The Vietnam War

                               We Learned about the Vietnam War in class. What stuck with me was the sound of a UH1-Huey helicopter, used as the U.S. military's main transport throughout Vietnam. I also learned more about how men were drafted to the war by birth date. The system for choosing men was similar to a lottery, but with birth certificates instead. Many soldiers had no idea why they were fighting and against who they fought was also mystery. Most soldiers were drafted and very few enlisted voluntarily. To avoid the draft many men fled to Canada, or stated that fighting was against their religious beliefs. Agent orange was a defoliant spread to kill leaves on trees it was dispersed from helicopters to help spot Viet Cong soldiers. This greatly affected American soldiers later on after the war, due to overexposure. Many became sick with illnesses such as prostate cancer.  The Viet Cong had underground complexes of tunnels where they hid, so agent orange would not have helped much to spot them. The Vietnam War to the soldiers was a seemingly endless march that lasted under rain and shine. They marched through mud and rivers and lived in harsh conditions, they marched until their muscles hurt and for some they marched to their deaths.