 30 years of involvement  Five Presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon)  164 billion dollars  58,132 Americans died / 2 million Vietnamese  21,000 permanently disabled  3 million Americans served (avg. age 19)  100,000 fled U.S. to avoid serving  830,000 PTSD reports

 U.S. had the latest military technology  Could not defeat a poorly trained peasant army  Why Not?  Vietnamese fighting for their independence  Very difficult conditions to fight under (enemy, weather, terrain, limited war)

 Depends on who you ask……………..  Americans say: ▪ Stop the spread of communism ▪ Fear of domino theory ▪ Political reasons  Vietnamese say: ▪ Imperialism (western greed) ▪ Desire for independence ▪ Internal civil war (America had no business being there)

 Nearly 2000 years old  Controlled by outsiders for nearly all its existence (China, France, Japan, France, U.S.)  Wanted their independence from foreign rule

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 Civil War breaks out in Vietnam:  Northern Vietnam (Vietminh) Communist  Southern Vietnam (Vietcong) Communist  Southern Vietnam (ARVN) non-communist  U.S. joins forces with ARVN in 1965  Send 50,000 US soldiers to S.V.  61% of Americans support the war

 1967: 500,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam  Death toll at 9,000 Americans  Pres. Johnson promises “victory is near”

 No front lines  Jungle terrain  Landmines, booby traps, underground tunnels, heat, rain, leeches, secret supply routes  Hit-n-run tactics  Difficult to identify the enemy

 1967: morale low among soldiers  Public support waivers  Credibility gap growing  Active protests on college campuses  Thousands searching for ways to avoid the draft (ages 18-26)

KENT STATE MASSACRE“FOUR DEAD IN OHIO”  Jeffrey Glenn Miller; 20, shot through the mouth - killed instantly Jeffrey Glenn Miller; 20, shot through the mouth - killed instantly  Allison B. Krause; 19, fatal left chest wound - died later that day Allison B. Krause; 19, fatal left chest wound - died later that day  William Knox Schroeder; 19, fatal chest wound - died almost an hour later in hospital while waiting for surgery William Knox Schroeder; 19, fatal chest wound - died almost an hour later in hospital while waiting for surgery  Sandra Lee Scheuer; 20, fatal neck wound - died a few minutes later from loss of blood Sandra Lee Scheuer; 20, fatal neck wound - died a few minutes later from loss of blood

 College campus demonstrations increasing  Musicians singing anti- war songs  Burning draft cards

 December 1, 1969  Those eligible: born between Jan. 1, Dec. 31, 1950  First notices sent out to report for physical exams: Jan, 1970

 All males living in the U.S. ages are required to register with the Selective Service Act  Average age of those drafted was 18  Once called for service, you are required to be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness (see handout)

 366 balls representing every possible birthday from January 1 to December 30 are put into a capsule  The balls are drawn, one at a time, and an order for calling men to the induction process is established. (Ex. If September 14 is drawn first, those men born on 9-14 would have draft number 1.

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 One who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles  Still must register and if drafted, can file a claim for exemption from military service  Must appear before a local draft board and explain his beliefs (in both written and oral form)

 College enrollment (full time student, making satisfactory progress. Could continue to enroll until too old to be drafted  Enlisting in National Guard  Conscientious objector  Medical condition (1971: changed college student deferment to end of semester)

 Cassius Clay  Converted to Islam 1964  Refused to serve in draft  Arrested/found guilty / sentenced to 5 years prison  Conviction overturned  Stripped of his boxing title  Didn’t fight again for 4 years

 Vast majority of draftees were poor, undereducated, urban, blue-collar workers or unemployed  African Americans made up about 13% of the U.S. population but accounted for 20% of the combat related deaths  “We have been repeatedly faced with a cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same school room.” –Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam (MLK, Jr.)

 Vietnam Troop Levels Source: Congressional Quarterlies   19613,200  ,300  ,300  ,300  ,300  ,300  ,600  ,100  ,200  ,600  ,800  ,200  By 1972, an estimated 70,000 draft evaders and deserters were living in Canada

 Jan. 30, 1968: The Tet Offensive begins. Vietcong launch an attack on key cities in S.V., 12 Am. Bases, & U.S. Embassy

 Military victory for U.S.  Psychological defeat for U.S.  Majority of Ams. Oppose the war and want out

 songs-from-the-1960s.php songs-from-the-1960s.php  Country Joe McDonald “Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag”

 nches/weapons.html nches/weapons.html

 Do you know how the Vietnam War ended?  Do you know who won the Vietnam War?  Did the Domino Theory prove to be true?

 First lost war for U.S.  58,000 Ams. Killed  Cynical towards Am. Government  Draft abolished  War Powers Act (Congress can call back troops after 90 days)  1.5 million flee Vietnam (Boat People)