University of Notre Dame
Kroc Institutde for International Peace Studies

Vietnam

Turning against war

Turning against war

In April 1971, more than a thousand Vietnam veterans descended on Washington, DC, for a series of antiwar actions dubbed Dewey Canyon III, “a limited incursion into the land of Congress.” For a week the veterans demonstrated and lobbied government officials to end the...

Healing the wounds of war and seeking reconciliation

Healing the wounds of war and seeking reconciliation

When I flew out of Viet Nam in 1968, it was with huge relief that I was departing safely after a tumultuous year that made clear to me and the world that America would never win this war. But I was also troubled, confused, and angry. The Vietnamese people were...

Vietnam: Wrong Lessons Learned

Vietnam: Wrong Lessons Learned

Andrew Bacevich Andrew Bacevich is Professor Emeritus of History and international relations at Boston University. He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army and served as platoon leader in Vietnam in 1970-71. The major lesson that the U.S. national security...

Vietnam Contingencies

Vietnam Contingencies

Marilyn Young Marilyn Young is Professor of History at New York University. She is author of The Vietnam Wars: 1945-1990. As we reflect on how the war began, it is worth considering how things might have played out differently. We know that Ho Chi Minh used the U.S....

The Vietnam War: Lessons Unlearned

The Vietnam War: Lessons Unlearned

David Cortright David Cortright is Associate Director for Programs and Policy Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. As an enlisted soldier during the Vietnam War, he spoke out against that conflict. There are many lessons of Vietnam, but three...