- When Ho Chi Minh declared independence, he borrowed from the Declaration of Independence. “All men are created equal. The Creator has given us certain individual rights, the right to life, the right to be free, and the right to achieve happiness.”
- When the new and supposedly improved M-16 machine gun was introduced in 1966, it was not a big hit. It jammed at the worst times, like in the middle of firefights. Some American soldiers preferred to use communist AK-47s.
- Although there was a draft, 75% of the soldiers who served in Vietnam were volunteers.
- Contrary to myth, African-Americans did not serve in disproportional numbers. 10.6% of soldiers were black and 11% of Americans were black.
- Support for the war remained high until 1968. In 1965, 28% opposed the war. In 1967, 37%. In 1968, 50%. In 1969, 58%. wearethemighty.com
- In Vietnam the war is called “the American war”
- The U.S. dropped more bombs on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia than all the bombs dropped in WWII by all sides.
- It is estimated that 40,000 Vietnamese civilians have died from land mines since the war ended.
- The U.S. attempted to seed clouds so they would rain and prolong the monsoon season and create landslides and wash out river crossings. It was called “Operation Popeye”.
- “Fragging” was when American soldiers expressed their anger with officers by throwing a grenade into their hut or the latrine.
- American psychological operations included broadcasting ghost noises to convince the Viet Cong that areas of the jungle were haunted.
- By the time the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam, it was estimated that as much as 15% of American soldiers were addicted to heroin.
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