Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Subject
Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
Scope Note: The Vietnam War between North Vietnam and South Vietnam lasted from approximately 1955 until 1975 and was fought with the goal of reunification. The North Vietnamese were aided financially and militarily by China and the Soviet Union, while South Vietnam was backed by the United States.Regular U.S. deployments began after the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. However, U.S. involvement peaked in 1968 following the Tet Offensive, which was an attempt by North Vietnam forces to execute surprise attacks on military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam. The Tet Offensive triggered the decline of support from the U.S. public, eventually dovetailing into the anti-Vietnam War movement. In May 1968, peace talks began between the United States and North Vietnam in Paris, France.
Gradual withdrawal of U.S. ground forces began in 1973 as part of "Vietnamization," a policy of President Richard Nixon's that sought to end American involvement by providing equipment and training to the South Vietnamese with the goal of transferring fighting solely to their forces. Additionally, President Nixon suspended military offensives against North Vietnam and on January 15, 1973, direct U.S. involvement ended.
Despite all parties signing the Paris Peace Accords, fighting continued between North and South Vietnam but South Vietnam was not able to sustain its defense against North Vietnam. The Vietnam War ended in April 1975 when the North Vietnamese Army captured Saigon, the capital city of South Vietnam. The countries reunified the following year.
Source and Further Reading:
Stanley Karnow, Vietnam: a history, New York: Viking Press, 1983.
Found in 35 Collections and/or Records:
Redmon, Bill -- oral history interview, 2018 March 27
File
Interview Summary
Naval aviator Bill Redmon is interviewed about his 27-year career with the United States Navy. He discusses his training and experiences as a pilot, landing signal officer, and commander and shares details about his combat tours during the Korean War and Vietnam War. He also discusses other notable assignments from his service and his experiences with various aircraft, including the Vought F4U Corsair, the Douglas A3D (A-3) Skywarrior, and the McDonnell F3H (F-3) Demon. The interview...
Dates:
2018 March 27
Scott, Donald L. -- oral history interview, 2018 March 08
File
Interview Summary
Vietnam War veteran Donald L. Scott is interviewed about his 27-year career with the United States Air Force. He discusses his training and experiences as a military pilot and shares details about his combat tours in Southeast Asia, where he flew the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. He also discusses other notable assignments from his service, such as standing nuclear alert in Okinawa and at various overseas air bases, test flying the F-105 at Nellis Air Force Base (Nevada), developing flight...
Dates:
2018 March 08
Shul, Brian -- oral history interview, 2017 August 06
File
Interview Summary
Vietnam War veteran Brian Shul is interviewed about his 20-year career with the United States Air Force. He discusses his training and experiences as a military pilot and shares details about his various aircraft assignments, including the North American T-28, the Vought A-7 Corsair II, the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. He also discusses the extensive burn injuries he sustained during his service in Southeast Asia, his long recovery, and his drive to return...
Dates:
2017 August 06
Wellman, Dave C. -- oral history interview, 2018 May 18
File
Interview Summary
Vietnam War veteran David C. “Dave” Wellman is interviewed about his military service and engineering career. He discusses his experiences as a bomber pilot with the United States Air Force and describes his combat tours in Vietnam flying the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. He then discusses his post-military career with the Boeing Company and his work on various armament integration programs, such as the SRAM (short-range attack missile) and ALCM (air-launched cruise missile). The interview...
Dates:
2018 May 18
Wilson, Bill - 2017-10-23, 2017
Item
Summary
[From transcript] Bill Wilson was a General Dynamics F-111 pilot during the Vietnam War. He discusses his time in the United States Air Force, his deployment to Thailand, and his combat missions against MiGs while dodging surface-to-air missiles. He recalls a mission over Hanoi in which he and his partner were shot down and eventually captured by enemy troops. Being near the end of hostilities, he did not have to endure the harsh treatment that pilots who were captured earlier received. Bill...
Dates:
2017
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