Dearborn County Historical Marker - Vietnam War Memorial
Vietnam War Memorial
Dearborn County Indiana
Inscription.
In God We Trust
In Grateful remembrance of the men of Dearborn County who gave their lives in the Vietnam War, erected by the Citizens of Dearborn County, Indiana.
Honor Roll, first column:
William Omer Burkett • Thomas Denning • Larry Arthur Diefenbach • Larry Fogle • Harvey D. Gray • David Hemphill • Donald Ray Henry • Clabe Herald, Jr. • Neil Philip Farmer
Honor Roll, second column:
Ronald A. Hoff • Kenneth Wayne Lozier • Dale K. McLanahan • Ronald W. Montgomery • Richard Wayne Sanders • William M. Treadway • Orville Wells • Robert J. Williamson
Erected by Citizens of Dearborn County.
Location. 39° 5.46' N, 84° 50.988' W.
Marker is in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, in Dearborn County.
Marker is on West High Street west of Mary Street, on the right when traveling west.
Located on the right most front pillar as you face the Dearborn County Courthouse in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
Marker is at or near this postal address:
215 West High Street, Lawrenceburg IN 47025, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Dearborn County (here, next to this marker); Dearborn County World War I War Memorial
Long View - - Vietnam War Memorial Marker Photo, Click for full size
By Ginger Drenning, August 23, 2009
2. Long View - - Vietnam War Memorial Marker
The marker is on last pillar to the right in the photo.
(here, next to this marker); Dearborn County Korean War Memorial (here, next to this marker); Dearborn County World War II War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Dearborn County American Revolution War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Medal of Honor Citations (a few steps from this marker); The Price of Freedom (within shouting distance of this marker); Lawrenceburgh (approx. 0.2 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Lawrenceburg.
Brief History by the Author:
The Beginnings of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War had its roots in colonial French control of the area then called Indo-China, dating from the 1850's. French colonial rule continued for over seventy years. Various opposition rebel groups fought against French rule, but none had any success. In 1940, the Japanese invaded and occupied the area. The French colonial authorities had allied themselves with the French Vichy regime in France that collaborated with their Nazi conquerors. The Japanese occupiers of Indochina, in turn, collaborated with the French colonial officials. After the Allies drove German troops from France, the Vichy regime collapsed. Fearing the French officials, the Japanese jailed the French and set up a puppet regime in Indo-China. The Japanese troops surrendered to Allied troops in September 1945 after the main Japanese surrender. However, they were the only ones capable of controlling the area, thus the Allies left them in place.
Viet Minh
The Viet Minh had organized in the early 1940's primarily to oppose the French. After the Japanese invasion, they then opposed them. After the Japanese became largely inactive after September 1945, they managed to launch successfully the August Revolution, in which they took command of the country.
British Occupation and Departure
The Allies were adamant that the area still belonged to the French, but as the French had no means to defend or control the country, British forces occupied the southern part of the country and the Nationalist Chinese occupied the north. The Viet Minh won elections across northern Vietnam. They agreed to allow French military personnel to replace the Chinese in exchange for French recognition of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. French military personnel arrived in Hanoi in March and began a military operation that cleared all the Viet Minh from the city. The British army departed Vietnam in March 1946.
First Indo-China War
The Viet Minh commenced a guerilla war against the French, support now by the People's Republic of China. The Viet Minh had communist ties and the support of the Communist Chinese reinforced this. The French began receiving United States support in the 1950 in the form of weapons and advisors who helped train the fledgling South Vietnamese Army. The war transitioned from a civil war to a Cold War conflict. At the Battle of Dien Bien Phu Viet Minh forces delivered a devastating defeat to the French. The French subsequently abandoned Viet Nam in 1954. The Viet Minh continued their struggle against the South Vietnamese government, which had gained its independence.
Division of Vietnam
During the 1954 Geneva Conference the Soviet Union, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and the People’s Republic of China came to an agreement that divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel. The United States continued to support the South Vietnam government.
Escalation of the War
President Dwight D. Eisenhower supported the South Vietnamese with weapons and advisors, but resisted expansion of the war. When President Kennedy was inaugurated in 1960, the "Domino Theory" dominated political thought. The fear was that if South Vietnam fell to the communist Viet Minh, the Southeast Asian nations of Laos, Cambodia and Thailand would follow. During the Kennedy administration United States Military personnel in South Vietnam grew from the 900 advisors placed there by President Kennedy to 16,000 at the time of Kennedy's assassination. The conflict continued to escalate after President Lyndon Johnson took office. Fearing a communist takeover after the South Vietnamese regime began to collapse. Johnson increased troop strength during his administration to 265,000 troops.
War Protests
Civil protests against the escalation of the war grew during the middle to late 1960's. Opposition to the war became so politically volatile that President Johnson abandoned his reelection campaign. His Vice President ran and gained the Democratic nomination for President. Richard Nixon gained the Republican nomination and the Presidency in 1968, partly on his proposed" Vietnamization" policy. War protests on college campuses and other places continued, resulting in the Kent Massacre in 1970, in which four college protesters were killed by National Guard troops during a protest.
Drawdown and the Fall of South Vietnam
Nixon began his drawdown of troops in 1970. He escalated it after his 1972 reelection. The last troops left March 5, 1971. Nixon used bombing runs by B-52's to support the South Vietnamese troops. The Democratic Party continued to oppose him, and forced his resignation in 1974 over the Watergate crises. Using the political turmoil created by the resignation, they cut the military support budget to South Vietnam, weakening the regime. The communist insurgents in the south, bolstered by their aid from the Chinese, continued their success against the beleaguered South Vietnamese until Saigon fell on April 30, 1975. United States military helicopters had evacuated the last of the United States officials under heavy gunfire on April 29.
The United States lost 58,315 soldiers and suffered 303,644 wounded during the war.
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| A Visit to Aurora and Lawrenceburg, Indiana |
Vietnam War Memorial
Dearborn County Indiana
Inscription.
In God We Trust
In Grateful remembrance of the men of Dearborn County who gave their lives in the Vietnam War, erected by the Citizens of Dearborn County, Indiana.
Honor Roll, first column:
William Omer Burkett • Thomas Denning • Larry Arthur Diefenbach • Larry Fogle • Harvey D. Gray • David Hemphill • Donald Ray Henry • Clabe Herald, Jr. • Neil Philip Farmer
Honor Roll, second column:
Ronald A. Hoff • Kenneth Wayne Lozier • Dale K. McLanahan • Ronald W. Montgomery • Richard Wayne Sanders • William M. Treadway • Orville Wells • Robert J. Williamson
Erected by Citizens of Dearborn County.
Location. 39° 5.46' N, 84° 50.988' W.
Marker is in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, in Dearborn County.
Marker is on West High Street west of Mary Street, on the right when traveling west.
Located on the right most front pillar as you face the Dearborn County Courthouse in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
Marker is at or near this postal address:
215 West High Street, Lawrenceburg IN 47025, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Dearborn County (here, next to this marker); Dearborn County World War I War Memorial
Long View - - Vietnam War Memorial Marker Photo, Click for full size
By Ginger Drenning, August 23, 2009
2. Long View - - Vietnam War Memorial Marker
The marker is on last pillar to the right in the photo.
(here, next to this marker); Dearborn County Korean War Memorial (here, next to this marker); Dearborn County World War II War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Dearborn County American Revolution War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Medal of Honor Citations (a few steps from this marker); The Price of Freedom (within shouting distance of this marker); Lawrenceburgh (approx. 0.2 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Lawrenceburg.
Brief History by the Author:
The Beginnings of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War had its roots in colonial French control of the area then called Indo-China, dating from the 1850's. French colonial rule continued for over seventy years. Various opposition rebel groups fought against French rule, but none had any success. In 1940, the Japanese invaded and occupied the area. The French colonial authorities had allied themselves with the French Vichy regime in France that collaborated with their Nazi conquerors. The Japanese occupiers of Indochina, in turn, collaborated with the French colonial officials. After the Allies drove German troops from France, the Vichy regime collapsed. Fearing the French officials, the Japanese jailed the French and set up a puppet regime in Indo-China. The Japanese troops surrendered to Allied troops in September 1945 after the main Japanese surrender. However, they were the only ones capable of controlling the area, thus the Allies left them in place.
Viet Minh
The Viet Minh had organized in the early 1940's primarily to oppose the French. After the Japanese invasion, they then opposed them. After the Japanese became largely inactive after September 1945, they managed to launch successfully the August Revolution, in which they took command of the country.
British Occupation and Departure
The Allies were adamant that the area still belonged to the French, but as the French had no means to defend or control the country, British forces occupied the southern part of the country and the Nationalist Chinese occupied the north. The Viet Minh won elections across northern Vietnam. They agreed to allow French military personnel to replace the Chinese in exchange for French recognition of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. French military personnel arrived in Hanoi in March and began a military operation that cleared all the Viet Minh from the city. The British army departed Vietnam in March 1946.
First Indo-China War
The Viet Minh commenced a guerilla war against the French, support now by the People's Republic of China. The Viet Minh had communist ties and the support of the Communist Chinese reinforced this. The French began receiving United States support in the 1950 in the form of weapons and advisors who helped train the fledgling South Vietnamese Army. The war transitioned from a civil war to a Cold War conflict. At the Battle of Dien Bien Phu Viet Minh forces delivered a devastating defeat to the French. The French subsequently abandoned Viet Nam in 1954. The Viet Minh continued their struggle against the South Vietnamese government, which had gained its independence.
Division of Vietnam
During the 1954 Geneva Conference the Soviet Union, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and the People’s Republic of China came to an agreement that divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel. The United States continued to support the South Vietnam government.
Escalation of the War
President Dwight D. Eisenhower supported the South Vietnamese with weapons and advisors, but resisted expansion of the war. When President Kennedy was inaugurated in 1960, the "Domino Theory" dominated political thought. The fear was that if South Vietnam fell to the communist Viet Minh, the Southeast Asian nations of Laos, Cambodia and Thailand would follow. During the Kennedy administration United States Military personnel in South Vietnam grew from the 900 advisors placed there by President Kennedy to 16,000 at the time of Kennedy's assassination. The conflict continued to escalate after President Lyndon Johnson took office. Fearing a communist takeover after the South Vietnamese regime began to collapse. Johnson increased troop strength during his administration to 265,000 troops.
War Protests
Civil protests against the escalation of the war grew during the middle to late 1960's. Opposition to the war became so politically volatile that President Johnson abandoned his reelection campaign. His Vice President ran and gained the Democratic nomination for President. Richard Nixon gained the Republican nomination and the Presidency in 1968, partly on his proposed" Vietnamization" policy. War protests on college campuses and other places continued, resulting in the Kent Massacre in 1970, in which four college protesters were killed by National Guard troops during a protest.
Drawdown and the Fall of South Vietnam
Nixon began his drawdown of troops in 1970. He escalated it after his 1972 reelection. The last troops left March 5, 1971. Nixon used bombing runs by B-52's to support the South Vietnamese troops. The Democratic Party continued to oppose him, and forced his resignation in 1974 over the Watergate crises. Using the political turmoil created by the resignation, they cut the military support budget to South Vietnam, weakening the regime. The communist insurgents in the south, bolstered by their aid from the Chinese, continued their success against the beleaguered South Vietnamese until Saigon fell on April 30, 1975. United States military helicopters had evacuated the last of the United States officials under heavy gunfire on April 29.
The United States lost 58,315 soldiers and suffered 303,644 wounded during the war.
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