Vietnam War

• The United States became involved in the War in Vietnam to stop the spread of communism in Southeastern Asia

• As the war continue, Many Americans became disillusioned with the war

• Minorities and People of Color were drafted at higher rates than other groups

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​Vietnam Basics

• Mexican Americans not only served in the Vietnam War, but also like most Americans who were drafted and served, returned home to the United States after the war feeling defeated and disillusioned.

• Latino members of the U.S. military were lumped together with white troops in official documents so an official count of Latino soldiers is unknown

• It is estimated that 170,000 Latinos served during the War in Vietnam

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Latinos in Vietnam

• NOBODY KNOWS

• 10 percent of the U.S. population classified as Latino during the height of the Vietnam War, but studies suggest Mexican Americans accounted for around 20 percent of Vietnam deaths.

• Mexican Americans of military age composed 14 percent of the population in five Southwestern states, but they composed 18.2 to 19.4 percent of war casualties in those states

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How many?

• Mexican-Americans became targets of the military in terms of the draft

• Most Chicanos and Mexican Americans did not enroll into colleges and universities and therefore had very limited chances of being exempt from the draft. 

• Mexican American young men were heavily recruited or drafted after they graduated or left from high school.

• Military recruiters and ROTC programs were the answer for escaping the barrio for many Chicanos, and the military was seen by many as a way to climb the socioeconomic ladder in the United States.

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The Draft

• Army Master Sergeant

• May 1968 facing enemy fire, he carried wounded members of his platoon to rescue helicopters. 

• Although critically wounded, he refused to stop, gathering survivors, saving eight men.

• First awarded Distinguished Service Cross for heroism- later when full story came out awarded Congressional Medal of Honor by President Reagan in 1981.

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Roy Benavidez

• The War in Vietnam became a quagmire, a situation the United States could not get out of

• At the height of the war, 500,000 American troops were in Vietnam

• Eventually the United States left the war in the hands of South Vietnam who was defeated by the communists

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The Vietnam Legacy