Vietnam & After

Why Americans Fight in Vietnam (1965) LBJ Speech at John Hopkins

I was reading LBJ speech regarding why Americans are fighting in Vietnam. Johnson makes it clear that we need to help South Vietnam from the communist in the North; how it is our duty as the United States to help South Vietnam. He states that we are there to keep a promise; the promise? to support South Vietnam just like every President has since 1954.

Johnson says "We fight because we must fight if we are to live in a world where every country can shape its own destiny, and only in such a world will our own freedom be finally secure." Johnson is telling the American public we need to be in South Vietnam fighting because we are not only fighting for their freedom but ours as well. 

The Link below will take you to a broadcasting of his speech.

 

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675031140_President-Lyndon-B-Johnson_John-Hopkins-University_South-Vietnam_peace-talks

A Final Mission: USS Kirk, 1975

 
USS Kirk loaded with refugees on the way to Subic Bay, May 1, 1975.

Great New Journalism about the End of the Vietnam War:

NPR has produced a great three-part series about the role of the U.S. Navy at the end of the war.   The series features audio, images and video recounting the role of the USS Kirk in evacuating "20,000 to 30,000 Vietnamese refugees" from South Vietnam to the Philippines in 1975.  

It is interesting to read this story about our ragged exit from Vietnam at a moment when our President is discussing the withdrawl of combat troops from Iraq.

Welcome to the Vietnam & After Blog

Welcome to the Vietnam & After course blog. For those of you who have never posted to a blog before here are some simple guidelines:

Posting: Use this blog to post about anything relating to the readings, lectures and class discussions. You can also post about current events that relate to the issues raised this semester.  Posts that compare and contrast the Vietnam War to our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are especially welcome.

Presentation Posts: Posts are required for oral presentations. A presentation post should include any short quotations, links, images, or video, that you might wish to use in your presentation.

Read or Search before Posting: Always read the other posts on the blog before posting, don't repeat the same material as a previous post unless you have something to add to the discussion. Consider making a comment on a previous post instead of posting on the same topic.  Shortcut:  Use the search function in the sidebar to find previous posts on the same topic. 

Short Paragraphs & Quotations: Blogging is a short form. Posts do not have to be very long (two or three well written paragraphs.) Quality is more important than quantity. Use short quotations from the assigned readings, always cite your source clearly. Write brief, focused paragraphs.

Cite Sources Clearly: Always cite your sources clearly, using a link to the source material if possible. Use the author's full name, the title, and the page number, if possible.

Strong Links: A good post should include helpful links. Judicious use of links to key reference materials can ensure that your posts are short and to the point. Make sure you only link to authoritative, reliable sources of information.

Relevant Images: Use images that directly relate to the topic of your post. Don't post images just for window dressing. Ask yourself: does the image add to the substance of the post? Or is it just eye-candy? The same goes for videos.

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Proof-read! Always proof-read and spell-check your post before publishing. Remember, spell-check does not check the spelling in the title of the post. A warning: this is a public blog and your posts will may be used during class discussion as well (big screen, 40 people reading your post,) so proof-read before publishing!

Comment: Reward good posts with praise and constructive criticism and discussion. Be prepared for comments from unknown sources that may not always be polite. Don't engage in flame wars with anonymous commenters