Browsing by Subject "Vietnam War"

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Art and activism 1968-1974 : a season of protest at the University of Virginia
(2011-08) Chorey, Kendall Pultz; Bolin, Paul Erik, 1954-; Mayer, Melinda M.
This thesis investigates the role of politically-motivated visual culture relative to the social and cultural transformations taking place at the University of Virginia between 1968-1974, culminating in the “May Days” student strike of 1970. This study seeks to recognize the ways through which these visual materials reflected, as well as influenced student response and identity relative to the contemporary social issues of the time, such as the advancement of Civil Rights, the de-acceleration of the Vietnam War and the military draft, and the arrival of co-education at the University of Virginia. This thesis seeks to expand traditional boundaries of the field of art education and its relevance both within, as well as outside of the educational classroom, and demonstrate the significance of visual culture in relation to social conditions and context.
Counterflow: the demise and rebirth of the USAF tactical air command in the Vietnam Era
(Texas Tech University, 1995-05) Hannah, Craig C.
Fighter pilots, like most other professionals, have their own unique language. In fighter pilot terms, "counterflow" is a basic fighter tactic that means to proceed in the opposite direction of your wingman. The idea is that one aircraft in an engaged flight goes counterflow to reposition for a kiU. For example, suppose that the lead aircraft in a flight of two F-4 Phantoms is attacked fi-om behind by a lone MiG-21. The trailing Phantom should position himself at the MiG-2rs six o'clock position while the lead Phantom should turn into the attacking MiG, hopefully forcing the MiG into an overshoot. Counterflow also can be considered an aerial version of the foot soldier's "about face."
Deserting Gender: A Feminist Rhetorical Approach to Vietnam War Novels
(2012-07-16) Womack, Anne-Marie
Female characters and references to femininity throughout American war literature disrupt discursive and biological divisions of the masculine and feminine. In examining gender and war literature over the twentieth century, I propose an alternative genealogy of American war literature in which narratives since the end of the nineteenth century initiate two related patterns of gender representation that Vietnam War literature dramatically expands: they critique aggression, camaraderie, and heroism, rejecting these traditional sites of masculinity through desertion narratives, and they harness sentimentality, domesticity, motherhood, and penetration, embracing these traditional sites of femininity in ways that disrupt gender norms. By examining these sites of cross-gender identification through psychoanalytic, rhetorical, and feminist methods, I argue that narratives by Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Vonnegut, Tim O'Brien, Stephen Wright, and Larry Heinemann reveal the power of contemporary redefinitions of gender by absorbing feminist discourse into the performance of masculinity.
From Forgotten Man to Elder Statesman: Richard Nixon and Masculine Ideologies in American Political Culture in the Cold War
(2011-05) Robertson, Brian R; Hart, Justin; Willett, Julie; McBee, Randy D.; Cunningham, Sean; Baake, Ken
Within the growing field of new cultural history and Cold War studies, Richard Nixon is an ideal approach to understanding the masculine ideologies, in their prescriptive and proscriptive state, that shaped American perceptions of manhood in the twentieth century. The prescriptive state examines the cultural roots of Cold War masculinity at the end of the nineteenth century and the means by which the future President, through work, leisure, sports, and war hoped to evolve from boyhood to manhood. Nixon, like many men from the period, believed boys achieved manhood through physical assertion, violent punishments, physical and emotional struggle, and, of course, through his favorite pastime, sports. At first glance, Nixon may seem to be an odd choice. After all, he’s largely remembered for his profuse sweating, his five o’clock shadow, the Watergate scandal, his Vietnam policies, the opening of China, and his general awkwardness in social settings. Throughout the twentieth century, the masculine ideal alternated between mythic figures such as the cowboy, the rugged outdoorsman, the athlete, the selfless soldier, and the economically independent man. At various times during his lifetime, Nixon conformed to various constructs, which included the forgotten man, the anticommunist, the square, the hardhat, and conceptions of hardheaded détente. In the end, Nixon’s struggle to conform to these paradigms contributed to the destruction of his presidency and his rebirth as elder statesman during the final years of the Cold War.
'A haven for tortured souls' : Hong Kong in the Vietnam War
(2011-12) Hamilton, Peter Evan; Lawrence, Mark Atwood
This essay details the profound economic and social impact of the Vietnam War on Hong Kong. The British colony provided essential strategic facilities to the U.S. war effort and ranked among the largest destinations for American servicemen on R&R. Between 1965 and 1970, Hong Kong annually hosted about 200,000 U.S. ground and naval personnel on holiday. This influx annually earned Hong Kong about US$300-400 million (in 2009 dollars) and employed thousands of residents working in the colony’s service and entertainment industries. In addition, American servicemen and the local businesses catering to them became a contentious issue in local society. Servicemen excited widespread interest, but their misdeeds and their bar and brothel stomping grounds provoked intense anxiety. Hong Kong residents’ ensuing debates exercised the available civil channels and stimulated the colony’s emerging public sphere, from English- and Chinese-language newspaper battles to outspoken unions and neighborhood associations. In tandem with famed events such as the Star Ferry Riots of 1966 and the communist agitations of 1967, American R&R was an essential ingredient to the emergence of a distinctive Hong Kong identity and citizenry during this period. While residents’ objections failed to curb the GIs’ holidays, Vietnam tourism and its reverberating effects pressed new sectors of Hong Kong residents to grasp and articulate their investment as citizens in the city’s future. Thus, the Vietnam War and its U.S. presence in Hong Kong were major factors in developing Hong Kong’s modern economy, civil society, and contemporary self-conception as a political, legal, and cultural ‘haven.’
Limited war through airpower and the political exploitation of POWs
(Texas Tech University, 1997-12) Bauman, Paul Edward
This thesis does not examine the tactical planning and execution of the Son Tay raid; rather, it focuses on the political environment that created the need for such an operation, as well as the implications of the raid. The Nixon administration sought an honorable withdrawal from the war, yet it could not end the war until it secured the release of US POWs. The DRV was unwilling to negotiate the war's end, much less the retum of POWs, until the US and South Vietnam gave in to North Vietnamese demands. Thus, the US was held hostage as a belligerent until it capitulated to DRV demands. In other words, the US could not leave the war until it regained its POWs, and North Vietnam would not release US POWs until it received assurances that their demands would be met. Once the US agreed to withdraw from South Vietnam and abandoned its principal mihtary commitment to a free and independent South Vietnam, the DR negotiated for the remm of US POWs. Thus, US war aims ultimately were compromised in order to gain the release of our POWs.
MacBird!: a history and feminist critique of Barbara Garson’s radical play
(2009-05) Todd, Susan Gayle; Wolf, Stacy Ellen
Barbara Garson’s controversial play, MacBird!, was written and produced during the Vietnam War era and Johnson administration. The satirical Shakespeare adaptation equates LBJ with Macbeth, the villainous tragic hero who murders his king in order to gain the Scottish crown. The implication that Johnson was responsible for the assassination of JFK created a fury of controversy among critics and the public, as well as the political leaders who were parodied. The play was first published and circulated in 1966 as an underground leaflet. In 1967, it was produced off-Broadway with a cast that featured actors Rue McClanahan, William Devane, Cleavon Little, and Stacy Keach, who won an Obie Award for his performance of the title role. The show launched the careers of these actors. Critics were divided in their reviews of the play’s literary merit, but all seemed to agree that the piece was shocking and significant because it flew in the face of patriotism and of reverence for presidential authority. At the time of its production, acclaimed theater critic Robert Brustein named MacBird! “the most explosive play” of the Sixties theater movement. This dissertation presents the history of the play, within its social and political setting, from its inception through its production and abrupt disappearance at the peak of its success, which coincided with the assassination of Robert Kennedy. Relying upon methodology that includes primary and secondary sources, as well as interviews with the playwright and others involved in the play, this work presents the publication and production history of MacBird!, public and White House response to the play, a contextual analysis under a feminist lens, and a final chapter on MacBird! as a precursor to feminist adaptations of canonical works, Sixties-era Macbeth adaptations, and the notable women whose work intersected in MacBird! MacBird! was a tremendous event in theater history; it belongs at the fore of adaptation studies, particularly Shakespeare and feminist adaptation studies; it is a prime model of performance as a political tool and therefore earns a central place in performance studies; and because it is an attack on patriarchal power and a rare example of a Sixties radical play written by a woman, Barbara Garson needs to be recognized among remarkable women of theater.
Sounding Off: Folksong, Poetry, and Other Cognitive Dissonance from the American War in Vietnam
(2014-10-30) Irwin, Matthew Kirk
Among works treating Vietnam War history, few mention and none address extensively the folk culture that American and Vietnamese military forces produced. To bridge gaps between traditional and cultural primary sources, this study examines folk culture that the historiography has neglected: graffiti, folksongs, and poetry. Most were conceived and produced in-country, near in time to specific wartime experiences and their consequent emotions, thus lending them an emotional relevance and chronological proximity to Vietnam War history few other primary sources can boast. Graffiti, songs, and poems derived from specific historical contexts, registering social commentary and chronicling the cognitive dissonance that arose among combatants when their coveted, long-held, patriotic mythologies collided with wartime realities. These sources document the Vietnam War?s ?inner-history??the emotions, beliefs, concerns, and emotions of particular individuals, many of whom find voice virtually nowhere else in the historiographical canon. What folk culture lacks in terms of scope and scale vis-?-vis traditional sources, it abounds with in physical description, emotional narration, honesty, and transparency. Its value to historical inquiry lies in its tendency to pull no punches?ever. It animates and humanizes the personal histories of specific individuals while conveying historical truths concerning millions of anonymous masses who made up the Vietnam War?s cast of characters and who should always inhabit and animate its stories, giving voice to many who the bulk of the war?s historical record has previously overlooked.
The development of landmine warfare
(Texas Tech University, 2002-12) Youngblood, Norman E.
This dissertation traces the technical, tactical, and ethical developments in landmine warfare from its genesis some 3 000 years ago through the present. It is based largely on primary sources and relies heavily on government documents and military manuals. Landmine warfare developed from two disparate areas. The first, dating to at least the Assyrian Empire, involved digging a tunnel under a fortification in order to collapse its walls. The second is the use of pit-traps, caltrops, and other devices to form a defensive barrier and deny an enemy access to an area. The first modern pressure-sensitive landmine was developed by Immanuel Nobel in the 1850s and first used during the Crimean War. Confederate Brigadier General Gabriel Rains copied Nobel's design during the American Civil War, and variants of Nobel's fuse are still in use. While landmines were used as part of fortification defenses after the American Civil War, the use of landmines did not become widespread until World War II. World War Two saw the development of cheap, easy-to deploy landmines and air-delivered minefields. Previous armies had typically used fewer than 100 landmines to secure a defensive position. In contrast, during the battle of Kursk in World War II, Soviet forces deployed over a half million landmines to secure their defenses. Despite some debate during the American Civil War as to where it was appropriate to use landmines, the use of landmines per se was not really questioned until the 1980s. In large part, this was a reaction to the millions of landmines used in the wars of insurgency and civil wars following World War II. Millions of these landmines are still active, and landmines injure an average of 24,000 people every year. In 1997, representatives of 122 countries signed the Ottawa Convention and promised to stop using antipersonnel mines and to destroy their existing stockpiles of antipersonnel mines. Some countries, including the United States, have not signed the treaty, however, and the use both antipersonnel and antitank mines is still standard practice for many militaries.
The Marine Corps way: Combined action platoons in the Vietnam War
(2011-05) Southard, John; Milam, Ron; Reckner, James R.; Hart, Justin; Pelley, Patricia
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Marine Corps dispatched squads of Marines, each with a U.S. Navy corpsman, to South Vietnamese villages to train the local indigenous military forces and secure the civilian occupants from enemy influence. The units, known as Combined Action Platoons (CAPs), lived in the villages until the local forces had proven they could operate effectively without direct American military assistance. During the Americans’ stay in CAP villages that spanned at least several months, they had to overcome numerous cultural and military challenges to ensure personal and unit survival. Prior to landing in the Combined Action Program, many of the Americans viewed the Vietnamese people through a racist, subhuman lens. Yet after spending months interacting with the indigenous civilians, many of the Marines and corpsmen gained a greater respect for the Vietnamese people and their culture, thoughts that were rare prior to their participation in the Combined Action Program. The colonels and generals of the U.S. Marine Corps also faced challenges in managing the Combined Action Program. The counterinsurgency-centered CAPs strategically conflicted with the U.S. Army’s institutional obsession with fighting a war of attrition in Vietnam. In addition to the Marines and corpsmen battling enemy forces in the villages, the colonels and generals of the Marine Corps waged a verbal interservice battle with the Army. This dissertation examines the evolution of the Combined Action Program from the perspectives of the Americans in the villages and the higher-ranking Marines who oversaw the development of CAPs.
The United States Marine Corps' counterinsurgency effort in the Vietnam War
(Texas Tech University, 1998-05) Suhre, Christopher Gordon
This thesis will consider the history and accomplishments of the United States Marine Corps' counterinsurgency effort during the Vietnam War. The key component of the Marines' effort was the pacification program, which focused primarily on the people in the hamlets and villages in the First Corps Tactical Zone in the Repubiic of Vietnam. Through the use of Combined Action Platoons (CAPs), the Marines sought to secure and pacify the villages and hamlets of Vietnam against the Communist insurgents, the Viet Cong. This work will examine the differences in strategy between the Marines and the US Army and evaluate what effect this conflict had on the outcome of the war. The lessons the Marines' counterinsurgency efforts have for the low intensity conílict environment of the post-Cold War world of also will be considered.
The United States Military Assistance Advisory Group in French Indochina, 1950-1956
(2012-02-14) Weber, Nathaniel R.
This thesis examines the American Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) sent to French Indochina, from 1950 to 1956, when the United States provided major monetary and material aid to the French in their war against the communist Viet Minh. MAAG observed French units in the field and monitored the flow of American materiel into the region. Relying upon primary research in the National Archives, the thesis departs from previous interpretations by showing that MAAG held generally positive assessments of France?s performance in Indochina. The thesis also argues that MAAG personnel were more interested in getting material support to the French, than in how that material was used, to the point of making unrealistic assessments of French combat abilities. By connecting primary research with the greater history of Cold War American military assistance, the thesis contributes to the scholarship on American involvement in Vietnam.
The War in the Desert: The Vietnam Antiwar Movement in the American Southwest
(2010-10-12) Ward, Brandon M.
The Vietnam antiwar movement developed in the American Southwest out of a coalition of Chicanos, GI's, and students who agreed that the Vietnam War was racist, imperialist, costly, and negatively affected them and their communities. The antiwar movement in the Southwest formed in 1967, made possible by the emergence of the Chicano and GI movements. Chicanos criticized the military for a disproportionate number of Mexican American combat deaths in Vietnam. The military sent activist youth from across the country to bases in the Southwest, where they protested the war alongside Chicanos and college students. Connections between Chicanos, GI's, and students developed into a strong antiwar movement in 1968-1969. Beginning in 1970, the coalition fell apart as Chicanos increasingly pursued a strategy of separatism from mainstream American society as the key to self-determination. Frustration over perceived lack of progress in ending the war led the antiwar movement into an escalation in protest tactics and radicalization of its message, pushing out moderate voices and further weakening the movement. This thesis offers an original contribution because historians have failed to pay attention to the vibrant antiwar movement in the Southwest, instead, mostly focusing on the East Coast and San Francisco Bay Area. Historians of the Chicano movement have not adequately shown how it allied with other movements in the 1960s to achieve its goals. The use of underground newspapers allows a window into the writings and ideas of the protestors.
They did everything but learn from it: the battle of Ap Bac, 1963
(Texas Tech University, 1998-05) Toczek, David Matthew
NOT AVAILABLE
Upriver to Hue and Dong Ha: The U.S. Navy's War in I Corps, Vietnam 1967-1970
(2012-02-14) Chavanne, Jonathan Blackshear
The United States Navy's involvement in the Vietnam War, especially its role in the region's inland waterways, has long been an overshadowed aspect of the conflict. Most histories ignore or minimize the Navy's contribution, especially its river patrol or 'brown water' role. Through archival and library research as well as interviews with U.S Navy Vietnam War veterans this thesis demonstrates the vital role played by the brown water navy in the northern provinces of South Vietnam. A key but understudied component of this effort was Task Force Clearwater, an improvised brown water fleet that-along with the maritime logistics campaign that it supported-would prove essential for the successful defense of South Vietnam's northernmost provinces and demonstrate the vital importance of inland naval power. Task Force Clearwater and its supported maritime logistics effort form a little explored component of the U.S. Navy's role in South Vietnam. A brown water task force that proved essential for the successful defense of the northern provinces of I Corps, Clearwater repeatedly demonstrated the vital importance of inland naval power and the critical need for reliable and protected routes of supply. The task force revealed many lessons that had been long understood, forgotten, and then relearned by the U.S. Navy, among them that control of inland waterways was perhaps the most advantageous form of logistical supply in war. Created in part to satisfy the ancient maxim of "keeping the supply lines open", the task force's role broadened with time. In the course of its existence the men and boats of Clearwater would provide not only the tools of war in I Corps but also provide key lessons for the future.
Veteran's Odyssey : combat trauma and the long road to treatment (report from VFW Post 6974)
(2011-08) Bicknell, Michael John; DeCesare, Donna; Minutaglio, William
Combat veterans often return from war with psychological as well as physical injuries. Armed service members who are bodily injured routinely go to hospitals for treatment, first at military hospitals and later in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system. But those with psychological injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often go years, if not a lifetime, without treatment, in large part because the VA denies their claims with dubious justification. Veterans’ service organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Legion, and others, as well as state and county governments, have knowledgeable service officers whose job is to help guide veterans through the VA system and through the many appeals that are often needed to get treatment and an adequate disability rating that could result in monetary payments. This report tells the story of one VFW post in Burnet, Texas, its veterans, their families, and how their success in getting treatment for PTSD has positively affected their lives. It has also enabled them, as they recover, to help other veterans seek treatment and win compensatory disability ratings too. The report focuses on one Vietnam veteran, who four decades after his discharge from the Army came to be treated for PTSD.

Browsing by Subject "Vietnam War"

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