Desert Storm Compare And Contrast To Vietnam

War Essay, Research Paper

Desert Storm and Vietnam were portrayed in the media are similar because in each the American soldiers had confidence when fighting, both were on tv, journalists and reporters were with soldiers on the battlefield. They were different because Desert Storm lasted six weeks and Vietnam was ten years plus. In Desert Storm, there was an easily identified bad guy; Vietnam was a poor man’s war or Blue Collar War.

Both Vietnam and Desert Storm there was a lot confidence in the American Military, because they had better weapons. The Americans Military was advanced in current weapon technology. The American soldiers had better training they had more confidence.

Journalists and reporters were with soldiers in both Desert Storm and Vietnam. They determined what the American people saw. Journalists and reporters persuaded the American. They often did this by showing some of the dead people.

Vietnam and Desert Storm were both on tv. The footage shown on television was different though. The media showed what they thought the American citizens would like to see. They had the American people in the palm of their hand. They had a great influence on the Americans. They broadcasted what they wanted to be known. In Vietnam, it was how many American troops had been killed. This was key for protests. There was never a broadcast of how many Vietcong had been killed. In Desert Storm the Americans wanted to hear about how many Iraqis were killed and if we won yet. In Vietnam, the journalists were there every day and saw everything. They were literally on the battlefield. In Desert Storm, they reported what the military allowed them to see.

Desert Storm was a very short war compared to Vietnam. Desert Storm lasted about six weeks and Vietnam lasted ten years or more. In Desert Storm the American Army was well prepared and had superior weapon technology.

In Desert Storm there was an easily identified “bad guy”. Sadam Hussein, the leader of the Iraq’s, wanted to control all the oil in the Mid East. The American Army helped Kuwait to gain an ally to keep Iraq from gaining control of the oil industry. They could raise prices and nothing could be done.

Vietnam was a blue-collar war often referred to as a poor man’s war. Most of the soldiers were of lower class and were sent to war because the wealthy hid their children in college so that they received a deferment, which meant they did not have to go to war. The wealthy had the luxury to stay out of the army, while the others were drafted and sent to Vietnam.

How Desert Storm and Vietnam were portrayed in the media are similar because in each the American soldiers had confidence when fighting, journalists and reporters were with soldiers on the battle field, and both were broadcasted. They were different because Desert Storm was six weeks and Vietnam was ten or more years long. In Desert Storm, there was an easily identified “bad guy”; Vietnam was a poor mans war or blue-collar war