Issue Weapons and Equipment US forces in Vietnam were not adequately trained to handle guerilla warfare. The US military doctrine considered guerillas as mere nuisances during conflict zones. The average US soldier was a draftee who had been pushed into the Vietnamese jungle for a couple of months. However the Kenney Administration deployed Special Forces in order to fight the guerilla threat. US Special Forces were involved in pacification campaigns that involved searching and destroying guerilla positions. The UH-1 (Huey) helicopter was extensively applied for such missions (Barbier, 32). US troops in Vietnam carried M-16 rifles which enabled rapid fire against concentrated

Gregory Pappy Boyington and the Black Sheep Squadron Essay

Gregory Pappy Boyington and the Black Sheep Squadron - Essay Example This sport later on became his favorite. Wrestling became his favorite past time such that he would usually challenge others for a fight which oftentimes resulted to big ones that left him and the others injured ("Major"). He then continued practicing the sport until he graduated from Lincoln High School ("Colonel"). Moreover, he continued playing the sport even when he got into college in the University of Washington in 1930 ("Major") where he took a bachelor's degree majoring in aeronautical engineering. He became a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity in the university. He also joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) as well as the swimming team. Continuing wrestling as his favorite sports, he was once a one-time holder of the Pacific Northwest Intercollegiate middle-weight wrestling title ("Colonel"). It was also in the university when he met his first wife whom he married right after his graduation in 1934. Helene, his first wife, gave birth to his first son ten m onths after their wedding. ("Major") Even in college, Boyington had worked during his summer vacations in mining and logging camps in Coeur d'Alene until eventually he was hired by the Coeur d'Alene Fire Protective Association in road construction and lookout work ("Colonel"). Boyington's military career started in college when he served as an ROTC member for four years. He was then appointed as a cadet captain and eventually assigned especially in the 630th Coast Artillery Reserve as a second lieutenant where he actively served his duties for two months in 1934 in Fort Worden, Washington. He enlisted and went on active duty in the Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve for barely a month on June 13 to July 16, 1935. While inactive in his duties, he had become a draftsman and engineer for the Boeing Aircraft Company of Seattle. It was on 18 February 1936 that he accepted an appointment as an aviation cadet in the Marine Corps Reserve, and was assigned to the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, for flight training ("Colonel"). The transition of Boyington's career in the Marine Corps had been very consistent even when it was at this point when he started to gain his love for alcohol. Being with the other fliers who had been partying hard, he became more and more addicted to alcohol. His alcoholism has also escalated since it was at this point when he had discovered his wife's fooling around. It was then at this point when he had earned and established his bad reputation in the Marine Corps - a hard-drinker, brawler, friendly, yet always ready to wrestle with anybody. However, even with such bad record, Boyington's great skill in flying was noticed in those times ("Major"). In March 11, 1937, he was sent to Quantico, Virginia for Aircraft One, Fleet Marine Force where he was assigned as the Naval Aviator. He was even promoted further to second lieutenant. Then, in order to accept a second lieutenant's commission in the regular Marine Corps, he had to be discharged from the Marine Corps on July 1, 1937. From then on, he was further transferred to San Diego Naval Station after he had completed his studies in Philadelphia. He was among those groups who took over and fixed the problems regarding the different aircraft carriers such as the USS Lexington and the USS Yorktown. He then returned to Pensacola on November 4, 1940 when he was