The Vietnam War was unique and controversial. It was a long and expensive war in which over 58,000 Americans were killed. and over 300,000 wounded. The cost of the war was estimated to be $209 billion, or about $850 per person. At home in the U.S., support for the war was unpopular, and that lack of support unfortunately transferred to the veterans returning home, despite the fact they were just following orders. In the end, the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam because the government didn’t want to keep spending money on this conflict, and the North Vietnamese could not be defeated militarily.