[A CA Guy]

America did not unleash their full capability regarding that war. They were hesitant in mostly bombing and what the leaders did not choose to bomb according to the vets I talk with. Many I speak with felt it was winnable.

There was communism invading that area (which they did get to take over in gaining south V) and we did not want there to be an advancement of communism over the free world.

If you think back to what we did prior to the Reagan collapse of the evil empire was we had lots of treaties with many nations to defend them in cases of war and such as part of the security of being associated with us.
We also would give them either favorable loans for their countries or outright monetary gifts to get them going.

It was a very us versus them (communism cold war) thing.

[laney]

They thought if they could stop Communism from spreading in Vietnam LAOS AND CAMBODIA WILL FALL which was dead wrong, weapons used by the VC came from the Soviet Union it was a war we had no business in and like someone said lost 50,000 male Bay Boomers for no darn good reason.