10 Myths About the Vietnam War

16 JUL 1969, Vietnam. Members of 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, pose for a photo on a hill in Vietnam. Available from DVIDS.

At Woodstock, in 1969, Country Joe and the Fish performed their “I-Feel-Like I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag” to a crowd of roughly 469,000 Vietnam War protesters.

The opening lyrics go like this:

Yeah, c'mon on all you big strong men

Uncle Sam needs your help again

He's got himself in a terrible jam

Way down yonder in Vietnam

So put down your books and pick up a gun

We're gonna have a whole lot of fun

And it's 1, 2, 3, what're we fighting for?

Don't ask me, I don't give a damn

Next stop is Vietnam

And it's 5, 6, 7, open up the Pearly Gates

Well there ain't no time to wonder why

Whoopee! We're all gonna die

This song reflected the views of many young Americans at the time and shaped Vietnam War perceptions for generations to come.

But, this song, and the views it reflects, are the result of many false assumptions made about the Vietnam War. We’re here to set the record straight.

Here are 10 myths about the Vietnam War and the facts that bust them. 

Myth:  Most of the men who served in Vietnam were drafted.

Fact:  More men were drafted in World War II than Vietnam. Two out of every three men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. In World War II, two out of every three men who served were drafted.

Myth:  The U.S. only sent poor, uneducated men to serve in Vietnam.

Fact:  This myth was perpetuated by the media and a very popular song by Creedence Clearwater Revival called “Fortunate Son.” But, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Vietnam veterans were the best educated force our nation had ever sent to combat. Seventy-nine percent had a high school education or higher. 

Myth:  The Viet Cong were “David” taking on the “Goliath” of the world. 

Fact:  The Viet Cong was a well-trained and well-funded military force. It’s estimated from 1954 to 1968 North Vietnam received over $3.2 billion in military and economic aid from communist nations like Russia and China. What’s more, the Viet Cong had AK-47s which were more reliable than the M-16s issued to American troops. They were also supplied with submachine guns, grenades, rocket launchers and an arsenal of other weapons. The Viet Cong was not a small, guerilla force.

Myth:  The South Vietnamese Army wasn’t willing to fight. They wanted communism.

Fact: The South Vietnamese fought hard to maintain their country’s freedom. By all accounts, the ARVN fought valiantly and played a critical role in the Tet Offensive of 1968. They killed more enemy troops than all other forces combined and suffered more KIA. They wanted to win.

Myth:  The “Napalm Girl” was burned by Americans bombing Trang Bang.

Fact:  Kim Phuc, the 9-year-old girl in the award-winning “The Terror of War” photograph, wasn’t burned in an American napalm strike. In fact, no American was involved in the bombing of Trang Bang. The planes that conducted the bombing belonged to the NVAF (North Vietnamese Air Force). The famous photo was taken on the second day of a three-day battle between the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). 

Note: You can view the photo here. Kim Phuc is nude in the photo and covered in burns. The image can be disturbing.

Myth:  The fighting in Vietnam wasn’t as bad as the fighting in World War II. 

Fact:  The average infantryman in Vietnam saw 240 days of combat each year. The average infantryman in the South Pacific in World War II saw about 40 days of combat. This increase was largely the result of technological advances, including the helicopter, which made troops more mobile. 

Photo taken by Hubert Van Es, 29 APR 1975. Available from Wikipedia and used under Fair Use.

Myth:  The NVA breached the U.S. Embassy during the Fall of Saigon. 

Fact:  The media positioned this photograph as a military Huey helicopter on top of the US Embassy with Americans fighting to get on board to safety. Here’s what’s actually in the photograph – it’s a civilian, chartered Huey helicopter on top of an apartment building and the evacuees are Vietnamese. 

Myth:  The U.S. lost the Vietnam War.

Fact:  South Vietnam lost the Vietnam War. The Fall of Saigon, which marked the end of the war, happened on 30 April 1975. The last American troops left Vietnam on 29 March 1973.  Certainly, that’s not to say that the war was a success – however, positioning it as a loss or surrender by withdrawal is also not accurate. Like a lot of things, it’s not that black and white.

Myth:  The US didn’t succeed in keeping communism out of the South Pacific.

Fact:  Our involvement in Vietnam helped the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand prevent the spread of communism in the region. We remain allies to this day.

Myth:  Americans don’t support Vietnam veterans.

Fact:  Contrary to the popular media narrative and the view on full display at Woodstock in 1969, most Americans (87%) support Vietnam veterans. 

If you’re part of that 87%, prove it. Join us as we honor Vietnam veterans with our March Monthly Mission by taking on the Vietnam Battle Drill.