Education!
As
we travel through time, questions have been raised by school children
during educational programs developed for schools, colleges, and
universities.
Today
we attempt to give to you the top questions asked by these students along
with the response. As the months pass you will find more of these
Q&A's here!
1.
Who were the enemy in Vietnam?
A. We fought against the N.V.A. (North Vietnam Army)
and the V.C. (Viet Cong).
2.
What was the terrain like?
A. There were hills, valleys,
mountains, jungle, flatlands, rice paddies, rivers and shoreline.
3.
What kind of foods did you eat?
A. Hot food if lucky the LRRP (long
Range Recon Patrol) rations or C rations (meals in a can).
4.
Where and what were the tunnels like?
A. Tunnels in Vietnam were
throughout the country, some small but many large complexes such as in Cu
Chi.
5.
Did everyone fight in the war?
A. Not all soldiers in Vietnam
saw combat. Many worked in support jobs, which in some cases was
just as important as being in combat.
5.
How did you keep in contact with people back home?
A. Through the mail, there were a
very few of us that had a chance to call once during our tour.
7.
How long did you serve in Vietnam?
A. Unless you re-enlisted in
country and asked to remain, or you were severely wounded, you served a
one year tour of duty.
8.
What was the climate like?
A. For eight months you had
extreme heat between 100 and 120 degrees and during the monsoon season for
four months you had up to eight inches of rain daily.
9.
How long was the Vietnam War?
A. 20 years, the longest war in
United States history, 1955-1975.
10.
Why was the U.S. fighting in Vietnam called a conflict?
A. Because Congress never voted
to officially declare it a war.
11.
What were some of the countries whose soldiers fought alongside the U.S.
troops?
A. South Vietnam, Australia and
the Republic of South Korea.
12.
How many Americans died in the war?
A. 58,226 including 8 WOMEN.
13.
What was the age of the American soldiers?
A. Average around 19, but some as
young as 17.
14.
What were some of the animals and insects in Vietnam?
A. Tigers, wart hogs, water
buffalos, snakes, rats, leeches, spiders, fire ants, tarantulas and mosquitoes.
15. Did all the soldiers come home from the Vietnam War?
A. NO! There are still 2,000 P.O.W.
(Prisoners of War) - M.I.A.'s (Missing In Action) who
have still NOT come home from the Vietnam War.
16.
How many American Soldiers were wounded in the war?
A. Approximately 256,000.
17.
What was the Domino Principle?
A. That if South Vietnam fell to
the North Vietnamese Communists all of the other countries in Southeast Asia
would eventually become communist.
18.
What is Agent Orange?
A. A herbicide that was sprayed to
defoliate land areas in Vietnam.
19.
Did you go to Vietnam with the friends you made in the
service?
A. In most cases instead of going over in a unit move, we
went there as individual soldiers and were assigned to different units when
we arrived in country.
20.
What was it like coming home?
A. When you left Vietnam at the
end of your tour of duty, you were sent home on a 2 or 4 week leave. Or if
your time was up in the military, you were discharged out. It was very strange being
in the jungle one day and the next on your parents porch back home as either
a civilian or home on leave.
21. What
was the draft system?
A. If you were a male,
when you turned 18 years old, you would register the draft by mail
or by going to your local draft board. This would allow the
government to have easy access to ready information on you in the
event you would have to be called up to serve in the military.
22. How were you classified in
the draft system?
A. When you received your
draft card, there was a number and or a letter classification on it.
This was governed by your physical condition, educational status
(student, or not), family situation (single, married, sole provider,
or survivor, etc.), and employment status (critical job, etc.).
23. What happened if you
were drafted?
A. You would serve
two years in the military, 99% of the draftees served in the Army,
but there was a very small percentage drafted in the Marines.
24. What if you enlisted?
A. You would join the
branch of service of your choosing, provided they had openings and
they would accept you. But you would have to sign up and serve a
minimum of three or four years.
25. Once in the military did
you get to choose the job you wanted?
A. In almost all cases the
military would choose your job assignment for you.
26. Were stationed at a
Post near your home?
A. Most likely not. The
military would send you where they wanted, whenever they wanted.
27. What is P.T.S.D. and
did it affect Vietnam Veterans?
A. POST TRAUMATIC STRESS
DISORDER. Simply put, Mental and Physical severe after-affects
of the Vietnam War that many Vietnam Vets have, due to their
participation in the war.
28. Did every soldier in Vietnam do drugs and what
kind?
A. Let's start off by saying
drugs were used in Vietnam, mostly marijuana. But UNLIKE in
most Hollywood Movies about the war, THE VAST MAJORITY OF
SOLDIERS DID NOT USE DRUGS! Studies and surveys done by many
groups have stated that LESS THAN 10% OF SOLDIERS in Vietnam
were casual users.
29.
Was there prostitution in Vietnam.
A. Yes, there was, but
because of a very poor economy, in many instances, women would do
this in order to help their children or families to survive.
30. What are Amer-Asian
children?
A. They would be the biological
offspring of American men and Vietnamese women. Thousands of
American soldiers children were left behind and are still in
Vietnam.
Click
here for : Educational
links page!
Click here for:
Suggested
Reading
Click here for:
Vietnam
War Video Documentation
& Suggested Television Series
