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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following cities is the site of the Vietnamese imperial palace?

2. On which day is the funeral of John Paul Vann held?

3. Which of the following is true about the relationship between John Paul Vann and Huynh Van Cao?

4. How are the Viet Minh perceived by many of the Vietnamese people, especially in light of their victory over the French in the First Indochina War?

5. Which notable newspaper reporter of the era is an attendee at the John Paul Vann funeral?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly describe some of the things John Paul Vann did that get him categorized as lucky by those with whom he served.

2. John Paul Vann retires from the military in 1963, only to go back to Vietnam with the AID in 1965 and serve until his death in 1972. Based on what we've learned from "The Funeral" section, why do you think he does this?

3. Briefly describe who the National Liberation Front (NLF) are.

4. What is the preliminary intelligence report given by Jim Drummond and the eavesdroppers in the Otters concerning the size and capabilities of the VC force at Ap Bac?

5. Why is the Battle of Ap Bac considered perhaps the most important confrontation of the entire Vietnam War?

6. What are some of the difficulties in getting the South Vietnamese prepared to engage the Viet Cong?

7. From this brief vignette of the funeral of John Paul Vann, what facts can we glean about his life and personality?

8. Discuss the significance of John Paul Vann's promotion to senior adviser for a corps region. How is this significant?

9. In what ways does John Paul Vann's life embody the spirit of the United States in the Vietnam War?

10. What political policies of Diem in particular lead to growing dissatisfaction with him and his regime among the South Vietnamese people and, eventually, the Americans as well?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What were some of John Paul Vann's specific duties and responsibilities as a civilian member of the Agency for International Development (AID) in Vietnam? How did the efforts of this agency improve the conditions of the war for combatants and innocents alike? Was John Paul Vann satisfied with the scope of his AID directives? If not, why not? What more did he feel he needed to do?

Essay Topic 2

Briefly outline the major influential factors in John Paul Vann's childhood from his earliest recollections until the time he joined the Armed forces. Please note the significant factors that may have had a strong influence on him as a boy and helped shape who he became as a man later on. To what extent do you feel his environment affected his personality (if at all)?

Essay Topic 3

What was the U.S. military's rationale for the burning of villages policy enacted in August, 1965? Given his strong desire to defeat the Vietcong, why did John Paul Vann disassociate himself from the practice in a very vocal way? Did John Paul Vann believe that the U.S. marines could have pursued a better course of action? If so, what was it?

(see the answer keys)

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