Why was the Vietnam War so Complicated?

Two words: Politicians Involved.

Great info.
I have often wondered what impact the "ticket punch" process had on military actions in the field. Officers at battalion and company level was usually rotated every six months and this had to have an effect in several areas. efficiency, morale of the enlisted members (they weren't rotated).
There had to be some loss of efficiency during the transition of commanders every six months (having to adjust to different leadership styles during the first days and worrying about survival the last few days before the next change of command).
Support from the leadership was hampered by the split in Congress on whether we should be in Vietnam and the media bias.

Well, I will have to wait till I get home to watch that video to see if my story jives to theirs, but the actual answer to that question could fill a Library full of books and I believe it has, but to simplify it to a few sentences and for me that is a Miracle in itself, Vietnam was complicated because:
1. It was an unpopular war in that the liberal youth being indoctrinated by the socialist professors in schools who were in the long run political pawns either by the Communists through the American Communist Party otherwise known on campus as SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) or the Black Panthers or any number of other extremist groups. After the Communist supported North Vietnamese Army and Vietcong routed the French Army America moved in to help South Vietnam, and instead of allowing the Military to do their jobs, Washington DC choose to run the "Police Action" since we were only there as advisors. Keep in mind that in 1962, President Kennedy told Walter Cronkite after the defeat of RVA forces being taught by MACV at the Battle of Ap Bac caused consternation among both the military advisers in the field and among politicians in Washington, D.C. "That the war may be unwinnable,"
2. In 1964, after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident (which many people still feel was a set up planned by LBJ) Johnson put to Congress a pre dated declaration of War indicating the attack on US naval vessels. Note Pre dated before the attack on the USS Mattox and Turner Joy even was supposed to happen??? and Congress gave him the go ahead to escalate. in 1965 Operation Rolling Thunder started the carpet bombing of North Vietnam, after more than a million sorties were flown and three-quarters of a million tons of bombs were dropped, Rolling Thunder was ended on November 11, 1968. That did not do a hell of a lot of good. 5000 more troops went into Country, the Draft and protests from the east coast to the west coast on College campuses.
3. Congress still tried to run the war that pissed General Westmoreland off. The biggest impact to the people back at home was the fact that NOW we had imbedded media everywhere and the Troop death and injuries were reported by Walter Cronkite and Chet Huntley and David Brinkley every night at 6PM on the TV. People at home finally realized that when you fight a war, young men and women DIE! FREEDON IS NOT FREE!
4. IN WWII and Korea they did not mind the deaths so much because they were not disturbed during their Dinner Hour and Little Johnny and Susie were not coming home from Harvard and Princeton looking like they spent 2 months lost in the wilderness and spouting quotes from Chairman Mao's little red book, and wanting to move into a commune in western Oregon cause Socialism was the cure for the world. They did not care that it had never worked in any civilization that had tried it since the world had began, they knew the secrets and would make it work.
5 The Draft. Ahh yes as mentioned before Johnson needed warm bodies to send to Vietnam and fill the body bags. Those of us who were volunteering were not enough, and those long haired maggot infested hippy freaks who did not want to serve did everything from burning their draft cards, moving north to Canada, or admitting to blatant homosexuality in the induction line to stay out. (No shit there was one guy who actually while in line at the AFEES station at Fort Jackson when I enlisted, broke like went up and kissed a Staff Sergeant, and shoved his hand down the Sergeants pants to fondle his fudges. Needles to say, it did not work. (Today he might have found a boyfriend) anyway I digress. Those who were drafted against their will and sent to the South East Asia's Hash and Marijuana Gerowing Pot were in heaven, If hey had put that on recruiting Posters they would have had a Stampede at the recruiting Offices. But it was not pretty in Country because many pot heads and those just pissed off with the Dumb ass Butter bars or Shave tails who never listened in class and knew NOTHING about military tactics or leadership (John Kerry for one) were more of a benefit to the NVA and Charlie than they were to the RVA or the USA. Many Platoon and Division officers were killed by "Friendly" fire, at lease by US Weapons of their own troops.

So In a nut shell that is why Vietnam was so unpopular. and when we came home we were spit on yelled at had things thrown on us from bottles of Piss, bags of shit, paint, you name it. I had people I grew up with, went to school with, call me "baby killer" because of the publicity of the Mi Lai Massacre, and that was just some poor smuck doing what his superiors ordered him to do.

When I was called Murderer and baby Killer, I would smile at those bastards and bitches and say Not directly but I had fun loading the birds with bombs rockets and bullets for the Naval Aviators who did. Hey, back then I shoved it right back in their face!

AS I said, I don't know if my account matches the video, I just know what I experienced from being there and living it!