Table of Contents How to Use This Product. 3 Rules of Military Conduct . .47–50 Rules of Conduct . .47 Introduction to Primary Sources. 5 The Pocket Card . .49 Text of the Pocket Card . .50 Activities Using Primary Sources . 15 Vietnamese Student Letter . .51–54 Photographs Escape to Freedom . .51 President Lyndon B. Johnson . .15–16 Boat People . .53 Decisions of War . .15 Text of the Letter from a Vietnamese Ho Chi Minh . .17–18 Student . .54 Vietminh Patriot . .17 Stars & Stripes My Lai Article . .55–58 American Soldiers . .19–20 A Day of Tragedy . .55 Combat In-Country . .19 The Court-Martial . .57 Text from the My Lai Article . .58 Smoke Over Saigon . .21–22 The Decisive Assault . .21 POW/MIA Symbol . .59–62 Remembered or Forgotten? . .59 1968 Democratic Convention . .23–24 To Always Remember . .61 Taking it to the Streets . .23 POW/MIA Symbol . .62 Kent State . .25–26 The Second Front . .25 Document Based Assessment Vietnam Veterans Memorial . .27–28 Dog Tags . .63 The Wall . .27 Vietnam Guidebook . .64 Joan Baez Concert . .29–30 Vietnam Memorial Statues . .65 Wartime Music . .29 Defense of Free Speech . .66 Primary Sources River Patrol . .67 Map of Vietnam . .31–34 Purpose of Support . .68 Indochina Emerald . .31 Immunizations . .69 North and South . .33 Stars and Stripes Map of Vietnam . .34 Western Union . .70 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution . .35–38 Enlistment . .71 Executive Powers in Wartime . .35 Landing Zone . .72 H.J. RES 1145 . .37 Truman Doctrine . .73 Text of the Gulf of Tonkin Helicopters . .74 Resolution . .38 North Vietnamese Leaflet . .39–42 Appendix . 75 The Mountain People . .39 About Your CD-ROM . .75 Peoples’ Protest . .41 Suggested Young-Adult Literature and Montagnard Protest Leaflet Suggested Websites . .77 in English . .42 Document-Based Assessment Selective Service Card . .43–46 Rubric Example . .78 The Draft Choice . .43 Answer Key . .79 Draft Classification . .45 Selective Service Registration Cards . .46 #8125 Exploring History—Vietnam Conflict 2 ©Teacher Created Materials, Inc. Using Primary Sources American Soldiers Combat In-Country Standard/Objective • Compare similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies, and cultures meet human needs and concerns. (NCSS) • Students will study the photo and share information in groups about the struggles of ground soldiers in Vietnam. Materials Copies of both sides of the American Soldiers photo card; Copies of the historical background information (page 20) Instructional Resources Corporation Discussion Questions • How old do the soldiers in the photo appear to be? • Do the soldiers represent various ethnic groups of the United States? • The soldiers in the picture who have their necks exposed do not appear to be wearing dogtags. What are dogtags and where might the soldiers have their tags? • Should the government cover disability payments to soldiers injured during the war and if so, for how long? Using the Primary Source Have students read the background information and look at the photo card. Answer the discussion questions as a class. Let students work with a partner or in groups of three to complete the back of the photo card. Break the students into six groups. Have five groups investigate the branches of the military: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. Have the last group research the role of women in the war. Each group must research its topic and present a short oral presentation to the class about how the men and women were involved in the war. Finally, students should vote to decide which of the positions was the most difficult. Would they rather be Marines dropping into the middle of the action or sailors facing the confinement of battleship life? Extension Idea • Bring in 40 to 50 pounds of weights to class. Borrow a student’s backpack and load it with the weights. Have members of the class go outside and walk, crawl, or do exercise with the pack on. Have students then explain the difficulty of moving with 40 extra pounds. Imagine how hard it would have been with 90 extra pounds. ©Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 19 #8125 Exploring History—Vietnam Conflict Using Primary Sources American Soldiers Combat In-Country (cont.) Historical Background Information Life for ground units in Vietnam was difficult and hazardous. Men volunteered for the Marines, Navy, and Air Force, while the Army used a combination of volunteers and draftees. By 1969, there were more than 540,000 combat soldiers on the ground with another Instructional Resources Corporation 40,000 draftees inducted each month and sent to Vietnam. Soldiers sent to Vietnam served one year of duty and at the end of their tour chose to either renew their service or return home. Ground soldiers were equipped with much of the same equipment as soldiers of World War II and the Korean War. Their uniforms were made of cotton. Each soldier was also given a canvas or nylon poncho to wear during the monsoon rains. Soldiers’ boots were initially made of leather, but later in the war, the government issued a boot that was a combination of leather and nylon mesh. The meshing was to allow air to circulate around the foot and keep the soldiers’ socks and feet dry. Some of the soldiers suffered from “jungle rot,” a fungus that grew on their feet as a result of the constant moisture. Infantry soldiers also wore the steel helmet of World War II, called a “pot” helmet. This helmet was designed for protection but was also used by soldiers as a seat and a dry storage compartment. Infantrymen who were sent in search of the enemy were given canteens, hand grenades, knives or machetes, and a standard M16 rifle. The grenade was an M2- fragmentation grenade and soldiers could activate it by pulling the pin at the top. The M16 held a clip of 30 rounds of ammunition and could fire up to 900 rounds per minute. In 1966, the M16 was redesigned because many rifles jammed after becoming dirty or wet. Soldiers loaded extra ammunition packs around their waists before leaving the base. Since soldiers were away from their base for weeks at a time, they carried extra canteens, food rations, blankets, and other personal items. By the time a soldier was fully packed to go out into the field, he might be carrying an extra 90 pounds of equipment. Soldiers who served in Vietnam came from a variety of backgrounds. Eighty-four percent were Caucasian or Hispanic and 11% were African American. Most of the soldiers had completed at least a high school education and many of the pilots had completed a college education. Also, 76% of the men serving were from middle class families and neighborhoods. A ground soldier in Vietnam was in combat for an average of 240 days during his year of service. #8125 Exploring History—Vietnam Conflict 20 ©Teacher Created Materials, Inc. ik65 American Soldiers Historical Background Information During the 11 years of fighting in Vietnam, more than nine million soldiers served either in combat or in an assistance role for combat soldiers. Most of the new and young soldiers were drafted into the army and fought on the ground in Vietnam. A major hazard to ground fighting was the heavy brush and jungle foliage. In 1961, President John Kennedy authorized Operation Ranch Hand, a program to spray and kill the plants and trees surrounding many of the river areas of Vietnam. One of the major areas sprayed was the Mekong Delta, just south of Saigon. From 1961 until 1975 the United States sprayed 19 million gallons of chemicals on the brush and jungle plants in South Vietnam. Analyzing History Historical Writing Knowledge Fiction Describe one of the two soldiers in the middle of the Assume that you are a soldier who has just picture. completed six months in Vietnam. You have Comprehension been assigned to an infantry unit stationed in the Mekong Delta area of South Vietnam. Describe the various weapons that are seen in the Write a letter home to your sister or brother picture and explain how well prepared the men are to and describe the living conditions including fight the enemy. the weather, the food, the danger, and any Application other problems. How would you describe the terrain and the weather? Nonfiction Analysis Research the difference between the living During the war, the United States government made conditions of the Army infantry soldiers, Navy changes in the M16 and in clothing worn by soldiers. seamen, and Navy or Air Force pilots. In What other changes in equipment or clothing might groups of three, write one descriptive have made life easier for ground soldiers? paragraph for each of the military groups. In Synthesis your fourth paragraph, identify which of the Imagine yourself walking through this watery area. soldier groups had the best living conditions. Other than enemy soldiers, what else might cause you danger or discomfort? History Challenge Evaluation In 1991, American soldiers once again fought Research the chemical spraying that took place during on foreign soil, in Iraq this time. Find out if Operation Ranch Hand. The government used a veterans who served in Operation Desert chemical known as Agent Orange. Find a picture of Storm suffered any exposure ailments similar an area sprayed with Agent Orange and compare it to to Vietnam veterans. Bring your discoveries this photo. Why would spraying chemicals make back to class to share. fighting safer for American soldiers? What might be the hazards of spraying chemicals? ©Teacher Created Materials, Inc. #8125 Exploring History Through Primary Sources—Vietnam Conflict Using Primary Sources POW/MIA Symbol Remembered or Forgotten? Standard/Objective • Apply knowledge of how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good.