The Vietnam War

Martina visits the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Terrance and Martina experienced the conflict of the Vietnam War firsthand. It was a long and costly war that faced opposition.  Americans intervened in Vietnam to contain communism before it spread to South Vietnam. The number of American military troops continued to escalate when President Kennedy and President Johnson took office. However, President Nixon promised to take the troops out of the conflict through a process called “Vietnamization.” Before Nixon could fully implement this process, he was forced out of office due to the Watergate scandal. Ultimately, North and South Vietnam were united under one communist nation, and American citizens were divided about their country’s involvement in the war. America’s efforts were unsuccessful, as South Vietnam became a communist nation.