Veteran's History Project

      This project revolved around how war effects a soldier after he returns home. during this project we interviewed a veteran from the Vietnamese war. these videos where sent the Library of Congress to be archived and be viewed by anyone needing to research how the Vietnamese war affected the soldiers that served in the war. we also learned a lot about the Vietnamese war in general. this involves how it happened and how it ended.

Link Coming Soon

project reflection

• This project changed my opinion on the truth of war by showing me how a war can change some ones standing on the war and how it can effect there lives after they have returned home
•  I learned that there are almost always tragic things that happen in war 
• I could use the information in this interview to better judge the lifestyles in a military environment and how we could improve them in the future to prevent such an uncomfortable life 
• group work was very important because everybody had there specific skills that would best benefit the project when it is complete

Tonkin Writing

            Although the United States wanted to stop the spread of communism we should not have reacted so strongly to the Vietnamese retaliation on the USS Maddox

            The United States stood very strongly against the spread of communism, but going to war over something so small is almost immature. The US was trolling the Vietnamese waters which from the Vietnamese side could seem very threatening. It was said that the Vietnamese fired a torpedo at the USS Maddox, and this is not certain, “review of action makes mane reported contacts and torpedoes fired appear doubtful”(doc 7). After the supposed attack happened the United States decided to start moving more troops into Vietnam. From this point war was inevitable the Vietnamese believed that the US attacked first, and the US thought that the Vietnamese attacked first. Therefore both countries were retaliating

            The united states claim that the Vietnamese fired one torpedo at the USS Maddox as an act of hostility or aggression. This of course was taken as a disturbance in the peace. This claim was not entirely proven; there were many different suspicions onto whether or not the Vietnamese really did fire a torpedo. This claim was based on someone onboard the USS Maddox hearing the torpedo but never actually seeing it. No damage was done to the ship the torpedo was said to hit the perfect spot in witch little to no damage would be done. Captain Herrick the captain of this ship at this time sent cables back stating what is happening onboard the ship on the day this happened. One of these cables says “all subsequent Maddox torpedo reports are doubtful in that it is suspected the sonarman was hearing the ships own propeller beat” (doc 7). So overall the only evidence that the United States could base their claim off of was a sound that could have been the propeller.

            The motive that was decided for the for the Vietnamese to attack the USS Maddox was a retaliation to some of the things the United States were doing in their country as said by president Johnson. “There have been some covert operations in that aria that we have been carrying on- blowing up some bridges and things of that kind, roads and so forth so I imagine that they wanted to put a stop to it.”(Doc 3). This is why it was thought that the Vietnamese attacked the USS Maddox. And after this happened the United States attacked back with a lot more force as said by President Johnson “so they fired and we respond immediately with 5 inch [artillery shells] from the destroyer and with plains overhead.”( Doc 3) we also started to send more troops into the country. I think that the United States took that small unproven torpedo to seriously, and as a result the Vietnamese war started