1. The Results of U.S. Military Strategy
Quickly, it became apparent that Westmoreland’s strategy was ineffective
In 1966, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, one of the architects of the war reflected, “If I had thought they would take this punishment and fight this well…I would have thought differently from the start.”
Philip Caputo, a Vietnam veteran, summed it up best when he said, “When we marched into the rice paddies we carried, along with our packs and rifles, the implicit conviction that the Vietcong could quickly be beaten. We kept the packs and rifles; the convictions, we lost”
U.S. soldiers sit in silence after another violent encounter in Vietnam

2. Napalm Bombings and Agent Orange
As early as 1962, the U.S. air force began Operation Ranch Hand to spray Agent Orange across Vietnam to defoliate the jungle and eliminate hiding places for the VC
Beginning in March 1965, the U.S. air force began Operation Rolling Thunder, a three year aerial bombing campaign that attempted to target the VC through b0mbs and napalm
The use of Agent Orange, bombing runs, and napalm impacted hamlets and villages – the civilians the U.S. was attempting to protect and win over
To this day, Vietnamese civilians still suffer from the effects of Agent Orange
Napalm Explosion
Aftermath of Agent Orange attack

3. Padding the Kill Count
For Westmoreland’s strategy of “search and destroy” to be a success, the U.S. military needed to kill as many VC as possible
This led to platoon leaders instituting rules of engagement that encouraged killing in order to please military command
Soldiers would receive “rewards” for killing VC
Anybody running from American soldiers could be considered VC
Hamlets and villages were regularly harassed as U.S. soldiers attempted to find VC
These conditions often resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians

4. U.S. marines patrol jungle
Boredom and Paranoia
Faced with suffocating heat and humidity, it became easy for U.S. soldiers to begin to see things in a “sea of green”
More importantly, U.S. soldiers were always under attack in the form of ambushes, booby traps, and landmines
The slightest movement in the jungle could trigger a violent response from U.S. soldiers
To many civilians, the soldiers appeared dangerous
U.S. marines patrol jungle

5. Outright Massacres
Faced with pressure from command to kill more VC and distrust for civilians, it was not uncommon for U.S. soldiers to turn violent against civilians
The most infamous incident occurred in the village of Son My, popularly known as My Lai
Here, in March of 1968, Lieutenant Willian Calley’s platoon executed between 200 and 400 innocent civilians
The entire platoon, including Calley claimed that they had simply been following orders and attempting to kill VC
Calley was later imprisoned