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POWs
POW stands for Prisoner of War, a term used to describe individuals captured during armed conflict and held by the enemy. The term "POW" is often used to refer to individuals captured during times of war and held captive by the enemy. The term is derived from the Latin phrase "captivus bellicus". a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. -
Domino Theory
The domino theory, popularized during the Cold War, was a geopolitical idea suggesting that if one nation fell to communism, neighboring countries would likely follow, leading to a chain reaction of communist takeovers. This theory was used to justify U.S. intervention in countries like Vietnam, where the US feared that a communist victory would spread communism throughout Southeast Asia -
Hanoi
On October 10, 1954, the Viet Minh formally took control of Hanoi and North Vietnam, marking the end of French colonial rule and the beginning of a new era for the region. This event was a key moment in the First Indochina War, as the Viet Minh, after a long and bloody guerrilla war, marched into the capital city as the French prepared to withdraw their forces. -
Agent Orange
Agent Orange was a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. It was sprayed on vegetation to clear areas for military operations and to eliminate cover for the enemy. Agent Orange contained a harmful contaminant called dioxin, which is now known to cause various health problems. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day standoff in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union, where the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war. The crisis stemmed from the Soviet Union secretly deploying nuclear missiles to Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. -
Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ)
Lyndon Baines Johnson, also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963 -
John F. Kennedy (JFK)
John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline, Texas governor John Connally, and Connally's wife Nellie, when he was fatally shot from the nearby Texas School Book Depository by Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine. The motorcade rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, pronounced dead -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, passed by Congress in 1964, authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to take "all necessary measures" to repel attacks against U.S. forces in Southeast Asia, essentially giving him broad authority to escalate the Vietnam War. While presented as a response to alleged attacks on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, the resolution's passage and subsequent use by the Johnson administration have been subject to debate and scrutiny. -
My Lai
On March 16, 1968 the angry and frustrated men of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, Americal Division entered the Vietnamese village of My Lai. "This is what you've been waiting for search and destroy and you've got it," said their superior officers. A short time later the killing began. When news of the atrocities surfaced, it sent shockwaves through the U.S. political establishment, the military's chain of command, and an already divided American public. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a series of surprise attacks by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces against US and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War in 1968. It was a key turning point in the war, significantly impacting public opinion in the United States and ultimately contributing to the US withdrawal. -
Campus Protests Kent State
Krause and Miller were among the more than 300 students who gathered to protest the expansion of the Cambodian campaign, which President Richard Nixon had announced in an April 30 television address. Scheuer and Schroeder were in the crowd of several hundred others who had been observing the proceedings more than 300 feet (91 m) from the firing line; like most observers, they watched the protest during a break between their classes -
Watergate
The Watergate scandal, a major political scandal in US history, involved a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex, followed by a cover-up orchestrated by President Richard Nixon's administration. This led to Nixon's eventual resignation in 1974 -
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon's presidency ended abruptly due to the Watergate scandal and the threat of impeachment. Facing almost certain removal from office, he resigned on August 9, 1974. He was succeeded by Gerald Ford. Nixon died on April 22, 1994, after a stroke -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was a U.S. strategy during the Vietnam War to gradually withdraw American combat troops and transfer the responsibility of fighting to the South Vietnamese military. This policy, initiated by President Richard Nixon in 1969, aimed to reduce U.S. involvement in the conflict while also increasing training and support for the South Vietnamese forces -
Saigon
The Fall of Saigon, which occurred on April 30, 1975, marked the end of the Vietnam War when the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. This event led to the unification of Vietnam under communist rule and the renaming of Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City. It also resulted in a massive evacuation of American civilians and South Vietnamese refugees, including the largest helicopter evacuation in history.