The Vietnam War

Coming Home: PTSD, Veterans, and the War's Lasting Wounds

In this powerful episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley examines the profound challenges faced by Vietnam veterans returning home and the lasting impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The episode explores how Vietnam veterans...

Saigon Falls: The Last Days of South Vietnam

In this powerful episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley examines the dramatic final weeks of South Vietnam in April 1975. From the collapse of South Vietnamese forces in the Central Highlands to the iconic helicopter evacuations from Saigon,...

Kent State: When Protest Turned Deadly

On May 4, 1970, the Vietnam War came home to America in the most tragic way possible. Following President Nixon's announcement of military operations in Cambodia, student protests erupted across the nation. At Kent State University in Ohio, peaceful...

Make Love Not War: The Rise of the Anti-War Movement

In this episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley examines the rise of the American anti-war movement during the Vietnam conflict. From the first teach-ins at the University of Michigan in 1965 to the massive demonstrations at the Pentagon, this...

The Living Room War: Television Changes Everything

Explore how television transformed the Vietnam War experience for American audiences in this compelling episode of The Vietnam War podcast. Host James Hartley examines how TV coverage evolved from supportive reporting to critical journalism that...

Napalm and Agent Orange: The Environmental War

In this episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley explores the devastating environmental impact of chemical warfare during the Vietnam conflict. From 1962 to 1971, Operation Ranch Hand sprayed approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides,...

The Other Side: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong Perspectives

In this compelling episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley examines the often-overlooked perspectives of North Vietnamese forces and Viet Cong fighters during the Vietnam conflict. Drawing from historical documents, captured records, and...

Voices from the Jungle: American Soldiers Tell Their Stories

In this moving episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley explores firsthand accounts from American soldiers who served in Vietnam between 1964 and 1975. Drawing from extensive oral history collections maintained by universities, the Library of...

The Tet Offensive: The War Comes to Saigon

In this gripping episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley examines the pivotal Tet Offensive of January 1968, focusing on the shocking assault that brought urban warfare to South Vietnam's capital city of Saigon. The coordinated North Vietnamese...

Boots on the Ground: The First Combat Troops Arrive

In this episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley examines the pivotal moment when the first official U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam on March 8, 1965. We explore the events leading to the deployment of 3,500 Marines to Da Nang Air Base,...

The Draft: When Your Number Came Up

In this compelling episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley examines the military draft system that shaped an entire generation of young American men during the Vietnam conflict. The episode explores the December 1969 draft lottery...

Domino Theory: Cold War Politics and the Decision to Fight

In this episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley examines the Domino Theory and its crucial role in America's decision to intervene in Vietnam. We explore how this Cold War political framework shaped U.S. foreign policy from the 1950s through...

The Road to Saigon: How America Got Into Vietnam

In this episode of The Vietnam War, host James Hartley explores the complex historical path that led the United States into the Vietnam conflict. Beginning with the end of World War Two and the collapse of French colonial rule in Indochina, we trace...

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