LLT 180 Study Guide – McDonough and Vietnam

Know the following people from McDonough’s book (who they are; what they do): Phil Nail, Jim Barnes, John Killigan, James King, John Hernandez, Nhan, Chong, Miss Ky, Larry O’Brien, Pete Spangler, Robert Palloman

Be able to find Vietnam on a map of Asia.

Be ready to observe Jack Hunter's video and to write about what you learn from him.

Consider the actions of the man, Mr. Crandall, who was awarded the nation's highest medal for valor, the MOH for his actions in Viet Nam.  How does his performance compare to the other MOH recipients that you've studied: Joshua Chamberlain and Rudy Hernandez?

Topics to Ponder (based on book, film, guests, video of McDonough):

• Values that McDonough, as a junior officer in the infantry and the Platoon Leader, emphasizes with himself and his men
• Values that McDonough has in common with other officers that you have observed (Henry’s officer in ‘Red Badge’, Chamberlain at Gettysburg, Inui in ‘My Guadalcanal’, von Witzland in ‘Stalingrad').
• Actions covered by the book, the film, or class guests that you would consider ‘heroic’.
• Particular hardships of combat in Vietnam, especially terrain and weather
• Relationships between western soldiers and their Vietnamese allies.
• American leadership qualities in Vietnam (McDonough’s & Hunter’s)
• How well what you learn about Vietnam from class sources matches your previous impressions of that war.
• How closely the values of McDonough and other Vietnam veterans looked at match your own