American Soldiers in

Vietnam

Document Based Question

May 25, 2010
By Eleanor Powell
Period 3 APUSH
 AMERICAN HISTORY
Section II
Part A
(Suggested writing time—40 minutes)
Percent of Section II score—50

Directions: The following question requires you to construct a coherent essay that
integrates your interpretation of Documents A-F and your knowledge of the period
referred to in the question. In your essay, you should strive to support your assertions
both by citing key pieces of evidence from the documents and by drawing on your
knowledge of the period.

1. Discuss the role of American soldiers in Vietnam both abroad and on the home front
during the period from 1955 to 1975.

Document A

Source: Excerpt of Working Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam, by
Christian Appy

Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon sent 3 million American soldiers to South
Vietnam, a country of 17 million. In the early 1960s they went by the hundreds--
helicopter units, Green Beret teams, counterinsurgency hotshots, ambitious young
officers, and ordinary infantrymen--all of them labeled military advisers by the American
command. They fought a distant, "brushfire war" on the edge of American consciousness.
Beyond the secret inner circles of government, few predicted that hundreds of thousands
would follow in a massive buildup that took the American presence in Vietnam from
15,000 troops in 1964 to 550,000 in 1968. In late 1969 the gradual withdrawal of ground
forces began, inching its way to the final U.S. pullout in January 1973. The bell curve of
escalation and withdrawal spread the commitment of men into a decade-long chain of
one-year tours of duty.
 Document B

Source: Editorial Cartoon 3—No Title, New York Times (March 21, 1965)
 Document C

Source: Guerrilla War, W. D. Ehrhart, American poet and

Vietnam Veteran (1975)

It's practically impossible

to tell civilians
from the Viet Cong.

Nobody wears uniforms.

They all talk
the same language
(and you couldn't understand them
even if they didn't).

They tape grenades

inside their clothes,
and carry satchel charges
in their market baskets.

Even their women fight.

And young boys.
And girls.

It's practically impossible

to tell civilians
from the Viet Cong.

After awhile,
you quit trying.
 Document D

Source: Negro and White Fight Side By Side: Race Makes a Difference in Vietnam
Only After Hours, by R. W. Apple Jr. (January 2, 1966)

The war in Vietnam is the first truly integrated war ever fought by the United
States.
Officially, of course, racial segregation no longer exists in any American
military unit anywhere. Moreover, it is certain that there is less unofficial segregation
in Vietnam than at military installations in the United States or in many other overseas
areas.
None of the personnel officers in Saigon knows precisely how many Negroes
are serving or have served in Vietnam because records are not kept here by race.
There is no place to record a man’s race, for example, on the Army’s personnel forms
20 and 66.
Experienced personnel officers estimate that between eight and 10 per cent of
the men in the armed forces are Negroes. The figure in Vietnam is probably at least 10
per cent because most of the fighting men here are in the Army, and the Army has
always had more Negroes than other branches.
 Document E

Source: Excerpt of a New York Times interview with Private Paul Meadlo, explaining
the 1968 My Lai Massacre (November 25, 1969)

Q. How many people did you round up?

A. Well, there was about 40-45 people that we gathered in the center of the village. And
we placed them in there, and it was like a little island, right there in the center of the
village, I'd say. And--
Q. What kind of people--men, women, children?
A. Men, women, children.
Q. Babies?
A. Babies. And we all huddled them up. We made them squat down, and Lieutenant
[William] Calley came over and said you know what to do with them, don't you? And I
said yes so I took it for granted that he just wanted us to watch them. And he left, and
came back about 10 to 15 minutes later, and said, how come you ain't killed them yet?
And I told him that I didn't think you wanted us to kill them, that you just wanted us to
guard them. He said, no, I want them dead. So—…
Q. And you killed how many? At that time?
A. Well, I fired them on automatic, so you can't--you just spray the area on them and so
you can't know how many you killed `cause they were going fast. So I might have killed
ten or fifteen of them.
Q. Men, women and children?
A. Men, women and children.
Q. And babies?
A. And babies…
Q. Why did you do it?
A. Why did you do it? Because I felt like I was ordered to do it, and it seemed like that,
at the time I felt like I was doing the right thing, because like I said I lost buddies. I lost
a damn good buddy, Bobby Wilson, and it was on my conscience. So after I done it, I
felt good, but later on that day, it was getting to me.
Q. You're married?
A. Right.
Q. Children?
A. Two.
Q. How old?
A. The boy is two and a half, and the little girl is a year and a half.
Q. Obviously, the question comes to my mind . . . the father of two little kids like that . .
. how can he shoot babies?
A. I didn't have the little girl. I just had a little boy at the time.
Q. Uh-huh. How do you shoot babies?
A. I don't know. It's just one of them things…
Q. And nothing went through your mind or heart?
A. Many a times . . . many a times. . . .
 Document F

Source: How Is TV Covering Vietnam?, Jack Gould (December 26, 1965)

The Vietnam war is the first major engagement to be covered by television

since the end of the Korean conflict and for the American public it means the nightly
experience of being a vicarious eyewitness to the agonies and hardships of battle. It
has been a shattering experience for the home viewer to encounter at first hand the
impact of seeing G.I.’s and marines trying to articulate the ordeal of losing comrades
or pursuing elusive guerrillas.
The heart-rending drama of youngsters learning the brutality of war
necessarily is something that TV and other media must cover in detail and television
cannot be expected to blink its eye at the mounting casualties.
 Likely Outside Information
Domino theory
Attrition
Robert S. McNamara, “win hearts and minds of people”
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Tet Offensive
Vietnamization
Guerilla warfare
My Lai Massacre
Paris Accords (1973)
Television
The draft
Vietcong
Green berets
Flexible response
Anti war protests (i.e. Kent State, National Democratic Convention in Chicago)
March on Pentagon
Integration of the military by Truman (Executive Order 9981)
Racism
Voting rights act of 1965
Civil rights act of 1964
Race riots in Selma and Birmingham, Alabama
Watts riot
Backlash to civil rights legislation
Civil rights movement

Analysis
Document A
This document offers an efficient overview of the Vietnam War, while highlighting
American soldiers in particular. A student might use this document to analyze the change
in “American presence” in Vietnam over the years. The document describes the drastic
influx in troops from 1964 to 1968. A student could analyze our increasing involvement
and dedication to the war through our greater allotment of troops. This document also
provides for the use of outside information such as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution,
flexible response, and green berets. A student could offer the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
and flexible response as reasons for the increase in involvement. The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution gave President Johnson the right to take “all necessary measures” and escalate
the conflict. Flexible response is the idea that the United States must be able to combat
guerrilla forces more flexibly, such as through special forces like the green berets. These
factors led to an increased “American presence” in Vietnam, thus forcing us to bring in
more troops. However, the document also points out the “final US pullout in January
1973,” which a student could use to analyze the end of the war through outside
information such as the idea of Vietnamization, which allowed Vietnam to take control of
itself, and the Paris Accords in 1973, which negotiated a cease-fire.
Document B
This cartoon addresses the controversy over African Americans joining the army abroad
while facing deep racism at home. A student could analyze how the caption “Me?...I’m
only on my way to save democracy in Vietnam!” stands out sarcastically against the signs
expressing racism and inequality. This cartoon brings up the debate over whether African
American soldiers should feel dutiful to serve the country that continues to segregate and
discriminate against them. A student could use the sign “Alabama county—No Negro
Voting Permitted!” to point out the racism present in the deep south. They could also
bring in outside information on the civil rights movement and legislation of the time. For
example, a student could utilize two pieces of legislation under President Johnson, the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, to show the government’s
efforts towards equality. However, the student could point out the strong resistance and
racism that remained in several states even after the legislation was passed, as
demonstrated by the cartoon. A student could point out the violence that broke out in race
riots in Selma and Birmingham, Alabama as examples of southern resistance. However,
the student could point out that racism was not only a problem in the south. For example,
the Watts riot in Los Angeles, California was a race riot that turned quickly from a
routine traffic arrest to a week of violence.
Document C
This poem by W. D. Ehrhart gives an insightful look into the lives of the American
soldiers on the Vietnamese front. A student might use this document to analyze the
guerrilla warfare techniques of the Vietnam War as well as the desperation of the
American military. The guerrilla techniques of the war can be seen when the poet
describes how “they tape grenades/ inside their clothes,/ and carry satchel charges/ in
their market baskets.” The student could also describe the Vietcong, who are mentioned
twice in the poem as wild and uncivilized people, and their efforts to fight the American
army in instances such as in the Tet Offensive. A student could use the last line of the
poem “After awhile,/ you quit trying” to reference Document E, which is about the My
Lai Massacre, and how the horrors of war pushed American soldiers toward committing
atrocities. Another important piece of outside information that a student could use is
flexible response and green berets, which were used to fight guerrilla techniques used by
Vietnamese groups such as the Vietcong.
Document D
This document highlights the issue of segregation in the military. A student could use this
document to display the possible continuation of racism, described here as “unofficial
segregation,” from the home front to Vietnam. A key point that the student could make is
how Truman integrated the military in 1948, which even though it is before the specified
time period of the DBQ, would offer a strong background to the state of the military’s
equality during the Vietnam War. As the document rightly points out, “the war in
Vietnam is the first truly integrated war ever fought by the United States.” A student
could use this article to reference to the cartoon in Document B, which detailed racism at
home. The student could draw a parallel between the prior cartoon’s racism and the
“unofficial racism” of the troops in Vietnam, as shown by the lack of records detailing
race in the military. Another student who may choose to focus more on racism on the
home front could point out that integration of the military acted as a precursor to the civil
rights legislation of the mid 1960s. However, they could note that just as there was
backlash to the legislation, there continued to be some form of racism within the military.
Document E
This moving document offers detailed insight into the horrors of the My Lai Massacre. A
student could use this document to describe the hardships that the American soldiers in
Vietnam felt, witnessed, and committed. The document gives a personal perspective on
the war and the soldiers. A student could use quotes to support her argument such as “I
don't know. It's just one of them things…” and “At the time I felt like I was doing the
right thing, because like I said I lost buddies. I lost a damn good buddy, Bobby Wilson,
and it was on my conscience.” As support for this document, a student could give a
background on the My Lai Massacre by referencing groups such as the Vietcong, as
described in Document C. A student could also relate this occurrence abroad to the home
front. The student could point out how the incident occurred in 1968, but the story didn’t
break in America until 1969. A student could then demonstrate the outrage on the home
front over such war crimes through citing anti-war protests, such as at the National
Democratic Convention in Chicago and the violence that broke out at Kent State. In
addition, a student could connect this document to Document C, which also detailed how
the war led soldiers toward committing violent crimes.
Document F
This document explains the role of the television in the Vietnam War and the insight it
provided into the lives of the American soldiers. A student could use this document to
analyze the growing popularity and use of the television during what is known as the
“first televised war.” A student could analyze the issues surrounding the increased use of
the television. For example, while the television was a prominent part of consumer
culture and it allowed the American public to be “a vicarious eyewitness to the agonies
and hardships of battle,” it also had a difficult down side. An important example a student
could use to demonstrate this point is the Tet Offensive. This disastrously violent
encounter between the American soldiers and the guerrilla forces of the Vietcong was
considered a failure, primarily because of how well publicized and televised it was. The
incident was displayed to the American public, who were led to believe that we were
winning the war. Seeing the encounter first hand changed the opinions of the American
public and proved how the television could expose misconceptions. To follow up on the
point, a student could point out the resulting events that expressed the outrage the public
felt towards the government and the military. An important piece of outside information
that a student could draw upon is the March on the Pentagon, which showed how the
American citizens were angry at the government for “lying” to them about the state of the
war.

Bibliography
Apple, R. W. Jr. “Negro and White Fight Side By Side.” Historic Newspapers. 3 Jan
1966. Web. 24 May 2010. < http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?
set=topic&start=1&rendition=x-
abstract&inmylist=false&subtopicid=87238&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS
%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-abstract
%3B79266564&mylisturn=urn:proquest:US;PQDOC;HNP;PQD;HNP;PROD;x-
article-image;79266564&returnpage=>.

Appy, Christian. "Excerpt from Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and
Vietnam." Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.
 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/>.

“Editorial Cartoon 3 -- No Title.” Historic Newspapers. 21 Mar 1965. Web. 24 May

2010. < http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?
set=topic&subtopicid=87238&rendition=x-
citation&start=1&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC
%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation
%3B96701046&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP
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Gould, Jack. “How is TV Covering Vietnam?” Historical Newspapers. 26 Dec 1965.

Web. 24 May 2010. < http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?
set=topic&start=1&rendition=x-
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%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-abstract
%3B96727669&mylisturn=urn:proquest:US;PQDOC;HNP;PQD;HNP;PROD;x-
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"Guerrilla War." W.D. Ehrhart. Web. 25 May 2010. <http://www.wdehrhart.com/poem-

guerrilla_war.html>.

New York Times. "Excerpt from Interview with Private Paul Meadlo, November 25,
1969." Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.
<http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/>.