The Moving Vietnam Memorial, which left on Monday after a four-day visit to the Capital City, is intended to educate the current generation, as much as it is to honor and remember those named on its smooth, black surface.
Nearly 1,000 school children from Central Missouri visited the wall with their schools. Others saw it with family and friends.
The News Tribune spoke with five area teachers to see how the Vietnam War era is being taught in local classrooms.
Prof. Thomas Gubbels, teaches 20th Century USA and War and American Society at Lincoln University. He tries to teach a social history of America's wars. One of his goals is to get students to understand war from the point of view of the ordinary soldier.
By interviewing service members with different roles in wartime, students may discover there is no "typical" veteran experience, Gubbels said.
Another Lincoln University professor, Bruce Scovill, teaches a survey course on United States history from the Civil War to the present.
"I am proud to be an American," Scovill said. "I try to be very objective about the way I teach history, but generally unapologetic when discussing this country's history."
Tom Emmel teaches American history at Helias Catholic High School, where he devotes about a week and a half on the subject. He looks at how the war under the presidencies of Eisenhower and Kennedy was different from that under Johnson, Nixon and Ford.
Courtney Parker teaches U.S. history, required for all juniors, at Jefferson City High School.
J.R. Simmons also teaches U.S. history at Jefferson City High School. He shares many stories from his late uncle's experiences as a dog handler for the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War.
A Missouri Army National Guardsman, who has deployed to Afghanistan, Charlie Ledgerwood teaches U.S. history at Jefferson City High School.
"Sometimes I share snippets of my experiences so we can compare that versus Vietnam," Ledgerwood said. "I also talk with students about the importance of respecting the job someone does, even if the student does not agree with the cause."
What follows are the News Tribune's questions, along with select responses:
How does the Vietnam War fit in to the broader scope of the course?
GUBBELS: "I primarily attempt to explain the Vietnam conflict as a product of the Cold War. Many students know about the Vietnam conflict, but they rarely understand why the United States intervened. Thus, I teach them about containment policy and its implications to explain why American leaders could not allow a small nation like Vietnam to fall victim to Communism. This led to a long-term military commitment to Vietnam, as well as a misunderstanding of the root causes of the conflict.
SCOVILL: "The Vietnam War is seldom more than a class period ... I try to pass on bits of information about Vietnam and Southeast Asia in the world civilization class, so that students ... have stronger understanding of this part of the world."
LEDGERWOOD: "Vietnam fits in with the "New Balance of Power' unit after World War II. We talk about how the U.S. and U.S.S.R. become the major world players and push their respective ideologies on other countries. It then leads into discussions about why we historically have not gotten along with other countries, how democracy and communism are different, and how events like the Vietnam War impact our society today."
Do students come in to the class with an understanding of that point in our nation's history?
SCOVILL: "Very few of our incoming freshmen come in with an understanding of the Vietnam Era."
PARKER: "Students who come into my class with an understanding of the Vietnam War, only have a perspective from family members who have served. They have surface knowledge of Vietnam - Call of Duty and Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump. They lack a general grasp of why the U.S. made the decision to become involved."
SIMMONS: "We are at the point in time now where the juniors that are in U.S. history do not remember 9/11 because they were 2 or 3 years old when that happened, so the majority have not concept of a war that was in the 1960s and '70s."
How do you discuss the topic?
GUBBELS: "I have students read contrasting essays; one in support of the Vietnam War and one opposed. I then have them discuss the merit of both arguments and ask them to formulate their own position. ... I have them read the novel "The Things They Carried' by Tim O'Brien in order to help students understand the experience of front-line soldiers, the "grunts,' who served in Vietnam."
PARKER: "We look at arguments for and against; I have the students identify which arguments are from their modern day perspectives and how that differs from the perspective of Americans at that time. ... We discuss the use of the term "war.' I compare the Vietnam War to recent U.S. military operations overseas, particularly the Middle East and Iraq.
EMMEL: "We go over how the U.S. got involved, the resistance of the Viet Cong and protest by the Buddhist to the Catholic Diem government. The assassination of the Diems and beginning of the troop buildup. We take a long look at TET and how this affected American life. How the protest of the war began to escalate and cost Lyndon Johnson the presidency. Much of this is done through video of the massive protest, the rise of Bobby Kennedy, the assassination of Kennedy and King, the mayhem in Chicago. We look at the Vietnamization program of Nixon and how this changed the draft programs in the U.S. We use the draft deferments of the '60s and compare them to the nonexistent deferments, the lottery of the '70s."
Does it have relevance today?
GUBBELS: "Yes! If students can understand the logic behind the Vietnam War, as well as the controversies surrounding the conflict, they can be better citizens who actively seek to understand the motivations behind America's current military actions. The old saying "he who forgets the lessons of the past is doomed to repeat them' is totally applicable. Students need to also learn about how the USA treated, and in many cases mistreated, Vietnam-era veterans so they can learn that while it is okay to disagree with a war or with the people who lead the USA into one, it is never appropriate to place blame on military veterans who served faithfully during the conflict."
PARKER: "My students review ... the treatment of returning Vietnam vets. We reflect on the public attitudes of the time in addition to the lack of resources for these soldiers that served their country, regardless of their volunteer or draft status."
EMMEL: "I hope American service people are shown the respect that they deserve. They fought in a war that no one wanted to be part of, they fought an enemy that was willing to give 10 for every one American life lost.
SIMMONS: "We are involved in wars that many people do not agree with. Vietnam, at the start, was supported by the majority of the public in that we were trying to stop the spread of communism. However, by the end, many people just wanted us out."
LEDGERWOOD: "Vietnam has a huge relevance today because we trade with Vietnam, however they are still communist. We discuss the repatriation of U.S. soldier remains that still take place, lessons we learned from the Vietnam War, and how we treat our returning veterans today.