The Vietnam War
Agent Orange
A defoliant chemical used by the US in the Vietnam War
Guerilla warfare
A form of irregular warfare in which a small group of combatants such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military
My Lai
A mass killing of helpless inhabitants of a village in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War
Vietcong
A member of the communist guerrilla movement in Vietnam that fought the South Vietnamese government forces 1954-75 with the support of the North Vietnamese army and opposed the South Vietnamese and US forces in the Vietnam War.
War of Attrition
A military strategy in which a belligerent attempts to win a war by wearing down the enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and material. The war will usually be won by the side with greater such resources
Silent Majority
A term used by President Richard Nixon to indicate his belief that the great body of Americans supported his policies and that those who demonstrated against the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War amounted to only a noisy minority
Teach-ins
An informal lecture and discussion or series of lectures on a subject of public interest
Hawks
Favors entry into war
Who occupied Vietnam prior to US intervention?
France + Japan
Ngo Dinh Diem
Led South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and the US government supported him
Kent State University
May 4th, 1979 in Ohio, 4 students were killed and 9 were injured. The students were having a peaceful protest and that's when 8 national guards shot into the crowd
Strategic Hamlets
Moved citizens from their homes into military bunkers for safety
Geneva Accords
Negotiations to end the conflict were held in Geneva, Switzerland. (Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos = Independent). Vietnam temporarily divided along the 17th parallel
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Network of jungle paths winding through Cambodia & Laos, bypassing the border b/w North & South Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh
President of North Vietnam + "Bringer of Light"
Henry Kissinger
Served as National Security Advisor
Dove
Someone who opposes the use of military presence to resolve a dispute
Buddhist persecution
The Diem Policies (backed by the US) discriminates against Buddhism most popular region in Nam). It bans traditional Buddhist symbols and Police brutality toward Buddhist sympathizer. Buddhist monks respond by lightning themselves on fire in protest
War Powers Act
The President MUST inform Congress of troop commitment within 48 hours
Veitnamization
The US policy of withdrawing its troops and transferring the responsibility and direction of the war effort to the government of South Vietnam.
Containment
The action of keeping something harmful under control or within limits
The Domino Effect
The idea that if Vietnam fell to communism then other countries will turn communist
Pentagon Papers
The name given to a secret Department of Defense study of U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967, prepared at the request of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in 1967
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The president may "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent further aggression"
Operation Rolling Thunder
The title of a gradual and sustained aerial bombardment campaign conducted by the US 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), US Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 2 March 1965 until 2 November 1968
Why were Americans frustrated with the war in Vietnam?
The war dragged on & U.S. men were dying by the thousands with little or no progress and speculation began to grow. People wanted to know what troops were still doing over in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City
Was called Saigon before being taken over
Tet Offense
Was one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War, launched on January 30, 1968, by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam against the forces of South Vietnam, the United States and their allies
What are the effects of Television news coverage of the Vietnam War?
Would show people in the USA how bad the Vietnam War and how violent it was