1. Vietnam A War Without Victory Click above for timeline of events

2. Vietnam Divided Geneva Accords (1954) divides French Indochina into 4 independent parts South Vietnam Supported by the west Led by Ngo Dinh Diem

3. The Division Laos and Cambodia allowed to have elections to determine leader

4. America’s Involvement 1954 – 58 Eisenhower sends advisors after French leave Indochina… 1959 - 1975 American troops dispatched to support Diem’s Regime in the South (air campaigns used)

5. The Domino Effect US doesn’t allow 1956 election (per Geneva Accords) because US fears communists will win

6. Air Strikes and Ground Forces Click on photo

7. The Nightly News

8. Major Protests April17, 1965 25,000 protestors March on Washington to protest the Vietnam War June 1965 – a sit-in at the Pentagon takes place November 27, 1965, 35,000 anti-war protesters encircled the White House then marched on to the Washington Monument for a rally. (There were anti-war rallies in 40 American cities, as well as other cities throughout the world, including London and Rome, in October 1965.) January 1966, the Students for Nonviolence Committee took a stand against the Vietnam War, saying: We believe the United States government has been deceptive in claims of concern for the freedom of the Vietnamese people, just as the government has been deceptive in claiming concern for the freedom of the coloreds people in such other countries as the Dominican Republic, the Congo, South Africa, Rhodesia [now Zimbawe], and in the United States itself. Country Joe and the Fish song “I Feel Like I am Fixin’ to Die” Woodstock Festival 1969I Feel Like I am Fixin’ to Die” Protests continue as death counts rise and there seems to be no end in sight. Peaceful protest soon turn violent.violent

9. “Exorcism of the Pentagon” Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies October-1967

10. The TET Offensive – A Turning Point for US Involvement Late January 1968, on the first day of TET (Lunar New Year), which had previously been observed with a cease-fire, the Vietcong attacked five of South Vietnam's cities, most of its provincial and district capitals, and about 50 hamlets. In Saigon, they attacked the presidential palace, the airport, the ARVN (Army Republic of Vietnam headquarters, and fought their way onto the U.S. Embassy grounds. The U.S. and ARVN forces, who were caught off guard, quickly responded and within a week had recouped most of the lost territory. Hue was a different story, however, as the Vietcong held their ground. By the time the city was retaken on February 24, the historic city had been all but leveled. Thousands of civilians were executed and 100,000 residents had lost their homes. It became known as the “Massacre at Hue.” To a growing segment of the American public, Tet demonstrated the resolve of the Vietcong and the tenuous control South Vietnam had over its own territory. It also helped unite those at home in their dissenting opinions of the war.

11. Country Joe And it's one, two, three, What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam; And it's five, six, seven, Open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why, Whoopee! We're all gonna die. Well, come on mothers throughout the land, Pack your boys off to Vietnam. Come on fathers, don't hesitate, Send 'em off before it's too late. Be the first one on your block To have your boy come home in a box.

12. Mai-Lai Massacre 1968 On March 16, 1968 the angry and frustrated men of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, America Division entered the Vietnamese village of My Lai. "This is what you've been waiting for -- search and destroy -- and you've got it," said their superior officers. A short time later the killing began. When news of the atrocities surfaced, it sent shockwaves through the U.S. political establishment, the military's chain of command, and an already divided American public.

13. Images

14. The Story Numerous members of Charlie Company had been maimed or killed in the area during the preceding weeks. The agitated troops, under the command of Lt. William Calley, entered the village poised for engagement with their elusive enemy. What took place still leaves many questions unanswered…Who gave the orders, who was really responsible for the savage treatment of innocent civilians (300 men, women, and children were executed)

15. Eyewitness Account Calley ordered his men to enter the village firing, though there had been no report of opposing fire. Several old men were bayoneted, praying women and children were shot in the back of the head, and at least one girl was raped and then killed. For his part, Calley was said to have rounded up a group of the villagers, ordered them into a ditch, and mowed them down in a fury of machine gun fire. At his trial, Calley testified that he was ordered by Captain Ernest Medina to kill everyone in the village of My Lai. Still, there was only enough photographic and recorded evidence to convict Calley, alone, of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison, but was released in 1974, following many appeals. After being issued a dishonorable discharge, Calley entered the insurance business In Marinette, Wisconsin (the Twin City of Mrs. Auwers hometown of Menominee, Michigan).

16. News Reaches Home Front As the gruesome details of My Lai reached the American public, serious questions arose concerning the conduct of American soldiers in Vietnam. A military commission investigating the massacre found widespread failures of leadership, discipline, and morale among the Army's fighting units. As the war progressed, many "career" soldiers had either been rotated out or retired. Many more had died. In their place were scores of draftees whose fitness for leadership in the field of battle was questionable at best. Military officials blamed inequities in the draft policy for the often slim talent pool from which they were forced to choose leaders. Many maintained that if the educated middle class ("the Harvards," as they were called) had joined in the fight, a man of Lt. William Calley's emotional and intellectual stature would never have been issuing orders.

17. Nixon Bombs Cambodia 1969 In an effort to destroy Communist supply routes and base camps in Cambodia, President Nixon gives the go- ahead to "Operation Breakfast." The covert bombing of Cambodia, conducted without the knowledge of Congress or the American public, will continue for fourteen months. On April 30th, 1970 President Nixon announced on national television that a massive American-South Vietnamese troop offensive into Cambodia was in progress. "We take these actions," Nixon said, "not for the purpose of expanding the war into Cambodia, but for the purpose of ending the war in Vietnam, and winning the just peace we all desire."

18. Students Around the Nation React Kent State Akron, Ohio May 4, 1970Kent State Click of photo for video

19. March on Washington April 1971 The was continues to escalate despite claims to the contrary --200,000 people take their protest to Washington, D.C. – President Nixon orders the protestors be removed.

20. Nixon Resigns Watergate and its cover-up finally get Nixon out of office for abuse of power—a potential impeachment lies in his future August 8, 1974 (one of my most memorable birthdays!) Gerald Ford assumes office (August 9, 1974) – offers clemency to draft evaders – April 1975 last Americans leave Vietnam by airlift as the North storms Saigon.North storms Saigon