© 2008 Teacher’s Brunch

Vietnam War• Longest in U.S. history• Lasted from 1959 -1975• Cost the U.S. $200 billion• Nearly 58,000 Americans died

Vietnam Vitals• Rich in many natural resources• First conquered by China• France came in

the 1500s for spices

• Vietnam resisted Imperialism

Vietnam & WW2• Conquered by Japan in WW2• French were preoccupied in Europe• U.S. assisted Vietnam in fighting

against Japanese• Vietnam becomes free at

the war’s end

Ho Chi Minh• Brought independence

to Vietnam• Once an ally to the

United States• Preferred Communism

to capitalism• Followers were called

Viet Minh

Vietnam’s First Independence

• Not recognized by U.S.• President Truman was concerned

about growth of Communism

• U.S. backed French return in 1946

Battle of Dien Bien Phu• Fought in Spring of 1954• 50,000 Vietnamese surround

13,000 French• U.S. refuses to get involved• French surrender

Vietnam Divided• Communists feared U.S.

involvement• Compromise was reached• 17th parallel divided north & south• Ho Chi Minh led Communist north• Diem led Anti-Communist south

Domino Theory• U.S. policy in Southeast Asia• Support countries resisting Communism• When one country falls, others will follow?

Ngo Dinh Diem• South Vietnam leader• Educated in the west• Governed from 1954-1960• Viewed as a corrupt dictator

American Dilemma• Diem was an unpopular leader• Elections would result in a Communist victory• The Vietnam Domino

would fall • JFK sends in 1,500

“Advisors”

General Taylor & Vietnam• 8,000 men needed to resist

communist takeover now!• China might enter the war

• Vietnam would become another Korea

• Military increases from 1,500 to 16,000 Americans

Deaths of Two Leaders• Diem overthrown and murdered in Saigon on

November 1, 1963• Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas on

November 22, 1963

LBJ and Vietnam• Johnson took over presidency after JFK’s death• Johnson increased American

involvement

• Johnson wanted to save South Vietnam

Maddox Incident• American destroyer fired on

by North Vietnamese• Communist PT Boat destroyed

• Johnson orders strike on North Vietnam naval bases

• Johnson’s popularity increases

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

War Escalates• Viet Cong continue to

invade South • March on Ho Chi Minh trail• Viet Cong employ guerilla

warfare, or hit and run, hide and seek tactics

Operation Rolling Thunder• U.S. bombing of

Ho Chi Minh trail• Stop supply and troop

movements• Inspired Communists

to fight on

U.S. Troops in Vietnam• Jan. 1965 – 20,000• Dec.1965 – 200,000• Jan. 1968 – 540,000

Vietnam Battle Tactics• Disguised themselves as locals• Don’t face Americans on battlefield• Retreat to tunnels• 125 miles of tunnels in 1965• Landmines and booby traps

Battle of Ia Drang Valley• First major engagement between U.S.

and North Vietnamese• Largest and last major land battle• Called “The Valley of Death”• 247 Americans killed and

1,500 North Vietnamese

Lt. Colonel Hal Moore“I will leave no man behind… Dead or alive. We will all come home together.” (The Valley of Death, 1965)

Tunnel Rats• Small American soldiers• Crawled into tunnels to

fight Viet Cong• Tunnels were booby trapped• Played a valuable role in

the war

Tet Offensive• Launched during Vietnamese New Year• 100 South Vietnamese cities and towns attacked• Took Americans three months to get the

upper hand

Battle of Hue• Major battle in Tet Offensive• 142 Marines and 384 South Vietnamese

killed over 24 days• North Vietnamese losses were 8,000

Marine Private John Moore

“I dove over a wall after crossing the street a couple of times. Cement chips and branches flew everywhere. It was so bad we couldn’t even pop up and fire.”

The Homefront 1968• Americans divided over the war• Hawks supported the cause

• Doves opposed the U.S. in Vietnam• Tet Offensive divided nation more

The Homefront continued

• First draft since Korean War• Some protestors burned draft cards

• 50,000 marched on Pentagon• 70,000 fled to Canada and other countries

Controversy Continues• LBJ does not seek re-election in 1968• Vice President Humphrey opposes Johnson’s

wartime policies

• Candidate Nixon says he will end the war

Lyndon B. Johnson“I will not, I shall not, seek another term as

your President.” (March 31, 1968)

General Westmoreland• Exaggerated death and casualty figures to

garner support for war• “Life” magazine portrayed a different picture• More Hawks were becoming Doves• 1,000 U.S. soldiers were

dying monthly

1968• MLK assassinated in April• Bobby Kennedy assassinated in June• Major riots in August at the

Democratic National Convention

1968 Election• Nixon runs against Humphrey and Wallace• His campaign slogan was “Peace with Honor”• 18 year olds could fight,

but could not vote

Songs of Protest, Songs of Support

• Bob Dylan

• The Kingston Trio

Click here for a sample of “Blowin’ in the Wind”

Click here for a sample of

“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

Hanoi Jane

• Jane Fonda visits North Vietnam

• Meets with American POWs

• Continued controversy

Songs of Protest, Songs of Support continued

• Barry Sadler

• Merle Haggard

Click here for a sample of “The Ballad of the Green Berets”

Click here for a sample of “Okie from Muskogee”

My Lai Massacre• March 16, 1968• Led by Lt. Calley• 350 innocent Vietnamese

women, children, and elderly were killed

• The war had reached its lowest point

Vietnam Moratorium Day• October 15, 1969• 1 million Americans protest the war• Single largest demonstration in U.S. history• College campuses divided

Kent State University• Demonstrations at Kent State University in 1970• Ohio National Guard is called in

• Four students are killed and ten wounded• Nixon calls demonstrators “Bums”

Click here to play a sample from “Ohio”

War Ends?• Nixon turns war over to South

Vietnamese• Policy is called Vietnamization• Henry Kissinger negotiates for U.S.• POWs released in 1973

Republican

Senator

John McCain

South Vietnam Collapses• Americans leave and Communists

keep advancing on the South• President Ford wants to intervene,

but Congress refuses

• Saigon falls

Vietnam Finale

• Longest “war” in U.S. history• Total price tag: $200 Billion

Statistics Continued• Military hardware left behind• 3.5 times more bombs dropped

than WWII• Three million people killed and

one million wounded

30 Years Later• Trade embargo lifted in 1994• President Clinton visited Vietnam in 2000

• Evidence of U.S. presence everywhere

Reasons for Getting Out• Guerilla warfare• Tunnels and booby traps• Morale at home

Vietnam Today• 30 years as one nation• “United” under Communism• Signs of progress

Ho Chi Minh’s Legacy• Ho died in 1969• The George Washington of Vietnam• People visit his body daily in Hanoi

Vietnam Today• Most favored nation trading status with U.S.• Full diplomatic relations with the United States

Vietnam Vets• 87% of Americans hold great esteem

for Vietnam Vets• Vietnam Vets have lowest unemployment

rates of all Vets• Vietnam Vets adjusted to civilian life quite well

Vietnam in the Movies

• Many famous, well-respected films

• Often critical of government and war, in general

• Most not exactly school-appropriate

Forrest Gump

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Apocalypse Now

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Full Metal Jacket

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Full Metal Jacket

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Good Morning, Vietnam

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• 13 veterans in the U.S. House of Reps.

• 5 veterans in the U.S. Senate

• Senators Kerry and McCain were war heroes

• Both ran for the Presidency

Vietnam Veterans in Government

Vietnam Memorial

• Most-visited site in D.C.• 58,000 names on the wall• A tribute to those who

served and who died

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Once called “shell shock”

and “Post-Vietnam Syndrome”• New term and diagnosis in the 1980's• Severe psychological and emotional

war-related trauma

• 72,000 Vietnam Vets are being compensated

Agent Orange

• Developed in the 1940's

• Herbicide that controls plant growth

• 6 million gallons dumped on Vietnam between 1963 and 1966

• Chemical shipped in 55 gallon drums barrels were orange striped

• Vets exposed to it have more health problems

• Lawsuits total $180 million since the 1980's

• Linked to severe birth defects

Agent Orange Continued

Lasting Legacy

• New ways to look at war

• Critical of government

• Continued involvement with smaller countries

• Veterans’ issues

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