The 57th anniversary of the Tet Offensive will be on Thursday, January 30th. To learn more about it, I recommend listening to Echoes of the Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive. This podcast is a production of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation, the nonprofit organization that built the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Vietnam War veterans tell moving stories about their service and military historians put events of the war into historical context. Echoes of the Vietnam War is an excellent way to learn about the Vietnam War.
In the episode about the Tet Offensive, military historian Erik Villard shares his knowledge about the Vietnam War. He describes how prior to the Tet Offensive, which began on January 30, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson was optimistic that the tide of war was turning in America’s favor. This changed on January 30th when North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces invaded 300 cities and caught U.S. and South Vietnamese forces by surprise. Militarily, the North Vietnamese were ultimately defeated and suffered large casualties but the public opinion was that the United States was winning dramatically changed. Villard describes the significance of Walter Cronkite’s broadcast during the Tet Offensive and how he believed the United States could not win the war.
Another interesting part of the episode is the background information that Villard gives about the infamous photograph of the Viet Cong fighter being executed. Contrary to popular belief, Villard believes the fighter photographed is not the notorious Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém. Rather, he concludes that he was a common soldier caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Other interesting episodes are about Diane Carlson Evans who was a nurse with the Army Nurse Corps. She describes her experiences in combat, such as holding a soldier’s hand as he dies, and taking cover during a rocket attack. She also talks about the sexism and disrespect nurses experienced following the war and the fight she led to have a monument built for them. Anyone that enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s The Women will love listening to Evans. In parts of the book, it seems like the novel was about her.
Echoes of the Vietnam War is an educational and interesting podcast. Military historians put events into historical context and veterans tell moving and powerful stories. To listen to Vietnam veterans that have been ignored for so long is a profound experience. I highly recommend this podcast to learn more about the Vietnam War.
Books about the Tet Offensive and Women Who Served in the Vietnam War
Women at War: The Story of Fifty Nurses Who Served in Vietnam by Elizabeth M. Norman
Phase Line Green: The Battle for Hue, 1968 by Nicholas Warr
Michael Walsh is an Adult Services Librarian. He is currently reading The March by E.L. Doctorow.