Vietnam War Longest war in American History Part of containment policy- Contain the Reds. Part of Domino Theory-Could not let South Vietnam fall the Communist North. If so, other countries of SE Asia would fall. Spanned several presidents but mainly, Johnson and Nixon Fought to keep South Vietnam from becoming communist. We did not succeed.

Vietcong Communist guerrillas- This was our enemy. Became known as VC or “Charlie” “We own the day but Charlie owns the night” GI saying. Domino Theory- Theory that we could not allow any nation to fall to the communists. If so, other countries would fall.

Napalm This was a type of bomb used in Vietnam. It was filled with jellied gasoline. ( Have you seen the Vietnam scene from Forrest Gump.)

Guerrilla and guerilla warfare The Vietcong were guerrilla fighters. They were farmers by day and VC by night. “ The enemy was everywhere yet they were nowhere” Guerrilla warfare- Military tactics involved hit and run, booby traps and other techniques. This became frustrating to American soldiers. Some weapons were rather primitive but effective.

John Kennedy It was possible that JFK recognized that we could not be successful in Vietnam and that he was pull out all US troops. We will never know. He was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963 LBJ became president and he believed in the Domino Theory. He began sending more troops to Vietnam.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution Incident- We are told that American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin were attacked by North Vietnamese ships. Johnson asked Congress to give him the power to wage war against the Communist in North Vietnam. Resolution- Congress voted to give Johnson all the power he needed to defeat the communist. LBJ began massive American military buildup in Vietnam ( This is the Pearl Harbor of Vietnam)

Rolling Thunder The name given to the massive American bombing of North Vietnam. We used giant B-52s. We eventually dropped more bombs on Vietnam than Germany or Japan combined.

Agent Orange Chemicals we sprayed on the Vietnam jungles. This was to kill trees and leaves so that the Vietcong could not hide. Later we learned that the chemical caused cancers in many American soldiers exposed and maybe birth defects for American and Vietnamese children.

Ho ChiMinh Trail Ho ChiMinh was the leader of North Vietnam. Americans called the supply routes from North Vietnam to the Vietcong in the South the Ho ChiMinh Trails.

Doves and Hawks As the Vietnam War became very unpopular in the US Americans split into two groups. Hawks- Those that supported the war. Doves- Those that opposed the war. Most young Americans opposed the war.

Tet Offensive By 1968, LBJ was telling the Americans that the war would be over soon and that the VC were all about dead. In January, 1968 the VC launched a massive offensive against all American bases in the South. We realized that we were not close to winning. This was a turning point. At this time most Americans became opposed to the war knowing we would not win. LBJ says he will not run for re-election in Richard Nixon is elected.

My Lai Massacre American soldiers killed nearly 300 Vietnamese civilians, women and children. The war had changed American soldiers.

Kent State College in Ohio In 1970, the Ohio National Guard killed 4 college students protesting the Vietnam War Things are falling apart.

Vietnamization This was Nixon’s plan to end American involvement in Vietnam. The plan called for gradual US withdrawal from Vietnam. We would continue to support South Vietnam with military aid. In 1975, without US troops and bombs, South Vietnam fell to the North. Today there is only a communist Vietnam.

Legacy , 000 American soldiers died and well over 1 million Vietnamese 2. War Powers Act- Congress voted to not allow any President to have as much war making powers. 3. We lost trust in our government. The government lied to us during the war. Just after the war, Watergate happened, which further hurt our trust in our govt. 26 th Amendment- Gave 18 year olds the right to vote.