Texas Tech University

5th Triennial Vietnam Symposium

17 March - 19 March 2005
Holiday Inn Park Plaza - Lubbock, Texas

The views and opinions expressed in these papers, presentations, and videos are strictly those of the presenters and authors and do not represent The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University, or the State of Texas.

Thursday, March 17th

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8:45 AM Plenary 1: Searching for our MIAs: The Department of Defense's Accounting Efforts and the Evolution of U.S. Relations with Vietnam

Moderator: Gary Sydow, DPMO


  • Gary Sydow , Research & Analysis Directorate, Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO)


  • Gary Flanagan , Casualty Resolution Specialist, Det. E., Hanoi, Joint POW/Missing Personnel Accounting Command (JPAC)


  • James Coyel , Senior Analyst and Researcher, JPAC


  • Ronald Cima , Senior Analyst for Southeast Asia, Researcn & Analyusis Dir., DPMO

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11:00 AM Plenary 2: The Continuing Process of Normalization


  • Ambassador Raymond Burghardt

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12:00 PM Lunch: Reception/Break/Other


  • Ambassador Michael Marine , Current Ambassador to Vietnam

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1:30 PM 3a: Vietnam and Iraq: Deja vu All Over Again, or Not?

Moderator: Earl H. Tilford, Grove City College

  • Power and Secrecy: Vietnam and Iraq
    John Prados , National Security Archives

  • Tonkin Gulf and the WMD Issue
    Edwin Moise , Clemson University

  • The ''Other War'' in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq
    Marc Jason Gilbert , North Georgia College and State University

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1:30 PM 3b: Precursors

Moderator: Ron Frankum, Millersville State University

  • Railroads in Indo-China: Symbol of Western Mercantile Intrusion; Object of Vietnamese Anti-Colonial Revolt
    Walter Jones , University of Utah

  • Prelude to Disaster: France's Inability to Learn from the Hell of Hoa Binh
    Jeffrey D. Wilhelm , Doctoral Candidate, Texas Tech University

  • The Path to War: Communist Activities in the South, 1959-1960
    Mark Moyar , Marine Corps University

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1:30 PM 3c: Vioices of the Vietnamese Diaspora

Moderator: Kiem Do, Independent Study Group of the Vietnamese Community

  • The Diaspora, Its Formation, Growth and Its Distinctive Character
    Kiem Do , Former Captain, South Vietnamese Navy

  • The Attitude of Communist Vietnam vis-à-vis the Vietnamese Diaspora
    Can Thi Bich Ngoc , MD

  • The Reaction of the Vietnamese Diaspora
    Vu D. Hieu , Author

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3:15 PM 4a: Teaching about the Vietnam War

Moderator: John Clark Pratt, Colorado State University

  • Teaching the Vietnam War through Film, with Particular Emphasis on the Ia Drang Valley and the Film 'When We Were Soldiers'
    Brian Gurian , Harrisburg Area Community College

  • The American-Viet Nam War: Telling the Story to Our Children
    Ted Engelmann , Documentary Photographer / Independent Scholar

  • Engaging Dropout Prevention Students with Active Learning Techniques: The Oral History of the Vietnam War as a Case Study
    Thomas E. Murray , Bayside H.S., Clearwater, Flordia

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3:15 PM 4b: Vietnamese Diaspora

Moderator: Ambassador Nguyen Xuan Phong, Texas Tech University

  • Vietnamese Diaspora: In Search of Identity
    Nguyen Le Hieu

  • The Plight of Vietnamese Fishermen along the Texas Gulf Coast
    Son H. Mai , Doctoral Candidate, Texas Tech University

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3:15 PM 4c: Entertaining the Troops

Moderator: Richard Verrone, Texas Tech University

  • Command Military Touring Shows Vietnam, 1966-1973: Litmus Test for Morale
    Rick Holen , Vincennes University


  • Ann Kelsey , County College of Morris Learning Resource Center

5:30 PM Reception: Reception/Break/Other

  • Opening Commments
    W. R. Collier , President, ASB

  • Comments, Proclamation
    Mayor Marc McDougal

Friday, March 18th

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8:45 AM 5a: After Paris

Moderator: Larry Berman, University of California DC Center

  • US Policy toward Vietnam, 1973-1975, and the Evacuation from Saigon
    Richard Sears , Wake Forest University

  • The Collapse of the 1973 Peace Process in Vietnam: A Critical Analysis
    Amir A. Samardar , Southwest Tennessee Community College

  • Beyond Quagmire: The United States and Vietnam From Animosity to Friendship
    Kim-Thien T. Nguyen

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8:45 AM 5b: Ngo Dinh Diem Era

Moderator: Ed Miller, Dartmouth University

  • Ngo Dinh Diem & American Imperialism
    Daniel Tu , Undergraduate Student, University of Tulsa

  • Seeing Self in Others: The Ironies of US Advocacy of Agrarian Reform in Diem's South Vietnam
    Major Nathan Haas , US Military Academy, West Point

  • To Move a Nation: The USOM and the Refugee Crisis of 1954-1955
    Ronald Frankum , Millersville State University

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8:45 AM 5c: Vietnam: Religious & Cultural Perceptions

Moderator: Patricia Pelley, Texas Tech University

  • JFK's Cold War Orientals: Representing the 'Vietnamese' as Allies, Enemies, and Others
    Ginger Davis , Doctoral Candidate, Temple University

  • Millenarianism and the Politico-Religious Sects of Vietnam
    Carmen K. Steigman , Graduate Student, American Military University

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8:45 AM 5d: Literature and the War

Moderator: Ron Milam, Texas Tech University

  • My Anniversary: 15 Years of Teaching the Fiction of the Vietnam War
    John Clark Pratt , Colorado State University

  • Reconciliation, Multiculturalism, and the Repositioning of the ''Vietcong'' in Lan Cao's Monkey Bridge
    Yuan Shu , Texas Tech University

  • Literature, Plays, and the War
    James McDermott , Doctoral Candidate in Theater and Performing Arts, Texas Tech University

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10:30 AM 6a: Diplomacy & Decision-Making

Moderator: Larry Berman, University of California, DC Center

  • New War, New Strategies: The Diplomatic Struggle in the Post-Tet War
    Lien-Hang T. Nguyen , Doctoral Candidate, Yale University

  • Before the Flight: Secret American Diplomatic Exchanges with President Thieu during the Peace Negotiations
    George Dalley

  • After the Paris Accords: Politburo Decision-Making & the Spring of 1975 Offensive
    Jay Veith , Independent Scholar

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10:30 AM 6b: Vernacular Voices and Surprising Bedfellows

Moderator: Marc Jason Gilbert, North Georgia College & State University

  • The Rhymes, They Are A-Changin': Vernacular Voices from the Vietnam War
    Matthew K. Irwin , Doctoral Candidate, Texas A&M University

  • ''What's in It for You, GI?'': The Surprising Relationship Between GI and Civilian Anti-Vietnam War Activists
    Heather Marie Stur , Doctoral Candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison

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10:30 AM 6c: Vietnamese Trials & Achievements

Moderator: Ambassador Nguyen Xuan Phong, Texas Tech University

  • The Vietnamese-Americans: The Best Outcome of the Vietnam War
    Dr. Nguyen Y. Duc , Vietnamese-American Heritage Foundation

  • Re-education and Its Aftermath
    Quang X. Pham , Former USMC Pilot and author

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12:00 PM Lunch: The Vietnam War in Fiction

  • A Novel Approach to War
    Hoang Au Phuong , (Bao Ninh), author of The Sorrow of War

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1:30 PM 7a: New Interpretations

Moderator: Larry Berman, University of California, DC Center

  • When Americans Hate Themselves: Another Way to Remember the Vietnam War
    Keith Taylor , Cornell University

  • The New York Times' Editorial Opposition to Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam Policies, Spring 1965
    Louis J. Campomenosi , University of Southern Mississippi

  • The Tactical Nuclear Weapons Option in Vietnam
    Ron Milam , Texas Tech University

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1:30 PM 7b: Agent Orange - I

Moderator: John F. Guilmartin, Ohio State University

  • The Capitalist Dilemma of Agent Orange
    Jessica Kunkel , Doctoral Candidate, Texas Tech University

  • Operation Ranch Hand: 1961-1971
    Col. Ralph Dresser , USAF (ret.)

  • The Many Myths Concerning 'Agent Orange'
    Maj. Jack Spey , USAF (ret.), President, Ranch Hand Viet Nam

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1:30 PM 7c: DASPO (Department of the Army Special Photographic Office)

Moderator: Steve Maxner, Texas Tech University

  • The History of DASPO, followed by DASPO film: What is a Combat Photographer?
    BG (ret.) Bob Gaylord


  • Carl Conn


  • Charles Abbott


  • Edgar Lewin

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1:30 PM 7d: Vietnamese Communism

Moderator: Ron Frankum, Millersville State University

  • On the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam
    Abraham Leong , National Chi Nan University, Taiwan

  • Toward Revolution: A History of the Thought of Vladimir Lenin & Ho Chi Minh
    Rusty Hawkins , Doctoral Candidate, Texas Tech University

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3:15 PM 8a: Army of the Republic of Vietnam

Moderator: Earl H. Tilford, Grove City COllege

  • Were the ARVNs Any Good? (Before, During and After the Americanization)
    Nguyen Tin , Author

  • VNAF: The Rise and Fall of the World's Fourth Largest Air Force
    Quang X. Pham , Former USMC Pilot and author

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3:15 PM 8b: Agent Orange - II

Moderator: John F. Guilmartin, Ohio State University

  • Assessment of Friendly Ground Forces' Exposure to Herbicide Spraying in Vietnam
    John F. Guilmartin , Ohio State University

  • Were Friendly Forces Directly Exposed to USAF Herbicide Contamination in Vietnam?
    Paul F. Cecil , Historian, Ranch Hand Viet Nam Association

  • Herbicidal Dissipation and Degradation in Relation to the Assessment of Indirect Exposure of Ground Troops
    Alvin L. Young , Institute for Science and Public Policy, University of Oklahoma

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3:15 PM 8c: River Forces in Vietnam

Moderator: James Reckner, Texas Tech University

  • Changing Tides: Riverine Warfare in Vietnam
    Robert Tidwell , Doctoral Candidate, Texas Tech University

  • The Factors at Work in the Construction of the Base at Dong Tam
    Reagan Grau , Graduate Student, Texas Tech University

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3:15 PM 8d: Personal Experiences

Moderator: Richard Verrone, Texas Tech University

  • Hero Mama, Daughter of a Vietnam Soldier KIA
    Karen Zacharias

  • Bring Joy to Vietnam: My Time in Country and Since
    Joy Wilkerson

8:00 PM Banquet: Reception/Break/Other

  • Keynote Speaker
    Major General Ken Bowra , USA (ret.)

Saturday, March 19th

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8:45 AM 9a: The Vietnam War and the Election Year

Moderator: Scott Sweat, Webmaster-Wintersoldier.com & SwiftVets.com


  • Jerome Corsi , Co-author, Unfit for Command


  • B. G. Burkett , Co-author Stolen Valor, served with 199th Light Infantry Bde (1968-1969)


  • Larry Bailey , Organizer, Kerry Lied; served as Navy Seal


  • Scott Swett , Webmaster - Wintersoldier.com and SwiftVets.com

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8:45 AM 9b: China, the NLF, & Laos

Moderator: Keith Taylor, Cornell University

  • Influence of Chinese Politico-Military Discourse upon the NLF's War in the South: The Case of the 514th VC Battalion
    Martin Loicano , Doctoral Candidate, Cornell University

  • The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, Myth & Reality
    Phieu N. Tran , MD

  • Laos as a Sideshow on the Vietnam War, 1962-1973
    Patit Paban Mishra , Sambalpur University, India

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8:45 AM 9c: Strategy

Moderator: Donald Walker, Texas Tech University

  • An Analytical Review of the Strategy Debate Between the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army Regarding the Conduct of the Ground War in Vietnam
    David Strachan-Morris , Doctoral Candidate, University of Wolverhampton, UK

  • Nixon as Commander-in-Chief: The Experience of the Easter Offensive
    Col. Steve Randolph , USAF, ret.; National Defense University

  • Harassment and Interdiction Fire: Resolving American Strategy during the Vietnam War
    Capt. John M. Hawkins , USA; US Military Academy

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8:45 AM 9d: Personal Accounts

Moderator: Ron Milam, Texas Tech University

  • The Son Tay POW Raid
    Bill Guenon , USAF pilot and author

  • An Infantry Squad Leader in Vietnam
    Allen W. Sims , Vietnam vet & author

  • SCATBACK COMBAT COURIER, A Front Row Seat to the Air War in Vietnam
    CMSgt. Bob Laymon , USAF, ret.

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10:30 AM 10a: Vietnam Veterans Against the War

Moderator: Nancy Miller Saunders, VVAW filmmaker and documentarian and supporter, 1970-1973

  • Use/Misuse of the Vietnam War and the Vietnam Veterans Against the War for Political Purposes
    Nancy Miller Saunders , VVAW filmmaker and documentarian and supporter, 1970-1973

  • Image vs Reality and The Manipulation Thereof for Political or Personal Gain: Swift Boat Vets vs The Reality of VVAW
    Bill Hager , Served two tours in Vietnam as a Combat Engineer with the USMC, 65-66, 68; VVAW's California/Nevada regional coordicator, 1971-72.

  • VVAW the Truth, and half-truths & lies of the Swift Boat Veterans
    Terry DuBose , USA 53rd General Support Group, 67-68; VVAW's Texas Regional Coordinator, 71-72

  • A Literary Campaign: Vietnam Refought in the Books of the 2004 Election
    Alex Primm , Army Information Specialist, 68-69; VVAW member since 1971

  • Home to War: A History of the Vietnam Veterans Movement
    Gerald Nicosia , author

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10:30 AM 10b: Pacification & Counterinsurgency

Moderator: Laura Calkins, Texas Tech University

  • Provincial Pacification in Vietnam
    Thomas J. Barnes , former Province Senior Advisor and Deputy for Cords in II CTZ

  • The Phoenix Program
    Larry J. O'Daniel

10:30 AM 10c: Vietnam-Related Resources

Moderator: Steve Maxner, Texas Tech University

  • A Web-based Online Database for CIA Declassified Documents on the Vietnam War
    Vinh The-Lam , University of Saskatchewan

  • The Virtual Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University
    Steve Maxner , Texas Tech University

  • Sorry 'Bout That' Uniforming of the American Soldier in Vietnam
    William Brewster , Curator of Collections, Wisconsin Veterans Museum

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10:30 AM 10d: War Diaries

Moderator: Donald Walker, Texas Tech University

  • Dear Diary: Fought a War Today. . . .: Exploring the Vietnam War through the Battlefield Diaries of American and Vietcong Soldiers
    Todd J. Pfannestiel , Clarion University, Pennsylvania

  • The Diaries of Dr. Dang Thuy Tram
    Frederick and Robert W. Whitehurst

12:00 PM Lunch: Reception/Break/Other

  • A Decade of Reconciliation: Vietnam-U.S. Relations Today and Tomorrow
    Larry Berman

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1:30 PM 11a: The Myths of the Vietnam War

Moderator: Steve Sherman


  • Steve Sherman , served with 5th Special Forces Group, 67-68; RADIX Foundation


  • Dr. Robert Turner , served as Assistant Special Projects Officer, US Embassy Saigon; Center for National Security Law, University of Virginia Law School


  • James McLeroy , served with 5th Special Forces Groun, MACSOG/CCN

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1:30 PM 11b: Medicine & Healing

Moderator: Ron Frankum, Millersville State University

  • How an Art Form (Photography) Enabled a Vietnamese Medical Program, 1965-2005
    Cark E. Bartecchi , MD, University of Colorado School of Medicine

  • Vietnam Narrative as History and Healing
    Mary E. Nguyen

  • Learning and Reconciliation Study Tours Through Vietnam and Vietnam Vets
    Steven A. Leibo , Sage Colleges

1:30 PM 11c: A Potpourri of Vietnam Papers

Moderator: James Reckner, Texas Tech University

  • An Examination of Korean and Vietnamese Use of Instruction, Interrogation and Intimidation in Prisoner-of-War Camps
    Jenny Hoover , Doctoral Candidate, Texas Tech University

  • To Bomb or Not to Bomb: The Effect of Foreign Influence on American Foreign Policy during Vietnam
    Michael Johnson , Graduate Student, Texas Tech University

  • Vietnamese Agriculture Policies, 1982-2004
    John Barnett , Doctoral Candidate, University of Arkansas

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1:30 PM 11d: Music and Humor

Moderator: Olga Dror, Texas A&M University

  • War Songs: Civilian Protest As an Art Form
    Elizabeth Champan , Undergraduate Student, Texas A&M University

  • Humor in War
    Robert Vaughan , Author

1:30 PM 11e: Winter Soldier

    3:00 PM Plenary 12: Update on Vietnam Center

    Moderator: James Reckner, Texas Tech University

      3:30 PM Plenary 13: Summary and Discussion & Future Recommendations

      Moderator: James Reckner, Texas Tech University


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