WTF: The Vietnam Series
Part 1: Origins
The Vietnam War changed America forever.
When the U.S. entered Vietnam there was not a single high ranking government official who spoke Vietnamese or knew anything about Vietnamese culture or history, at all. Whether out of arrogance, ignorance, or a mix of both, our leaders bet on the lives of millions that this would be an easy win,
and they lost.
Here is my attempt to cover this long, complex and tragic history. Context is important, so I’m starting Part 1 earlier than most accounts you’ll find. These are the events that led us to Vietnam in the first place.
✏️ Citations:
🇻🇳 Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
📚 The Truth about Vietnam: Report on the U. S. Senate Hearings
Part 2: Escalation
💡 In the last episode, we left with Vietnam divided into two countries and on the brink of civil war. But how did America's involvement go from a a few hundred advisors to a rapid escalation of troops numbering in the 10s of thousands?! In the simplist terms, there are a few very specific reasons for this. In this episode, we'll cover why the stakes were so high and the ill fated strategy that led us all on the road to disaster.
✏️ Citations:
📖 Robert J. Hanyok, Spartans in Darkness
▶️ The infamous and ingenious Ho Chi Minh Trail
📖 Mark Moyar, Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954-1965
📝 How the Vietnam War Ratcheted Up Under 5 U.S. Presidents
Part 3: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
In Part 3 of my series on the Vietnam War, we're talking about the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. This event that you've probably never heard was one of the most significant turning points in the war and changed the way we handle war to this very day. By now we all know about the many tragedies of Vietnam, but less discussed are the norms and the precedents that were established during those crucial years that perpetuated a vicious cycle of escalation and increased presidential authority that we're still grappling with today.
✏️ Citations:
📝 When Congress last used its powers to declare war
▶️ The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Part 4: The End… Sorta
The Tet Offensive was a stunning attack across all of South Vietnam by the North. It was bold, it was traumatic, yet even with the advantage of surprise, it was still considered a military defeat for the North who suffered far more casualties. The American’s may have won the battle, but they would soon lose the war. In this video, we're going to cover the finals days leading up to the fall of Saigon and how a tiny, “insignificant”, guerilla army ended up defeating the world’s most powerful military.
✏️ Citations:
▶️Reliving the fall of Saigon with Vietnam vets and journalists
📝 Forty years on from the fall of Saigon: witnessing the end of the Vietnam war
