The Vietnam War

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The Vietnam War
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Learning Targets

• Explain how the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam
  War.
• Compare and contrast the U.S. and NVA/Vietcong
  strategies.
• Predict the effectiveness of each plan.

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A Soldiers Experience
A Soldiers Experience
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THE VIETNAM WAR
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1954 Geneva Accords--1954

• Vietnam divided when French left
• North Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh communist
• South Vietnam - Ngo Dinh Diem anti-communist

Ho Chi Minh
Ngo Dinh Diem
Divided at 17th parallel
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Growing Problems

• 1. Diems leadership
• Refused election
• Persecuted Buddhists
• Overthrown and followed by unstable govts

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Growing Problems

• 2. Growth of the Vietcong (VC)
• communist guerillas in S.Vietnam
• strategic hamlet plan (move villagers) failed

• 80 of countryside supported
• Vietcong

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Whiteboard Moment!

• If you lived in South Vietnam, would you have
  joined the Vietcong? Why or why not?

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U.S. Aids South

• Eisenhower sent aid b/c of domino theory
• 1961 JFK follows with military advisors

By 1963, 16,000 American troops are training in
South Vietnam
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Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• August 2, 1964
• U.S. destroyer
• Maddox attacked
• in Gulf of Tonkin

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Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• Congress gave Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) war powers

Senate Vote 88 to 2 to take all
necessary steps, including the use of armed
force
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Whiteboard Moment

• In your opinion, should the U.S. have involved
  themselves in the conflict? Explain.

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NVA/Viet Cong Tactics

• Guerilla warfare (booby traps, tunnel system)
• Ho Chi Minh Trail (transport supplies)

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American Escalation

• General William Westmoreland, U.S. Commander
• 1968 538, 000 U.S. troops

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Operation Rolling Thunder

• Bombing raids of North Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh
  Trail

643,000 tons of bombs 5 times Hiroshima 3
years Air Force Chief of Staff Lemey about
bombing them back to the stone Age.
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Ground War

• Search and Destroy Missions seek VC and
  destroyed villages
• Jungle warfare, so defoliants used (Agent
  Orange/Napalm)

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Whiteboard Time !!

• Describe the U.S. fighting tactics in one word.
  Defend your choice.

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Khe Sanh

• Wanted info on Ho Chi Minh Trail
• 40,000 NVA vs. 5,600 U.S. for over 2 mths.
• U.S. win,
• shows NVA
• resolve

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Tet Offensive

• Massive attack by North on Vietnamese New Year
• Military victory for South/U.S.
• Morale victory for North

100 towns and cities Attacked 12 air bases
attacked
42,000Vietcong casualties
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Final Reflection

• Read Vietnam War.
• Using information from your reading and notes,
  write as much as you can remember abut the
  Vietnam War.
• DO NOT look at your notes or the reading.