Should the United States have become involved in Vietnam?

What would have been acceptable alternatives in light of the Domino Theory? The United States should not have become involved in the Vietnam War. There are several good reasons supporting this argument. The Domino Theory put the USA into a difficult situation, especially after Kennedy gave his Support any friend, oppose any foe speech. Being that the USA would look really unreliable, untrustworthy, maybe even weak if they didnt proceed to enter Vietnam after they said they would help out countries threatened by Communism. Therefore, there were a limited number of choices the USA could have taken. The way I see it, the USA did not have any acceptable alternatives on handling the situation in light of the domino theory. The Vietnam War still remains one of the most controversial topics in American History. Many believe that it was a waste of resources and time, others believe it brought America to where it is today. However, most would agree that the involvement of the USA wasnt completely justified or even worth it. One could just take a look at the results; the most American lives were lost in any war that wasnt on their soil, a lot of money was spent on various munitions, vehicles, artillery, etc., the most bombs were dropped in Vietnam, countless liters of napalm and agent orange were sprayed / dropped on Vietnamese agriculture (which still induces life threatening diseases to this day), and so many more. In the end, the USA part ended with a truce, it took around 4 years to work out a settlement for them to withdraw. Another reasonable point would be that that Vietnamese conflict was a civil war, not a world war. In other words, this wasnt a direct threat, or concern for that matter, towards the USA. Regardless, they were still left with a very restricted amount of options in which they could proceed with in this sensitive matter. For one, if they were to really stay out of it, they would be imposing a contradiction to their previous statements; that they would help out countries that share the same enemy, in this case, ones that were threatened by communism. Breaking their word after essentially claiming a direct standing in the whole conflict would just be inappropriate, simply fallacious. Another obvious reason would be that they wouldve saved tons of resources, men, and money had they not entered Vietnam. But then again, that goes without saying There would evidently be no bloodshed without war in the first place. As Donald Goldstein put it, The Vietnam War was arguably the most traumatic experience for the United States in the twentieth century. That is indeed a grim distinction in a span that included two world wars, the assassinations of two presidents and the resignation of another, the Great Depression, the Cold War, racial unrest, and the drug and crime waves. This wasnt a war that the USA had to be a part of; many suffered, many continue to, and a lot of money was spent on Hueys, Cobras, and Jolly Green Giants. Sure, that would have been a great investment had they provided results that the entire country couldve been proud of, however many people still disagree. In conclusion, the USA should not have been involved but being the world policeman that they were, they did not have a different choice.