Vietnam War Terms

Creator and leader of Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945. He was born on February 19, 1951. He died on September 2, 1969. Even though he died, he made a lasting impression.

The theory in which when one country falls to communism, another country will fall to communism, kind of like dominoes.

A communist group formed by Ho Chi Minh to free Vietnam from the French Empire and unify Vietnam under communism.

A group in South Vietnam that believed that communism was best for Vietnam's government and fought for communism against the South Vietnamese military and the U.S. military.

First president of South Vietnam. He was against communism but was a poor leader. He was born on January 3, 1901. He died on November 2, 1963.

A trail that was used by the North Vietnamese military to help supply the Viet Cong in South Vietnam. This trail went through North Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam.

The Vice President for John F. Kennedy and became The 36th President of The United States of America. He was born on August 27, 1908. He died on January 22, 1973.

A resolution passed by congress to give the president the power to do anything with the military to protect the safety of the U.S.A. However, this act gave too much power to the president. It was passed after a U.S. destroyer was attacked off the shore of North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Also known as the ARVN, it was the military of South Vietnam. It was poorly trained and poorly armed. It was disbanded after Saigon fell to the NVA.

A liquid-solid material that was highly flammable and the material stuck to many surfaces, and when lit afire, the surface or thing that was stuck by the material was immediately burned. It was mainly used in bombs and flamethrowers.

A chemical substance that caused extreme damage to plants. It was mainly used by the U.S. military to get rid of the jungle and to poison the food supply for the Viet Cong. However, Agent Orange caused around 400,000 deaths or maiming of people and also around 500,000 children were born with birth defects due to this chemical. It also caused cancer to many U.S. Vietnam War Veterans.

A mission where a squad or platoon of soldiers attack a small group of enemy soldiers with brute force and retreating, but leaving no remains for other groups of enemy military to re-settle or return to the area. Usually called S&D missions. Because there was no frontline in the war, they had to completely devastate an area instead of taking and occupying.

A term used in politics that was widely used during the 1960's and 1970's to describe the fact that the president was trying to hide the horrors that our soldiers were doing in the Vietnam War.

A term used to describe the acts in the 1960's and 1970's that antiwar protesters did to go against the Vietnam War. Typically used with the word "Hippie".

A activist group formed by students in the United States to protest against wrongful actions in the Vietnam War. Also known as the SDS.

A protest that took place in 1964-1965 on the campus of the University of California. It was to show how the U.S. government has removed/taken away the people's right of freedom of speech in the 1st Amendment. Another name for this movement is the FSM.

An offensive that the NVA launched to crumble South Vietnam by launching a massive assault on all the cities and villages in South Vietnam on the Chinese holiday called "Tet." Militarily speaking, the offensive was a failure but it made a massive blow on the U.S. citizens.

The act of removing U.S. military from Vietnam and letting South Vietnam fight it's own fight.

A village in South Vietnam that was supposedly housing the Viet Cong. Many of the villagers in the village were women and children. The massacre of 407 women and children and old people was committed by Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Charlie Company arrived at the village and starting shooting the villagers. Many women were raped as well.

At an antiwar protest at Kent State in Ohio, the National Guard was called in to calm the protesters. But instead, the National Guardsmen end up firing into the crowd, killing 4 and injuring few more people. Clearly making the citizens more enraged.

Top secret documents that were copied illegally from the Pentagon and were posted in The New York Times saying that Lyndon B. Johnson had lied about the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Promoted by an article by Neil Sheehan revealing that past presidents had known that support for the southern government was weak and likely unwinnable. Bombing the north wasn't working. The enemy was powerful.

A federal law passed by congress to restrict the president from doing any acts of military power without reason and must ask congress to go to war within 90 days of militarizing an area or else the military will be forced to leave the country/area.

The culture which is differs from the social "norm."

1954 Agreement that temporarily divided vietnam +called for free election in 1956 to reunite the nation

french colony that included Laos,lambodin, vietnam

Refugees fleeing Vietnam after the Communist takeover of Vietnam in 1975. The refugees were called boat people because many of them escaped on small, leaky boats.

General term for the jungle or swampy areas in Vietnam.

Slang for Viet Cong (VC). The term is short for the phonetic spelling (used by the military and police to spell things over the radio) of "VC," which is "Victor Charlie."

US policy during the Cold War which sought the prevention of the spread of Communism to other countries.

The line that divided North Vietnam and South Vietnam, located at the 17th parallel. This line was agreed upon as a temporary border at the 1954 Geneva Accords.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu was between communist Viet Minh forces and the French from March 13 - May 7, 1954. The decisive victory of the Viet Minh led to the withdrawal of the French from Vietnam, ending the First Indochina War.

Acronym for "Democratic Republic of Vietnam" (Communist North Vietnam).

Any airplane that took American soldiers back to the U.S. at the end of their tour of duty.

An accidental attack, whether by shooting or by dropping bombs, upon one's own troops, such as U.S soldiers shooting at other U.S. soldiers.

Negative slang term for Vietnamese enemy.

Slang term used for an American infantry soldier.

Two attacks by North Vietnam against U.S. destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy, which were located in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin, on August 2 and 4, 1964. This incident led U.S. Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to escalate American involvement in Vietnam.

Slang term for North Vietnam's Hoa Loa Prison which was notorious for being the place where American POWs were brought for interrogation and torture.

Slang term for a place to live, either a soldier's living quarters or a Vietnamese hut.

Slang term for a kilometer.

Acronym for "National Liberation Front" (the communist guerrilla forces in South Vietnam). Also known as "Viet Cong" which was vietnamese for Traitor to the country.

Acronym for "North Vietnamese Army" (officially called the People's Army of Viet-Nam or PAVN).

A booby trap made out of a bunch of sharpened, short, wooden sticks placed upright in the ground and covered so that an unsuspecting soldier would fall or stumble upon them.

Acronym for "Republic of Viet-Nam" (South Vietnam).

The massive attack by North Vietnam's army into South Vietnam, begun on March 30, 1972, and lasting until October 22, 1972.

The monk who burned himself in 1963 in protest after the diem Christian regime persecuted Buddhists. It was the start of antagonism of urban Vietnamese in the south

Diem's brother who controlled the secret police and brutally repressed the communist and Buddhist populations in the south

The new ambassador to Vietnam sent by jfk to get diem under Control. Called for nhu to be ousted.

Secretary of defense who was ceo of Ford motors and obsessed with cost performance and systems analysis requesting data and stats to determine success. Began to doubt the war but only discussed it privately with the President. Eventually all of his private feelings were released once his study was finally finished and leaked as the Pentagon Papers.

Diem and Nhu are captured and murdered as jfk said he wouldn't start a rebellion but wouldn't stop one either

Jfk is assassinated in Dallas and lbj becomes president

A general backed by lbj to be the new leader of South Vietnam, but Buddhists were still ignored and other generals argued for power

an in house investigative team started by Nixon to find private information in order to blackmail internal leaks from giving secret information about bombing Cambodia and Laos and also his treasonous campaign efforts to torpedo the peace talks under LBJ. They were caught at the Watergate Hotel while trying to install bugs in a democratic party office which was inside.

A worker for the Rand Corporation who illegally copied and smuggled out secret documents that uncovered the truth about the War. Ellsberg was the target of Nixon's plumbers as they hoped to find dirt on him to keep him from releasing information that tarnished Nixon. He tried to persuade newspapers to publish the Pentagon Papers but only the Neil Sheehan and the NY Times accepted the chance.

A North Vietnamese leader who urged more violence. An opponent of ho chi Minh who preferred getting the Americans to see finally we both want liberty

Thọ and U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger since February 1970 engaged in secret talks that eventually led to a cease-fire in the Paris Peace Accords of 23 January 1973. The basic history of the Accords included: release of POWs within 80 days; ceasefire to be monitored by the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICC); free and democratic elections to be held in South Vietnam; U.S. aid to South Vietnam would continue; and North Vietnamese troops could remain in South Vietnam.

A general from ww2 and Korea who was the main commander of the American forces. Allowed bombing in Laos in secret to escalate the war. Was granted 100k troops by lbj but eventually requested 200k more troops

Air attacks on the ho chi min trail and strategic attacks. The beginning of American involvement in the war directly

A southern province strategic hamlet attacked by the viet cong and defended from Americans. When a battalion was sent in to get the 4 bodies they were ambushed by vc. In total 5 Americans dead and 400 arvn casualties and 30 vc dead

A significant battle where the vc didn't run away but stayed to fight and defeated the arvn and forced us advisors to retreat which was a major victory for the communist movement even though the north lost 3x the servicemen

LBJ's vice president who advised against widening the war. A democrat who lost against Nixon because he struggled to betray LBJ despite his real feelings. Unfortunately ending the war was the only way to win politically.

A huge secret escalation of air raids and systematic bombing instead of retaliation strikes by lbj to destroy morale in the north and get the communists to give up on unifying the country. The war became unwinnable because many bombs hit civilian areas.

An area where 4 villages were burned on camera to only capture 4 vcs. The footage was shown and shocked Americans

A gathering point off the ho chi Minh trail in Western Vietnam where they Co fronted the Americans

The arriving point in the IA drang Valley where the Americans faced 3000 nva. Another big defeat.

A powerful Hanoi General who met with LBJ in 1966 in Hawaii. Antagonized urban buddhists who wanted a negotiated peace and a representative government.

a military strategy to win a war by wearing down the enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and material. The war will usually be won by the side with greater such resources. Inevitably pointless because a nation's population only cares about how many we are losing - not the kill ratio.

The VC and NVA gathered at this central region province whch was the first large scale search and destroy campaign by the US. 42 days of artillery and air strikes. Hamlets were destroyed and the enemy escaped with lots of refugees created.

When you are fired upon when out on patrol - a way to bait the enemy into revealing their position because theres no other way to find them.

When US forces were killing NVA and VC personnel at a faster rate than they can be replaced. At this point theyd have to give up.

A northern outpost below the DMZ that overlooked route 9 an east west highway into Laos which leadership believed is what brought fighters from the Ho Chi Minh trail into South Vietnam

a new American rifle that had a fatal flaw that it would jam a lot and would need to be constantly cleaned. Meanwhile the VC soviet produced AK-47 was seemingly indestructable

a mine that has two charges where the first bounces a bomb upward to waist height and then explodes

An escalation of attacks in the south which was supposed to trigger a mass uprising in Saigon with civilians and force the Americans to give up. Designed to inspire the entire population of Vietnam as it was when the Japanese occupied during WWII. Initiated on the Lunar New Year holiday of Tet.

Attacks on outposts and near the DMZ to draw forces away from the cities as the Northern army was planning for the General Uprising in Saigon months in the future.

A platoon of marines who committed many atrocities against civilian farmers, the elderly, and children.

one of the border battles where the NVA prepared in depth on hill 875 digging bunkers and trenches for a month anticipating that the AMericans would want to control this hill. 3 companies were devastated. Air Strikes were ordered and 42 Americans were killed by a single bomb. 107 died 282 wounded.

a highly classified, multi-service United States special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam War.

the new commander who took over for general westmoreland. He was aggressive and more frank than prior command

Won the 1968 republican nomination as the man who could heal America and end the war. Told the South Vietnamese government not to go to peace talks under LBJ as Nixon would get a better deal once elected - thus extending the war as unelected players and committing treason. Won the election by 1 percentage point.

was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962–1981). During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll. Famously stated his opinion to the public by saying "It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could."

An operation to eradicate VC from areas south of Saigon. Commander Ewell felt that the hearts and mind program was too gentle. Anyone running away was deemed a target and the kill ratio was 45:1 with 10,000 Vietnamese being killed.

groups who went out into the country side to hunt viet cong given they were weakened after the Tet Offensive but used torture and murder to settle scores and of course hurt civilians as well, which of course created resentment toward the American supported government. Part of the Phoenix Program to finally snuff out the VC.

a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), became head of a military junta, and then president after winning a scheduled election. He established rule over South Vietnam until he resigned and left the nation a few days before the fall of Saigon and the ultimate North Vietnamese victory. Ran unopposed because the government was seen as so corrupt that there was no point in running against him - he was hated by the people.

Nixon had been reducing troops in Vietnam and supporting Southern forces assuming the fight completely, but shocked the world when he allowed American troops to storm Cambodia because a new anti-communist general had taken power with the support of the US. This change gave permission to pursue NVA into Cambodia and disrupt their supply lines. He said its not an invasion, just an incursion.

A term said by Nixon on whom he called for support against the protestors and demonstrators. This emboldened the ignorant and ratcheted up the conflict at home.

a violent group of antiwar protestors who strategically raided areas to draw attention to ending the war.

an American political scientist, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Met secretly with Hanoi leadership on how to end the war without costing political capital back home.

A young leader of the group Vietnam War Vets Against the War who begged the government to end the war. He used inflammatory words about atrocities to rally support to his cause, but this also angered veterans who disagreed that atrocities were so common.

Nixon was giving up on confronting communism in Vietnam and decided to warm relations with China given they were still a poor country and he hoped to bring them into the US orbit or at least stop sending materials and supplies.

a conventional invasion (the largest offensive operation since 300,000 Chinese troops had crossed the Yalu River into North Korea during the Korean War) was a radical departure from previous North Vietnamese offensives. The offensive was not designed to win the war outright but to gain as much territory and destroy as many units of the ARVN as possible, to improve the North's negotiating position as the Paris Peace Accords drew towards a conclusion.

Massive air attacks on the PAVN (NVA) that Nixon launched in response to the Easter Offensive - it was highly successful because the NVA were finally exposed as opposed to fighting in the jungle as guerillas. Because bombings had stopped under LBJ, Americans viewed this escalation as widening the war.

a summit meeting between President Richard M. Nixon of the United States and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It was held May 22–30, 1972. It featured the signing of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I), and the U.S.–Soviet Incidents at Sea agreement. The summit is considered one of the hallmarks of the détente at the time between the two Cold War antagonists. President Thiu rejected the agreements because he wasn't consulted at all. the Viet Cong rejected it because Hanoi did not negotiate to get rid of Thiu or get back any VC prisoners.

Nixon approved more bombing to punish Hanoi for backing out of the peace talks - which they hesitated because a large shipment of arms were sent to Saigon. 15 bombers were shot down with 45 new prisoners of war.

in 1975 with President Ford in charge, the NVA finally attacked and Americans were ordered to evacuate without assisting any vietnamese residents.

The main part of the memorial, which was completed in 1982, is in Constitution Gardens adjacent to the National Mall, just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial is maintained by the National Park Service, and receives around 3 million visitors each year. The Memorial Wall was designed by American architect Maya Lin. In 2007, it was ranked tenth on the "List of America's Favorite Architecture" by the American Institute of Architects. As a National Memorial, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.