Texas Tech University

ARVN: Reflections and Reassessments After 30 Years

17 March - 18 March 2006
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.

Friday, March 17th

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8:00 AM Opening Remarks: Dr. James Reckner

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    8:15 AM-9:15 AM Special Keynote Speaker: Dr. Lewis Sorley - The Army of the Republic of Vietnam: A Retrospective Evaluation

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      9:20 AM-10:20 AM Session 1: The History of ARVN: An Overview

      Moderator: Stephen Maxner, The Vietnam Center

      • A Brief Overview of the Vietnam National Army and the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces (1952-1975)
        Mr. Stephen Sherman and Mr. Bill Laurie

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      10:30 AM-12:00 PM Session 2: Early Assessments of ARVN

      Moderator: Dr. Mark Moyar, USMC Command and Staff College

      • Sir Robert Thompson and the RVN: Perspectives from a British Counter-Insurgency Expert
        Dr. Geoffrey Shaw

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      • Army of the Republic of Viet Nam, 1954-1963: At War and In Politics
        Mr. Triet Minh Nguyen

      • The Truth about the Battle at Plei Me, November 1965
        Mr. Tin Nguyen

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      12:00 PM-1:15 PM Lunch: Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Bich - Some Vietnam War Issues Revisited: The Role Played by ARVN

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        1:30 PM-3:00 PM Session 3: ARVN Tested: Nixon, Protest, and Lam Son 719

        Moderator: Dr. James Willbanks, US Army Command and General Staff College

        • Economic Deprivation, Diminished Manhood, and Anti-Americanism: The protest Movement of ARVN Disabled Veterans, 1970-1971
          Mr. Tuan Hoang

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        • ARVN from the Viewpoint of the White House: Nixon's Gamble for Peace, 1969-1971
          Mr. Brian Robertson

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        • ARVN put to the Test: Reflections on Operation Lam Son 719
          Dr. Andrew Wiest

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        3:15 PM-4:45 PM Session 4: The Regular and Irregular Forces of Vietnam: Rangers, Marines, and the RFPF

        Moderator: Dr. Ron Milam, Texas Tech University

        • Republic of Vietnam Army Rangers
          Mr. Hieu Dinh Vu

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        • The Vietnamese Marines and the Binh Gia Front
          Mr. Tran Ngoc Toan

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        • Marine Corps Counterinsurgency and Pacification Efforts in Vietnam - Combining Popular Forces and Marines
          Mr. James Donovan

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        7:00 PM-8:30 PM Banquet: Special Guest Speaker - ARVN Lieutenant General Lu Lan

          Saturday, March 18th

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          8:00 AM-9:00 AM 5A: ARVN and the Eastertide Offensive

          Moderator: Mr. Stephen Maxner, The Vietnam Center

          • ARVN and the Rescue of BAT 21
            Mr. Darrell Whitcomb and Mr. Nguyen Van Kiet

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          9:15 AM-10:45 AM 5B: ARVN and the Eastertide Offensive

          Moderator: Dr. Andrew Wiest

          • South Vietnamese Combat Performance: A Case Study
            Dr. James Willbanks

          • ARVN General Vu Van Giai and the Easter Offensive in I Corps
            Mr. Jason Stewart

          • Dien Bien Phu and An Loc: A Comparison and Contrast
            Mr. An Hoang Le

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          11:00 AM-12:00 PM Session 6: The Historic Sea Battle of the Parcels between Vietnam and China, 1974

          Moderator: Dr. James Reckner, The Vietnam Center


          • CPT Kiem Do , Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations VN Navy; ISG Lead, Louisiana

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          • LCDR Cam Tran VNN , Special Forces (PT Boat Squadron); Military Writer, Texas

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          12:00 PM-1:15 PM Lunch: Special Guest Speaker - The Honorable Mr. Geoff Connor, Former Texas Secretary of State

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            1:30 PM-3:00 PM Session 7: The Death of the South Vietnamese Army

            Moderator: Mr. Jay Vieth


            • CPT Kiem Do , Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations VN Navy; ISG Lead, Louisiana

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            • Mr. Hai Trieu , ex-ARVN member; Military Writer, author from Vancouver, Canada


            • Mr. Nguyen The Tien , ex-Professor at Hanoi & Saigon Polytechnic College under Communist regime, from Vancouver, Canada

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            3:15 PM-4:45 PM Session 8: The Aftermath of the War

            Moderator: Mr Stephen Maxner, The Vietnam Center

            • Operation New Life: Guam, The First Step in a Long Journey
              Mr. Vinh M. Tran

            • The Vietnamese Experience in France after the Fall of Saigon
              COL Mai Viet Triet

            • The Invisible ARVN: The South Vietnamese Soldier in American Representations of the Vietnam War
              Dr. Phil Beidler

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            4:45 PM-5:30 PM Closing: Closing Remarks and General Conference Discussion