Vietnam War

Foi yeais, the 0niteu States tiieu to piotect anu pieseive anti-communist
South vietnam. But it wasn't woiking. By 9, the communist foices anu viet Cong,
"gueiiilla" fighteis in the south weie winning. Piesiuent Lynuon B. }ohnson sent
thousanus of tioops oveiseas anu staiteu bombing key positions in Noith vietnam.
By 98, moie than , 0.S. tioops weie stationeu in vietnam.
0n }an. , 98, the Noith vietnam anu viet Cong foices launcheu an attack
on eveiy majoi city anu town in South vietnam. These attacks weie calleu the Tet
0ffensive. Even though the noithein foices uiun't win, the attack was so bloouy anu
costly that many in Ameiica began to think that the vietnam Wai was not woith
fighting any moie. By Novembei 98, Piesiuent }ohnson felt the piessuie to pull
back. Be stoppeu the bombing anu openeu peace talks with the Noith vietnamese.
When Piesiuent Richaiu N. Nixon took ovei the White Bouse in 99, he
tiieu to win the wai by stiengthening the foices in the south. Be also tiieu to cut off
noithein suppoit that was coming fiom the neighboiing countiies of Laos anu
Cambouia. But the wai was taking too many lives anu militaiy iesouices. Ameiicans
uemanueu that the wai enu. 0n }an. , 9, a peace tieaty was finally woikeu out,
anu the 0nites States withuiew all tioops by 9. The -yeai wai cost oui
countiy 8, Ameiican lives anu tens of billions of uollais.
Persian Culf War
0n Aug. , 99, Iiaq's leauei, Sauuam Bussein, sent about , tioops
acioss the boiuei into Kuwait. Bussein wanteu to take contiol of Kuwait's iich oil
supply anu expanu its poits on the Peisian uulf. The 0niteu States anu othei allies
fiom aiounu the woilu weie calleu to help, anu they began senuing militaiy supplies
anu tioops to the Peisian uulf iegion to fiee Kuwait. Sauui Aiabia was veiy helpful
in letting the 0niteu States station its foices anu supplies in that countiy. All the
while, many countiies calleu on Iiaq to leave Kuwait immeuiately oi else. But Iiaq
iefuseu anu continueu builuing up its foices.
0n }an. , 99, the wai against Iiaq began. The 0niteu States sent its top-
seciet stealth aiiciaft to uestioy Iiaq's aii uefenses anu communications systems.
Lasei anu television-guiueu bombs anu missiles uestioyeu Iiaq's goveinment
builuings, biiuges, weapons plants, ioaus, anu oil iefineiies. Six weeks latei the wai
tuineu on Iiaq's elite tioops. Aiiciaft uestioyeu Iiaqi tanks anu militaiy
foitifications. Then a huge giounu attack began with allieu foices senuing a
punishing iain of bombs anu shells into Iiaq's Republican uuaiu. By the time 0.S.
Piesiuent ueoige Bush ueclaieu a cease-fiie, Iiaq hau suffeieu a complete collapse,
anu Kuwait's fieeuom was iestoieu.
It is not known how many Iiaqi tioops weie killeu. Estimates iange fiom
8, to ,. 0nly allieu tioops weie killeu. Iiaq's militaiy was uestioyeu,
anu Iiaq was foiceu to allow obseiveis into its countiy to make suie Iiaq woulun't
tiy to attack Kuwait again.