The Vietnam War & The Things They Carried



Name ____________________Date _____________________The Vietnam War & The Things They CarriedBackground: VietnamBegan in 1946 when the Vietnamese fought ____________ for control of Vietnam.Defeated France in 1954 and Vietnam was divided into Communist-ruled ___________________ and non-Communist South Vietnam. A Divided Country1957-1965 the war was primarily between the South Vietnam army and the _______________ (VC -Communist-trained _____________ Vietnamese rebels ).November 1963: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong executed the South Vietnamese President, ___________________.The next year, the North Vietnamese began a massive drive to conquer the whole country aided by ___________ and ______________.By late 1964, the Viet Cong controlled about ________ percent of South Vietnam. United States InvolvementThe United States got involved because they feared the spread of _______________.Communism - a political system in which the government controls and owns most _______________ activity (banks, farms, factories, etc.) and there is no __________________ property.Ho Chi Minh - Founder and President of Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Communist North) US leaders were worried that an attack on North Vietnam by the US would create more tension with the Chinese and Russians and may lead to _____________.In August 1964, US newspapers reported that North Vietnamese torpedo boats launched two attacks on US destroyers in the ______________________.Captain ______________________, task force commander in the Gulf, cabled Washington DC, to say that no such attack had occurred.President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered immediate air strikes against Vietnam. He knew the reports were _______________. March ___________ – first US combat forces are sent to South Vietnam.The US did not attempt to conquer North Vietnam, but to force them to stop fighting.Americans were divided into two groups:____________ – supported the US fight against CommunismDoves – _______________ US involvement Alien TerritoryUS top commander - General ____________________________Young men were placed in an environment that was totally alien to them. There was no clear _____________ to the conflict and the enemy could be hiding anywhere and everywhere.Viet Cong dressed like _____________ and consisted of men, ____________ and children.______________ Warfare - small unofficial military group that fight in small groupsLife in the jungle was torturous and there were few _______________ home comforts. ___________ and other stimulants filtered their way into the daily routine of many servicemen and _______________ quickly started to fall. On the Home FrontFor the first time, people _______________ the draft.._______________ and demonstrations against the war became the norm.Numerous _________________ taking part in the efforts to stop the war strengthened the issue. Media InfluenceVietnam was the first war that was covered by the _____________.Americans were able to turn on their televisions to see what was happening and also see the ___________________ arrive.Political figures believed this created _________________towards the war – encouraged riots and demonstrations against the war.US Withdraws – End of War1969 – approximately _______________ US soldiers were involved and the US began to withdraw its forces.1973 – a ______________ was arranged and the last US ground troops left within two months.Fighting soon resumed, but US troops did not return.April 30, 1975 – South Vietnam _________________ to North Vietnam, ending the war.Mobs of South Vietnamese ____________ Vietnam with the assistance of the last Americans to be deported.Death and DestructionAbout _______________ Americans were killed and _______________ wounded.Over _______________________ South Vietnamese killed.Between 500,000 and 1,000,000 ____________________________ killed.Countless civilians died in the war.An estimated ______________________ South Vietnamese became refugees.Much of Vietnam lay in ruins. Aftereffects in the USBecause this was the first foreign war in which the US forces failed to achieve their goals, many Americans were left with damaged pride and bitter, painful memories.Returning veterans faced _________________ and __________________.Many were left with deep _____________________ problems.American still disagree about whether or not the US should have been involved in the Vietnam War.Photos from VietnamUS Air Strikes contained the chemical, _________________. Napalm – a gasoline-aluminum jelly mix used in weapons that causes prolonged burning______________________ – The combined forces of the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Regular Army about 85,000 strong, launched a major offensive throughout South Vietnam. The attacks began on January 31, 1968, the first day of the Lunar New Year, Vietnam's most important holiday. Tim O’Brien10/1/1946 – born in Austin, _________________Received a degree in political science from ____________________ College in 1968.Drafted in 1968 and served with the third Platoon, __________________, fifth Battalion, Forty-sixth Infantry (1969-1970).He received the _____________ Heart.After the military, O’Brien did post-graduate work at ______________________ in 1970.He became a newspaper reporter for the ______________________. He has written many books about his war experience. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download