Lessons learned from Vietnam War

America’s attempts at bombing an adversary into submission usually fail. The history of the Vietnam War provides perspective.

America’s involvement in Vietnam lasted 20 years, from 1955 to 1975. With the introduction of combat forces in 1965, Americans embarked upon eight years of continuous warfare and bombing of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Between 1961 and 1972, the U.S. military sprayed over 70,000,000 liters of tactical herbicides, primarily Agent Orange, over Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in an effort to destroy vegetation cover and food sources. The sprays covered millions of acres and heavily contaminated the environment.

Over 4 million people were exposed, many of them Americans, resulting in severe cancers, congenital disabilities and long-term health issues spreading across generations. Many are still dying from the cancer associated with these herbicides half a century later.

For eight years, 1965 to 1973, the U.S. dropped roughly three times the total amount of bombs dropped in the European and Pacific theaters of World War II on three small countries. For Laos and Cambodia, these bombings were basically for the misfortune of being Vietnam’s neighbors.

It remains the largest aerial bombardment in history.

Operation Rolling Thunder, 1965 to 1968, was a massive bombing campaign designed to destroy North Vietnam’s transportation system, industrial base and air defenses to prevent North Vietnam from sending soldiers and materials into South Vietnam. It failed.

During Operation Rolling Thunder, the U.S. lost over 70 aircraft, and 36,542 Americans were killed, with thousands more wounded. The deadliest year was 1968, with over 16,500 deaths, driven by the Tet Offensive.

Operation Steel Tiger followed this from 1965 to 1968, targeting the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, designed to stop the infiltration of North Vietnamese soldiers and supplies into the south. Operation Menu followed this. From 1969 to 1970, a secret bombing campaign targeted North Vietnam sanctuaries in eastern Cambodia. They failed. 

The most destructive bombings, often referred to as carpet bombing, were Operation Linebacker I and II. These were intense, high-level bombing campaigns against North Vietnam. Linebacker II, known as the Christmas bombings of 1971, were the largest of the war, intended to force Vietnam into peace negotiations. They were somewhat successful: North Vietnam agreed to the 1973 Paris Peace Accords. Yet South Vietnam was easily overwhelmed within two years.

I served in logistics while based at Naval Base Subic Bay in the early 1970s. During the Christmas bombings of 1971 throughout 1972, I personally witnessed and assisted in providing logistic support for numerous aircraft carriers and their task force. At times, three aircraft carriers and their various task forces were in port together. That is one hell of a lot of ships, sailors and Marines.

But unlike the Middle East, our military had the two largest overseas bases to provide supplies and much-needed R&R — Clark Air Force Base and Naval Base Subic Bay, Philippines. These two bases provided excellent logistic support for both ship and aircraft repair facilities. Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply and rest-and-recreation facility of the 7th Fleet. 

Added to the mix was Anderson Air Force Base, Guam. It served as a B-52 bomber platform for the carpet bombing of North Vietnam.

While hindering North Vietnam’s efforts, these bombings and the spraying of herbicides did not break the resolve of North Vietnam or stop North Vietnam from overrunning South Vietnam. 

Additionally, the presence of massive boots on the ground failed to defeat North Vietnam. The U.S. military presence in Vietnam peaked in April 1969 with 543,000 military personnel stationed in the country. By the end of the U.S. involvement, more than 3.1 million Americans had been stationed in Vietnam, and 58,273 had been killed.

This history, this experience, brings into question the effectiveness of strategic bombing — then and now.

Tom Muri is a retired military JAG officer writing from Montana and Arizona.  He grew up in Whitefish.