The Frickin Vietnam War Flashcards
Elephant🐘
Ho Chi Minh used the 🐅 &the 🐘 as metaphors for the fighting in Vietnam.
US-> 🐘s are slow like the American troops
Dove 🕊
Against the war
Hawk🦅
For the war
Tiger🐅
North Vietnamese troops were fast like tigers. They could attack fast and quickly disappear.
What was Tet?
Vietnamese New Year🎊
What were Grunts?
- What the US soldiers were called
- also know as “ground pounders”
- usually a small town, white American
What did JFK do?
He sent advisors to South Vietnam
Who was Pol Pot?
Leader of Cambodia
Who was Lieutenant Calley?
In charge of the My Lai massacre
Who was Bob Dylan?
Musician that protested against the war
What was the Big Green Bird?
US Chopper
What happened while LBJ was president?
- The war escalated while he was president
* sends grand forces in 1964 to Vietnam
Who was General Westmoreland?
In 1967 he said there was a light at the end of the tunnel. In charge of ground troops
Henry Kissinger
- Secretary of State under Nixon
* declared “peace is at hand” in 1972
What was Operation Rolling thunder?
Known as “the air war”
Continued bombing of North Vietnam (3 yrs)
Downed pilots:POWs
Carpet bombing-napalm
What was the Tet Offensive?
The Vietnamese new year
Vietnamese attacked the US and the South Vietnam on Tet
Both sides gave untruths about Tet
Distrust of LBJ gee after the Tet Offensive, dropped from 48% to 36% in 1968
Who were the 5 O’Clock Follies?
Happened in Vietnam
The generals would have News people come in and they’d give them information about the war
(Most wasn’t true)
Who were the Vietcong?
- Farmers by day: guerillas at night
- very patient
- underestimated by US
- Little kids and old people were the enemies
- Charlie
Who was Ho Chi Minh?
Leader of North Vietnam
Bad guy
Who was Ngo Dinh Diem?
Leader of the South (Vietnam?)
What was the Tonkin Golf Incident?
•We had ships in the gulf and we don’t know if we were actually attacked
How were “anti-war demonstrations” at Kent State seen and what happened?
- 4 students were shot and killed in May 4, q1970.
* soldiers were supposed to have rubber bullets but (clearly) some did not
What were the Pentagon papers in 1971?
• Secret documents linked to the New York Times
Who was John McCain?
- republican senator from Arizona
- one of the 1st prisoners released at Hanoi Hilton
- POW from Vietnam
What do Nixon do?
- He removed fighting troops in Vietnam
* his 1968 campaign promised an end to the war: Peace w/ honor
What happened to the last troops in Vietnam??
• they were killed in 1975 on a helicopter evacuation mission
What happened in My Lai??
•there was a massacre there •Calley in charge, he led the troops
What happened with France? 🇫🇷
•they controlled “Indochina”
How was the Vietnam war different from other wars?
- Publicly shown
- limited to mostly Vietnam area
- troops were constantly changing
- guerrilla tactics were used
- WW1 they fought in trenches and in Vietnam they fought in jungles
What was the worst POW camp??
•Hanoi Hilton
What happened in Saigon?
- Known as “The Fall of Saigon”
- April 30, 1975
- America abandons its embassy
- “White Christmas” was code
- the US evacuation was Operation Frequent Wind
What was Agent 🍊?
•a chemical defoliant dropped to strip leaves so the enemy was made more visible (could cause cancer)
What was Claymore?
• a US Anti-personal mine throws off a fan shaped spray during its explosion (used for defense)
What was Conscientious Objector?
• one whose beliefs prevent them from fighting in a war
Refer to map
Refer to map
What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail?
- Vietcong main supply line
- workers didn’t wear armor so they wouldn’t be recognized
- an elaborate network of roads and paths along the western border of North Vietnam through Cambodia, Laos to South Vietnam
What does Containment mean?
• opposing communism to keep it from spreading
What was guerrilla warfare?
• using sabotage hit-and-run, and ambushes the fight
What does “deferment” mean?
• a postponement of military duty
What was the “draft”?¿
•System of selecting men for military service
What was a “Cherry”? 🍒
• A US infantryman newly arrived in Vietnam
What was the “Domino Theory”?
- US idea that if Vietnam fell to the communists, the rest of southeast Asia would “fall like dominoes in line”
- why the US fought in Vietnam
What were “clicks”?
• The measurement(in kilos) for marshes when companies went into the bush.
• US units marched 1 click
(1 click= 1,000 meters)
What is Napalm and how was it used in the war?
• jelly petroleum substance used in flame throwers and bombs that stick to services, including human flesh
What was “Charlie” as the US called it?
•The Vietcong; and exclusive enemy for the US
What was a “body count”?
- Number of casualties in a firefight, often to determine operations success
- On TV every night(1st “living room” war)
1968 Election
- Robert Kennedy- assassinated (democrat)
- Hubert Humphrey-Runs (democrat)
- Republicans- Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller and Ronald Reagan all ran protests from youth international party.
- 2 main issues- Vietnam War & Law and Order
What happened in Cambodia and Laos?
- Secret war spread to Cambodia in 1970; ignites huge student protests, Cambodia didn’t really even do anything
- then in 1971 war expands to Laos; destroy enemy supply lines
Who were the Gungis?
- troops in the bush
* probably a lil cray cray
What was the impact of the war?
- 26th amendment- 18 year olds can vote
- Nixon abolished the draft -> all volunteer army
- War Powers Act-1973; Pres. must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying military force. Pres. must withdraw forces unless he gains Congressional approval within 90 days.
- Disregard for Veterans- seen as “baby killers”
- POW/MIA issue lingered
When was the cease fire agreement to be effective?
• January 27, 1973
What was the largest Vietnamese community in the US?
Westminster, CA