vietnamsoldier

The American Soldier in Vietnam

====Throughout the year, we spent some time learning about and reflecting on the life, challenges, impact, and sacrifices of the men and women who served the United States in our various military conflict. While we do not have a great deal of time to spend on the soldiers in the Vietnam War, it is important to examine their experience to understand the conflict, their sacrifice, and the honor they deserve ... especially with Memorial Day coming on Monday. Please spend some time this evening examining some of the resources below, and come to class tomorow with thoughts, ideas, and questions about the soldiers that served in Vietnam. ====

Vietnam - Chasing Charlie - a great reading by Bill Lacey from Interact [|In the Trenches] from PBS' //Vietnam Online//
 * Sources ...**

[|Guerilla Tactics - An Overview] from PBS' //Battlefield Vietnam//
====Videos from the History Channel - [|Vietnam's Underground Warfare] / __[|History Rocks: Vietnam Soldier] __ / [|A Soldier Comes of Age]/ s(not the irony of the name of the man being interviewed) ====

Taft's [|videos and photos] from the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam - check them out!
[|Letters Home from Vietnam]- from the Wisconsin Historical Society Remember the[| Women's Vietnam Memorial] in DC? Here is some [|more info about women that served] in the war.

Hover over the animation below to learn more about the tunnel system use by the VietCong. media type="file" key="tar738.swf" width="602" height="448"

If you are really interested, you can check out the series[| "Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam"] on YouTube. It's powerful (and mature) stuff, and split into 9 episodes .. but if you want to know what it was like to be a soldier in Vietnam, this is the best resource.

COMBAT IN VIETNAM The experience of an American soldier in Vietnam was different than in all other wars. The U.S. was fighting against an enemy skilled in guerrilla warfare. The opposing soldiers were fighting for their freedom, fighting a war of independence. The North Vietnamese Army was the official and organized opponent, while the Vietcong were the communist guerrillas that lived in and around the jungle and causes havoc with US troops. The combination of the NVA and VC posed a very formidable enemy – to an extent that the U.S. did not expect.

In this game you will be either a U.S. soldier or an NVA/VC soldier. You will navigate around a battle zone grid. One combatant has marked objectives to occupy. The other combatant has marked obstacles to block the occupation. Carefully study your objectives and all procedures.


 * Objectives **
 * U.S. **** soldiers ** - to reach, capture, and secure six designated hills and capture/kill the enemy - US INSTRUCTIONS
 * NVA/VC soldiers **- to intimidate, harass, and demoralize the U.S. soldiers by throwing up obstacles - NVA/VC INSTRUCTIONS

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">media type="custom" key="18606242"

¯ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">You have assigned a role - either a U.S. soldier or a NVA/VC soldiers. You have **confidential** instructions for the game and your goal. Study these carefully, and prepare your game grid tonight based on your instructions. Tomorrow, you will be paired off against someone from the opposition. You will then follow the game procedure exactly and adhere to the outcomes of each move. ¯ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Your confidential instructions direct you how to complete your Battle Zone Grid. Carefully count the squares and decide how best to fill in the Battle Zone Grid. Keep your marks on the Battle Zone Grid secret from your opponent. ¯ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Each Battle Zone Grid contains 144 squares and is divided into four sectors. ¯ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Use grid coordinates to locate each square on the Battle Zone Grid (for example – Alpha-1 is the top left comer and Lima-1 is the top right comer) ¯ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Once you have been paired off and your boards have been checked, the game will begin with the U.S. platoon moving towards its objectives. ¯ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The U.S. infantry unit will make 30-50 separate moves. The consequences of each move depend on the decisions made by the NVA/VC. Both sides track the platoon's march using a highlighter. ¯ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">When the game is over, you will go back over the platoon's route and add up the points for both sides.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How to Play **

While I would love to take credit for this awesome game, I can't. I adapted it from Bill Lacey's Vietnam curriculum unit, published by Interact about 10 years ago. I met the author at a conference once - really a great guy with amazing creative ideas about teaching history.