50th Anniversary of the End of the Vietnam War (1 Viewer)

[jazzeum]

Today, April 30, 2025 marks the 50th Anniversary of the end of the War. As someone who lived through those times from early beginnings on until the end, it seems like yesterday but it also seems a long time ago and it also feels like one big fog.

Here is a great photographic essay by the N.Y. Times, which I’ve unlocked.

How Photography From the Vietnam War Changed America

The images changed how the world saw Vietnam, but especially how Americans saw their country, soldiers and the war itself, which ended 50 years ago this month.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Terp152]

I was in college in the early 70s and remember full well the anti-war protests. Our campus, U of Maryland, was put under martial law after violent protests and occupied by the Nat'l Guard.
Many famous photos in the link you provided.

 

[jazzeum]

Vietnam Today

Out of War’s Shadow: Vietnam on the Move

Nothing defines Vietnam more right now than the desire to be seen anew, to have the country and its people recognized for their strengths.

www.nytimes.com

 

[jazzeum]

The Famous Buildings Left Behind

The Americans Fled Vietnam 50 Years Ago. I Visited the Buildings They Left Behind.

These structures, now surrounded by a modern metropolis, tell the story of the nation that has evolved in the decades since the war’s end.

www.nytimes.com

 

[jazzeum]

Fifty Years After the Fall of Saigon, Vietnam Veterans See Mistakes Repeated

The conflict profoundly affected the American troops who served there, as well as the nation’s culture and politics. But 50 years later, veterans say they see its mistakes being repeated.

www.nytimes.com

 

[paxtoysoldier]

Dad relayed your first post to a vet buddy & he liked it. Just over a year before I was born and defined many people my parents' age.
Thank you those that served.
Paddy

 

[Obee]

Yes, I saw lots of images on TV news last night of the parade in Vietnam. They had a lot to cheer about.

I remember seeing the tragic scenes on TV of the last helicopter leaving with the locals all trying to get on .....

The Aussie had withdrawn 3 years earlier thanks to a change in our government, the people had spoken.

John

 

[BHogan]

Thanks for sharing those articles with us. Very interesting!

Brendan

 

[Combat]

The Netflix documentary is very good. Surprisingly balanced with even Dan Rather providing a sort of middle of the road view. We didn't learn much. Forever being talked into these regional conflicts by politicians and military under false pretexts. Then being told if we just spend more money and stick it out year after year that something good will happen. And it never does. When all is said and done trillions are wasted, thousands are dead and the situation is worse than when it began.

 

[Desertkiwi]

The Netflix documentary is very good. Surprisingly balanced with even Dan Rather providing a sort of middle of the road view. We didn't learn much. Forever being talked into these regional conflicts by politicians and military under false pretexts. Then being told if we just spend more money and stick it out year after year that something good will happen. And it never does. When all is said and done trillions are wasted, thousands are dead and the situation is worse than when it began.

I started watching this series a couple of nights ago and concur its very good, seems balanced and provides insight from many perspectives.

The disclosure of 'The Pentagon Papers' was a revelation and helps explain the public's reaction at that time.

It was a brutal, ugly war that should never have occurred....

 

[jazzeum]

I started watching this series a couple of nights ago and concur its very good, seems balanced and provides insight from many perspectives.

The disclosure of 'The Pentagon Papers' was a revelation and helps explain the public's reaction at that time.

It was a brutal, ugly war that should never have occurred....

This is a great article on the Pentagon Papers, unlocked.

‘We’re Going to Publish’: An Oral History of the Pentagon Papers (Published 2021)

Secret hotel rooms, stolen classified documents and the bombshell scoop that exposed the lies behind the Vietnam War and led to a landmark Supreme Court decision.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Combat]

I never understood the necessity for the draft. We didn't have enough volunteers to field an army against Vietnam? That was a source of much of the dissent. Also allowing the North Vietnamese to simply move men and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh trail because it was beyond the boundaries of Vietnam. Incredible stupidity and incompetence from beginning to end.

 

[Desertkiwi]

I've watched several very good Vietnam era documentaries in recent times, however this one had more 'meat on the bone' and left the viewer in no doubt that the public were lied to from start to finish and the depth of the deception has left a lasting legacy that's prevalent even today......trust was eroded for a generation and you can't blame them......