Course Details

125 - The Vietnam War

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M-F
Cost -


Student Furnished Course Supplies/Prerequisites: Optional reading before: American Reckoning: by Christian Appy Enduring Vietnam by James Wright

Course Description: Why was the US in Vietnam? How did we get involved? Did we win or lose? We’ll answer those and many other questions. We’ll look at war opposition and how it divided the US. We’ll look at 1945 when the French retook Vietnam after World War II, 1954 when Vietnam divided, 1960 when US advisors went in, 1964 when the Americanization of the war began, 1969 when Nixon began Vietnamization, 1973 when we left, and 1975 when S. Vietnam fell. We’ll look at lessons learned. Tom Westre served in Vietnam March 1968-Feb 1969 and has a unique perspective. Class members who served may share their stories.

Course Instructor: Tom is a retired public school teacher. He served in the US Army from 1967-1969 with a year in Vietnam 1968-1969 in a Field Artillery unit. Following his return, he completed his bachelors in history education and later a Masters Degree in education. Tom retired from education in 2008. Over the years, he has studied the Vietnam War and taught it in his high school history classes. He has invited other Veterans into his classrooms to give their stories to the students. He believes the Vietnam Era has many important lessons that need to be learned and applied in today's world.
twestre45@aol.com