The Tet offensive was extremely detrimental
to morale in the battlefield and at home. This was because up till that point
the American public had been duped into believing that we were wearing down
Viet Cong troops, when in reality more and more troops were joining the communist
ranks every day. The South Vietnamese also became more anti-U.S. after Tet
because many South Vietnamese lost their homes and had to live in dingy refugee
camps. After seeing the gruesomeness of Tet on TV, the public turned against
it.