Vietnam: A Soldier's Perspective
(A research tool for students)
Introduction
Too many history classes seem to start at “the beginning” and end with World War Two. (There is not enough time left at the end of the year.) Occasionally, a teacher will teach a unit on Vietnam, but the war today is still controversial. Moreover, most materials in textbooks tend to view the anti-war side of Vietnam. They seem to encourage the stereotypes created in the media. The movies, especially, have created an extremely negative view of the Vietnam Veteran on whom the loss of the war was incorrectly blamed.Thus, students today seem confused about the war --and rightly so. A true perspective of the Vietnam war is not possible today. Perhaps historians 100 years hence can piece together the torn fabric of today’s society and make some sense of it all. Meanwhile, a little research might go a long way to help students understand what happened back then and to perhaps see what Vietnam veterans are like today.
The Task
Students will explore a variety of web sites listed in the “Resources” section of this WebQuest. In addition, a list of other sources are listed for both the curious and the serious student researcher.Note: The are 14,050 sites on Vietnam. This site will be updated as my explorations continue.
Resources
It is recommended that students search the sites in the order listed. However, nothing will be lost if the student decides to “surf,” provided that have some knowledge of the history of the conflict.Some students may want to start their research at the texts or CD's listed below.
- Chronology--U.S./Vietnam Relations A brief description by year of American-Vietnam relations since 1945.
- Gallery: Vietnam Short clips in QuickTime. Visit Vietnamese cities, monuments, etc. Interesting scenery.
- Vietnam Combat Art The paintings were retained by the U. S. Army for inclusion in U. S. Army Military History War Art Collection in Washington, D. C.
- Military History: Vietnam War (1961-1975Excellent source of military information.
- Vietnam Veterans' Memorials Facts about the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
- Vietnam Veterans Home Page.
- Vietnam Veteran's Terminology and slang All you ever wanted to know about how Vietnam vets communicated.
- Vietnam Veterans of America The primary organization for Vietnam Veterans.
- Vietnam Memoirs Stories and letters from men of the 5th Battalion/2nd Artillery, Vietnam.
- Grover Furr's Vietnam War Page Left and right view's of the Vietnam War.
- Vietnam: The Women's Experience. A selected bibliography.
- Vietnam Vets Oral History & Folklore Project Bibliography of books and songs during the Vietnam War.
- Philip Milio's Return to Vietnam Photos of a veteran's return to Vietnam in 1995.
- India Company USMC Vietnam 1967Personal photos and maps of India Company/3rd Battalion/1st Marines.
- Captian reflects on his last days in Vietnam A nostalgic reflection of an Air Force captian's last days in Vietnam.
- The Vietnam War on Film A selected bibliography.
- Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Photos and history of the "Wall.
- Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network Newsletters .
- Butternut Valley American Legion Post 1135 Home Page News of interest to veteran's. Links to other organizations by service: Army, Navy, etc.
- Links to other veteran resources. Excellent links to many veteran organizations.
Texts:
- A Life In A Year: The American Infantryman in Vietnam(1965-1972), James R. Ebert
- A Rumor of War, Phil Caputo
- A World Almanac of the Vietnam War, John S. Bowman
- About Face, Col. David H. Hackworth (Ret.)
- Battle In the Monsoons, S.L.A. Marshall
- Dak To, Edward F. Murphy
- Dispatches, Michael Herr
- Everything We Had, Al Santoli
- Historical Atlas of the Vietnam War, Harry G. Summers,Jr.
- If I Die In a Combat Zone, Tim O’Brian
- Inside the VC and the NVA, Michael Lee Lanning and Dan Cragg
- Killing Zone, Frederick Downs
- NAM, Mark Baker
- On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War, Harry G. Summers,Jr.
- Once a Warrior King: Memories of an Officer in Vietnam, David Donovan
- Red Thunder, Tropic Lightning: The World of a Combat Infantry Division in Vietnam, Eric M. Bergerud
- Suicide Charlie: A Vietnam Story, Norman L. Russell
- Summons of the Trumpet, Dave Richard Palmer
- The End of the Line: The Siege of Khe Sanh,Robert Pisor
- The Only War We Had: A Platoon Leader’s Journal of Vietnam
- The Rise and Fall of an American Army, Shelby L. Stanton
- The Ten-Thousand Day War: Vietnam 1945-1975, Michael Maclear
- The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brian
- The Vietnam War:The Illustrated History of the Conflict in Southeast Asia, Crown Publishers
- The Wounded Generation: America After Vietnam, (Prentice-Hall, Inc.)
- To Heal A Nation, Jan C. Scruggs and Joel L. Swerdlow
- Vietnam War Almanac, Harry G. Summers, Jr.
- Vietnam: A History, Stanley Karnow
- Vietnam: The History and the Tactics, Cresent Books
- Vietnam: The Other Side of Glory, William R. Kimball
- War Without Windows, Bruce E. Jones
- We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young, Lt. Gen Harold C. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph Galloway
- Weapons of the Vietnam War, Bison Books
CD’s
- The War in Vietnam: A Mutimedia Chronicle from CBS & The New York Times. This includes a database of names on the Wall and a search engine.
- Vietnam: A Visual Investigation.
- A Passage to Vietnam (Beautiful photographs and sounds of Vietnam.)
The Process
Students are to explore the above web sites, some of which have links to other aspects of Vietnam. If students are doing a report, the COPY/PASTE command is available.
Learning Advice
Much of the information is diverse. Keep in mind that the Vietnam War was America’s longest conflict. The character of the war changed almost yearly. Try to follow a chronological progression of the history. Understand that, unlike the movies, some veterans on the web sites want to talk about their experiences. Some may even answer E-Mail questions. Keep an open mind: Vietnam was our first TV war--images brought into our living room every night on the news. But Vietnam was no more horrible than any other war in history. Try to understand those who protested the war and those who had to fight it.
Conclusion
Students, with a little help from their teachers, should begin to formulate their own opinions of the Vietnam War
This page written by Gerard Bufalini
August 15, 1996.This page was adapted from Bernie Dodge 's WebQuest_Template1.html by Tom March