Why?

After studying the Vietnam war in some depth I find t hard to understand the exact reasons for a war that led to over 10 years of suffering and death, and generations of disfiguration and starvation among a people who simply wanted to live their lives under a communist ideology.  The question asked about this war should not be, why did America, a rich superpower lose? But , Why did America an educated nation, fear communism enough to become involved in the country in the first place?
   By dropping more bombs on Vietnam than were dropped during the entire second wolrd war, and by spending $10 to inflict just $1 worth of damage in the country, what did they hope to gain?  The war destroyed the lives of thousands of Americans and saw the end to nearly 60,000 Aerican men.  It left children in Vietnam in hospitals disfigured by chemicals sprayed by American planes, unable to obtain medical help as the medicines and treatments required were made in the US and an embargo on exports to Vietnam had been imposed. 
  The images of war shown on your site of the ordinary people show the true nature of this unbelivable war. By showing the real people and their struggles.  I can only think looking at the images and knowing the facts as i do, that this war, perhaps mroe than any other I have studied was a waste of life for a futile purpose.