| Question | Answer |
| Vietminh | an
organization of
Vietnamese
Communists and
other nationalist
groups that between
1946 and 1954 fought
for Vietnamese
independence from
the French. |
| ARVN: | Army of the
Republic of Vietnamthe
southern
Vietnamese soldiers
with whom U.S. troops
fought against
communism and forces
in the North during the
Vietnam War. |
| NVA | North
Vietnamese Army, as
opposed to the
Vietcong. |
| Domino Theory: | the
idea that if a nation falls
under communist
control, nearby nations
will also fall under
communist control. |
| Geneva Accords: | peace
agreement that divided
Vietnam into
Communist controlled
North Vietnam and
non-Communist South
Vietnam until
unification elections
could be held in 1956. |
| Tonkin Gulf
Resolution: | : a
resolution adopted by
Congress in 1964 giving
the president broad
powers to wage war in
Vietnam. |
| Guerilla Warfare: | fighting by stealth and
with small bands that
make surprise raids
against stronger forces. |
| Agent Orange | a toxic
leaf killing chemical
sprayed by U.S.
planes in Vietnam to
expose Vietcong
hideouts |
| Escalation | Increasing
the scope and
intensity of fighting,
as with more
bombing. |
| Napalm | a gasolinebased
substance used
in bombs that U.S.
planes dropped in
Vietnam in order to
burn away jungle and
expose Vietcong
hideouts. |
| Tet (Offensive) | a
massive surprise
attack by the
Vietcong on South
Vietnamese towns
and cities early in
1968. |
| Ho Chi Minh Trail: | a
network of paths
used by North
Vietnam to transport
supplies to the
Vietcong in South
Vietnam. |
| My Lai (Massacre): | a
village in northern
South Vietnam where
more than 200
unarmed civilians,
including women
and children, were
massacred by U.S.
troops in May 1968. |
| Vietnamization: | President Nixon’s
strategy for ending
U.S. involvement in
the Vietnam War,
involving the gradual
withdrawal of U.S.
troops and their
replacement with
South Vietnamese
forces. |
| Draft Dodgers: | term
for young Americans
who evaded military
service during the
war. |
| Amnesty | a pardon,
given by President
Jimmy Carter in 1977,
to most of the 10,000
Vietnam-era draft
evaders. |
| Silent Majority: | a
name given by
President Richard
Nixon to the
moderate,
mainstream
Americans who
quietly supported his
Vietnam War
policies. |
| Post Traumatic Stress
Syndrome (PTSS): | emotional stress
suffered by many
Vietnam veterans
after their return
home. |
| cv | |
