The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

Common Myths of the Vietnam War

Common Myths of the Vietnam War

Myth of the Vietnam War #1: Most Were Volunteers Common belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted.  Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. Myth of the Vietnam War #2: Fewer Suicides Than Claimed Common belief that the media reported suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. ...

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Turning Point in Vietnam War

Turning Point in Vietnam War

Most military historians and analysts agree the 1968 Tet Offensive was the turning point in the war in Vietnam. They reason that many Americans, seeing the bitter fighting raging up and down South Vietnam on the evening news, fostered a psychological impact that further generated an increased anti-war sentiment.

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Service Reflections of SGT Charles Carter, U.S. Army (1969-1970)

Service Reflections of SGT Charles Carter, U.S. Army (1969-1970)

I graduated from Erie Community College in 1968 and applied to the University of Buffalo’s School of Architecture. However, the Tet Offensive had erupted, two patrol boats of ours had been captured in the Gulf of Tonkin, and a US airbase in Pleiku had come under attack, leading the then commander of US forces, General Westmoreland, to contact LBJ for help. President Johnson could not find enough volunteer troops to send to Vietnam, so he reinstated the draft. Since I was technically between schools during summer break and not actively enrolled in school at the time, I was drafted into the Army and had to report for active duty on January 2nd, 1969.

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