2.  It was the longest “war” in US history  American support starts in 1954  American combat lasts 1965 – 1973  But Afghanistan is now longer (2001 – current)  Though "War" was never officially declared by the United States  Cornell University study said total cost of Vietnam: $200 billion.

3.  During the 15 years of the Vietnam conflict:  2.4 million troops served in Vietnam (1/2 million at a time)  1 million troops in surrounding countries  58,000 American troops killed  Approximately 11,000 were under 20 years old  303,000 Americans wounded  US POWs (prisoner of war): 766 (114 died)  US MIA (missing in action): 2,338.  An estimated 70,000 draft evaders and "dodgers" were living in Canada by 1972.

4.  Returning veterans face indifference, hostility at home – no parades or cheering crowds  About 15% develop post-traumatic stress disorder  Drug & alcohol addiction a serious problem

5.  1971: 26 th Amendment is passed – changes the voting age to 18.  1973: Congress abolished the draft in favor of an all- volunteer Army.  Due to protests and a general belief that the draft was unfair because it targeted less affluent members of society and minorities  2 million had been drafted  1973: Congress passes War Powers Act: president must inform Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops  Troops can’t remain for more than 90 days without Congress’s approval

6.  To protest the Vietnam War, Mary Beth Tinker and her brother wore black armbands to school.  The school prohibited wearing armbands calling them a disturbance.  The Tinkers were suspended  The Supreme Court ruled that their actions were protected by the First Amendment’s right to free speech

7.  Southeast Asia – very unstable  North Vietnam imprisons 400,000 people in South Vietnam in “reeducation” camps (torture and murder common)  1.5 million flee from Vietnam becoming refugees  Between 2 - 4 million North & South Vietnamese killed  1970 – 1975: Civil war breaks out in Cambodia after U.S. invasion  Communist group – the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot -  seizes power and try to transform the country into Communist peasant society

8.  Approximately 1.7 million killed  (21% of the country's population)

9.  The exhumation of the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek in 1980 was one of the first concrete proofs to the outside world that something terrible had happened

10.  The site of one of Cambodia's 'Killing Fields'.

11.  1975: military coup in Laos  1979: Chinese invasion of Vietnam  A total of 3 million refugees fleeing SE Asia

12.  Socialist Republic of Vietnam  Capital: Hanoi (Ha Noi)  Gov: Communist  Political Party: Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV other parties proscribed  2011 election results: Truong Tan SANG elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 97%  Can you travel to Vietnam?  Yes but you must apply for a visa (special travel pass) before you go

13.  Continued ideological conflict between hawks – believed the US could have won, and doves – who believed the US had stayed too long  “Credibility gap” leads to continued suspicion of the government by the American public

14.  Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.,  Opened November 13, 1982  two black granite walls 246 feet 9 inches long.  Inscribed on the wall are the names of those who died in chronological order  The wall listed 58,159 names when it was completed in 1993; as of 2005, when four names were added, there are 58,249 names, including 8 women.  Approximately 1,200 of these are listed as missing (MIAs, POWs, and others)

16.  On May 7, 1985, the "Welcome Home" parade was given to Vietnam Veterans. It was the largest ticker- tape parade in New York City history to that point and gave veterans the acknowledgment they had been seeking for years.

17.  Designed to complement the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by adding a more traditional component.  The soldiers are purposefully identifiable as Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. The statue and the Wall appear to interact with each other, with the soldiers looking on in solemn tribute at the names of their dead comrades.

18.  The Vietnam Women's Memorial is a memorial dedicated to the women of the United States who served in the Vietnam War, most of whom were nurses. It is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.