The war in Iraq is like the Vietnam War in many ways. First off, both wars have faced extreme domestic opposition. Protestors formed large groups at universities all around the country during the Vietnam War, and even protested outside of the Pentagon in October of 1967. In recent times, protestors have lined the area surrounding George W. Bush’s property, and have even protested during his inauguration. Both of these wars are very similar in the fact that there is a lot of domestic opposition.
Not only have these wars greatly affected the people involved, they have greatly affected the environment and ecosystems of their location. Many war torn areas in Iraq have been reduced to rubble. There is no fresh water, and many animals have been killed or have fled their homes. In Vietnam, there was also great devastation of the environment. Troops used chemicals such as Agent Orange in massive amounts to deforest the landscape. This not only killed plants, but animals and people as well. Not only did clearing the landscape hurt the animals that lived there, but also deforestation caused the increase in erosion.
American soldiers who fought in either war each suffered from low troop morale as well as a lack of equipment. Soldiers fighting in Iraq were not equipped with body armor until June of 2004, causing some families of soldiers to purchase equipment themselves. In an issue of Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper, it was reported that “nearly one in three…believed the war had no value or little or no value”. (War Times) Troops in the Vietnam War also suffered from low morale. Troops were also ill equipped for the terrain, and were not used to a tropical battlefield. Also, large protests back home lowered troop morale, while a high death rate lowered morale to the fullest extent.
Both of these wars put an enormous strain on America, both socially and economically. The Vietnam War cost an estimated $111 billion. If that amount were spent today, it would equal roughly $517 billion. No one can argue that this is an incredible amount of money to pay for a war. The war in Iraq has cost us approximately $151.1 billion so far, and is expected to rise by at least another $60 billion before troops are pulled out of Iraq.
Many times people learn from their mistakes, but not the United States government. We are still spending hundreds of billions of dollars on wars that not only are not supported, but also cannot be fully won. Iraq and Vietnam are two prime examples of this. Hopefully the future is bright for America once we learn from our mistakes.

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Edited on 2005-10-04 21:54:56 by PatSmith

Additions:
American soldiers who fought in either war each suffered from low troop morale as well as a lack of equipment. Soldiers fighting in Iraq were not equipped with body armor until June of 2004, causing some families of soldiers to purchase equipment themselves. In an issue of Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper, it was reported that “nearly one in three…believed the war had no value or little or no value”. (War Times) Troops in the Vietnam War also suffered from low morale. Troops were also ill equipped for the terrain, and were not used to a tropical battlefield. Also, large protests back home lowered troop morale, while a high death rate lowered morale to the fullest extent.

Deletions:
American soldiers who fought in either war each suffered from low troop morale as well as a lack of equipment. Soldiers fighting in Iraq were not equipped with body armor until June of 2004, causing some families of soldiers to purchase equipment