This discussion addresses the following outcome:
Compare and contrast the military experiences of African American and white GIs and examine the issue of race relations during the U.S.-Vietnam War (CO#5/ Gen. Ed. Outcome 4.2);
Assess the concept of masculinity in the military during the US-Vietnam War (CO#5/ Gen. Ed. Outcome 4.2).
Over the course of the Vietnam War, US soldiers increasingly became the focus of media reports concerning morale, drug use, and even violence against civilians.
Other topics, such as race relations in the military, did not receive comparable attention but were nonetheless impactful.
Yet other topics, such as masculinity in the military during the Vietnam Era, are only recently the subject of study by historians. In this forum, we will consider race relations and masculinity as aspects of the "soldier experience" during the US-Vietnam War.
After completing all of the Module 6 readings (paying particular attention to Chapters 3 and 4
Required
Module 6 Notes Presentation
Herring, America's Longest War, Chapter 6
O'Brien: The Things They Carried. pp. 59-124
Graham, H. (2003). The Brothers' Vietnam War: Black Power, Manhood, and the Military Experience. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, Chapters 3 and 4
Craft a response to the following questions in a post of at least 250 words:
Just how pervasive was institutional and personal discrimination in the military during the US-Vietnam War?
How was masculinity a point of emphasis in the training of GIs?
How did race relations and masculinity define the experiences of those in the military?
In your estimation, was the racial context of the military during the US-Vietnam War unique in US history?