The Vietnam War
...n in military equipment, but the Vietnamese defeated the French in 1954. Then Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam. U.S. aid to France and later to non-Communist South Vietnam was based on a policy of President Harry S. Truman. He had declared that the United States must help any nation threatened by Communists. Also the Vietnam War was one of the most tragic wars in American history. The affects it had on the American people were tremendous. Even today many Americans have the frightening, unforgettable memories of the war. The war was accounted to be over in 1973, but Americans still suffer the aftershocks of a national trauma that has left the nation bitterly divided and estranged from its ideals. Although the painful memories will be eased, they will never be fully healed. Vietnam. North Vietnam and Communist-trained South Vietnamese rebels fought to take over South Vietnam. The United States and the South Vietnamese army tried to stop them but failed. The Vietnam War was actually the second phase of fighting in Vietnam. During the first phase, which began in 1946, the Vietnamese fought France for control of Vietnam . At the time, Vietnam was part of the colony of French Indochina. The United States sent France about $2.5 billion in military equipment, but the Vietnamese defeated the French in 1954. Then Vietnam was divided into North and S...