By N Oji Mzilikazi
30 April 2015
Today marks the 40th anniversary of America’s disastrous incursion into Vietnam. And much like George W. Bush WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) based invasion of Iraq, it was a war predicated on lies (the fight against communism) by one U.S. president, and expanded to include other South Asian nations, by another.
On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon, then the capital of South Vietnam, forcing the American juggernaut; the world’s superpower to flee with her tail between her legs, ending a decade plus war with the North to unite Vietnam.
Vietnam was once the jewel of the French empire. There came a time when the Vietnamese were no longer accepting of French Imperialism and armed resistance was the order of the day.
When the French, bankrolled by America lost at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, American pride was hurt. America was more than willing to step in and teach those “yellow bastards” a lesson.
The Geneva Accord of 1954 stated that Vietnam would remain separated for two years, and then reunite in a free election. Afraid that North Vietnam would win the 1956 elections, President Ngo Dihn Diem of South Vietnam, refused to allow South Vietnam to participate. North Vietnam then decided to remove Diem from office.
America was not a party to the Geneva Accord of 1954. Rather than let the Vietnamese work out their problems; view the desire of North Vietnam to reunite the country as being in the same spirit as that which sparked the American Civil War (Some Southern American states seceded from the union.), America transformed Vietnam’s war of unification as protecting the democracy of South Vietnam from communism of the North.
America had learnt nothing from their involvement in Korea, and the needless deaths of thousands of U.S. soldiers.
In keeping with the American propaganda machinery telling that brave American soldiers were fighting in Korea for democracy and freedom, Americans at home were told it was the same with Vietnam.
More bombs were dropped on Vietnam than what was dropped in World War II. Mind you, World War II was spread over areas far and wide, while Vietnam was a fixed area.
Thanks to Agent Orange, Agent Purple, and Agent White, Vietnam has the largest dioxin contamination in the world.
America used those toxic chemicals to destroy the forests and deprive the Viet Cong from a place to hide and launch an attack. The severe and unparalleled bombardment of toxic chemicals resulted in residue diffused throughout Vietnam’s food chain.
Forty years later, children in Vietnam are still being born poisoned, blind, deformed, and handicapped because of those toxic chemicals, while the manufacturers of those poisons and their stockholders continue to enjoy the profits brought on by their usage.
Vietnam was a failed war of American aggression; a failed war of white supremacy.