The Tet Offensive occurred in the early days of the year 1968

The Tet Offensive occurred in the early days of the year 1968

The Tet Offensive occurred in the early days of the year 1968, where communist armies started attacks across the cities in South Vietnam. The offensive attack prompted the military to devise a four-phase vision to counteract what seemed as constant war with the Vietnamese militia. The first two phases were majorly about the American fights taking over South Vietnam and preventing more damage while Phase III and IV were all about supporting the Vietnamese government to achieve the battle against the Viet Cong. It involved the following measures; assist in strengthening the effectiveness of the Vietnamese Armed forces by providing new military equipment, and establishment of robust police force to enforce law and order.

Similarly, the citizens of Vietnam criticized the government efforts to combat the attacks as many felt that it lacked preparedness, lack of protection leading to excessive damage of property, and deaths of civilians. Lastly, the effect of the Tet Offensive contributed to high numbers of refugees in the country; the attacks left the citizens homeless. Others had lost assurance on the importance of the war as many felt that the VC had violated their sacred way of life and the treaty they had placed.

Despite the assurance by the Johnson Administration and the US military, the American citizens were skeptical about the effectiveness of the US military on the Vietnamese rebels. First, many were shaken by the offensive, and although the government made efforts to guarantee of everything going well, some were open to the fact that the war would be in favor of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. Secondly, the US public felt that they needed to champion for the welfare of the war victims by creating antiwar slogans that wanted the withdrawal of the US troops in Vietnam. Subsequently, in 1968, two of the presidential candidates ran their campaigns on antiwar platforms and saw them command a massive following in the Democratic primaries. Lastly, the US citizens were compelled to intervene for the Vietnamese, as evidenced by the Chicago street protest of 1968 that lead to a battle between police and protestors.

This uprising brought mixed reactions to the US officials and the president. Although they still showed optimism with several assurances, the US government had failed to estimate the extent of this offensive attack. As a result, President Johnson called for a change in the direction of the US tactics and confirming that he was not going to seek for reelection, reduced most bombings, and requested for terms of negotiation to end the war. Besides, the LBJ administration that had gone to rescue Vietnam faced criticism from the Vietnamese citizens who believed that they were in cooperation with the Viet Cong militia.

Another effect of the war on the LBJ administration was the doubt it inflicted on Americans that was brought about by the sentiments of the military leaders and what was being shown in the media. For example, there was an image taken in early days of the offensive showing three American police officer sheltering behind a wall and close by were two bodies of other soldiers killed earlier. Lastly, the first instance of the VC offensive attack dealt a grave blow to the pacification program that contributed to a profound impact to the resources used that would need high taxation in the years to come for the government to recover.