"A Letter Home" - American Soldier in Vietnam corresponds with Friends/Family in the United States

Target Curriculum: History and Social Science

Target Grade: 11 - 12

SOLs: HSS.11.12   HSS.11.17  
Time: Approximately 90 minutes in the computer lab. Students will complete letters outside of class. Allow approximately 30 minutes for students to share letters and reflections on the due date.

Objective:
Students will take on the persona of an American soldier that died in the Vietnam conflict. They will conduct research on the assigned individual,as well as on the conditions and experiences of soldiers in Vietnam. Students will then use this research to compose a letter that might have been written by that soldier to a loved one back in the United States. Length of the letter can vary depending on teachers preference.

Purpose:
To analyze the Vietnam conflict through the eyes of the soliders involved, and predict how these letters possibly could have influenced views of the conflict in the United States.

Materials:
1. Computer with Internet access
2. "Forrest Gump" movie
3. Large backpack
4. Deck of Cards
5. Handouts: Induction Card, Instruction sheet with web sites and guided notes. (information provided below in "Procedures")
6. Textbook "American Odyssey"

Procedure:
1. Students will be introduced to the experience of the Vietnam soldier through several mediums. First, they will view a clip from "Forrest Gump" which deals with Forrest's experience as a soldier in Vietnam. Secondly, they will play the card game "Find the Vietcong" (See "For Your Information"). Lastly, students will be able to try on a backpack (70 lbs.) to experience what the typical soldier had to carry on a daily basis.
2. Students will receive an induction card where they will be assigned the persona of a real United States soldier that fought and died in Vietnam.

INDUCTION CARD

FROM: The President of the United States
TO: (insert soldiers name)
GREETINGS:
You are hereby ordered for induction into the Armed Forces of the United States, and to report for forwarding to an Armed Forces Induction Station.
SIGNED: (you can sign Johnson/Nixon name here)
3. Students will go to the computer lab and use the following web sites to do research on their Vietnam soldier and supporting research.
4. Using http://www.virtualwall.org students should locate the name of their soldier by selecting the 1st letter of the soldier's last name. Select the soldier's name when it appears on the screen and use this information for background research.
5. Using http://www.vietvet.org select "Remembrance", then select "Peruse the Wall" and select the letter of the soldier's last name and take notes on the personal, military and action information given in the data base. Students can also select "Glossary" and "Letters from Vietnam" within this site to add additional research for the contents of the letter. Any information within these web pages is appropriate for the assignment and very useful for the students research.
6. The students will use this information to compose the letters outside of class.
7. On the day letters are due, students will share their letters with one or two students in the class. After reading, students will share their feelings and opinions about the vietnam conflict from the soldiers point of view. Discussion will focus on the impact of the letters on the students, as well as the possible impact these letters could have had on the homefront.

Observations:
While students are conducting their research, the teacher should help them locate appropriate web sites.

Conclusions:
Students should be able to identify the fact that any historical event can be told from many different points of view. By examining Vietnam from the point of view of the American Government at the time and then from the experience of the soldiers and families involved, students can develop their own ideas and opinions concerning the conflict.

For Your Information:
"Find the Vietcong"
The objective of this game is to help students understand that soldiers in Vietnam couldn't always recognize who the enemy was.
1. Each student will receive a card. One student will receive the Ace of Spades and will secretly be identified as the "Vietcong".
2. All students will be directed to mingle with one another. The "Vietcong" student will also mingle, however will need to eventually "kill" another student by winking at them. The students should be told that when they are "killed" they should just walk quietly to their desks and sit down. This should be done as discretely as possible so no other students observe the "killing".
3. This should continue until a student feels they can identify who the "Vietcong" is. If they guess correctly the game is over. If they are incorrect, then they sit out for the remainder of the game and the game continues until the Vietcong is identified.
4. This game usually works the best when it is then played a second time. Most students are much more cautious about who they talk to and who they look at in the second game. Some even go as far as standing in a corner so they don't have to look at anyone.
5. After two or three games have been completed, discuss with students the purpose of the game and what it might have been like to be an American soldier in Vietnam and facing this type of problem.

Class Discussion Questions:
Possible discussion questions to be used the day the letters are due:
1. How has writing these letters altered your view of the conflict in Vietnam?
2. How do you think the recipients of these letters reacted to their content? How would you react if you received one of these letters? Why?
3. Imagine you were a recipient of one of these letters. What would you tell someone close to you about the war after reading the letter? Why?
4. How do you think the reports from Americans in Vietnam (either soldiers or media figures) influenced the American public's view of the war? Why?