The Korea and Vietnam conflicts arose because the United States attempted to stem the tide of communism in Southeast Asia. While the Korean conflict, technically, a police action, ended in stalemate with the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, the war in Vietnam ended with the United States' unilateral withdrawal, resulting in both a military defeat and a national moral crisis.
Not since our failed military invasions into Canada in the War of 1812 had Americans found themselves questioning their nation's leadership. To many, our military involvement in Vietnam came at...