The Vietnam War

Ground Rules One voice at a time. Raise your hand to speak. Take notes—do not copy every slide!! Everyone ask at least one question!

What did you learn from your interviews?

Before the War ● Vietnam gained independence from France in 1954 in a revolution backed by the Chinese Communists. ● The Geneva Accords split Vietnam into North(Communist) and South(Democratic). ● The Viet Cong were insurgents in the South that wanted all Vietnam to be Communist.

North Vietnam ● Democratic Republic of Vietnam ● Ho Chi Minh ● China and the Soviet Union.

South Vietnam ● Repressive & corrupt—opponents were killed and jailed. ● The people were unmotivated to fight for their leaders. ● First led by Ngo Dinh Diem, who was killed in a coup and replaced by Duong Van Minh

Kennedy Years ● Kennedy was determined to stop Communist expansion. ● American military advisors in South Vietnam: 900 > 16,000 by 1963 ● Against full military deployment.

Change in Policy--LBJ ● A North Vietnamese ship allegedly attacked the USS Maddox (1964) ● Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: allowed the President to engage in a conflict without declaring war.

Tet Offensive (1968) ● First time the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attempted to occupy the South. ● 30,000 American deaths, with almost 200,000 Communist casualties ● Despite Am military victory, American media showed the public the horror of the war.

Vietnamization ● Nixon became President in 1969 and began troop withdrawals. ● This along with the build up of South Vietnamese military was known as “Vietnamization” or the Nixon Doctrine.

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a blend of tactical herbicides the U.S. military sprayed from 1962 to 1971 during Operation Ranch Hand in the Vietnam War to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover.

Agent Orange More than 19 million gallons of various “rainbow” herbicide combinations were sprayed, but Agent Orange was the combination the U.S. military used most often. The name “Agent Orange” came from the orange identifying stripe used on the 55-gallon drums in which it was stored.

Aftermath ● Paris Peace Accords (1973) end official US involvement ● Over 950K Communist forces killed ● 430K South Vietnamese civilians died, along with 200,000 soldiers ● 60,000 Americans killed in action. ● North Vietnam conquered the South by 1975 ● Huge impact on American psyche

Aftermath PTSD Isolation Depression Rage and Violence Anxiety Sleep disorders

Diseases from Exposure to Agent Orange (from Dept of Veterans’ Affairs) Al Amyloidosis Chronic B-Cell Leukemias Chloracne (skin condition) Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Hodgkin’s Disease Ischemic Heart Disease Multiple Myeloma Parkinson’s Disease And others…

Quiz: Answer in complete sentences and write leglibly 1.Who was the communist N. Vietnamese leader? 2.What countries gave support to N. Vietnam? 3.Why did the US support S. Vietnam? 4.What president sent military advisors to Vietnam, but was against full deployment? 5.What incident was used to escalate US involvement?

6.What battle caused the American public to turn against the war? 7.What chemical was sprayed by the US to remove dense foliage? 8.How did the war end in 1975? 9.Name three diseases or conditions that Vietnam veterans carried with them after the war. 10.What is a long-term lesson of this war?

What is a long-term lesson of this war? Draft TV coverage of the war Congressional resolution rather than official declaration of war Chemical weapons Our commitment to support any anti- communist

11.What was the “Cold War”? 12. What years did the Cold War span? 13. Name and explain one way the USSR escalated the Cold War. * 14. Name and explain one way the US escalated the Cold War. * * Requires a developed response.