North Vietnam Disregards Ceasefire Agreement (4:44)
In an October 12, 1973, interview, Col. Le Gran, U.S. deputy director of intelligence, discusses the discovery that North Vietnam installed SA-2 missiles in the southern city of Khe Sanh shortly after a ceasefire agreement prohibiting military incursion in South Vietnam was signed on January 27 of that year.
Speeches & Audio (5)
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North Vietnam Disregards Ceasefire Agreement
North Vietnam Disregards Ceasefire AgreementAudio Clip (4:44)
Audio Clip (4:44)
In an October 12, 1973, interview, Col. Le Gran, U.S. deputy director of intelligence, discusses the discovery that North Vietnam installed SA-2 missiles in the southern city of Khe Sanh shortly after a ceasefire agreement prohibiting military incursion in South Vietnam was signed on January 27 of that year.
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John F. Kennedy on Coup in South Vietnam
John F. Kennedy on Coup in South VietnamAudio Clip (6:06)
Audio Clip (6:06)
On October 29, 1963, President John F. Kennedy meets with the National Security Council to discuss whether to support the overthrow of South Vietnam's President Ngo Dinh Diem. During the secretly recorded conversation, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and the president craft a detailed plan involving Henry Cabot Lodge, ambassador to South Vietnam, Gen. Paul D. Harkins and the general of the South Vietnamese military, hoping to avoid setting off a civil war in the country.
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Ford Offers Clemency to Draft Evaders
Ford Offers Clemency to Draft EvadersAudio Clip (1:20)
Audio Clip (1:20)
On September 16, 1974, President Gerald Ford signed a proclamation that would offer Vietnam War draft evaders the chance to earn clemency by performing alternative service for their country. In a speech to the American people, Ford defends his decision as one that's best for the nation.
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Nixon on Vietnam War
Nixon on Vietnam WarAudio Clip (3:34)
Audio Clip (3:34)
On March 26, 1971, President Richard Nixon holds a meeting in the Oval Office with his National Security Council to discuss the war in Vietnam. The meeting is secretly recorded. Among the many topics he raises, Nixon recounts a prior conversation with House majority leader Hale Boggs on setting a date for the final withdrawal of U.S. forces.
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Impact of U.S. Withdrawal on South Vietnam
Impact of U.S. Withdrawal on South VietnamAudio Clip (2:47)
Audio Clip (2:47)
Following the January 27, 1973 signing of a ceasefire agreement to end the Vietnam War and the subsequent departure of U.S. troops, the U.S. military prepared the South Vietnamese to take over operations. A U.S. officer who remained in Vietnam to help with the transition is interviewed on October 11, 1973, about the process of bolstering South Vietnam's economy and self-sufficiency.
Videos (21)
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Joe Galloway
Joe GallowayVideo Clip (3:49)
Video Clip (3:49)
Reporter Joe Galloway covered the Vietnam War from the frontlines while embedded with the Command Unit of the 1st Cavalry Division.
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Barry Romo
Barry RomoVideo Clip (3:24)
Video Clip (3:24)
Fresh out of high school, Barry Romo enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve in Vietnam. Romo was awarded a bronze star for his efforts but grew disillusioned with the war and later joined a controversial group called Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
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Veteran's Home Movies
Veteran's Home MoviesVideo Clip (2:44)
Video Clip (2:44)
Find out why more veterans came home with home movies from Vietnam and how they helped give Vietnam in HD a unique perspective of the war.
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The Seawolves
The SeawolvesVideo Clip (4:56)
Video Clip (4:56)
A surprise phone call reunites two Vietnam war veterans, George Heady and Al Billings, with films of their service in the Navy Seawolves helicopter unit.
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On Patrol
On PatrolVideo Clip (4:14)
Video Clip (4:14)
In the field, many soldiers spent their time on patrol, seeking out communist forces, and avoiding lethal booby traps.
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A Soldier's Story: Khe Sanh
A Soldier's Story: Khe SanhVideo Clip (3:06)
Video Clip (3:06)
Amid a siege that would last 77 days, medic Raymond Torres was dropped into central Vietnam.
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Search and Destroy
Search and DestroyVideo Clip (3:01)
Video Clip (3:01)
Search and Destroy missions were a crucial part of the American war strategy in Vietnam.
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Governor Jim Gibbons and Take a Vet to School Program
Governor Jim Gibbons and Take a Vet to School ProgramVideo Clip (1:03)
Video Clip (1:03)
In this short clip we get to sit down with the Governor of Nevada, Jim Gibbons. Learn how he served the United States in the Vietnam War and how he is very happy that the History Channel is trying to make a difference with young students.
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Tet Offensive
Tet OffensiveVideo Clip (4:53)
Video Clip (4:53)
This massive North Vietnamese surprise attack during the 1968 Tet holiday was a crucial turning point in the war.
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Anne Purcell
Anne PurcellVideo Clip (3:57)
Video Clip (3:57)
As a military wife, Anne Purcell had already sent her husband off to war once before, in Korea. But less than six months after her husband Ben volunteered for Vietnam, he was reported "missing in action."
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A Soldier's Story: Hamburger Hill
A Soldier's Story: Hamburger HillVideo Clip (4:41)
Video Clip (4:41)
In 1969, Arthur Wiknik found himself in one of the Vietnam War's most notorious battles.
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Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth AllenVideo Clip (3:11)
Video Clip (3:11)
Psychiatric nurse Elizabeth Allen volunteered for the Army and requested frontline duty in Vietnam.
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Charles Brown
Charles BrownVideo Clip (3:07)
Video Clip (3:07)
Raised in the segregated South, Charles Brown thought his best shot at a better life was to join the Army. He was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division and quickly appointed platoon sergeant, leading search and destroy missions through the jungles of Vietnam.
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Gery Benedetti
Gery BenedettiVideo Clip (3:18)
Video Clip (3:18)
Gery Benedetti was a member of the "Brown Water River Rats," whose missions were a crucial but dangerous component of the American combat operation in Vietnam.
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Keith Connolly
Keith ConnollyVideo Clip (4:31)
Video Clip (4:31)
Air Force pilot Keith Connolly was among the first USAF units to be stationed within South Vietnam. During his second tour, he flew F-4 Phantoms targeting the Ho Chi Minh Trail and witnessed two of his men go missing after his plane had been hit.
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Raymond Torres
Raymond TorresVideo Clip (2:52)
Video Clip (2:52)
Navy medic Raymond Torres joined the Navy to attend medical school and was assigned to a Marine Corps company. While tending to wounded Marines during the Khe Sanh battle, Torres was critically injured when a grenade exploded near him.
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Bob Clewell
Bob ClewellVideo Clip (3:35)
Video Clip (3:35)
Bob Clewell dropped out of college to join the Army, and arrive in Vietnam just weeks after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964. During his third tour, he was trained as a helicopter pilot, providing air support for ground troops during the Lam Son 719 offensive.
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Karl Marlantes
Karl MarlantesVideo Clip (3:26)
Video Clip (3:26)
Marine Karl Marlantes left behind a Rhodes scholarship to volunteer for service in Vietnam.
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Arthur Wiknik
Arthur WiknikVideo Clip (3:42)
Video Clip (3:42)
As an 18-year-old draftee, Arthur Wiknik was rushed through officer candidate's school. After one month in Vietnam he found himself in the middle of the battle of "Hamburger Hill"--one of the most notorious battles of the war.
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Donald Devore
Donald DevoreVideo Clip (3:22)
Video Clip (3:22)
in the summer of 1968, Donald Devore was drafted and sent off to basic training. Devore was assigned to an artillery unit in Vietnam and after four months, was granted leave to attend the birth of his first child.
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Vietnam
VietnamVideo Clip (1:42)
Video Clip (1:42)
Whether they volunteered or were drafted, 1 out of 10 soldiers did not survive Vietnam.
Photo Galleries (2)
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Vietnam War
Vietnam War(14 Photos)
14 Photos
The Vietnam War lasted longer than any other war in U.S. history and cost 58,000 American lives
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Vietnam War: Leaders
Vietnam War: Leaders(15 Photos)
15 Photos
View images of the Presidents, politicians, and military leaders who influenced American involvement in the Vietnam War.
Interactives (1)
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Infographic
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: InfographicInteractive
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