The Center for Military History and Grand Strategy plans to take students to Vietnam next winter break.
“The trip will be focused primarily on tactics, individual battles, personal experiences, Vietnamese culture, and knick-knack negotiation,” said Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris Chair in Military History.
Students will be in Vietnam from Dec. 27, 2024, to Jan. 10, 2025. The trip is open to all students, and CMHGS hopes to have 30 students sign up, according to Moyar.
CMHGS sponsored a trip to Revolutionary War sites during spring break last month, led by history professors Miles Smith and David Stewart.
“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the spring trip,” Moyar said.
Moyar added that the center wants to expand opportunities for students to experience history beyond the classroom and that the Vietnam War is a controversial and often misunderstood segment of America’s national heritage.
The Vietnam War was a long conflict between South Vietnam and the communist government of North Vietnam during the Cold War. The United States began sending soldiers to aid South Vietnam in 1965 and remained involved until 1973. More than 58,000 Americans died in the fighting, and the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the communists in 1975.
Freshman Ava Jolley, who attended the Revolutionary War trip, said she especially wants to go to Vietnam.
“My grandfather fought in Vietnam in the Army,” Jolley said. “He was a gunner on top of a tank when it wasn’t monsoon season. I’ve been talking with him a lot about his experience in Vietnam and it’s not a war I know a lot about. So I feel like going there and seeing where all of his stories took place would let me learn more about the war overall and more about things he isn’t comfortable sharing yet.”
Jolley said the trip will help students with Vietnam veterans in their family to better understand their sacrifices in a way that Americans struggle to appreciate.
“Dr. Moyar mentioned visiting some of the Marble Mountains, which is one of the places that my grandpa fought and he even got a Bronze Star fighting on one of the mountains,” Jolley said.
Moyar said students can earn three credits for the trip and scholarships may be available for students interested in military history and the Vietnam War. He estimates the trip will cost about $7,100 per student.
“The cost is, I think, as to be expected from a trip of this nature,” junior Jonathan Popa said. “It includes so much in the price that I assume it’s a fairly good deal for us as students. Airfare, meals, etc. are all included.”
According to Moyar, the trip is meant to bring awareness of both history and the world.
“Students should attend to learn how and why millions of Americans put their lives at risk, and why hundreds of thousands were injured or killed,” Moyar said. “They should attend because travel to other countries increases understanding of those countries and also increases their appreciation of their own country.”
