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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. In a three-page report, John Paul Vann indicates which of the following about General Huynh Van Cao?

2. What phrase below best describes the relationship of Frank Vann with his sons?

3. When John Paul Vann is eventually recruited into the Army, what is his job intended to be?

4. Which of the following is a major problem for the South Vietnamese military commanders and politicians?

5. After the failure of this person's second mission to Vietnam in 1966, this person begins to side with John Paul Vann's view of the war effort.

Short Essay Questions

1. Following the inconclusive, but embarrassing, result of Ap Bac, General Huynh Van Cao launched a dummy attack on the same location. Why did he do this? What was the result?

2. Who offers John Paul Vann a position as part of a national "brain trust" on Vietnam? What was John Paul Vann's reaction?

3. What were the findings of General Krulak and the other military leaders with regard to the Battle of Ap Bac? How did John Paul Vann react?

4. How and where did John Paul Vann die? Provide details.

5. Who was the most influential and first real friend that John Paul Vann had? Why did this person have such an impact on John Paul Vann's life?

6. What word best describes John Paul Vann's mother, Myrtle Lee Tripp? Provide a justification for your answer.

7. What do we know about John Paul Vann's lineage?

8. With whom did John Paul Vann spend a great amount of his time growing up? Why?

9. One of the unique features of the Vietnam War was the war correspondent (a special type of journalist) that went to the war zone and reported on what was happening there. How did this affect how the U.S. military commanders conducted the war?

10. In what year did John Paul Vann retire from the Army? When and how did he return to Vietnam?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

From what you recall in the book, please outline a brief background of the events before, during, and immediately after the tell-tale Battle of Ap Bac. Be sure to include the major events that led directly to the outcome of the confrontation, as well as the overall significance for this battle to the rest of the war.

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

There were many reasons why the United States decided to directly involve our military in Vietnam. Chief among them was the performance of the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN). Briefly describe the condition of the ARVN that prompted many American advisers and military intelligence personnel to recommend "sending in the Marines"? If the United States hadn't sent in fighting men and women, how do you think South Vietnam might have fared on its own?

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