The Vietnam War--America's first "television war"--cost the lives of nearly 60,000 Americans and one and a half million Vietnamese from both the North and the South. It left almost five million soldiers wounded and a trail of more than nine million refugees. Vietnam was America's longest war (1965-1973), and it was one that divided the country like no other conflict since the Civil War. The Vietnam War, a volume in Facts On File's acclaimed Eyewitness History series, provides hundreds of firsthand accounts of the war--from memoirs, television reports, speeches, letters and newspapers--which illustrate how historical events appeared to those who lived through them. Among the eyewitness testimonies included are those of foot soldiers and officers, nurses, peace protestors, American and Vietnamese leaders, USO performers, and journalists. In addition to the firsthand accounts, each chapter provides an introductory essay and a chronology of events. The book also includes five appendixes--seven historical documents that had an impact on the region, capsule biographies of more than 200 key figures, three maps, statistics of the war, a glossary--and a Bibliography, an Index and 93 black and white photographs.

Prologue: Setting the stage -- 1. The war with the French: 1945-1959 -- 2. Days of hope: 1960-1963 -- 3. Year of decision: 1964 -- 4. America takes over: 1965 -- 5. Escalation: 1966 -- 6. An expanding war: 1967 -- 7. The Tet Offensive: 1968 -- 8. Fighting for time: 1969 -- 9. Vietnamizing the war: 1970-1971 -- 10. Peace is at hand: 1972-1973 -- 11. The fall of the South: 1974-1975 -- 12. Legacies and reflections -- Appendix A: Documents -- Appendix B: Biographies of major personalities -- Appendix C: Maps -- Appendix D: Statistics on the war -- Appendix E: Glossary.