Event: Free Fire Zones

The Free Fire Zones was an title during the Vietnam War when the villagers the innocent people were in the crosses of fire meaning right in the middle of the warfare. During the Vietnam War there was not an actual front well it was really never declared where the War was going to be fought it was just all over Vietnam. There a problem for the Americans that were trying to help which was the North Vietnam individuals because they were communists and wanted to make Vietnam entirely communities. At the time the North Vietnam individuals were considered the National Liberation Front but the French pejorative more commonly knew them as the Vietcong. America would not have this so they would try to do anything in there power in stopping the spread.

The South Vietnam individuals were not alone they were getting help from the Americans. The South Vietnamese were not yet communist they were fighting against the North Side of Vietnam; however, there was some individuals in South Vietnam were trading over to the North. The Vietcong from the North were utilizing guerrilla tactics on the South Vietnamese Army and the United States Army. The combat would consist of sniper shootings, landmines, tiger pits, tunnels, and small guerrilla style sneak attacks which would affect the South drastically. The Vietcong were supported by the local villagers for the reason that they were not killing them if they joined their side.

Most of the South Vietnam was part of the idea of fighting against the North Vietnam to npt ture communist but in reality some if not most individuals were just being pulled to one end to the other, they just wanted to stay alive. The Americans understood and knew that North Vietnam was getting the local villagers; thus, the United States needed to get smart and engender a way for no more individuals to switch or join the North side of Vietnam.

That is when American military forced had created a system of relocation, which was basically to move most of the citizen in Vietnam that were living near the board next to the North side of Vietnam. The American military had to move entire villages that had been in the same area for thousands of years and whose ancestors were buried in cemeteries outside their villages. America went further into debt with the system that if any villagers who either returned to theses villages or refused to leave were considered either be Vietcong or Vietcong sympathizers and could therefore be killed. They opposed a threat to the South Vietnam and must be eliminated according to the Americans.

Testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, April 23, 1971

Who: John Kerry American politician and 68th Secretary of State

What: It is regarding the war in Vietnam, describing the cruelty that has occurred and the news that has been received in America.

When:1971
Where: In the white house in Washington DC

Free Fire Zones 1979 (video)