General Westmoreland on the identity and profile of the U.S. Soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War.
Oliver Stone describes how he became a soldier in the Vietnam War. The Academy Award winning director describes dropping out of Yale and requesting a position as an infantry soldier on the front lines. “I don’t like the group I had at Yale..the elistists, the privileged kids…I wanted to see … Continue reading
Joe Lewis recounts in chilling detail the Kent State Shooting in 1970, when the National Guard opened fire on protesting students. Lewis survived a gunshot wound and lived with the memories. Four other students tragically died that day. Lewis says he cried every day for the next 15 years. It … Continue reading
Lieutenant Colonel D R Butler was a helicopter pilot with the 229th Aviation Battalion in Vietnam. In this video, Butler discusses why he wanted to become a pilot and the lessons he learned in Vietnam that helped shape his life once he returned home.
On January 21, 1977, President Jimmy Carter pardoned hundreds of thousands of men who had evaded the Vietnam War draft by either fleeing the country or failing to register. The pardon occurred on President Carter’s first day in office and was the fulfillment of a campaign promise. Not included in … Continue reading
James Fleming was an Air Force pilot during the Vietnam War, and received the Medal of Honor for rescuing six of his fellow soldiers when they were stranded amongst enemy soldiers. In this video, Fleming recalls November 26, 1968, the day that earned him his Medal of Honor, saying: “These … Continue reading
On November 12, 1969, Seymour Hersh, an independent investigative journalist, broke the story of the My Lai Massacre. On March 16, 1968, U.S. Army soldiers had participated in the mass killing of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in the South Vietnam hamlets of My Lai and My Khe. Hersh’s … Continue reading
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial dedication took place on November 13, 1982. The largest part of the memorial, the Memorial Wall, lists the name of every serviceperson to be confirmed KIA (killed in action) or remain classified as MIA (missing in action). As of May 2011, there are 58,272 names inscribed … Continue reading
The My Lai Massacre took place on March 16, 1968, when members of the U.S. Army killed between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in the South Vietnam hamlets of My Lai and My Khe. Hugh Thompson Jr. was a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. On … Continue reading
Professor Bernard B. Fall, who wrote the first Western biography on the notorious Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, discusses Ho’s effective application of public relations strategies: “He is extremely response-conscious…The uncle idea is his idea.” Ho Chi Minh is referred to by the Vietnamese people as “Uncle Ho” … Continue reading
