1. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien An inside view of the experiences of Vietnam War soldiers.

2. Take a moment to jot down what you already know about the war. ► Facts:

3. The Root of the Conflict ► There was no fixed beginning for the U.S. war in Vietnam. The United States entered that war incrementally, in a series of steps between 1950 and 1965. ► Fighting on one side was a coalition of forces including the United States, the Republic of Vietnam (South), Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. ► Fighting on the other side was a coalition of forces including the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North) and the National Liberation Front, a communist-led South Vietnamese guerrilla movement (VC). ► Conflict stemmed from Cold War fears

4. The Key Players ► General William C. Westmoreland: U.S. military commander in Vietnam ► President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ): One of 6 U.S. presidents throughout the course of the war ► Viet Cong (VC): National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam ► Ho Chi Minh: President of Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North) ► Ngo Dinh Diem: leader of Republic of Vietnam (South) ► Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara: chief planner of U.S. strategy in Vietnam

5. A New Kind of War ► Guerrilla warfare - a method of unconventional combat by which small groups of combatants attempt to use mobile and surprise tactics (ambushes, raids, etc) ► New technology – helicopters, chemical weapons, radio/telephone communication ► A Media War – for the first time, American’s on the home front had a front row view of the war, thanks to the television  Broadcast journalism  Music

6. The War In 1968 In the year O’Brien was drafted: ► The turning point of the war occurs as 84,000 Viet Cong guerrillas aided by NVA troops launch the Tet Offensive attacking a hundred cities and towns throughout South Vietnam. ► Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy are assassinated. ► During the Democratic national convention in Chicago, 10,000 anti-war protesters gather on downtown streets and are then confronted by 26,000 police and national guardsmen. The brutal crackdown is covered live on network TV. 800 demonstrators are injured. ► Richard M. Nixon is elected president after LBJ decides not to run for a second term. ► In 1968, over a thousand men a month were killed.

7. The Draft ► In late July 1965, Johnson doubled the number of young men to be drafted per month from 17,000 to 35,000. ► On August 31, he signed a law making it a crime to burn a draft card. ► Today, the Selective Service System remains in place as a contingency plan ► A conscientious objector is one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles. ► Deferments for those making progress toward a degree.

8. Some quick facts and stats ► 58,148 Americans were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. ► The average age of those killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. ► 50,274 were enlisted, average age 22.37. ► The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year, thanks to the mobility of the helicopter.

9. Even More Facts ► One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. Although the percentage who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. ► Men under the age of 21 killed: 61% ► POWs: 766 (114 died in captivity). ► Wounded in action: 303,704 ► Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam

10. The Anti-War Movement ► On college campuses: draft card burnings at Berkeley, Kent State massacre ► Music: Bob Dylan and other artists ► Individual protests: Buddhist monks, copycat protests on U.S. soil ► House Un-American Activities Committee: investigated suspected communists

11. Where in the world is Vietnam?

12. The War In Pictures ► Left: Vietnamese Air Force T-28 Skyraiders, flown by U.S. Air Force pilots, drop napalm on Viet Cong targets. Photo Credit: Larry Burrows, 1962 (Life.) ► Right: "Murder of a Vietcong by Saigon Police Chief." Vietnam, 1968. Photo Credit: Eddie Adams. Copyright AP.

13. So… what’s your opinion? One of the most controversial statements of the entire war, is made by an American officer who states, "We had to destroy it in order to save it” referring to a small city near Saigon leveled by American bombs. His statement is later used by many as a metaphor for the American experience in Vietnam.

14. The Things They Carried ► Fiction… or is it? See dedication page ► Verisimilitude is achieved by a writer or storyteller when he presents striking details which lend an air of authenticity to a tale. ► Told as a series of related vignettes ► Not in chronological order (be aware of place and time) ► Is as much about writing as it is about the soldiers in the war ► O’Brien is our narrator and main character

15. Recurring Themes ► Physical pain vs. mental anguish ► Loss of innocence ► Courage, heroism, and valor ► Fear of shame ► Truth in storytelling