Key Terms from the Vietnam War Era

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Peace Corps

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A nonmilitary aid program introduced by John F. Kennedy

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Berlin Wall

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A barrier of concrete and barbed wire between East and West Berlin

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Cuban Missile Crisis

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A threat to national security that occurred when the Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba

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Domino theory

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The idea that if one country in Southeast Asia became Communist, nearby countries would also fall to communism

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Vietcong

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South Vietnamese forces that were supported by North Vietnamese Communists

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Tonkin Gulf Resolution

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Gave President Johnson the power to send combat troops to Vietnam

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Ho Chi Minh Trail

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A series of jungle paths that allowed Communist forces to travel from North Vietnam to South Vietnam

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Escalation

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Increased involvement in the Vietnam War

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Search-and-destroy missions

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The strategy used in the Vietnam War in which enemy targets were located and attacked

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Tet Offensive

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A series of attacks by Vietcong forces that proved to many Americans the Vietnam War was not being won